Words Unspoken

By Schroederplayspiano

Chapter 25: Run Away With My Love

"So you're telling me we have to walk a mile to the warehouse?" Tess complained in the passenger seat to Cat. "The pizza will freeze."

"Freeze?" Cat turned off her engine and looked at her friend. She leaned on the steering wheel. "Didn't you greet me this morning elated with the turning of the seasons?"

Tess grabbed a beer case with one hand and the inner door handle with the other. "Spring is known for cooled evenings."

"Is it?" Cat swung her door open. Even though she checked the area three times before parking, she did once more from her feet. She took a single step to the back door, a mouth-watering whiff of the pizza arousing her hunger.

Cat pulled out the two pizzas with on arm. Tess waited and the friends slammed their doors in union, the car wheels threatening to roll from the impact. "Well, look at it this way," the friends met at the trunk and Tess motioned to Cat's shirt, the same one she wore all day. "Vincent won't think anything of your outfit choice now. It's oddly appropriate."

After glaring at Tess, Cat started walking towards her second home. "You're still on that?"

"What are the chances he already saw your outfit choice today?" Tess caught up and matched Cat's pace. "They're high, right?"

"I try not to think about it."

"Really?" Tess glared at her friend, her eyes bulged, saucer-size for a moment before retracting. She then looked straight ahead, murmuring to herself, "That's all I would think about."

Cat turned in Tess' direction, disrupting her pace and leaning on one foot. "What?"

"Nothing." Tess lied and put on a fake smile to cover up whatever doubt Cat had left.

Nodding, Cat continued their walk in silence. She knew her partner well enough to know when she was lying. That was a job requirement. Curiosity tugged at Cat more than anything else, though. What judgments could Tess pass about Vincent under her breath?

For Cat, the warehouse came into sight before she expected it too. The second-story lights highlighted Cat's left arm and she wondered if their heat could make it through her shirt fabric. Tess had an opposite reaction to seeing the building. Men's shouts replicated themselves from memory. She closed her eyes; their darkness was nothing to a black cloth blindfold.

Tess watched Cat slide the warehouse door open with one arm. She wondered how long it took Vincent to fix all the damage from Muirfield's kidnapping, but decided stay silent.

The warehouse walls confined the pizza smell and made it more pronounced. Women's heals tapping was soon drown out by JT opening his creaking office door.

He stood in his doorway and crossed his arms. His position reminded Tess of a grumpy cartoon character she couldn't place. "A pizza should never smell that good."

Tess smirked at him. "Clearly you've been depriving yourself from many of life's greatest pleasures."

An unconscious flinch disrupted JT's frozen stance. "Do I look deprived?"

Tess formed a retort, but choked on her words instead and had to cover her mouth with a hand.

Cat scanned over Tess and shifted her weight. "I did not know you were going to be here." She addressed JT and was sure to keep her tone indifferent.

"Is that a problem?"

JT's question was almost cut off by Cat's short, "No. Of course not."

"Don't worry JT," Tess recovered. "I made sure there was enough pizza for you."

"Oh." JT finally lowered his arms. "I didn't know I was invited."

"That was the whole point," Tess examined him like he was on a different planet. "For me to get to know all of Cat's new family."

Cat blushed. "I didn't know that."

JT moved inside so that the women could pass by. "I guess it was lucky I was here then."

"I guess so." Tess stopped when she was inches from JT. "How else could I survive dinner with the two lovebirds?"

JT held Tess' gaze, surprising both of them. He raised his brow at her and she smiled. "Try solving life-threatening problems with them."

Cat looked behind her. She almost dropped the two pizza boxes when she noticed how close Tess and JT were together. "We are not that bad."

Tess choked back her response again.

"Yes, you are." JT was the first to break contact with Tess. Grabbing the gate key from his back pocket, JT walked passed Cat and gave her his full attention. "Hey," he motioned to her shirt. "At least the loft has a chill. Long sleeves don't seem inappropriate now." Cat parted her lips and followed JT's movements as he edged around her to make his way up the stairs.

Tess interrupted their interaction. "That's exactly what I said."

