And so we meet again. I'm not going to say a lot about this chapter except for the fact that I do not own anything. There. Now we're settled. : ) Enjoy!
Driving with Lara wasn't exactly something Kurtis very much appreciated. By the time they had passed London's Waterloo train station, his stomach protested against any quick movements, threatening him; begging to sit still for at least a few moments of relaxation. Lara, whilst still racing at a much too high speed, had dialed a friends' number, informing him that they were to arrive soon and that he should have 'things prepared'.
She had noticed Kurtis' confused expression as she set the phone down into the cup holder. "In life, Kurtis, there are many good opportunities that can come out of the large number of persons one knows. Take for instance, the fact that I have a close acquaintance that manages the docks in London; a simple click of a button and I can have this gorgeous darling in a clean container, safe from the harm of intoxicated teenagers."
"That's wonderful that you have developed a theory in life, and I must say, I'm quite relieved that you found a place to park your car and not a secretly formed plan for my body bag." He craned his neck to her and grinned; an adorable smile that any other girl walking down the street would have sighed over. Lara, instead, replied with nothing more than a cold shoulder and sarcasm.
"Well, there's still enough time to call that in too."
Night had cast it's darkness upon their arrival at the dock; the damp English air filling that lightlessness with a chilling effect. Lara backed the car up into a narrow road and expunged the engine, yanking out the keys as she did so. An older man approached the now subdued vehicle and opened his arms wide, awaiting a sincere embrace. "Lara, my god! No word from you and now I hear you've gotten yourself into some trouble." She jogged over to him, smiling and hugging him tightly.
"Robert, thank you for coming out so late, I know you're not supposed to do things like this, but I couldn't be happier that you're defying the law!" They greeted each other with politeness and natural curiosity. Kurtis stepped out of the car, looking quite the disaster; or just a survivor of a category five hurricane. His hair was tousled and in an utter mess, making him look like he had just awoken from a deep slumber. However, the paleness in his face made it obvious that he was not feeling the slightest bit of cheerfulness.
"Ah, and who might you be?" Robert stuck out his hand and questioned him.
"Kurtis. You must be the guy packing up the car." He shook the kind mans' hand and glanced at Lara who stood beside him ever so slightly shaking her head.
"Our train departs in an hour, think we make this quick?" She glanced at her cell phone, looking for some form of comfort from the digital clock.
"Why of course, let me just grab the keys and I'll take you to the place." Robert pushed his dirty glasses up with his thumb, and shuffled back into his cramped cubical of an office. Lara's newly cranky partner had discovered an old bouncy-ball that had been discarded near the front wheel of the Audi. Whilst leaning on the car, he played with the rubber toy reluctantly. She surveyed him; the round object in his hand obediently returning to Kurtis' palm with every ricochet from the ground. Instead of his usual calm but dominant stance, he reminded Lara of an image she had seen in a film; a young teenager impatiently awaiting his mother to drive him to the mall. She smiled at the thought and continued to softly hum to herself.
"What is that?" Kurtis asked, never taking his eyes off his new prize.
"What is what?"
"That tune you're humming. Sounds familiar." Thump, thump, thump…
Lara stopped, realizing she had been humming rather obnoxiously. "Frank Sinatra. It was my mothers' favorite." There was sadness in her voice as she spoke of her deceased mother, and Kurtis wasn't planning on pushing the subject any further, but his mouth, however, had other goals.
"You were young when she died. My mother passed when I was twelve." He abruptly stopped toying with the ball and walked over to her, letting the item roll off his palm and into her unoccupied hand. She glanced down at her gift and tossed it up, catching it as gravity greedily forced it down. When she looked up at him, he was piercing through her with those two mesmerizing ocean-blue eyes he possessed. They silently contemplated one another; each hypnotized by some mystical force the other held. Kurtis was several inches taller than Lara, and as he slowly began to lean in towards her, Lara could feel that gut-wrenching feeling she usually got when she was near him like this; so close and personal, yet so distant and mysterious. She couldn't move; she didn't want to, but she believed she needed to. Kurtis gazed into her dark eyes, black almost against the night, and she, staring back into his, felt her body pleading her mind to just let go and give into his yearning. In a feather like touch, he grazed her warm lips with his own; not anything passionate, but just a light, electrifying connection.
"Ah, here we go-" As if the timing couldn't have been worse, Robert walked out carrying the keys to the container. Both Lara and Kurtis quickly backed away; Lara would not look at him as her heart pulsated harshly within her chest. She stared at the gray gravel beneath her, analyzing and questioning her actions and motives. What are you doing Lara? Don't get involved, it will only make things more difficult.
