A/N: I hope everyone has enjoyed their holiday season. Happy 2014!
Disclaimer: I own neither the idea of Inception, nor the song Speeding Cars.
Reviews are greatly appreciated! Enjoy! xox
Speeding Cars
Chapter 21: No Need for Violins
Maybe the black tie with diamonds… or the brown tie with stripes? Or perhaps he could opt for the plain red tie with the tapered end, or his classic black tie?
Arthur stared at his reflection while standing in the hotel closet. His hair was still wet and ruffled from his shower, there was still a bit of shaving foam nuzzled behind his left ear but none of that was remotely important. What was important was the shirt- tie combination he was going to wear to his date with Ariadne. Just thinking about it made his stomach do a backflip. It's just dinner, Arthur tried to remind himself, but the thought of dinner made him want to hurl, and his throat close up with nervousness though none of this could be seen in his reflection. In the mirror Arthur saw his tall, slim stature. His muscles were not overly defined, and overall he looked fairly average. His skin was clear and fair in pigmentation, and if he smiled he had a dimple that formed in his cheek- giving him a boyish looking face.
Making his tie selection, Arthur continued to get ready. He wiped his ear clean of the shaving foam and ran a comb through his hair. Slipping on his black shirt and red tie, Arthur glanced at the digital clock by the double bed.
5:45pm.
And without a second thought, Arthur grabbed his phone, keys, and wallet and was out the door.
Arriving at Ariadne's nearby hotel, Arthur waited patiently for the elevator to ascend to her floor. The more he stood in that small vertical transport method, the worse he felt. He felt like he was going to pour sweat, and he kept running a nervous hand around the back of his neck. Finally, on the 8th floor, Arthur stepped out of the elevator his knees were already willing to collapse out from underneath him. He swallowed and walked down the elegantly lit hallway.
His shoes made no sound against the industrial beige carpet, and soon Arthur was standing right outside her room. He raised his hand to knock when he heard her boyish laughter coming from behind the door along with a muffled voice. With a higher sense of urgency Arthur knocked. He heard her light steps coming from the opposite side of the door and heard the locks clinking open.
"Hello!" Ariadne greeted him cheerfully. Her face was slightly flushed but was glowing nonetheless. She was still barefoot, her toes were painted an odd shade of purple, and a tattoo that Arthur had never noticed before was clearly visible; otherwise, Ariadne was in a simple navy blue, one shoulder cocktail dress. The dress flattered her petite form and made her skin appear dewy and sun kissed.
Ariadne led Arthur into her simple hotel room and sitting on a chair in the corner was none other than Eames.
"Arthur!" He boomed, as he stood up excitedly. Arthur swallowed hard, his eyes widening slightly. He shook Eames' hand with a polite smile.
"Eames! What are you doing here?" Arthur asked, mimicking Eames' excitement.
"I ran into him in the lobby bar on my way up, and we've just been catching up." Ariadne said from the other side of the room. In her ears now were two diamond studs, her arms were reached over her head, her fingers were fumbling with the clasp of the necklace she was trying to get on. She sighed with slight frustration, "Arthur, could you please?" She asked, gesturing to the string of diamonds she was holding. He nodded and made his way over to her.
Ariadne was significantly shorter than Arthur. He had to bend down slightly to see the delicate clasp. The pads of his fingers brushed against the back of her neck delicately as he clasped her necklace, and Arthur briefly admired the elegant bun Ariadne had managed to twist her shiny hair into at the nape of her neck. She spun around, the diamonds reflecting this light onto her, which made Ariadne appear as an iridescent glow. She whispered a breathy 'thank you' as a blush crept over her cheeks. And then, she returned to her small closet, slipping on her shoes. He could smell her perfume.
It smelled of daisies.
"So Arthur! I hear you're treating us to dinner tonight. Pray tell, where are we going?" Eames said as he slipped on his blazer.
Us…we… US?!... WE?! Arthurs' mind screamed out in frustration. Count on Eames to take pleasure to his discomfort, and Arthur couldn't help but send him a glare.
"I made reservations for Ariadne and myself at a restaurant in the city," Arthur said smoothly.
"Ah! Lovely darling, truly lovely, because where there's a city there is a bar. And where there is a bar, there is surely alcohol. Shall I drive or will you?" Eames said appearing to be completely oblivious, but as soon as Ariadne walked back up to him, elegant heel gracing her feet, Arthur knew he had lost the war.
"Oh, Arthur you'll drive won't you?" She asked him hopefully, her stare lingering on his face. "Just incase Eames gets overly intoxicated," she added before looking away and grabbing her clutch bag that was laying on the edge of the bed. Arthur only nodded with her in agreement and tried desperately to hide his sigh of disappointment. Eames smirked at him and escorted Ariadne out the door, leaving Arthur to groan quietly as he left the room last.
He hated Eames.
