Disclaimer: Victorious and all its features are intellectual property of others. I own no part of it. What I have written and will write is all from my own creation.
A/N: Thanks for the feedback guys.
Was I the only one that felt the tension growing with every second that passed? I shifted my weight from right to left foot.
I looked nowhere in particular, but I could feel both the girls I stood before look at me in wonder.
I was going to open my stupid mouth again but Lauren beat me to it.
"Well, it was nice to meet you Tori. I'm glad we were paired up. Um..."
Paired up for what? P-a-i-r-e-d U-p F-o-r W-h-a-t?
Her wrist carries a sparkling gold watch when she brings it up to get a view of the time.
"Oh..I'm late for a lunch meeting with some kids from our council. I'll see you around..." Lauren tells Tori.
I feel a warm hand land on the arm not between my girlfriend and I.
"Let's not be strangers." She says low enough for only me to hear as she walks past me to head down the hall.
I let out a sigh I didn't know I was holding.
"Ok..so you're gonna tell me what that was all about right?"
Tori asks, holding my arm with both of her own at my side.
I turn my head towards the shoulder she just put her chin on.
Her brows are furrowed in curiosity. Small creases form on her forehead. I completely forget about what just happened and admire how cute her expression is right now. I use my free hand to lower her face a little, making me able to gently kiss away the wrinkles below her hairline. I move down a short space to brush my lips against hers.
I pull back, keeping my hand up and running a thumb over the blushed pink skin of her cheek.
Then I remember her question needs an answer.
"I can't explain to you all about what that was... but I can tell what I know." I respond.
Her hand lightly grasps the one I hold one her face.
"I'll take it...Let's go sit somewhere quiet." She orders, winking at me. I assume I know the place she means and I'm assured when we walk in the same direction. To my surprise, she remembers the path and proceeds to lead the way.
The garden is void of any other people when we arrive there after a short moment. I walk straight forward from the stairs to the bench. Tori let go of my hand to pick a flower on farther left side of the square area. I sit down slowly and cross one leg over the other, the fabric of my black jeans stretching tighter. I take my jacket off before also crossing my arms. I cut the sleeves off the old charcoal-colored Rolling Stones
t-shirt I wore today, I slight breeze hitting my uncovered shoulders. My eyes follow Tori as she makes her way back to me, Cherry Blossom in hand. She takes her place close to me.
"I hadn't seen those here before." I comment.
"Must have just planted them over the summer." She answers.
She stares down at the flower, unspeaking.
I bask in the calm that she brings, waiting for me to start whenever I want.
"Number 11. You don't force me. You let me speak when I'm ready."
She turns over to me. Nodding "no".
"I've bothered you to get an answer before." She says.
"You ask a second time to get it across, but I never feel pressure to blurt out...like I have with other people." I explain.
"Other girlfriends?" She asks.
I uncross my arms and take her left hand in my right, placing it on my thigh.
"People in general." I answer, playing with her fingers.
"They demand. The harassment makes a person think unclearly...rushing to put together thoughts...which often...makes for a response no one can believe." I finish.
Tori listens and nods in agreement.
"I just want you to be comfortable, and I think giving you time to answer makes that possible." She explains.
Hearing her say that makes me feel at ease because it's exactly what I'm trying to express. I think back to minutes before, Lauren's last words to Tori.
"What was Lauren talking about when she said she was glad you two were paired up?" I ask.
Pulling us out of the other topic.
"That was a lab science class we were standing outside of. The teacher was in the middle of assigning me a partner when Lauren walked in to check into class." Tori replies.
I raise my eyebrows in realization.
"The last ten minutes were for us to get to know a little bit about the person we were gonna be working with for the rest of the year."
Mandatory interaction time. I let out I brief laugh, rather that than sulk about the circumstance. I can imagine the cliché, Tori, my girlfriend, and Lauren, my ex-girlfriend, talking about me when I'm not present.
"What?" She asks beside me.
The worry that I felt about telling Tori of Lauren rolled off my shoulders.
"Have you ever seen anyone other than you, Cat or Jenny even make eye contact with me at this school?"
She ponders the question.
"No."
"Not only did Lauren make eye contact, she knew my name before you said it AND she ACTUAllY had the balls to touch me...do you see what I'm getting at? I ask Tori, not avoiding the answer but just making her think about it for a second.
"OOOHHHHH... I get it she's a childhood friend...no wonder" she replies snapping her fingers as if having figured it out.
Pffft, I chuckle at her.
"Hahahaha...That would imply I had a childhood...I've had the mindset of a 40 year old since I was like 8 Tori."
She looks completely lost. GOD, it's so adorable.
"Then how does she know you?"
I lift my idle hand to run my fingers through my hair.
"She is the most recent of the the two casualties...Remember?" I respond, referring to conversation we had at the beach after dinner at the pier, not so long ago.
I can tell the exact moment the light bulb goes off, I grin in amusement.
"...Lauren is your ex-girlfriend...and I'm the idiot who can't put two and two together."
"Heyyy...you're not an idiot..." I say, squeezing the hand intertwined with mine.
"It's so obvious now...well...I'm shit at reading people, that's for sure."
I laugh.
"On this occasion, I fully agree on that."
She shoves me with her shoulder and I smile. Then I see her replaying the scene in her head.
"Your name, the hug, the awkwardness...ha..."
She looks forward and giggles, I'm glad she gets a kick out of it...
"Come to think...that was the first time I've seen you loose your cool." She adds.
I frown.
"I did not."
"Yup, you totally did. haha...you didn't know what to do with yourself." She teases poking my thigh.
I close my mouth, tightening my lips into a straight line.
"You can't even front."
"Fine...But it was a result of surprise."
"How so?"
I turn my body to face Tori more directly.