Yes, you want it Lara, you want him, and he craves you. Give into it; let him take you… what's the worst that could happen? An unequal voice she had been bottling down deep in her thoughts now erupted causing her to bite the side of her tongue and lock her eyes on his face. He just glanced at her up from underneath the hair that interrupted his vision with the eyes of a ravished wolf, glowing with sought out desire and appetite.
You want him Lara…
Trying to avoid physical contact with Kurtis was proving to be an almost impossible task. Somehow, one way or another, his hand would end up bumping into hers, or worse, skimming the sliver of exposed skin on her waist. What made it that much more difficult for her to abstain from throwing herself against him, was that every time she came into collision with some part of him, she enjoyed it. A large part of her relished the feeling of his proximity, but at the same time hated him for making her feel this way.
They had walked to the train station, not a very long excursion, but definitely an awkward one. From time to time Lara could see the corners of his mouth twitch with excitement, urged on by the reaction she emitted as he "accidentally" touched her. This is going to be too much fun.
"The next time he touches me I don't know if I can handle it…" She stopped suddenly as her eyes widened. Shit, did I just say that out loud? Her eyes rolled over to his figure. Had he heard her? He did. She was absolutely sure of it.
Kurtis stood next to her, smirking uncontrollably. "Well, well, well, what does Miss. Lady Croft have on her mind?" She kept walking ahead, robotically dashing towards the entrance of the Waterloo station and ignoring Kurtis.
You're officially losing it Lara; you're losing your touch-
-He wants you; he wants you so bad it hurts him. And when you let him, it will feel so good you're not going to be able to stop screaming his name. The other voice interrupted.
Stop it! Lara cursed at herself, finding it troublesome just trying to deal with her thoughts. I need to get to Moscow, take care of Vasiliev, get back to England and continue living my life. Yes. That is exactly what I'm going to do. She spoke to her mind as if trying to find support in her decision. Sighing heavily, Lara crossed the threshold of Waterloo. Kurtis, still smiling, headed inside behind her.
After Lara had argued with Kurtis on the fact that he hadn't told her he intended on stopping in Belgium for a night, she had declared her cultivating hate for him- right smack down in the center of the station, flinging the tickets in his face. Once they had boarded the Eurostar train, Lara spent no time consuming small talk from Kurtis.
"If we had taken the transfer straight to Moscow, we would be there in a few hours. But unfortunately, here we are heading to Paris and 'resting in Namur'. I would have been able to get to Vasiliev faster, leave Russia quicker, and hastily forget your ever existence." She said casually; flipping through a magazine.
"Well sweetie, if it causes you any further self-indulgence, I'm not entirely so sure if I'd really want to be here with you anymore. I mean, sure, you've got your good moments, but come on; being such a bitch isn't very attractive." He thanked the stewardess as she handed him a bottle of water.
"Good, perhaps I'll see less of you then."
"Perhaps you will. Just not yet, you're not getting rid of me that easily."
"Darn and I thought my scheme was working." Lara stared at him, dead-on never faltering in her expression. They had continued in this battle of wits until Kurtis's eyebrow popped up.
"See, if I were not here there would be no one to touch you and make you lose control." Kurtis stated, mentioning her previous remark before entering Waterloo. A wicked grin formed on his lips.
"Now I'm just not sure anymore, do I kill you now or 'accidentally' push you down the stairs later? I mean, either way I would have the pleasure." By now, she was just becoming uncomfortable; which was a feeling Lady Croft was not accustomed to. Because Kurtis hadn't replied to her not-exactly threatening statement, she moved onwards in the conversation. "Where is this place that we are staying?"
He, surprised by the sudden switch in her tone, told her that it was an old place in Namur, Belgium that he knew quite well. He knew the neighborhood and explained to Lara that it would just be a pit-stop, and then they would be off continuing to Moscow the next morning.
As the train sped on forward to Paris, so did the thoughts in Lara's head. All the things that had happened there- the murder, chaos, the accusations; she didn't want to be in a fifty mile radius of the haunting city.
Perhaps not everything that had happened there was terrible. Kurtis had magically entered her dangerous life, and almost lost his own in the process. A memory quickly flashed before her eyes that had taken place in the Louvre; Kurtis' hand moving tantalizingly down her over-sensitized arm and across her waist, whilst the barrel of his gun pressed firmly against the back of her neck. She remembered gazing into his expressionless eyes as she summed up her stalker in three seconds flat. And perhaps it was the sex-deprived Lara thinking at the time, or just the simple truth that someone was able to disarm her and stay alive during the confrontation, but she felt strangely wholesome yet aroused in those ticking seconds before he split and dashed away with her prize. It was then that Lara's eyes steered back and adjusted to the world before her.
