A/N: Hey, sorry it's taken so long but we've come back with a vengeance and plan on doing a lot more with this now! So please favorite/follow/review and tell your friends!
Dorry's POV
Ever since that night I talked with Darry I honestly couldn't tell whether things were getting better or worse between us. Sure he wasn't running away every time he saw me anymore, but he always just seemed… tense. Which of course just made me tense, and then everything just got even more awkward once that happened. I mean seriously, all I really wanted to do was just grab his face and kiss the guy! Of course he just wanted to take it slow, so then we're back to the whole tense area again.
We both really liked each other, and if it wasn't for his dang ex-girlfriend the situation would be so much easier! I was bound and determined to get over this weirdness with him, I had a sort-of date planned out for tonight and was hoping that maybe I could break the ice a little bit. Basically we were going to meet at the hangout and dance. I figured we'd both be in our element that way, plus it was the same we had met my first night here.
I walked through the doors of the hangout after my last salsa session of the day. Normally Darry was one of the first people there, setting up for the staff party that happened almost every night. However, it seemed that the one time we had made plans to meet each other he was nowhere to be seen.
I sighed inwardly and was about to leave to go get the ice when Billy banged into the room holding two very large watermelons.
"You scared the living daylights outta me Billy!" I yelled at him while clutching at my chest, trying to get some normal air flow going in my lungs.
"I'm real sorry about that Dorry," he began, not sounding like he was even a little bit sorry, "but apparently Lisa's got some crazy emergency that she needs help with, but she couldn't ask Two-Bit because he went into town tonight, but I really needed to get these watermelons up here for the party tonight or everybody would get so mad at me!" Billy rambled on and on, sounding more and more frantic with every word.
"So you're in a hurry?" I summed up for him.
"So I'm in a hurry." He repeated, looking desperate.
"You go, I'll take these." I told him, gesturing to the load in his arms.
"Thanks, you're a real doll Dorry!" He yelled over his shoulder after handing me the spiked watermelons.
They were a lot heavier than I was expecting them to be and I staggered under their weight. I was looking around the room for a spot to put them when Darry strolled in. I could tell by the look on his face when he saw me that he was not expecting me to be here this early.
"Umm, hey…" He said vaguely.
"UM. HEY. YOU WANNA HELP ME OUT HERE?" I knew he wanted to go and get all awkward on me like he always does, but it would be much harder for him to barely talk to me and avoid looking directly at me if I died by being crushed by oversized fruit.
"Oh! Right, right, I'll get those for you!" Darry took two big steps and was in front of me in a second. He hooked his hands underneath the bottom melon and as he did his large hands grazed over mine. We both felt it the moment it happened, but instead of lingering there like I would have preferred he snatched the two watermelons away from me and stomped across the room as quickly as he could.
The next half hour or so was spent just getting everything prepared and surprisingly, even after the hand thing, Darry seemed to be a lot more comfortable. So once the room filled up and the music began I didn't hesitate to grab his arm and pull him onto the dance floor.
I could not believe it, Darry finally seemed to be acting like the guy I first met, as soon as we started dancing he began to loosen up so much. He spun me around the floor and it wasn't long before we had everyone watching.
Darry noticed and I could see a devilish glint sneak into his eyes. Suddenly he grabbed my back with both hands and threw me into low dip. The crowed whistled and Darry held me there longer, he smiled down at me and I couldn't help but laugh. Our little audience decided that it was the cue for the end of the routine so they joined us once again and began dancing around us.
Darry pulled me up slowly, inching my body closer and closer to his. Finally I was upright and pressed against his strong chest. He leaned in and I was so overwhelmed by the way his arms felt around me and the way he seemed to smell like the sun and the way my fingers curled into his thick hair… I couldn't help myself. I folded myself into his body and kissed him square on the mouth, not caring about taking it slow anymore. I felt his arms tighten around me and felt him kiss me back, and then it was over.
