Chapter 29: Out On A Limb
Summary: Steve finds himself at a loss when his flight to freedom doesn't quite pan out the way he expects.
Siiiiigh. Steve sauntered through the front door of the house with his blazer slung over his shoulder by the hook on his fingers, feeling as light as a feather and yet unable to shake the feeling of unsettling suspicion that followed him the entire way home from Amoré's. Even though he was free to spread his wings, he was still disoriented by the effortless way he managed to wiggle out of the old ball and chain. For some reason, he didn't feel like kicking his heels in the air in triumph.
Maybe the routine of being stalked and loved so deeply had become comfortable. Even so, he didn't have plans on revisiting the past. Reclaiming his freedom was just another step towards being the man he always wanted to be, whether his lady love was brave enough to get to know him or not. That had always been out of his control.
Not that Laura felt secure behind the wheel of that control. In fact, she made it a point to keep her eyes off of the road if it meant keeping herself from choosing which way to turn. While everyone was out having the time of their lives on a Saturday night, she diligently tried to distract herself from the guilt her conversation with Max stirred up in isolation.
Seated on the couch in front of a spread of nail polish on the coffee table, she was busy 'untangling' herself with a manicure, pinching on her fingertips to make sure her false press-on nails were secure. "Hey, Steve," she greeted as he entered, secretly suppressing her curiosity over how his date went. Since Myra didn't come skipping in after him, she was dying to ask if he'd managed to ditch her… but it wasn't any of her business… unfortunately.
Ahhh, there was his beautiful tulip. A sense of relief washed over him the moment he spotted her, satisfied to know that it was officially their first moment alone that wouldn't involve a stir-crazy intervention from his ex. Or so he would think. "Hello, Laura Lee," he said as he shuffled towards the armchair. Draping his blazer over the back of it, he sank into the cushions as if he just ran a marathon. "Well, sir-ma'am. An era has finally come to an end."
"And I suppose you're gonna tell me what era that might be," Laura quipped dryly, hoping that he somehow was referring to this unfortunate lack of progress they spiraled into.
"Myra broke up with me." How's that for progress?
...After all of that To Catch an Urkel nonsense she pulled?! Nobody could've seen that coming. "You're kidding! She's crazy about you," she mused with a puzzled frown, only for her baffled expression to flatten when she realized who they were talking about here. "And I do mean crazy."
"She thinks I've changed!" Steve explained, still steeped in his confusion over the way in which their diving four-year relationship made a smooth emergency landing. "The way I dress, the way I act. She says she doesn't even recognize me anymore!"
Hm. There was hope for Laura yet. Maybe that meant she wasn't crazy for thinking the same thing. Because unlike Myra, she was really starting to like what she saw. Her eyes briefly scanned him, taking notice of how he managed to embody a confidence with his new style she never saw before. It was a far cry from the suspenders-sporting anomaly he used to be. He cleaned up real nice. And if Myra didn't think so, then... her loss. "Well, Steve, it's true — you are changing. But if you ask me, I think it's for the better."
That was awe-inspiring. Coming from Laura, it was like hearing that he morphed from a worm to a pharaoh and his eyes sparked with inspiration. Quirking his brows, he perked with pride and sprung up from the chair to gracefully migrate next to her on the couch. "Oh, really?" he purred teasingly, his voice dipping from his nasal soprano to a smooth baritone. On purpose this time.
Laura couldn't help but grin sheepishly as he playfully invaded her space, regarding her with a mischievous smirk. She was really trying to keep her dormant desires at bay, and he wasn't making it easy for her. But she gracefully tempered herself with a coy smile in return and continued distracting herself with her manicure. "Yes, really."
Looks like he was doing something right for a change because he couldn't remember if he'd ever seen her beautiful smile so much before. Not only that, she didn't go running for the hills the moment he got closer to her and that was a miracle in itself.
As much as he wanted to test the waters, he was still having a hard time wrapping his head around this unusual night. It may have been for the best, but it certainly didn't go down the way he anticipated. "Laura, the irony is: I was gonna break up with Myra tonight."
More unlikely news. He wasn't the type to pull a rug out from under someone he cared about, and it was starting to feel like he was never going to make that chick dial down the insanity. "You were? Why?" she asked, peering at him with a curious knit in her brows.
