Sorry for the delay. I'm working on the next chapter now, so hopefully that'll be up either tonight or tomorrow morning. Again, thanks for all the reviews, SoapNanny, hazelnut, a5cent, Lante4ver, lanteluv, Sarah-Weasley7, dyallon, aewilla, LanteLuv73109 and Lovely17. They are much appreciated!
Dante spent the entire week struggling with what to do and say when he saw her again. She hadn't tried to contact him since that night and he didn't blame her. He had acted absolutely cowardly. And, as if that weren't bad enough, when forced to decide how to best handle the situation after the fact, he had chosen to run away again.
He just got off the phone with the department secretary, asking her to inform his class that he wouldn't be in today and remind them that they still had to do the reading for the following week. Dante knew it was deplorable behavior on his part, but he was seriously at a loss for how to proceed. Avoidance seemed the only answer at this point.
Lulu was nervous about going to class. She had wondered all week whether she should go to his office to try to talk to him. Ultimately, she had decided against it, not wanting to appear like a stalker. Instead, she would wait for him to contact her and if he didn't, well, he couldn't avoid her in class.
Lulu was early. The class before hers hadn't even let out yet, so she was forced to wait in the hall until the other students filed out of the room. Once all clear, Lulu and two of her classmates walked inside and took their seats. Just as she was pulling out her notebook, a mousy brunette holding a single sheet of paper walked into the room and headed straight for the white board.
She turned to face them and announced, "Dr. Falconeri won't be here today, but he asked that you please sign this attendance sheet and be sure to do the reading for next week."
The other two students murmured happily to themselves while the brunette wrote the same message on the board after depositing the sign-in sheet to Lulu. She scrawled her name at the top of the sheet and, fuming, exited the classroom.
Dante spent the morning on his couch flipping through channels and feeling guilty. He thought that the only appropriate punishment for his cowardice was obsessing over his situation, so he at least had that covered. His head swam with thoughts of Lulu. She seemed to pervade every corner of his mind and imagination over the last week.
That was why when he heard three sharp knocks on his front door, for a moment he wondered if it could possibly be her. Had she managed to get his address somehow and was here to chastise him for cancelling class?
When he drew the door open, though, there was not a beautiful blonde staring at him. Instead, he found a dark-haired, tanned, slightly taller version of himself.
"Bro!" the visitor exclaimed, while pushing his way into Dante's living room.
"Paulie? What the hell are you doing here?" Dante wasn't unhappy to see his younger brother, but he was suspicious.
"Oh come on now, don't be like that. Can't a guy visit his brother?" Paulie walked towards the sofa and threw down his canvas bag.
Dante looked pointedly at his bag and then back at his brother. "Uh huh. And to what do I owe the pleasure of your company? Or should I say to whom?"
"Gina. She kicked me out," he shrugged. Paulie plopped himself onto the couch and lifted his feet casually onto the coffee table. Dante walked past him, kicking his feet off the table, and sat in the leather arm chair to his left.
"And how long were you together? What happened to Carissa?"
"Who? Oh yeah, Carissa was like a year ago, dude. Gina and I are soulmates." Dante gave his brother a disapproving look. "No really, man! You have no idea. This girl is amazing, I'm telling you." Paulie leaned forward, using his body to show Dante how serious he was.
"So what happened with this soulmate of yours? Why'd she kick you out?" Dante relaxed in his seat, letting his brother's talent for falling in love bring much-needed amusement and distraction to him.
"She just wants to teach me a lesson, I think. Says I need to learn responsibility and all that. I give her a week before she's crying for me to come home." Paulie stood up and walked towards Dante's kitchen, seemingly forgetting about the conversation he was having with his brother.
A few seconds later, Paulie yelled from the other room, "Dude! Where's all your food? I'm starving, man."
"Feel free to buy some groceries," Dante teased.
"Man, I totally would but I'm kinda—"
"Strapped for cash?" Dante cut him off. "Yeah yeah yeah, take this and go get us some food." He held out a couple of bills as Paulie came back into view.
"Thanks, man. You know I'll pay you back one of these days." He flashed Dante a winning smile and headed for the door. "Um…where should I go?"
Dante had forgotten that Paulie had only been to Port Charles once before so wasn't familiar with the area. "There's a diner not too far from here called Kelly's. Get us some burgers." Dante wrote down simple directions on a scrap of paper and handed it to his brother. "If you hurry, you should be able to avoid the lunch rush."
Paulie saluted his brother solemnly, "yes sir!" and goose-stepped out the door.
Dante shook his head and smiled.
By the time Lulu got to Kelly's her anger was at a simmer, amazing considering the boil it had reached less than an hour ago. How could he be such a coward? she wondered. Honestly, it made her feel even more embarrassed about what had happened. Was it her fault after all? Did I make a fool of myself?
Lulu took the first open table she saw and waited for someone to take her drink order. When she got her iced tea, she absentmindedly stirred her drink while replaying every moment she had spent with Dante over the past month. Did I imagine it all? She couldn't help thinking that maybe it was all in her head, that maybe she had read it all wrong.
The bell above the diner door chimed as another guest walked inside. Lulu lifted her eyes, intending to only scan the newcomer for recognition and then go back to her tea. Instead, her eyes lingered on the stranger, her eyes locking with his for a brief moment. Why does he seem so familiar?
Pulling her eyes away, Lulu once again focused on her beverage, letting thoughts of her professor once again overtake her. She was startled when the chair across from her creaked and slid back.
"You expecting someone?" The handsome stranger indicated the chair.
"No, but there are plenty of empty tables," Lulu replied easily.
"Ouch!" he smiled wide at her, sitting despite the rebuke.
He stretched a hand across the table. "Paul." He mimed a handshake in the empty space where Lulu had failed to take his extended hand.
Hesitantly, Lulu lifted her own hand and touched his lightly. "Lulu," she replied.
"Lulu…I like it. Rolls off the tongue." She rolled her eyes and relaxed in her chair. "I'm visiting so don't know my way around town. I don't suppose you'd like to be my tour guide, Lulu?" His cocky grin just would not quit and Lulu had a hard time not laughing.
"Sorry, all booked up," she clucked her tongue at him and stood.
"Leaving so soon? I just got here. Besides, you haven't even finished your drink" He batted both eyes.
"Not thirsty after all. See you around…"
"Paul."
"Right. See ya around, Paul." Lulu left two dollars on the table, slung her bag over her shoulder and headed for the door.
Just as she was exiting she heard him call out, "Can't wait, Lulu." For the second time in two minutes, Lulu rolled her eyes and laughed. While he wasn't the guy she wanted to flirt with her, she had to admit that the attention didn't feel awful.
Sorry for the filler/lack of action in this chapter. Next one should be good though. I hope anyway...