"I have to go." He whispered into my ear, his head dropped and rested on top of mine for only a moment before he turned around and practically ran for the door.
"Great," I muttered under my breath. I decided to call it a night and made my way back to my room.
I was expecting the next day to be awful with Darry, but he was actually the one to approach me first.
"I'm sorry about last night, it was just a little, uh, overwhelming." He tried to explain.
"Don't worry, I felt it too. But I don't feel that just a plain 'I'm sorry' is going to make this better." I replied. He gave me a questioning look. "It's our day off, you wanna make it up to me?"
"What did you have in mind?" He asked.
"Go get on your swim trunks and meet me back here in ten minutes." I told him. I half ran back to my room to change. I picked out my cutest swim suit and threw on shorts and a t-shirt over it. I fished a huge bag out of the back of my closet and packed it with towels, sunscreen, and a pair of sunglasses. I slung the bag over my shoulder then flew out the door and took a flying leap over the stairs.
Darry was right where I had left him, but now he was in a pair of plain blue swim trunks and a black t-shirt.
"You ready to go?" I asked enthusiastically.
"I guess." Darry shrugged. I grabbed his hand and pulled him behind me. We were about half way there when he realized where we were going.
"Wait, are we going to the pool?"
"Uh huh!" I smiled.
"The pool? Really? Why? It's going to be so crowded! Are we even allowed in there with all the residents?"
"We're going because it's hot and we don't have to work and swimming is fun and because you totally blew me off last night and have to make it up to me!" I tried to sound like I was joking about that last part, but a part of me really did want to make him feel guilty. "And I asked Anna about it and she said that it was fine!"
"Are you sure?"
"Positive!" I gave Darry's hand a reassuring squeeze.
We walked through the gates a few minutes later and it was just as crowded as Darry had expected. I told him I would scope out a place to sit and he went to buy us a couple of cokes. Miraculously I found two empty lounge chairs and quickly claimed them by laying the towels over top of them. I saw Darry looking around for me and waved him over the spot I had found.
He set the drinks down and just as I turned around to face him he began to take his shirt off. Sweet Jesus I swear it happened in slow motion. He crossed his arms in front of him and gripped the bottom on the t-shirt with his fingertips. His muscles flexed as he raised his arms above his head, peeling the black fabric away from his glistening skin. Everything above his trunks was perfectly toned and tanned and hard, I could only imagine what was under his trunks…
He plopped into the chair next to me and I snapped back to reality, if I had been drooling at all he didn't seem to notice. It was definitely time for a swim to help cool off a little.
We were at the pool for over three hours when we finally decided that the best way to beat the heat was to just find someplace with air conditioning. We were walking past the main clubhouse when Darry's little brother Ponyboy came racing out towards us.
"Darry!" Pony took a deep, gasping breath before continuing, "I need your help right away! I was just in there looking for Soda but he wasn't there and I'm freaking out!"
"Hey, what is it Pony?" Darry asked, concern furrowing his brow. He led his brother over to the steps and they both sat down. I followed at a distance, not wanting to intrude.
"I was working the breakfast shift this morning and she wasn't there!" Pony told Darry, acting like it was the worst possible thing that could have ever happened to him.
"Slow down Pony! Who wasn't there?" Darry asked.
"Charlotte. Charlotte wasn't there, and she's always there Darry! Always!"
"Who's Charlotte?"
"This girl…" Ponyboy suddenly turned blush-y and wistful, "I met her last week and last night we went on a date and I kissed her."
"That's great Pony!" Darry congratulated him, clapping him on the shoulder.
"No, it's not great! Because before we kissed she came to breakfast every morning to see me, and the day after we kissed, she's not there! She probably didn't like it, she probably hates me! Aw man, she hates me Darry!" Ponyboy went back to completely falling apart and dropped his head into his hands.