He thought she'd never ask! A wry smirk sprung to his lips as he shot her a look of fearless resolve. Enraptured by his determination, he rose to his feet regally. "Because I wanted to hack a clear path!" he exclaimed with a dramatic arm-chop, whimsically peering down at her with a twinkle of adoration in his eyes. "...Through the jungle of love. From your heart...to my hut." Forming a roof shape with his fingers, he dreamily gestured the hut over his heart.
"Steve, did you have wine with dinner?" Laura asked as she peered up at him incredulously, knowing all too well the side effects of inebriation.
Steve just shot her an impish smirk and took his rightful place on the mountaintop. "If you're asking whether or not I'm intoxicated, the answer is yes - yes-yes-yeeees. A THOOOUSAND times yes…!" he declared passionately, shooting her a beguiling stare through the shimmering panes of his glasses. "I'm drunk on you, baby…" he crooned at her with a haughty sway of confidence. "And I alllllways have been."
What a goofball. Laura couldn't subdue the grin of amusement that sprung to her lips, remembering a time when his corniness would've had her gagging. And yet, here she was, blushing under the heat of his eccentric charm yet again.
His kooky sense of humor had become so adorable to her that she didn't know whether to break into a fit of giggles or melt into the carpet. She just had to accept the fact that he was too cute for his own good… and steadily becoming cuter the longer she looked at him. Tickled by his antics, all she could do was shake her head ruefully and peer up at him with tender fondness and a defeated sigh. "What am I gonna do with you, Steve Urkel?"
Did she even have to ask? Steve could think of million things he'd want her to 'do' with him, but there was only one thing he ever really wanted from her his entire life. Sitting down next to her again, he regarded her amorously and threw out a simple, heart-warming suggestion that he hoped she would one day consider. "Just love me, Laura. Love me like I love you."
Awww... There he went again, being his unbearably sweet self. And for once, his request wasn't too much to ask. Laura softened as he effortlessly chiseled away the layers of her resistance with the alluring reverence in his eyes. As she lost herself in his gentle gaze, it occurred to her that he was the reason that she was finally smiling again. It amazed her how quickly he shifted from being a repulsion to the source of her peace of mind... and an unlikely target for her soaring desires.
Her hand gently landed on his shoulder, her fingertips caressing the flesh of his neck, the graze of her false nails sending chills of delight up his spine. She couldn't find any words that could accurately express what she was feeling in that moment. But words were irrelevant since she owed him a blessing anyway. Actually, she felt like she owed him so much more than that, but it was a start.
"C'mere..." she whispered softly as she surrendered to the magnetism that sparked between them, tugging on her heart strings. Leaning towards him, she gently molded her lips against his, lulling him into a feathery-soft, affectionate kiss.
Ahhh, what a blessing. The one that he had been craving for days now. He may not be the most balanced human being in the world but he'd always known what he wanted. Now that he was free to reach out and grab it, he saw no point in second-guessing himself this time, and so he gently kissed her in return like her lips had always belonged to him.
There wasn't another place on earth he would rather be than right here, a prisoner to the enchantment of his lady love's addictive lips. But they must've been pretty naive to assume that it would be that easy to finally capture that sweet stillness they both had been aching for…
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"
No sooner than they were on their way down paradise's alley, their mutual euphoria was shattered like glass by a shrill scream that ripped apart the silence of their moment. And when their eardrums popped, they flinched with a start and Steve peeled himself from Laura's lips to look over in alarm… only to recoil with wide-eyed dread as he spotted his worst nightmare gaping at them in slack-jawed horror by the front door…
Just his luck. Frightened by the piercing lasers in Myra's astonished glare, Steve frantically rubbed Laura's gloss from his lips with the backs of his hands before wiping them on the cushions of the couch as if that would somehow make her un-see what she just saw.
"Myra!" he chirped nervously, stiffening with fear as he clutched the couch, afraid that she was about to smash him like a bug. It's not like he had to answer to her anymore but snuffing her overbearing jealousy was an automatic reflex at this point. Besides, he was so frazzled by her sudden intrusion that it didn't even occur to him to question why she was there at all.
He was lucky that she wanted to bear his children. Because if she happened to have a monster truck on hand, she probably would have run them both over with it by now. But all she could do instead was fume as she stalked towards them with the blazes of wounded outrage in her eyes.