"I broke things off with Lauren exactly one month before summer break. I think she felt that we were in a better place in our relationship than we actually were so, when it happened, she took it hard. After a couple of days of miscommunication, I wanted to see her and have an amicable conversation. When I went looking for, I found out that she'd left...She asked her Mom not to tell me anything about where she went. I had no way of getting in touch with her."
I paused to take a breathe.
"The school year ended...There was nothing I could do even though I sincerely worried...The time passed...and then you and I met." I finish, shyly grinning at her. She reciprocated but a look of puzzlement slowly spread on her face.
"You just forgot about her?" Tori asks.
I shake my head to the sides.
"I didn't forget...It was kind of pushed aside...increasingly...the more I spent time with you. I was still bothered by it but...my focus was getting caught elsewhere." I answer, taking both her hands in mine now.
"I can't blame you." She says, flicking strands of her hair over her shoulder.
I smile widely. She clears her throat and begins to add something,
"...you may think it's unusual for me to say...but...If you care enough,...which it sounds like you do,...talk to her...clear the air...She IS back and looks like she'll be sticking around so why not make amends?."
I look give her a doubtful look, which she mimics.
"I know it sounds weird in the context of me sort of sending you off to reconcile with your ex-girlfriend...but I'm confident in what we have...and I see nothing wrong with acting like the mature person you are...but if you don't feel like doing that then it's still o.k."
I stare at her, watching as she completes her thought. I had said to myself that I had fallen in love with her but...I couldn't of been more wrong. It's a perpetual descent inside a bottomless well. I can't stop falling in love with her...she doesn't let me. She is unknowingly pushing me deeper...every time she listens...every time she understands...every time she gives me her opinion...every time she does her best to help me...every time she touches me...evert time she lets me touch her.
My legs uncross and I stand, pulling her up with my by her hands. I wore heeled boots making my a couple inches taller. I left no space between us. Our noses grazing one another.
I feel her lean in but I pull back before she reaches me. I bend down and pick her up in a quick swoop. I hold her legs up to straddle my hips. I small squeak leaving her mouth.
"You're crazy. I could have fallen." She tells me, holding herself up by hugging her arms around my neck.
"I wouldn't dare hurt you." I respond, meaning much more than what she heard.
I turn us around and feel the edge of the bench hit the back of my knees, I sit back down...her head a touch above mine now.
My arms tightly snake around her waist, bringing my torso flush against hers. Our foreheads resting on each other.
"Intense much?" She whispers, her breathe mingling with my own.
Shit...my impulse could take me far. I tip my head back slightly to look at her eyes and give her some space.
"No..don't...I like it..." She reveals, cupping my jaw in both her hands..
I bring my lips to hers in a soft and lingering kiss. Her right hand comes up to the back of my neck, pulling my closer, deeper into her mouth. I slow it down, brushing back and forth between the bottom and top morsels of flesh, impossibly soft and supple.
I let go slightly, giving us time to come up for oxygen.
"and that was for?" She asks.
"for...being you, for being awesome and thoughtful you." I answer.
Just when I'm going to continue with another kiss, I hear a faint growling noise...coming from her stomach.
We both look down between us.
"Hhmmm...we better feed the beast..." I mutter before pecking her cheek.
We make our way towards the cafeteria for the end of lunch.
I sat at the dining room table with my laptop open, a couple of half done assignments laying by it. I have been sitting here since about four o'clock procrastinating, my computer clock reads 6:45. My thoughts keep wandering back to what Tori suggested. I want to talk to Lauren, I just have to figure out how I should go about finding her. It would be weird rolling up by her house and running into her parents. I don't want to do it during school. Then I remember, her cell phone number hasn't left my contacts list.
I yank my phone out of the pocket of my pants. Sure enough there it is, but I also remember calling it multiple times, months ago when she left, she never picked up.
I couldn't hurt to try. I select the name and bring the phone up to my ear. I'll let it ring six times max.
The line cracks at ring 5 and my hand clamps over my mouth...I'm so fucking stupid, you called HER!, you moron.
"I would have deleted my number off my cellphone a long time ago If I was you." Her throaty voice sounds threw phone.
Way more calm and collected than I am.
"I'm a bitch but only to a certain extent...give me a beak.." I mutter nervously.
I hear a chuckle on the other end.
"What can I do for you, Jade?" Lauren asks.
Why the change of heart? I ask myself.
"For some reason...I feel like I should be asking you that question..." I answer.
"Did you call because you feel like you owe me something?"
I think about it for a minute but reach no conclusion.
"Would it sound fucked up if I did?"
"Don't answer my question with a question."
"My bad...I hear you haven't gotten any less bossy."
"I was never bossy you ass wipe."
We chuckle together.
"...I know you heard me when I called for you..." She says, any laughter left completely gone in her speech now.
"You caught that?" I ask.
"Mmhm"
"Damn, I was counting on it that you didn't."
"I have very acute senses Jade."
"So you remind me."
There is a brief lull in the chat.
"Are you busy?" I ask her, wanting to converse face to face.
"My only responsibility is school...It's only tuesday. Some of the teachers don't even have a syllabus to hand out yet." She responds.
"How lucky of you. I'm working on some homework right now."
"Which you can breeze right through in minutes."
"If I could actually concentrate for more than 20 seconds."
"Victoria taking over your thoughts?" She asks.
I made it obvious when I basically claimed her when I saw them in the hall at school.
"Majorly..."
..but I digress...I think we should get together and talk."
"I think so too" She answers.
Great...ask when nitwit.
"Can we meet soon?"
She lingered.
"...I'm hungry...let's meet at Mike's Diner...I can only function if you promise to but buy me my favorite."
"Mike's famous french toast it is..."
