She knew the moment he paused at the door, without even looking up.
"What do you want?" she asked, her voice raspy.
He sank down so that he was crouched beside her.
"Why are you here?" she asked again as he continued to regard her silently. Great. All she needed right now was another rejection.
He sighed. "Just because we can't be together doesn't mean I don't care," he admitted, pushing an errant strand of hair from where it fell on her cheek, tucking it behind her ear. "I'm not quite sure all that you're going through, but Courtney filled me in on some of it."
He sensed her body stiffen, and he began to rub her arm. "Don't be mad at her. She did what she thought was right."
"Why come to me now?" she asked softly, wanting to know, but not turning her head to look at him.
"You needed me," he finally replied. It was as simple as that.
"So, you only come to me when you feel I need you, then as soon as you judge me okay, you push me away and leave again. Is that the way it's going to play out…again?" Her tone was bitter.
He clenched his jaw, knowing she was right, but still not wanting to hear it.
"Look, I know I've been a bit of an asshole lately. Trust me, last time I ran into Shana, she read me the riot act. Your buddy Conrad just did the same thing..."
"Oh, so that's what this is about," she interrupted, finally turning her head to look at him. Her eyes were hard. "You saw me with him and that old jealous streak of yours surfaced again."
She got up slowly, careful not to rip her dress, dusting off where it had gotten some dirt from the carpet she had been sitting on.
"Look, let me be honest with you," she began, her voice frosty. "I don't feel like dealing with this again. I'm glad you still have some part of you that still cares, or at least cares enough to feel jealous….but I'm tired of this. I have a hell of a lot going on in my life right now that I don't need this game of yours anymore. So let's just call this played and done."
He got up, looming over her, hands fisted at his waist. "Game? You want to talk game? What the hell have you been playing over the past year? You're the one who turned into someone else! How the hell was I supposed to feel? You've been a virtual stranger!"
She matched his glare. "Let's see, who do we have to thank for that? Oh yeah, the guy who decided to go his own way and abandon his girlfriend! Or was I just someone to roll around with during your stint with GI Joe? I have to tell you, that's pretty much what it feels like!"
She didn't need this right now. Time was not on her side, and, glancing at her watch, she knew she needed to leave if she was going to catch her plane.
Her anger radiated in waves. God knows what she'd attract and at this point, she didn't care. All of the guilt and worry she had been feeling balled up inside of her was just there, hovering at the edge, waiting to be released.
That was when he did the one thing that shocked her.
When he grabbed her, she honestly had thought he was going to shake her. Instead, he pushed her to the wall, his body pressing into hers.
"The hell with this," she heard him mutter before his mouth covered hers. She felt assaulted and aroused at the same time.
He felt her give in after a moment, her body beginning to respond. He groaned as he felt her kiss him back.
She didn't want to feel anything for him. The way he had played her over the past year, the constant rejection….why the hell she still felt anything for him, she didn't know.
She sighed against his lips. He took it as a sign of surrender and pressed closer to her.
How could she get out of this?
Her hands pressed against his chest. He wasn't getting the hint. Finally she focused and gave one good shove which had him stumbling backwards.
She tried to fight the tears in her eyes, but they spilled out anyway.
"I told you I can't do this anymore!" she said, her voice cracking. "You're right - I'm not the same person I was a year ago. I'm not even sure I know who I am anymore." She paused, then whispered, "I'm not even sure you'd like what I've become."
His confusion was written all over his face. "So, you're not even going to give us a chance then?"
"Who are you?" she asked. "One moment, you're telling me you can't be with me, but when I'm the one to push away…I'm the one with the problem?" She glanced at her watch. "When you can make sense, give me a call. I have a plane to catch."
She strode out of the room, grateful of her training so that her churning emotions weren't reflected on the outside.
She saw Duke lingering in the doorway of the reception hall…obviously waiting for her. She had to smile. This is what she needed in a man – someone strong enough to be able to understand her and be there for her, no matter what. Too bad it was Duke, the one guy she felt she could never be with.
"I was hoping to catch you before you left," he told her, his eyes taking in her current state, but not acknowledging it. Damn Flint, he thought angrily, for upsetting her again. A small part of him felt happy about it. "Keep me posted, okay? I want to know that everything turns out all right for you, no matter what decision you make."
She managed to smile her thanks.
He reached out and squeezed her hand. "I know you have a flight to catch, but I just wanted to remind you that you have people here who care about you, that you can come to us anytime."
She held a hand up to his cheek. "You're a good man and a really good friend, you know that, right?"
He pressed his hand over hers, moving it slowly to his lips. Brushing a light kiss across it, he reluctantly let it go.
"Just remember that," he joked. He paused, his smile fading. "Promise me you'll take care of yourself? Stop worrying about what others think. The old Allie would've given them hell, anyway," he joked. "She's still in there, you know."
She nodded. "I've got to go," she whispered unnecessarily. She turned and hurried out the nearest door.
"You ready then?" Stealth asked, straightening up from where he was leaning against a sportscar. Grunt was silent by his side, his arms crossed over his chest.
She nodded.
"You didn't get back together with him," Grunt stated as they climbed into the car.
"No."
He nodded. "Good. You deserve better than that."
She was surprised by his answer. Sliding a glance towards him, she saw his face was like a mask, and knew she wouldn't get anything else from him. He was always the quietest of the trio, so that fact shouldn't be so disturbing. She wondered what he thought about the whole situation in general.
"We need to make a pit stop before we head home," she told Stealth, who was driving.
"Your uncle."
She didn't ask how he knew. "I think we have enough time. I talked to Hawk and arranged a pass before I left, so there shouldn't be any problems. It won't take long."
"Guess it helps that you aren't flying commercial," Stealth glanced over at her for a moment. "You changed the flight plan?"
She shrugged. "Not yet, but it shouldn't be too hard."