"Don't you 'Myra' me!" she scolded, her twittery voice barely an indicator of the torture she was enduring by the sight of her snuggle buns with his lips all over her nemesis. "How could you betray me like this?!" He meant to tell her that she just cut him loose and he was already moving on to sluttier pastures?! …She made a mental note to herself to invest in an electric shock collar with a padlock when she got a chance.
"'Betray you?!'" Steve retorted defensively as he pushed himself up from the couch to confront the delirium of her words, stepping in her direction to challenge that dirty fallacy. "Two hours ago, you broke up with me! Why, you tossed me aside like a smelly gym sock!" he spat, disillusioned by her irrational accusation.
She just didn't quit, did she? The way she barged into this house like she was paying the mortgage said it all. And Laura just calmly bit down her building irritation and quietly spectated from her spot on the couch, her confused gaze shifting between the two ex-lovers. Or… still-lovers? Their relationship had always been so bizarre to her, so there was no telling what this girl had up her sleeve. But as far as she was concerned, karma was a bitch and revenge was her sister — she definitely wasn't sorry that she caught them just now. Sucks for her.
"Oh, fish sticks! I wasn't dumping you! That was a carefully orchestrated charade designed to drive you back into my arms!" Myra disclosed matter-of-factly, earnestly illustrating her grand scheme as if setting him up was an obvious display of affection. Duh! How dare he question her devotion?!
...Was this girl for real? While Steve mulled over that deceitful maneuver with a disillusioned scowl, Laura just shook her head as it occurred to her that Myra was really starting to give the mentally disturbed a bad name. Casting her a blank stare, she quipped dryly, "Girl, you really scare me..."
Myra had no time for man-thieving snakes and their slithering insults — she had one focus only, and her gaze zeroed in on him with narrowed eyes. Planting her hands on her hips, she regarded him with the sweetest look of admonishment as she stalked in his direction, "Steven. If you think I let you go just so that you can get on with your life, you're one bearded lady short of a freak show!"
Uh-oh. Stiffening with uneasiness, Steve found himself awkwardly back-peddling as she closed in on him with all of her petite, honey-coated outrage. Nearly tripping over the coffee table, he recoiled as she shook an accusing finger in his face, causing him to stumble backward onto the couch. He eyed her cautiously as she cast her looming shadow of jealousy over him, resisting the urge to hide behind Laura as he cowered against her. "…Now you're scarin' me too!" he chirped timidly. He was the freak show when she was the one who had lied through her teeth just to keep him bagged? Somehow, he didn't think that claim would hold up in a court of law.
But of course, it was never about the truth when it came to Myra. Why be honest when lies were so much more effective in carrying out her plans? Unfortunately, it became very clear at that moment that she had run out of deceit as ammunition. All she had left was the ultimate demand that all of her schemings had amounted to in the first place. With no choice but to take a last stand, she stomped away defiantly, imparting her terms with authority, "I want you to stop being this silly 'new' Steve and come crawling back to me and beg for my forgiveness." That's right, Myra. Be firm! Be demanding!
…Cry your eyes out? When he didn't move a muscle to fulfill her request, it hit her that her influence over him had completely fizzled out and she could only hope that unraveling into a heap of whines would be enough to convince him. "…Pleeeeaase?!" she begged, pouting desperately.
Oh, boy. Steve knew that she was trying to play his compassion like a fiddle and he almost took the bait. His soft spot for his ex was still tender, and no matter how much she tried to delude him, the last thing he wanted to do was break her heart. After all, he knew what it felt like to plead until he was blue in the face. He also knew what it felt like to stoop to new lows of desperation when pleading just wasn't enough.
But no matter how much she poked her lip out at him, he knew that they had crossed a point of no return. As much as it stung him to say it, he made his stance on the issue clear with three simple words coated in sympathy, "I'm sorry, Myra…"
…Oh, he was gonna be sorry, alright! Just as quickly as Myra fell into a pout, she brightened and shot him a bedazzling smile with an impish twinkle in her eye. She knew what would do the trick. "Maaaama likes to oom-pah-pah, oom-pah-pah, oom-paaah!" she serenaded as she attempted to entice him a seductive shimmy of her shoulders. "Allllll niiiight loooong..."
Twitch. Steve clutched the couch cushions when he felt a shudder of excitement stiffen his entire body, the melodious lilt of her voice threatening to unravel his composed defiance. It took all of his will-power not to rocket to his feet and shuffle his heart out.