The drive to the restaurant was bearable, but eating dinner left Arthur feeling sour. He had barely been able to get two words in since they sat down. Eames was constantly talking about his adventures from all over the world, and Ariadne did her best to listen with rapt attention. Her eyes would often wander to the point man across the table from her who looked moderately upset. It became easier to ignore Eames as his words began to slur together. After ordering yet another beverage from the bar, Eames excused himself to the bathroom.
Arthur breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, he could have Ariadne to himself. She looked at him hopefully and realized this would be the perfect time to say something.
Shit.
What was he going to say? After a few moments of silence Arthur managed: "The guy can really talk, huh?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah. He's a character all right." Ariadne said back in a quiet voice.
Shit.
Way to go Arthur.
"I never did thank you very well," Ariadne began uncomfortably. "For that day I wasn't feeling well. Thank you for stopping by."
"It wasn't a problem," Arthur muttered.
A few moments of silenced passed them. Uncomfortable, awkward, silence.
"I didn't get the chance to say this earlier," Arthur started, "but, you're looking beautiful tonight Ariadne."
He saw the blush creep over her cheeks, and her offer him a shy smile. "Thank you very much, and you look handsome yourself Arthur." He smiled at her, he could practically feel his lone dimple drilling into his cheek.
"For a point man anyway," she added at the end just before she erupted into a fit of giggles.
Arthur chuckled quietly. "What's that supposed to mean Miss. Architect?" He challenged quickly.
"It means, that for a guy who's always burying himself in research, you know how to clean up."
"Clean up do I? That's a laugh coming from the girl who has buried herself in saw dust on more than one occasion." Ariadne burst into laughter.
"Oh man, I can't top that Arthur. You win this battle!" She joked with him between hurtles of laughter.
"So I can proclaim myself the winner, fair and square?" Arthur asked her between his own chuckles. He loved the way she laughed. Her laugh wasn't too high pitched, and it had a boyish charm to it. Her smile lit up her face while she laughed, to the point where it outshined her diamonds.
"You may win the battle, but let me assure you that I will win the war," she said in a mock serious voice.
A brief moment of silence passed them, before they both continued to laugh mirthfully. It was all so harmonious until Ariadne let out an uncharacteristic, and abrupt snort.
Her hazel- freckled eyes went wide with horror, and her hand clasped over her mouth quickly. Red head seeped up into her face and flooded her cheeks completely. They felt aflame with embarrassment. Arthur continued to laugh, if not harder than before.
After laughing at Ariadne's horrified expression, Arthur's loud laughter was subdued to a simple chuckle. He reached across the table, and gently guided Ariadne's hand away from her mouth.
"That was positively adorable." This not only made Ariadne's expression turned from horrified to shy, but also made her face, if even possible, redder. "I better make sure the drunk isn't passed out on the bathroom floor, excuse me love," Arthur said smoothly after a moment of silence passed between them. He got up and left her at the table to calm down.
Ariadne couldn't remember the last time she had laughed so hard that she had snorted. And despite her moment of horror, Ariadne smiled warmly at the feel of Arthurs' hand on top of hers. She reveled in that one moment.
There was no spark or sense of electricity that pulsated through her. No, she just felt warm.
Ariadne did not have long to dwell on her thoughts as she saw the other two thirds of her date walking out of the men's room. Well, really one was practically carrying the other.
Eames tripped over his own feet, and his head was digging into Arthurs shoulder as the point man guided him to the table. Ariadne shook her head gently as Arthur reached the table, picked up the check and hoisted the drunken Brit on his arm again. Ariadne pushed in her chair and went to help escort Eames.
The car ride back to Ariadne's hotel was silent. Though, Ariadne could have sworn she heard Arthur cursing the "bloody drunk prick," under his breath. The trek from the car to the hotel lobby seemed especially long with Eames' tripping every which way, and his head lolling in an unsightly manner.
"I think I- sick." Eames managed to slur together and before Ariadne or Arthur had a chance to react, Eames upchucked on Ariadne's heels.
"Oh Eames," Ariadne muttered under her breath as she slipped out of her shoes and continued the walk bare foot, leaving her soiled shoes in the parking lot to waste. Finally, the couple managed to get the European onto a roll away bed in Ariadne's hotel room. Eames promptly passed out and Ariadne walked Arthur to her hotel door.
"Thank you for a lovely night out," she said staring up at him with her hazel- brown eyes. "Overall, I had a nice time."
"Overall, I had a nice time too. It was a joy being with you this evening Ariadne, and I'm sorry about your shoes." Arthur commented. He stared down at the small girl, judging that there was no chance she surpassed five feet, the inches which was a stark contrast to his five foot, ten inch self.
"It's a shame about those shoes but it happens. Eames officially owes me a new pair though." Ariadne joked lightly. She looked down at her small feet. She felt a finger under her chin that lifted her face up to meet Arthur. His lips grazed her cheek softly.
"I really did enjoy my time with you, good night Ariadne. I'll see you tomorrow," he said to her softly. He enjoyed watching the heat rise up into her cheeks as she smiled sweetly at him.
"Good night Arthur, thank you. And I'll see you tomorrow."
And with that Arthur left the hotel, his red skinny tie dancing around his neck.