"Just hold up kid! I promise she doesn't hate you Ponyboy. She may just be nervous about seeing you now that you kissed, that's normal. Or maybe now that she knows she's got you she doesn't feel the need to try and pick you up over the breakfast buffet! Either way, all you have to do to find out is talk to her. Trust me, no girl is ever going to give up on you that quick Ponyboy, you got a lot going for ya kid. Who knows, maybe she'll even be at dinner tonight instead!"
"Dang it! Dinner is a whole different situation!" Ponyboy groaned.
"You'll be fine." Darry reassured him. Ponyboy rolled his eyes but still smiled at his older brother.
"Thanks for the help Darry." Ponyboy said, getting up from his spot on the steps and re-entering the main clubhouse. Darry stood up too, but I walked up to him and stopped him before he could go anywhere.
"That was really great Darry." I told him, laying my hands on his chest.
"That? What about it?" Darry asked me, looking skeptical. He had to deal with his brothers everyday so I knew it was no big feat for him, but I had never seen that side of him before. He was so calm while Ponyboy was so crazy, he knew just what to say to make his brother feel better, he gave good advice, and you could tell how much he loved and cared about Ponyboy by the way he talked to him. I wish I had someone like him in my life when I was growing up.
I decided against trying to explain all of that to him and just pushed my arms up around his neck. "You're just really great." I rocked up onto my tip-toes and pecked him on the cheek.
"I could say the same about you." He smirked down at me, resting his hands on my waist. He dipped his head down towards mine and murmured, "Now how 'bout a real kiss?"
I never thought I would like the scent of chlorine but somehow Darry managed to make it intoxicating. I couldn't seem to get enough of him as his lips encased mine. He pulled my body towards his until our hips were pushing against each other. We separated for just a moment and the second kiss was even deeper than the first.
This was normal behavior for most couples but I couldn't help but take into account that this was the closest that Darry and I had ever been since we got together. This made me remember about that very emotional conversation about 'taking it slow' and a certain ex-girlfriend.
I broke away from Darry and looked him in the eyes, "I thought we were taking it slow." As much as I wanted to kiss him like that every second of every day, I didn't want him to act in a way that he would regret.
"Right, we promised that we were going to take it slow. Of course," He pulled away from me, righting himself and pulling back up to his full height. "Is walking you back to your room slow enough?"
"As long as we don't walk too fast," I joked. Darry laid his arm around my shoulder and lightly kissed the top of my head. He walked me the entire way home like that.
Today both Darry and I had classes but none of them were together. He had one less than I did so he got out of the studio about an hour earlier than I did. After my last class I went looking for Anna by the pool but saw that it was busy and she wouldn't be done for a while. I didn't really feel like sitting in my room by myself so I made the small trek up to Darry's room to see if he wanted to hang out.
I got up there and saw through the screen door that he was set up in front of the TV with a six-pack of beer and an entire chocolate cake. I laughed quietly to myself; there was something oddly funny and kind of cute about watching Darry eat cake with just his fingers. I rapped lightly on the door frame and he called "Come in!" I saw that he was completely enthralled with Beverly Hillbillies, he waited until the first commercial break to even look away from the screen. He seemed like a little kid, minus the beer, and again there was something cute about how into the show he was.
"What's up?" He smiled.
Darry's POV
I cannot believe this girl. I mean, dragging me to the pool on my day off? This place is so jam-packed with residents that I can't walk two feet in front of me. I'm not even sure if we're allowed to be in here, but Dorry seems to think it's okay. She looks so cute wandering around the edges of the pool looking for chairs. I see her find a couple near a family with what seems like 3,000 kids. She puts our bag down and lays out the towels and waves me down from where I'm standing by the snack bar. I give her a small nod from behind my sunglasses to let her know that I see her, but not enough to let her off the hook for bringing me here.
I order a couple of Cokes and make my way through the maze of people to where Dorry has set up shop. I set our drinks down on the white plastic table between the chairs. I give her a pointed look, but she's too preoccupied with unpacking only God knows what from that bag. It must be well over a hundred degrees out today, and that's saying a lot for upstate New York. I pull my black t-shirt over my head and throw it down next to me as a plop dramatically onto the chair, sighing deeply.