…The hell? Watching them was more entertaining than a Spanish soap opera. Laura just looked on in confusion as she watched Myra's absurdity intensify, only to frown with concern as Steve started to squirm uncontrollably in the spot next to her as if he were under the grip of mind control. Suspicious that he needed a little help with restraining himself, she briefly shielded him with an arm to keep him from bursting through the roof.
Grrr, it was moments like this that Steve wished she wasn't so shrewd when it came to pushing his buttons. But doggone it, polka or no polka, enough was enough! "…Stop! Stop!" he belted in protest as he was struck with conviction, becoming fed up with her bewitching sorcery. And he sprung to his feet to fearlessly confront her diabolic provocation head-on. "Enough of the Devil's Polka!" he cried in frustration, deflecting her black magic with crucifix fingers and she gave a silent gasp, offended that he dared to defy her spell. When she finally submitted to his resistance, he regarded her with a calm petition, "Now, Myra… this breakup was for the best. Laura, and I —"
"Oh, I SEE!" Myra erupted as she flared into a fit of envy and resentment, completely catching Steve off guard as her frustrated flail stiff-armed his chest, propelling him backwards into the chair with a yelp of surprise. "It's Laura again! It's always 'Laura, Laura, Laura'!" she complained vehemently before shooting her nemesis a snooty look of disgust, "For the life of me, I can't see what you see in this... strumpet!"
...Laura was getting reeeeally tired of all of the condescending remarks. She just snickered to herself with a rueful shake of her head, slowly reaching the outer limits of her patience with this nutcase. "…'Strumpet'?" she parroted politely with a bitter grin, calmly sweeping her tongue over the top row of her teeth. Uncrossing her ankles with the grace of a duchess, she pushed herself to stand from the couch and stalk towards her with her fangs bared. "I got your 'strumpet'!" she seethed as she defiantly waved a false nail at her, just dying to scratch up that pretty face of hers.
Pffft! Was Myra supposed to be scared of those stripper-claws of hers or something? She was itching just as much to yank that weave of hers right out of her head and smack her in the face with it. Rolling up the sleeves of her fur coat, she curled her lip and barked back at her, their voices instantly erupting into a clamor of incoherent insults thrown back and forth through mocking sneers and stiff neck rolls.
Alarmed as he spectated a cat fight waiting to happen, Steve frantically hopped up from the armchair and rushed over to wedge himself between the sass war. "Girls, girls, girls, girls, GIRLS! Don't fight over me!" he interjected earnestly as he nudged them apart, his protest silencing them... only to succumb to the odd sensation of arousal that struck him the moment he realized two gorgeous women were bickering over him. Lady Luck was very generous with the crumbs today, that's for sure. He couldn't help but wiggle his brows mischievously. "…Even though...it's my dream come truuue..." he purred with an impish grin of satisfaction.
Hmph. Later for this non-factor ninny. As much as Myra wanted to unleash holy hell-fire on Laura, she was still no closer to persuading her snugglebuns to join her on the winning side of the rope. Unfortunately, she had nothing but the blunt truth at her disposal this time. "Steven, I've changed my mind, and I want you back," she told him succinctly, standing on her square to patiently await the answer she was looking for.
But Steve wasn't biting. He'd warned her about this when they first got together, and fear of hurting her had always been the reason that he leaned on their relationship like a crutch. But now that Laura had accepted him for who he was, he was walking on his own two feet and taking advantage of her while his heart was focused elsewhere just wouldn't do any longer. Besides, she couldn't have paid him enough to deal with her possessiveness ever again, especially now that deceiving him had become her way of 'persuading' him. Sometimes, headaches were just plain avoidable. "I'm sorry, Myra, but... it's over."
That's what he thought. Myra had no intentions of taking his final judgment laying down. Her plan may have backfired... again... but that didn't mean she didn't have a back-up plan. And she figured that she might as well get busy with deploying the chutes. Curling her top lip in disdain, she shot them a glare before stomping her foot as she pivoted, angrily stalking towards the front door.
And that was the first time Laura saw that girl surrender. Thank God. At least now she wouldn't have to throw her out with her bare hands because she was seconds from doing it. She just crossed her arms and gladly watched the problem child make her exit.
