Disclaimer: The characters belong to Guy Ritchie.

Bad Timing

Soap was half asleep when he opened the door.

"Hi" Addie was nervous.

"What time is it?" he stretched, the drinks still clouding his mind.

"Two. Three. I don't know. Soap…"

"Something wrong? You all right?" he finally noticed her erratic behaviour.

She fell silent so he had to check her with his hands. No apparent wounds. After the night of the dogs and knowing about her "special talent" with explosives, anything was possible.

"What is it? You can tell me!" he encouraged her.

She laughed, tensed.

"You're the only one I can tell this to"

Addie avoided his inquiring look. She couldn't look at him. What if the old attraction was not dead yet? What if this was the biggest mistake of her life?

In a completely uninspired reaction, Soap came near her. He put his hand on her shoulder, in what was meant to be an act of friendly comfort. Instead, it was a reminder of the power he held over her. Addie fell in his arms, sighing. Friend or lover, that man meant a lot to her!

He was taken by surprise, but couldn't help enjoying the embrace. Whatever the problem was, she felt she could come to him. Maybe all was not lost. Just like that first time, the embrace turned into a kiss. And all those feelings he had started to consider the fruit of his imagination were storming back in his body.

Soap was about to take her in his arms and throw her in his bed, Addie put an end to the kiss. She looked at him with eyes sparkling of tears and left. The young man stood in the middle of the room, petrified, unable to understand. Slowly, it dawned on him. That kiss hadn't meant to her what it had meant to him. This time, his ego was hurt. This time he had lost all by himself. Not to Ed, not to Kevin. He had lost to the universal truth that time heals everything. Even things that should not be healed.

~~~~

*I'm over him!* she sighed, relieved. *It was a very nice kiss, but I can't change my life for this* she went on arguing the common sense thing. *It was an amazing kiss though* she hated to admit. But was it worth risking everything? After all, she had a crush on him. There was no saying what he felt about her. *He didn't even try to stop me* Besides, Soap was a nice guy, but he had enough "bad guy" in him to make a long term relationship difficult. She had a hard enough time disciplining her own rebel nature, but trying to tame him… That was too much of a challenge. *Still… That kiss* a little devil in her mind said one more time.

~~~~~~~~ Two months later ~~~~~~~~~

Soap was running late. His little restaurant was under scrutiny by one of the largest and most prestigious chains in the business. He had a million things to arrange before the "Sinclair" people came.

He heard the knock on the door and cursed. He just didn't have any time to waste that day!

"Coming" he yelled, buttoning his shirt.

He swayed the door open and the curt words stopped in his throat when he saw the intruder.

"Hello"

"Hello" Addie answered.

He invited her in.

*I'm so over him!* she congratulated herself.

"Coffee?" he asked. *How can she stay there, like nothing happened?*

"I missed you" she said casually, like she was talking to Bacon or Tom.

He noticed the almost indifferent tone and walked towards her. Instinctively, she took a step back. When he cut the distance between them with another step she found herself with the back against the door, with no way to avoid his presence. All her poise was beginning to shatter. And he wasn't even touching her. Yet.

Addie tried to fight it for a moment. The nice, grown up person inside her urged her to resist. But this time another side won.

Soap felt his chest exploding, his heart was beating a thousand times each second. This was his last chance. She was there, at his fingertips. All he had to do was to reach out and touch her. She was just another heartbeat away.

He felt her touch on his cheek and he was saved from the agony of choosing the right thing. Because no one could resist such a temptation. She pulled him closer, eager to taste him again. His lips felt dry, as if he had been thirsty for her kiss. She knew she had been, no matter how much she had lied to herself.

"I'm not letting you go this time!" he warned her in a husky voice as he pushed her in his bed.

"You'd better not!" she replied, just as impatient.

~~~~~~~

The months of intensive practise had turned Soap into an accomplished lover. He took his time, making it perfect.

~~~~~~~

"We should've done this two years ago"

"Yeah… Does it always feel so good or I was just lucky that you've been my first?"

"You were lucky" Soap smiled and stroke her hair.

Addie got out of bed.

"I need to take a shower"

"Are you all right? You seem… sad"

"I'll be just fine"

Addie let the water run down her body, trying to collect her thoughts. It had been amazing. Too bloody amazing to get over it easily! This wasn't supposed to happen.

While Soap took her place in the shower, she started getting dressed. She moved mechanically, unwilling to face her betrayal. She was reaching for her clothes, beside the bed when Soap came out of the bathroom. He felt his body responding to the alluring sight of the woman bent over the bed. He came from behind her, pulled down her panties and caressed his way up her inner thigh. He could feel her get wet by the second and shed the towel wrapped around his hips. He thrust himself inside her, speechless, in a primitive, carnal union. Their bodies had been designed for that perfect connection, which brought them to climax in matter of minutes.

~~~~~~

They were lying next to each other in bed.

"I'm getting married in two weeks. I came to London to get the dress"

She didn't mean anything by it. She had no hopes Soap would stop her. She didn't even want him to try. All the wasted time stood between them like an abyss.

*WHAAAAT? You ARE getting married? You still are? What the hell is this? You came here, turned me upside down again and now you're off to get married? What was this? The final whim?*

Nothing of the inner outrage came out. He just rolled on top of her again and made love to her as if that was the end of their affair.