Kurtis was sprawled out in the seat in front of her, making no effort to seem gentlemen-like what so ever. That was something she appreciated; he could be the biggest jackass at times, but when he got down to it, he was actually intriguing to be around. Not many people she had encountered had that type of quality. Kurtis had confidence that radiated off him in waves, and at times those egotistic waves would be steep enough to tear apart tropical islands. He knew he was confident; by the way he carried himself and always remarked with sarcasm was something Lara caught onto the second she made contact with him.
She now sat in the comforting chair, leaning her head on her wrist while daydreaming through the dark tunneled windows. Kurtis began to stir from his nap and lifted his head. "You're still thinking? Jesus Christ woman, do you ever stop?" She turned her head towards him, an insult lingering at the tip of her tongue. But she stopped before her mouth could open and proceed to harass him further. He took this as a sign of her relaxation and tapped his fingers lightly on the seat, a teasing yet inviting look on his face. He rubbed the seat, and urged her, caressing the beige leather. Kurtis patted the padded bench once more, and Lara couldn't help but smile and comply. She lifted her feet off the ground and positioned them across from her near Kurtis's lap. "Atta girl."
They had taken a quick transfer rail to Brussels from Paris and soon after found themselves in cab heading to Namur. Neither Lara, nor Kurtis were perfectly fluent in French, but they used their previous knowledge and combined their thoughts to tell the driver where to go. As the cab ripped through Belgium's starry night, Lara's brain kept rewinding back to the pier in London.
What if? What if I had kissed him, let him in, allowed him to understand everything? What if he hadn't kissed me? Would I even be here? Would I already be in Moscow? These ideas kept presenting themselves to her, but she wouldn't follow any of them. Lara had learned from past experiences how risky it was for the strangers entering her life. Too many lives were taken before she had decided to completely close herself up and not let any man into her heart.
The cab cruised by several beautiful sights Namur had to offer. The narrow roadways were lined with dim streetlights that illuminated the brick and mortar buildings. Even in the silent eleven PM night, the town never ceased to amaze. "Gorgeous, isn't it?" Kurtis asked as he watched Lara crane her neck to see the peaks of towers and rooftops.
"It's beautiful. How did you find such a place?" She couldn't take her eyes off the stunning scenery.
"I used to live here."
She paused. "You used to live here? Somehow I can't picture you strolling through these streets." He chuckled and exhaled deeply.
"It was a long time ago." His fingers were at it again. They drummed lightly on the windowsill, this time without an intention. Halle al'chair, The Meat Hall, came and passed their view as they crossed the Sambre River. All too soon, the vehicle came to a halt at the terrace of a tall limestone complex.
"Merci beaucoup." Kurtis handed the driver a wad of euros that had inhabited his wallet a second ago. He grabbed Lara's bag of supplies from the trunk and walked toward the glass door that led to the apartments above. A crowded bar buzzed on the corner of the street as townsfolk and tourists alike chatted noisily over the loud music.
"I can see why you chose this place." She motioned her head to the rackety tavern and smiled. "Better hope that noise will die down soon enough or else you'll have to deal with me kicking your ass."
"Point taken." He grinned and held his hand against the deadbolt lock. One secretly soft click sounded as Kurtis pushed the door open and headed up the stairs to his past-residence.
Three flights of stairs later, they reached their terminal. Kurtis searched for something as he counted the bricks on the wall, starting from the floor. It was about thirteen rectangular blocks up that he elbowed the fragile terra cotta. A large slab of weak drywall came crashing down, but he didn't seem to be bothered by it. His only reaction was an apparent grunt and the shaking off of dust that had landed on his shoulders. A dusty key slept within the tiny niche Kurtis had just broken through.
"Very subtle, Kurtis." Lara shook her head.
A number 6 label clung for its' dear life by a nail on the metal door. It's time had apparently come, and soon enough death came to claim it. The digit fell as Kurtis inserted the now acquired key into the lock and opened the door. He flicked the light switch on as he entered. Lara stepped into the vast apartment, her mouth dropping at the sight before her.
Wood, dark oak floors covered the entire premises of the flat. Massive white sheets coated unused furniture that looked out into the glorious city of Namur. Windows, the size of delivery trucks, panned out to the outside like constantly changing colossal paintings. Lara approached the thick glass and touched it, feeling the chill of winter seeping into the room. "You live here?" She had not even finished her question before she moved on to other rooms, quickly dashing through corridors and doors. An achromatic winding staircase that led to another room up above was located between two bedrooms and what resembled to be a living room.
"Lived. I used to live here. You seem surprised." Kurtis strained his neck to the hallway as he dropped the keys on the kitchen counter and spoke to her.
"I am, actually. I just wouldn't ever assume you'd own this kind of place." Lara emerged from a further hallway, surveying the loft. "You seem more of a motel-to-motel type guy."
