Chapter 20 *
They spent a little while talking about music. He went over her cd collection with a fine toothed comb. She had little stories for why each one or a certain track were her favorites. He shocked her at how familiar he was with some of them. It should have been a given seeing as how Matt was almost as old as she was. The first few bars of "Hysteria" began to filter out from the speakers and she looked at Jeff, grabbed his hand and pulled him out into the middle of the floor. "Will you dance with me?"
His answer was his immediate action. He drew her into his arms and they found a slow rhythm that suited the song. Her body was tense-even though it was her idea. As the song progressed she relaxed and her body softened against his. He tightened his arm around her waist and pulled her closer. His chin rested on top of her head-he could smell her shampoo and felt like he'd be remembering it all the way to Charleston. To his chagrin, the song ended and she retreated from his arms.
"I'm sorry- I don't know what that was- I just love that song."
"Don't apologize-It's not as if I didn't enjoy myself."
That teasing smirk of his was going to kill her too. Damn, why me? She was already dangerously close to the edge. His cologne-whatever it was, the smell of his clean shirt and having felt his muscles tense and relax with his movement so near started a reaction that she couldn't afford to lose her self to. Jeff sensed her inner conflict and solved it for her. "Hey can you do me a favor?"
"what's that?"
"I need to re-dye my hair- you wanna help me?"
"Me? I figured you were an expert!"
"Come on!"
He took her by the hand, stopped at his bag he dropped at the door and grabbed the bag with the dye in it. Once in the bathroom, Moni sat him down on the stool that she and K had used and let him go about his work.
"What colors do you want me to use?"
"I like the purple, blue and the greens best."
"You got it babe."
"I'll be right back"
He grabbed her arm as she walked out and enjoyed the feel of her skin as it slid through his hand. "You better."
Moni snuck up on Nic's door and finding her still sleeping she pulled it closed a little more so that the noise from the bathroom wouldn't disturb her. She wanted to spend this time with Jeff before she brought her daughter into the situation. It wouldn't do any of them any good to have Jeff acquaint himself with her if he wasn't going to stick around.
She re-entered the bathroom to find him in the final stages. She sat Indian style on the toilet and he figured it was now or never. He had questions that needed answers before he went any further.
"What's up with you and Nicole's father?"
"It's over, it has been for a long time. I came here to sort of escape him and get anew start on life at the same time. I was miserable for so long. He played so many games-held onto the divorce papers for too long-the filing was dropped. I had to pay again to re-file a few months later."
"I'm sorry. If you don't want to talk about him-we'll save it for later."
"No its ok. Talking about it is like therapy-putting it behind me. It would have been worse if I would have still been in love with him- but that was dead a very long time ago. I shed no tears."
"K said you had recently dated someone else-this guy who had a hang up about Nicole?" "Gees what did K NOT tell you?"
"You mean she didn't tell you what I had asked?"
"No-I was too busy trying to help her figure out what had gone wrong with your brother." "Ah. So, about this guy?"
"He was very nice-I liked him a lot, we had a lot in common. He was even the same age but he had this problem with the fact that I was a mom. He had no problem with the fact that I wasn't a virgin-I just wasn't a child birth virgin. He felt that it was supposed to be something a couple shares for the first time together. As opposed to sharing sex for the first time being biblically what a couple is supposed to do-he was confusing. I didn't need the constant doubting on his part. Finally I gave up and told him either you want me the way I am or you don't. I can live without you."
"You're very independent. I like that. A lot of women will conform themselves when they shouldn't have to."
"Thanks, I think."
"What do you think of me when you see me? I know you deal a lot with athletes and celebrities and you have a long list of stereotypes. What is yours for me?"
"You really want to know?"
"Yes-we have to get this out in the open."
"I see you and think of all the women who know who you are. The wrestling groupies-what do you call them? "
"ringrats"
"Ah, see. They are just as bad as rock groupies I'm sure. I know what they look like and I know how men treat them. I can't compare with what some of them will do just to help themselves get a shot at the object of their desire. You either want me for me, what's inside AND OUT or you move on. I won't have any kind of surgery for any man. I also won't play second fiddle. I don't believe in 3 strikes-you screw me over once, shame on you- you know how the saying goes, but I don't let it get to the shame on me part. I'm sure you've had your share of ringrat experiences-but I don't hold your life before me against you. It's what you do once I'm in it."
"That's fair, but you know it's possible that I have been used and abused as you call it." "Yes you're right. Jeff, I don't need you for confidence or for money. I'm not impressed by celebritydom so I am not interested in you for arm candy or whatever the term is."
"I didn't think so."
"You better not have-I'd have had to kick your butt. You could be my next usd(unarmed self defense) partner! Involuntarily of course!"
Laughing Jeff said "What you? The little slip of thing you are?"
"Don't underestimate me-that'll be your first mistake!"
"Oh I can see that!"