"Oh, hush!" Dorry reprimanded.
"No. You know I didn't want to come. I'll sigh if I want to."
She threw a death glare at me. She took a sip of the Coke I bought before shimmying out of her cutoff shorts and plain gray t-shirt. Ho. Lee. Shit. She was sporting a red bikini with white polka dots and high waisted bottoms. She looked like a pin-up model. One that would definitely be on the walls of my little brother's room. I could feel my blood rushing to... down there and scrambled to find something to cover myself with. I fumbled to grab my shirt and put it strategically over my blue swim trunks. I snatched the pop off the table in a failing effort to cool myself off.
Dorry looked over at me. My sudden movements must have thrown her off. "You okay over there?"
I stuttered, "Y-yeah, never better. Uh, you wanna go for a swim?" I asked quickly.
"Sure! That sounds great!" She agreed. She moved to get out of her chair.
"Okay! You take the lead! I'll be right behind you!" I said, trying to shield her from the offending area. She laughed and started walking towards the water.
It's harder than one would think to walk 20 feet with a raging hard-on and protect the innocence of the millions of children at the pool than you would think. I walked as close as humanly possible behind Dorry without any part of my body touching hers. She slid in gently and I did a hasty cannonball into the relatively cold water.
When I came up from my dive, Dorry was swimming over to where I landed and asked, "Are you sure you're okay?"
I glanced down to my shorts and it looked like the water was making them bunch, "Yeah. I'm great."
She had a mischievous glint in her eye. "Good," she nearly whispered as she reached for my hand under water. She laced our fingers together and pulled herself closer to me. I kept her a good couple of inches away from me... I had to keep some sort of mystery in our relationship. She licked her lips and batted her wet eyelashes at me. I knew what she wanted, but we promised to take things slow... even though that might kill me. Plus, we were in a public place and the idea of all the residents seeing the dance instructors making out in the pool might spark some controversy.
I did the only thing I could think of to stop this. I pulled away from her and threw a tidal wave straight to her face. She sputtered for a moment before retaliating. We were in an all out splashing war before Anna blew the whistle at us from her lifeguard stand. One crisis averted.
The next night I had Soda steal me one of the amazing chocolate cakes from the kitchen. I took that, and a six pack from the hangout back to my room for the night where I was just gonna kick back and relax all night. Dorry and I hadn't made any plans for tonight, so I figured she was probably having a girly-bonding night with Anna. I was perched on the floor in front on my 12-inch TV with the entire cake and a bottle of Kellerman's finest when someone knocked on the door. I was too enthralled by the new episode of the Beverly Hillbillies to get up.
"Come in!" I yelled without taking my eyes off the screen. I heard the door open softly and someone take a few steps in. I could feel eyes on me from the door way. I took a swig of my beer and kept watching. A stabbed a couple of mouthfuls of cake and a couple more sips of beer before the commercial break when I finally looked up. Dorry was standing in the door frame with a small smile on her face.
"What's up?" I asked her.
"Oh, I just wanted to see if you wanted to hang out, but I don't want to disturb you..." She turned to go back out the door.
"No, no, don't leave!" I said, almost sounding panicked. She turned back around and leaned against the door frame again. I gave her a small nod that signaled her to come closer to me. I set the cake down on the floor next to me, and when she got within range, I grabbed her by the waist and pulled her down onto my lap as she shrieked. I gave her a peck on the cheek that told her to shut up because the show was coming back on and she settled into my lap with her back against my chest and my chin on her shoulder. I couldn't help but to breathe in the scent of her skin as we sat so close to each other. She smelled like the best mixture of sunscreen and wood from the dance studio. I nuzzled my face into her neck and started planting small, feather-light kisses along the base of her neck up to the bottom of her earlobe. She reached back without looking away from the black-and-white mansion on the screen and held my face where it was, close to her body. She leaned her head back onto my shoulder and turned her head to face mine. She gave me one, longing kiss and turned away from me again.