Ignoring Tess, Cat flew up the stairs only stopping when she slid around JT and reached the step above so she could look down at him. Cat bulged her eyes. JT's only response was to tilt his head and motion to the gate.

Once it was open, Cat flew from it and searched for Vincent.

"Hey," Vincent added a smile to his greeting. He reached for Cat before they were in arms' distance.

Cat found his jacket sleeve first and held onto it. "Hey," she leaned her chin upwards for a kiss. Vincent happily obliged.

"Ew," Tess couldn't help seizing the opportunity. "About to eat here."

JT reached for the beers from Tess and put them on the metal table. They locked gazes again. He edged Tess on by raising one shoulder, "I thought we were ignoring the love birds."

Tess smiled, "Works for me." She said and took a beer from its cardboard case. JT did the same and they clinked bottles.

"You are not ignoring us," Vincent released Cat to grab a water from their beaten down fridge. "We are all going to eat together."

"Yeah," Cat slid the pizza boxes on the table. "Who's hungry?"

"It smells amazing, Catherine." Vincent reached for a plate and took the first slice.

"Yes, Vincent," Tess injected. "Your compliment is well-deserved. She made the pizza herself."

JT almost spit out his beer.

"You know, Tess," Vincent started slowly, rotating in his chair so they were facing. "Insulting me is not a great way to get me to open up for an interview."

"Yeah," JT injected. "You don't want to see what happens when he gets angry," he said to Tess and grabbed a slice for his paper plate.

"Uh," Cat motioned to Tess. "I think she already has."

"I hardly count that as an insult." Tess defended her previous interjection. Rolling her eyes, she continued. "Sensitive. I'll add that to your list of traits." Tess lit up with her new discovery. She bent her elbows, mimicking dancing to the pizza box.

Vincent put out his hand. "I am not sensitive."

Tess watched Cat, rather than Vincent, for her reaction. Out of the corner of Cat's eye, she was sharing a moment with JT. Tess half-raised her arm and parted her lips to point out their discreetness to prove her point, but something warned her against it.

"You are," Cat bent down to Vincent, who was still in his chair, and put her hand on his shoulder. "Hate to break it to you," she teased and patted the shoulder with a smile.

"Honesty." Tess commented on their interaction.

"Coddling," JT added onto Tess' list.

"Hey," Vincent broke from Cat. "I agreed to an interview, not an observation session."

JT started, "But, Vincent-"

"This is so much more fun," Tess finished.

Vincent raised his palms at them and then dropped them to table. "Eating." He picked his slice. Raising it in Tess' direction Vincent said, "You can observe me eat."

Cat laughed along with Tess and JT. Not because she enjoyed making fun of him, though if she was honest that was part of it. The way he spread out his fingers on the table, stressing over a relaxed situation, brought his rare adorableness out.

She sat across for Vincent and waited for him to look up. "I'm not making fun of you."

Vincent challenged her with his gaze, but said nothing.

Tess took a seat at the head of the table, between Cat and Vincent. "She might not be-"

"But we are." JT confirmed to Vincent, sitting next to him.

Vincent nodded, finally conceding to the evening's mood. "Okay, okay…" He smiled to himself when a retort came in his head. He took another bite of pizza.

JT's smile faded. "What?" He addressed his friend seriously.

Without looking at JT, Vincent replied. "You're just jealous."

Taken aback, JT set his slice down and turned to his friend, flaunting his abhorrence. "Of what, exactly?"

"You wish you were this sensitive." Vincent raised an eyebrow at his friend. "It would help you with the ladies."

Tess and Cat broke out in uncontrollable laugher. Vincent joined them with a smile, leaving JT to nod along and reach for beer again.

Spurts of laughter continued and filled the warehouse for the next hour. Taking turns jabbing each other, the table's occupants would mark tonight as the night the trio dissolved to make room for a fourth. Tess smiled inwardly, her secret plan coming into fruition.

A/N: It's Wednesday, it would feel weird letting it go by without an update. :P! We haven't seen Evan in two chapters and I kind of miss him. So, expect to see more of him next update. Whenever that happens - sort of depends on you and sort of depends on me. Thanks again, truly, xoxo.