They spent a little while talking about music. He went over her cd collection with a fine toothed comb. She had little stories for why each one or a certain track were her favorites. He shocked her at how familiar he was with some of them. It should have been a given seeing as how Matt was almost as old as she was. The first few bars of "Hysteria" began to filter out from the speakers and she looked at Jeff, grabbed his hand and pulled him out into the middle of the floor. "Will you dance with me?"
His answer was his immediate action. He drew her into his arms and they found a slow rhythm that suited the song. Her body was tense-even though it was her idea. As the song progressed she relaxed and her body softened against his. He tightened his arm around her waist and pulled her closer. His chin rested on top of her head-he could smell her shampoo and felt like he'd be remembering it all the way to Charleston. To his chagrin, the song ended and she retreated from his arms.
"I'm sorry- I don't know what that was- I just love that song."
"Don't apologize-It's not as if I didn't enjoy myself."
That teasing smirk of his was going to kill her too. Damn, why me? She was already dangerously close to the edge. His cologne-whatever it was, the smell of his clean shirt and having felt his muscles tense and relax with his movement so near started a reaction that she couldn't afford to lose her self to. Jeff sensed her inner conflict and solved it for her. "Hey can you do me a favor?"
"what's that?"
"I need to re-dye my hair- you wanna help me?"
"Me? I figured you were an expert!"
"Come on!"
He took her by the hand, stopped at his bag he dropped at the door and grabbed the bag with the dye in it. Once in the bathroom, Moni sat him down on the stool that she and K had used and let him go about his work.
"What colors do you want me to use?"
"I like the purple, blue and the greens best."
"You got it babe."
"I'll be right back"
He grabbed her arm as she walked out and enjoyed the feel of her skin as it slid through his hand. "You better."
Moni snuck up on Nic's door and finding her still sleeping she pulled it closed a little more so that the noise from the bathroom wouldn't disturb her. She wanted to spend this time with Jeff before she brought her daughter into the situation. It wouldn't do any of them any good to have Jeff acquaint himself with her if he wasn't going to stick around.
She re-entered the bathroom to find him in the final stages. She sat Indian style on the toilet and he figured it was now or never. He had questions that needed answers before he went any further.
"What's up with you and Nicole's father?"
"It's over, it has been for a long time. I came here to sort of escape him and get anew start on life at the same time. I was miserable for so long. He played so many games-held onto the divorce papers for too long-the filing was dropped. I had to pay again to re-file a few months later."
"I'm sorry. If you don't want to talk about him-we'll save it for later."
"No its ok. Talking about it is like therapy-putting it behind me. It would have been worse if I would have still been in love with him- but that was dead a very long time ago. I shed no tears."
"K said you had recently dated someone else-this guy who had a hang up about Nicole?" "Gees what did K NOT tell you?"
"You mean she didn't tell you what I had asked?"
"No-I was too busy trying to help her figure out what had gone wrong with your brother." "Ah. So, about this guy?"
"He was very nice-I liked him a lot, we had a lot in common. He was even the same age but he had this problem with the fact that I was a mom. He had no problem with the fact that I wasn't a virgin-I just wasn't a child birth virgin. He felt that it was supposed to be something a couple shares for the first time together. As opposed to sharing sex for the first time being biblically what a couple is supposed to do-he was confusing. I didn't need the constant doubting on his part. Finally I gave up and told him either you want me the way I am or you don't. I can live without you."
"You're very independent. I like that. A lot of women will conform themselves when they shouldn't have to."
"Thanks, I think."
"What do you think of me when you see me? I know you deal a lot with athletes and celebrities and you have a long list of stereotypes. What is yours for me?"
"You really want to know?"
"Yes-we have to get this out in the open."
"I see you and think of all the women who know who you are. The wrestling groupies-what do you call them? "
"ringrats"
"Ah, see. They are just as bad as rock groupies I'm sure. I know what they look like and I know how men treat them. I can't compare with what some of them will do just to help themselves get a shot at the object of their desire. You either want me for me, what's inside AND OUT or you move on. I won't have any kind of surgery for any man. I also won't play second fiddle. I don't believe in 3 strikes-you screw me over once, shame on you- you know how the saying goes, but I don't let it get to the shame on me part. I'm sure you've had your share of ringrat experiences-but I don't hold your life before me against you. It's what you do once I'm in it."
"That's fair, but you know it's possible that I have been used and abused as you call it." "Yes you're right. Jeff, I don't need you for confidence or for money. I'm not impressed by celebritydom so I am not interested in you for arm candy or whatever the term is."
"I didn't think so."
"You better not have-I'd have had to kick your butt. You could be my next usd(unarmed self defense) partner! Involuntarily of course!"
Laughing Jeff said "What you? The little slip of thing you are?"
"Don't underestimate me-that'll be your first mistake!"
"Oh I can see that!"