"We promised we'd take it slow, remember?" She said softly.
"I wish I didn't." I muttered.
She laughed lightly and leaned back against me. I tightened my grip around her waist and returned my gaze to the television.
The next day Dorry and I had a day full of couples dance classes, ending with a 10:15 for crying out loud! We were both so tired by then that we were glad when our night-school students didn't show. It was our first break all day. We waited around for the allotted hour of class time before calling it a day. I popped up from my place on the floor at 11:14 and looked out the door for any sign of our students. Nothing.
"I think it's finally safe for us to go." I said across the room to Dorry.
"Thank God. I probably would've passed out if they actually showed up." She sighed with relief.
I walked across to where she was and held out a hand to help her up. She grabbed on and I yanked her up, making her face-to-face with me. "Come on, darlin'. I'll walk you home. It's too dark for you to go by yourself."
"Ugh, home. It's so far away!" She whined.
"If you'd rather, you can just stay in my room for the night. You can even have the bed! I'll take the floor." I suggested.
"That sounds amazing." She stretched her arms out, "But only if you carry me there. Otherwise, I might just sleep here." She joked.
I smiled and turned my back to her, "Jump on!" She did as instructed and clobbered her way onto my back. I took us the short way back to my room and slid her off my back and onto my bed. She yawned, "I need something to sleep in."
"Okay. What do you request? A simple t-shirt, or one of those sexy dress shirts?" I joked.
She laughed softly, "Just a t-shirt would be great."
I reached into a drawer and pulled on out and tossed it at her head. I watched her unfold it and look to make sure it was acceptable. She looked up at me and a I looked back at her, confused.
"Turn around! I need to change!" She ordered. I did as told and heard her pants fall to the floor and slide towards my nightstand.
When I thought I had given her ample amount of time to change her shirt, I turned around. I caught her with arms in the air, sliding the shirt over her head. I caught a glimpse of her bra and then her panties before it was covered by the white fabric that went down about mid-thigh.
I stammered, "Uh-uhm, I'm sorry about that. I-I thought you were done."
She turned red, "Oh, uh, it's okay."
I took a couple of steps towards her to get in my drawer for my sweats when I noticed something weird about the shirt she was wearing.
"Hey, I think you put that shirt on inside-out." I got even closer to her and pulled up on the hem. "Let me help you with that." I said softly. She nodded quickly and I saw her breath quicken. She lifted her arms along with mine as a pulled the shirt off of her body. My hands brushed against her sides as I lifted the shirt, and I felt a jolt of electricity run through my arms. I tried not to stare at her nearly naked body as I turned the shirt right-side out. I could feel her breath on my face, and her body close to mine. There was no way that I could look in her eyes because I knew she was so out of my league. I handed the shirt back to her and stole a quick glance. She was even more gorgeous than I ever imagined her. She took the shirt out of my shaky hand and threw it by the side of the bed. I gave her a confused look, and she grabbed my face and kissed me. Hard. My hands automatically went to her hips and I guided us towards the bed. She lied down and scooted her way to the head of the bed. She smirked as I crawled over to where she was and put my knees on either side of her legs. She guided my mouth to hers and started a full frontal attack with her tongue. Her hands traveled south and lifted up on the hem of my t-shirt and we broke apart only long enough for me to get it over my head. In the heat of the moment, I didn't want to waste any more time. I went down for my zipper.
"Are you sure about this?" She asked me.
"Definitely." I said confidently.
"What about taking it slow?" She asked with our mouths millimeters away from each other.
"Screw taking it slow. I just want to be with you." A smile light up her entire face as she twisted her fingers through the back of my hair and pulled my face down to hers.
When it was all said and done, her exhaustion got the best of her and she fell fast asleep under the covers. I wrapped my arm around her waist and pulled her back into my chest. I took a deep breath of her familiar smell and knew I felt something more than like for her.