Stopping just short of opening the door, she spun towards them with an enraged glower, her furiously twitching eye zeroing in on Laura as she pointed a vexing finger in her direction. "This... is all your fault...missy!" she hissed at her, the chimes of her voice hollow with determination as she staked her claim right then and there. "You may have won the battle, but you will never win the war. Steven Q. Urkel is MY man! And I won't let him go without a fight! Hunh!"
And with that, she breezed out of the door with the force of a hurricane, slamming it behind her so hard that every trinket against the adjacent wall flew to the floor. The coat rack, the picture frames, and the fireplace utensils all collapsed at Steve and Laura's feet, and they recoiled as if an earthquake rattled the floor beneath them, looking around at the disaster left in her furious wake.
"...Well!" Steve chirped brightly after the beat of silence it took to absorb the disorientation of Myra's tantrum. Turning to Laura, all he could do was give a cavalier shrug, grateful that the squabble ended peacefully. As peaceful as it could anyway, all things considered. He knew it wasn't the last he would see of her, but at least he didn't have to evade her like a parole officer anymore. "I guess it's safe to say I dodged a pretty big bullet there," he remarked wryly, hoping that being firm enough would keep her at bay in the future.
Laura wasn't counting on it. She was willing to bet money that he would need a restraining order next week. "More like the smiting hand of Lucifer," she quipped as she continued to scan the disarray of the room. She made a mental note to ask her parents to change the locks if it meant keeping the house free of evil spirits from now on.
Deflating with a sigh of defeat, she was more than fed up with the fact that Myra always left a mess for her to clean up... not to mention that guilt over Steve's decision crept up on her like a cold chill the moment his ex was out of sight. She agreed that he was doing himself a favor by declaring his independence. But she couldn't help but wonder if he would have broken up with Myra at all had it not been for all these 'blessings' he was expecting from her... and she squirmed with ambivalence as it occurred to her that she still wasn't as 'free' as he was to even have an opinion about it.
For the brief moment that she mulled over where to start when it came to putting this living room — and her dignity — back together, she didn't even notice how Steve's wistful gaze gradually softened on her to drink her in as the room settled into a still silence. And he found himself stirred with arousal as he floated out of the hurricane winds and right back down into the poppy fields of love... Myra, who?
He became amazed by the exquisite sight before him, tantalized by the way she nibbled on her bottom lip while entrenched in deep thought. She always made him woozy whenever he saw her, but this time was... different. And he was suddenly swept into a naughty fantasy that had his heart pounding harder and harder the longer he scrutinized her.
It was as if this was the first time that he noticed she was all grown up. That's when he realized that being a free agent had its perks — he was actually allowed to look now. And for once, there wasn't a shred of chaste uncertainty in his bones for being completely turned on by her right now, relishing the hot-cold rapture pulsing through his veins that he used to suppress out of shame. Not this time.
Actually, it was... liberating. In fact, he never felt so unabashed in his life. And he became hypnotized by how generously her fitted red sweater hugged the tantalizing curves of her torso, clinging to her supple breasts and contouring her lithe waist like a second skin. His gaze led all the way down to the sway of her hips as delicate details stuck out to him, like how her baggy jeans fit snug just bellow her naval, only to flair over her curves, teasing the shape of her bottom and leaving the rest to his imagination...
Wowser! He wiggled his brows mischievously, feeling quite grateful for the growing process. By the time his eyes lifted back to her pensive countenance, he felt his blood rush to his head, and he became light-headed instantly. Not because he wanted to faint this time. But because he was suddenly compelled with the most painful urge to gather that small, huggable waist of hers in his arms.
...So he did. After a lifetime of running into the same wall, it felt foolish that the wall was even standing any longer. If he was ever to be true to this new man everybody saw him becoming, then his tenacious go-get-em attitude had to be put to the test. So he just cranked up his bulldozer of courage and friggin' did it.
She didn't notice him closing in on her, and she went from pensively biting her lip to sucking in a silent gasp of shock, blindsided by the sensation of his hands softly landing on her hips. Jolted her back to reality, she held onto that breath of astonishment as she found herself being gently drawn closer to him, shuddering as she felt his hands boldly sliding around the arc of her waist and firmly hold her at the base of her spine.
It wasn't the fact that he grabbed her that surprised her. It was the way he did it. No begging. No hesitation. No puppy-dog eyes. No flubbing, tripping or falling. He just took control. And that was not the Steve she knew. No matter how attractive he'd been thus far, the Steve she thought she knew was still timid, clumsy, and tried way too hard... who the hell was this guy?
