A/N: Meant to have this up yesterday but I guess that didn't happen. Thanks to everyone out there who is reading and especially to those who spend the time to let me know what they think. You're all awesome. Enjoy!
Thanks goes to SallyJetson for the beta'ing.
Chapter 11: Reconnecting:
No New Messages. No Missed Calls.
She closed her cell more forcefully than she had intended. She hated this! She hated that they were fighting, and that she had turned into one of those girls who waited by the phone.
She threw her cell back on the table and resumed her task of taking out her aggression on the grimy kitchen floor. Some days she couldn't believe how that boy could turn everything in her well ordered live upside down. Heaven knew that she loathed having things out of her control, so instead she tried to focus all her energy into something she could control. This morning it had been the cleanliness of her apartment. The living room had already been vacuumed and the bathroom scrubbed from top to bottom. Her plans were to finish the kitchen floor and then clean all of the windows before getting ready for work, maybe even taking the time to make a proper breakfast for once. She got back to her task, trying to forget that she was missing him and the fact that he hadn't called her back.
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Danny stepped out of the subway system; glad to breathe fresh air again instead of the stale recirculated lab air. He chuckled to himself thinking about what Montana would say to him calling New York air "fresh". Either way it put a spring in his step as he made his way to her apartment.
Passing a flower stand on the way, he bought her a single white daisy. It may not have been as fancy as Jason's bouquet, but he hoped it would bring a smile to her face. And hey, a peace offering never hurt.
He bounded up the steps of her building and soon found himself on her floor. He walked the long hallway to her door, practicing what he would say, how they would get back on track, and imagining her smile when they did. He couldn't believe the butterflies in his stomach as he raised his hand to knock on her door, tapping the wood lightly. The gentle knock echoed in the hallway and the silence that followed filled him with dread as he imagined a different scenario, one that wouldn't work out as well, where he would never see that smile again.
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KNOCK, KNOCK
She paused in her motions and went to look through the peephole. Seeing him caused her heart to race and she quickly checked out her appearance in the hall mirror. The image before her was worse than she expected; her hair was coming out of a sloppy ponytail, her sweats were all wet from water splashing and sweat, and her face looked flushed. She quickly fingered combed her hair, but this only resulted in creating more problems than solutions. Deciding that there was nothing she could do besides putting a paper bag over her head, and deciding that that would just be more embarrassing, she opened the door.
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The courage it took him to come left him as he stood frozen in front of her, all the thoughts, speeches and well laid plans evaporating into nothingness.
He took in her appearance; her in the sweats she only wore around the house, casual like only he saw her; her damp shirt sticking to her body, revealing all of her delicious curves; her face tinged with red, reminding him of how she looked when he made her moan beneath him…
"Didn't your mother ever teach you not to stare?" Lindsay asked, breaking his concentration.
"Nope. That would be Rhonda Nelson after she caught me checking out her rack when I was thirteen. Had a shiner for a good week and a half." Danny replied, relieved that they could still joke around.
"Well are you going to come in or do you want me to fetch you a sleeping bag and pillow?" She teased.
Danny chuckled slightly, "No. I prefer the accommodation inside thanks." He moved past her into the apartment while she locked the door. "This is for you. Not as impressive as your last one, but..." he trailed off as he handed her the flower.
"It's beautiful. Thanks." She replied as she smelled the offering and walked further into her apartment, heading for the living room. The tension returning as they both stood in the room staring at each other and not knowing where to start. Finally Danny broke the silence, "Look Linds, I'm sorry about what I said. I was out of line."
"Not completely. We both know I didn't handle that whole situation well. I should never have slept with you, twice, while I was engaged to someone else. It wasn't fair to anybody."
"Maybe not but that doesn't make you a slut. Trust me I have been with hundredsof slutty girls and you aren't anything like them."
"Thanks, for that." Lindsay replied sarcastically.
"No … that's … I mean …" Danny stumbled, realizing his mistake.
"It's okay. I know what you meant," she replied with a smile. "I was out of line too. I didn't need to bring up the whole subway shooting, it was a long time ago and you were doing what you thought was right at the time."
"Yeah, though it definitely wasn't my finest hour, and you're right, sometimes I trust my gut too much, but hey it's led me to some pretty incredible things," he said as he stepped forward, wrapping his arms around her waist and laying his forehead against hers. "Without it do you think I would have had the nerve to fly half-way across the country for a girl who had already turned me down, twice?"
Had it been dark her smile could have lit up the room. "And has this girl ever told you how glad she is that you did?" Lindsay replied as she wrapped her arms around his neck, pushing her body flush against his.
"I think I have an idea." He answered, capturing her lips with his own and quickly parting them to wage battle with her tongue. The pent up emotions and frustration of the past couple of days culminated in that kiss as he backed their bodies into the couch. Their hands soon tore at each other's clothing as they toppled over the side arm, desperate for any horizontal surface and landing safely on the cushions, never missing a beat in their actions as they passionately sought to reconnect.