Back after a hiatus. Thought I'd leave you with a happy chapter. Now for the angst...

Monday, July 30, 2007

When Dick woke up, the bed felt empty. He realized Mac was gone.

He glanced at the clock, and it was 10am. She'd already left for work hours ago.

He wished she'd woken him up for some morning sex. God, that would be hot. He'd never done that before. He never stuck around that long. But with Mac… he wanted to spend the whole day in bed with her. Every day.

He decided instead that he would take her to dinner that night. He didn't want her to think he was only interested in sex. He decided to call in a favor with a frat brother and get a table at the new French restaurant. He wanted to impress her. He'd never cared enough about any girl to do that before. But she's different.

Mac was delightfully sore and incredibly satisfied. Three times, four orgasms. She didn't even think it was possible. Even when she first started dating Max, the most they'd managed in a day was twice.

She needed to stop thinking about it though. It was distracting her from her work. And she needed to keep a clear head.

She knew this thing wasn't real. It's just rebounding, just a one night thing. Dick even said that, didn't he? He didn't want her to sleep in Logan's bed tonight. It's not like he said he didn't want her to sleep there ever again. And once classes start back, he'll be back at the frat house, she'll be back in the dorms, and their lives won't intersect very much.

Even so… damn. It would be so easy. She'd been extremely tempted to call in sick, and stay in bed with Dick all day. Leaving his bed was extremely hard. But she had to. If she stayed, that wouldn't be a one night stand, it would be a fling. That would be an affair. That would be… real. She can't think that way.

But it didn't matter. She had gotten a call that morning from campus housing that a room was open early, and she could move in tomorrow. She had texted Parker, who was coming back this week, to let her know she could get away from her parents sooner, rather than later.

She wasn't as excited as she should be though. She didn't want to admit that last night had changed anything. That she didn't want to sleep in a room with Parker. That she wanted to fall asleep in Dick's arms after a long night of lovemaking. Sex, not lovemaking. They weren't in love. They were just friends, who had sex, to get over their personal stuff.

As though it wasn't bad enough that she could think of nothing other than Dick. He had sent her several texts that ranged from sweet and flirty, to hot and dirty. Damn him. She needed to put a stop to this before it got out of hand.

When she came through the door of the penthouse, she was surprised to find Dick looking… amazing… in a suit.

"Hey, you look nice. Special occasion?" she asked cautiously.

He grinned. "Dinner reservations."

"Oh? You have special plans?" she asked, laying her laptop bag onto the coffee table.

"We do, yes. That French place that just opened. Maurice's," he said nonchalantly.

"You're shitting me! How did you get reservations there? The place is booked for months! It's supposed to be amazing."

He shrugged. "I just made a call."

She laughed. "Okay, well, what time is dinner?"

"We should leave now, actually."

"Okay, well, let me go freshen up. I'll just be a minute," she said, grinning.

She washed her face and put on fresh make-up, more heavily applied for an evening out. On a date. She realized she was going out on a date with Dick. Oh shit. Did he think they were dating?

It certainly seemed that way. He opened the car door for her, and extended his arm as they walked through the parking lot. He pushed in her chair at the table, like a gentleman. She was on a date with Dick.

Not that she was complaining. The food was heavenly, an assortment of French delicacies, and the ambiance was perfect. A view of the ocean, soft candle-light. And surprisingly easy conversation with Dick. It was easy to forget that they weren't really a couple, that they weren't really in love. The way he looked at her… it was so very easy to forget.

After dinner, they took a walk on the beach. He'd discarded the jacket and tie and looked like something out of a catalog, with the sea breeze blowing through his hair, and his shirt clinging to his muscular chest. She was grateful there were people on the beach, or she might have ripped that shirt right off of him.

He took hold of her hand, the first intimate contact they'd had all evening, and pulled her to him for a kiss. She hesitated.

He frowned. "What's wrong?"

She sighed.

"Oh," he said, nodding. "I've got the wrong idea, don't I?"

"It's just, this has been wonderful, and last night was definitely amazing…"

"But it was just one night," he finished for her.

"Well, yeah… I mean, my room's ready back at Hearst, and you'll be moving back into the frat house soon…"

"Is that what you're worried about? Distance?"

"Well, no, but we'll be going back to our own lives, our own friends, and…"

"And you don't think our lives fit together," he said.

"No, they don't. I mean, it's been great hanging out with you and Logan this summer…"

"Wait, what are you saying? It's one thing to tell me you don't want a relationship, I mean, hell, I get that, you just broke up with Max, maybe it's all too soon. But, dammit, Mac, are you saying you don't even want to be my friend?"

"I'm saying, it's just that it'll be hard…"

He nodded. "Okay. Well, it's getting late, let's head back to the penthouse."

"Okay," she agreed, glumly. She noted it was the first time he hadn't called it "home."

Neither said a word on the drive back to the Neptune Grand.

Both immediately went back to their respective rooms to change. While she was taking off her heels, she resolved to go talk to Dick again. She didn't want him to think she didn't care about him, or that she was trying to shut him out of her life. It was just reality. She would make an effort, he'd see. They'd still be friends. And if there was something still between them, then maybe, they could see where that goes. But he was right; she did think it was just too soon.

And it was also too late. She heard the penthouse door slam, and she knew he'd left. She cursed. She'd really screwed up. Hurt the person who had picked up her pieces and been her friend when she'd had no others.

She texted him, asked him to come back and talk to her, but he didn't respond. Eventually she went to bed, feeling far worse than she had the day Max had left her.