Whoever he was... he was definitely doing something right because she was entranced almost instantly, her eyelids fluttering with desire as she lost herself in his adoring gaze. She found the warmth of his body oddly intoxicating and the strength of his embrace comforting, and her hands fell upon his arms in a soft caress. Her cheeks flushed as she took to him willingly, smiling bashfully and allowing herself to submit to the safety she found in his embrace.
That was more like it. Just like that, the tranquility they had been chasing for days blanketed them like a warm smile from the heavens. Steve cherished every precious second he got to touch her, his fingertips committing the ridges of her spine to memory as he gently caressed her back. It seemed as if the best day of his life had been every day for the last few days. As far as he was concerned, that was a record-breaking accomplishment, and none of his scientific breakthroughs could compare.
"Now, let's see here. Where were we?" he crooned as he regarded her a suggestive smirk, taking her tender surrender to his loving arms as his cue to proceed. Hm, he was better at this than he thought. "Ah-ha, now I remember. Abooout... right here..." he teased barely above a whisper as his hands pressed against her back possessively, gently molding her against him as he leaned in for the kill.
Just when his lips began to capture hers in the alluring temptation of his kiss, he suddenly felt her body stiffen in his arms as her hands tentatively clamped around his biceps.
...Because as bad timing would have it, that's when it hit her. This is how Stefan held her. Gently. But firmly. With the confidence of a stud who knew he was irresistible and would not be denied. And yet with the soft affection of a seasoned, selfless lover. And that was just plain mind-numbing. In the blink of an eye, she was bombarded by memories of when her own boyfriend made her feel just as special. Remember your boyfriend, Laura?!
She suddenly felt nauseated with bewilderment, dizzied by the onslaught of guilt and confusion that tormented her core until she felt a shudder of hesitation rip through her. Before she knew it, she felt her entire body tense up as she reluctantly leaned away from his lips. "Steve, wait…" she uttered hesitantly as she nervously unraveled herself from his embrace. Shriveling with confusion, she shamefully averted her gaze in search of her moral compass. It had to be around here somewhere.
When Steve felt her resistance, his brows knitted in concern as she threaded herself out of his arms... and left him hanging out to dry. He suddenly felt cold without the warmth of her body against him, and disappointment soured his gut. Seize the day, eh? Or not. Apparently, the wall he was trying to tear down was impenetrable. It seemed clear that the venture to sweep her off her feet met its end, and he respectfully retreated with a step away from her.
Shrinking into himself as he suppressed his arousal, he candidly wiped his sweaty hands on his shirt as if that would reverse the sin of temptation. He certainly didn't want her to do anything she didn't want to do... even though all of the signals looked green to him just a moment ago. But he knew for certain by her guilty cringe that the light was at least flashing yellow right now.
As he shook off his confusion, her well-being instantly became far more important than his shattered fantasy. Besides, it wasn't the first time she rejected him. "What's the matter, munchkin?" he asked gently, growing concerned as he wondered whether or not he'd come on too strong.
Laura wouldn't necessarily disagree that he came on a little strong. But she really liked it. Maybe a little too much. And for several tense moments, all she could do was catch the breath that he nearly stole from her, resisting the urge to fan herself as flashes of heat scorched her flesh. Regarding him with buckets of regret behind her gaze, she swallowed the nervous lump in her throat long enough to make a timid request. "...Can you do something for me, Steve?"
"Anything," Steve replied breathlessly, perking with determination as he readied himself to spring into the action without hesitation. Because despite breaking out of Myra's shackles, he'd gladly throw on another leash if his lady love was the handler.
Unlucky for him, she had no plans of tying him to a fence anytime soon. She kept her request sweet and simple. "Don't ever call me 'munchkin'..." she murmured impassively, shooting him a blank stare to indicate that she was dead serious. Even though she was still weak in the knees, being referred to as a rodent was enough to kill any mood.
...Well, at least she asked nicely this time. Blindsided by the elegant simplicity of that request, Steve shook off his eagerness to be her Superman with a sage nod, humbling himself as he tucked away that jewel for future reference. "Duly noted."
Now that that was out of the way, there was room for her guilt to stir back up and disturb her conscience yet again. Growing pensive, she expelled a heavy sigh as the remorse in her eyes swelled until it became too difficult to look at him. And she cast eyes away as her gut soured with regret, curling her arms around her waist self-consciously. ...What are you doing, Laura?