"Yeah, well facades can be deceiving." He smiled at her and gave her a quick tour of the place. "These two are bedrooms, bathroom is here-" Kurtis pointed to a door left ajar and continued. "Kitchen is open twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Living room is equipped with the basic essentials; television, couch, and my personal favorite-" He rushed to a leather recliner and slowly lowered himself in, "this, is 'The Throne'." The look on his face was enough to make Lara laugh; it may have been the overly serious tone he projected or the fact that he called a leather reclining chair a "Throne", but it was definitely enough for her to release a snicker.
"'The Throne'?" She was still grinning, "And why do you call it that?"
"What else was I supposed to call it? 'The Recliner'? It doesn't matter what I call it, what matters is that your ass will never be sitting on something this soft again." He waved his hand in the air for her to come closer, and she did, like a child intrigued by a bedtime story. Kurtis shifted, just slightly and made room for her to sit on his chair. Lara bit her lip as she sat down on the plush fabric. He lifted his arm and draped it on the back of the chair.
"And is there a queen for the king who sits here?" Kurtis could tell by Lara's tone something different was brewing in her mind. Her sudden switch in personality had tripped a sexual tripwire and Kurtis, too, began to form a different agenda in his mind. With a smirk he leaned close to her ear and whispered.
"Not currently, no. But you never know who can come along and… take a seat." His hot breath spilled over her sensitive neck and sent chills through her entire body. She exhaled sharply as blood unintentionally began to rush to all the wrong places. Seizing the moment, Lara quickly stood, snatching her duffel bag and walking into one of the bedrooms. "I'll take this one!" She was practically heaving for breath as she leaned on the bedroom door with her back hugging the solid wood. What's wrong with you!? How could you allow something like this happen? You're losing control, and you're losing yourself within this conflict!
For the remainder of the night, Lara kept to herself and her own room. As she lay in bed, engulfed by contentment and warmth, every movement and sound made her senses anxious. A part of her wished, and dearly hoped Kurtis would walk in any moment and spend the night in her bed. The other part dreaded any form of companionship and longed to be home where at least she knew she had guardianship; of her heart as well as from Kurtis. Lara's eyes were fixed upon a long crack in the ceiling. She coiled back her musings like a kite on a string and jumped out of bed. Something was bound to happen tonight.
Silently, she tip-toed out into the unlit hallway and crossed the living room. A vision in white, she neared the other bedroom, dressed in merely nothing except her underwear and an undershirt. Lara's heart pounded in her ribcage; adrenalin pumping through her veins. This is what she lived for, the curiosity, the urge. It hadn't taken too many tombs to raid when she discovered this addiction. This high-tension feeling had become her undeniable drug.
Cautiously, Lara opened Kurtis' door and peeked inside.
The room was glossed with various shades of dark blue cast from the moonlight. Kurtis' resting body was nestled in a cocoon of bed sheets as he slept peacefully. A soft snore every now and then would echo from the bed as Lara approached him, her eager eyes tracking his every move. Garments littered the floor like small cotton-like islands. Kurtis shifted positions and she froze; halfway between him and door. She wanted him, wanted to touch him, get a sense of the feel of his taut naked body pushing against hers. She saw his gun and that sphinx-like weapon he could control with his mind and continued to near her game.
And then something happened. It was like someone had snapped their fingers and the spell Lara had been under came undone. She glanced around the bedroom, and hurried out trying to figure out exactly what she was doing. Lara hadn't even closed his door, just bolted back into her own room and back to bed.
Knocking. Continuous, displeasing, repugnant knocking. Six AM knocking. Who the hell knocks at 6 AM type knocking. Kurtis walked to the door frustrated and annoyed. "Yeah! I'm coming! Would you stop fucking knocking?!" It did. Suspiciously, the vexing hammering ended, which made Kurtis just a little paranoid. He quietly made it to the kitchen and found a sharp knife. As he advanced to the entrance, Lara stuck her head out from behind her bedroom door.
"What is that?"
"We're about to find out. Get your guns." Kurtis opened the door; just an inch wide sliver when Lara heard him drop the knife.
"Kurtis!?"
He stood at the opened gateway in his boxers, clutching the door with his left hand as his right one fisted through his disheveled bed hair.
"Sophie…" It was as though he was seeing a ghost; but worse. "…Hi."
I couldn't resist! Cliff-hangers are much too fun to write! Alright well, in my theater classes we were doing this character analysis and I thought about some of the things Lara would think in certain types of situations. Tell me what you think. Should I tone it down a little, the whole thought process thing? Before I forget to mention: DUE TO THE CONTENT OF THE FOLLOWING CHAPTERS THIS STORY WILL BE BUMPED UP TO THE "M" RATING.
Thank you for reading! See you all soon!