She wondered how many more mistakes she would make before she dropped all of the hearts she was recklessly juggling, including her own. And then she began to speculate how long it would be before she would be able to look Stefan in the eye again. After navigating the maze of her thoughts long enough to find the right words, she tentatively spit them out, "And …well, I think I need more time to… figure some things out before we —"
Speaking of mood-killers. Steve felt himself wilt with embarrassment from the inside out. But he didn't want to make her any more uncomfortable than she already was and so he modestly tried to assuage her ambivalence with feigned merriment. "...Right. Say no more!" he interjected emphatically before she could get the words out. He knew exactly what she was going to say and he poised himself with obstinance before giving her the pleasure of punching him in the gut. In fact, he found himself justifying her indecisiveness if only to dull the confusion that riddled him in that moment. "Afterall, you're still spoken for and I am not a cad."
Or was he? Becoming wistful at he chewed on that, his brows furrowed as he remembered that she was indeed taken... because he just heard himself say it. That's when he realized he hadn't been very responsible with subconsciously claiming her the moment he broke up with Myra. She wasn't even available! It was as if all of these 'blessings' had completely blinded him and made him forget that Stefan had a knuckle-sandwich waiting for him.
But by the time he cast his gaze on her again, the guilt that registered in her expression reminded him of something else... that he wasn't the one who had anything to feel ashamed about. She had been the one in control this entire time and it occurred to him that she still had him running on a hamster wheel.
He was forced to consider that maybe it was just better if they gave each other a little space for a while. Sobering himself, he sighed heavily as he tried his best to overcome his disappointment with self-reassurance. "Besides... I've waited pretty much all of my life for this. A little longer won't do me in," he said with a dismissive shrug as a sense of resentment began to crawl under his skin. Squirming with uncertainty, he quickly averted his gaze before he could project his building frustration onto her, pivoting to make a hasty exit out of the front door.
...Great. No matter much he tried to hide it, Laura could practically feel his embarrassment radiating off of him. With every breath of awkward tension thickening the air, her heart wilted a little more with remorse. Seething at herself, her shoulders slumped with a disconcerted sigh as he tried to remove himself from the discomfort. "You're not mad, are you?" she asked him before he could go too far, suddenly mortified that he would begin to think less of her again. She even tried to remedy his confusion with a crumb or two. "Steve, I'm not saying that we —"
"Ohhhh, nooo! Of course not!" he replied disingenuously, far too eager to make his escape to allow her to explain herself. Pausing just as his hand fell on the knob, he peered over his shoulder at her and glibly offered reassurance, "I'm more chipper than a wooden splinter, baby!" he insisted brightly, lying through his wavering grin as he cemented his 'chipper' performance with a few grandiose arm sweeps. "It's quite all right! Tip over all the hourglass sand you need. The pressure valves are off!" ...He wished. Because the frustration of having his hormones snuffed was threatening to explode right now.
And with shaky hands, he quickly scrambled to get that darn door open... only to find that his palms were too clammy and slippery to get a grip. He was still levitating from their embrace and he must've been more nervous than he realized. Wiping the sweat of his hands on the legs of his pants, he anxiously tried again only to accidently yank at the knob a little too hard, yelping in pain as the door violently smashed into his nose.
Laura just winced as he knocked himself silly, furrowing her brows with concern as he swayed off balance, clutching the door for dear life to stabilize himself. But he managed to recover from his dizziness long enough to trip over his legs the rest of the way out of the door. She knew he was trying to flee from the awkward situation she put them in, but that didn't mean she wanted him to leave.
"Wait, where are you going?!" she called after him just as the door was slamming behind him... and she anxiously waited to see if he would respond. But all she got in return was silence. And a dark cloud of dejection loomed over her as she stewed in her regret. Whether or not he heard her was irrelevant... she just hated the fact that she didn't get a chance to apologize to him before he rushed out.
"Sorry..." she whispered morosely to thin air instead, her head becoming heavy on her shoulders with shame. She knew all of the apologies in the world could never make up for the misery she inflicted on them both thus far. And what tormented her the most was that no matter where she tried to run and hide, she would have to break somebody's heart eventually... and she really didn't want it to be him. If only her choices were that easy.
CONTINUED IN CHAPTER 30...
