Former Choices
Chapter Four
Author's notes: Whoo!!! That's all I have to say right now. Thanks: Once again, only to the lovely reviewers and to Amber, for all the support.
When Warrick got home he expected a lot of yelling, followed by some things getting thrown as a result of him saying the wrong thing, and then he'd be forced into a corner where he'd undoubtedly make a promise to Catherine that this would "never happen again".
Instead, he got the exact opposite. Slowly he crept through the front door of their spacious home and found his wife by the counter, calmly chopping at some vegetables for dinner. She didn't even look up when he entered the room, just inhaled loudly and said, "She's in her room," in so composed of a voice that Warrick almost thought he might have the wrong house.
He took the hint, that Catherine wasn't ready to talk to him just yet, and walked to Lindsey's room. Loud hip-hop music sailed through the doorway, so he knocked louder than usual and tried to speak above the noise. "Lindsey?" he said, straining to hear anything besides the music.
"Come in!" she yelled, and was turning down her boom box as Warrick opened the door. He sauntered in rather sheepishly and seated himself on her bed. She was clicking away at her computer, her back turned to him as she sat in her pink office chair.
"How was school?" he asked, trying to start up a conversation so he'd have the nerve to bring up his faux-pas. Smoothing down the sheets of her bed, he waited patiently for her to answer. She still wasn't looking at him, but was typing very vigorously into several different instant message boxes.
She finally shrugged, not taking her eyes off the screen. "Fine."
"You're lucky to have a mom who still makes you after-school snacks," he said amiably with a light, fake chuckle, gesturing towards the half-eaten sandwich lying on her desk.
"I'm thirteen, Warrick, not twenty-four," she sneered. Then, seeming to realize just how angry that must have sounded, added in a softer voice, "Besides, she offered."
"No, I know, it was nice of her," he said. "Hey, could you just hold up for a second with the instant messaging or whatever it is you do on there?" He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. "I wanted to talk to you about this afternoon."
She swivelled around in her office chair and looked at him with raised eyebrows, looking a little too much like her mother for his liking. "What, you mean when you forgot about me? ...Again?"
He looked down at his shoes and frowned, knowing he deserved that. "I didn't exactly forget about you, it was more like I lost track of time-"
"No, you forgot about me because you were with your niece, or whatever. It's OK, at least it wasn't raining like it was last time, so I stayed dry while I waited on the outside steps for half an hour."
"Lindsey..."
"You know, whatever it is that's going on with you and mom, it's fine that you keep it to yourself because it's a private issue. But then you start fighting, and you're always gone, and now you're hanging out with your brother's family again...it's started to affect me and so I guess it's kind of reasonable that I want to know what the hell is going on."
"Watch it," he said in response to her language. "You're mad, that's OK, Lindsey, just don't swear." She nodded, looking more sad than mad, and picked at the seam of her jeans. "I know you're confused right now, and I'm sorry that I've been neglecting you." He put a finger on her chin and tilted her head to look at him. "You know I'm sorry, right?"
She blinked and nodded, then half-smiled. "Are you ever going to tell me what's happening?" she asked, sounding more like the little child she was when he had first married Catherine than the teenager she was now.
"Someday," he said softly, taking her hand in his. "Just not now. It's hard enough to talk about with your mom. OK?"
"OK. I just have one question," she said, going to sit beside him on the bed. "Why weren't Mom and I allowed to come to your brother's funeral?"
He shook his head slowly and shrugged. "I just didn't want you guys to see me in such a vulnerable state, I guess."
She widened her eyes as she tried to process the meaning of his words. "You mean you didn't want us to see you cry?" she asked, slightly confused.
"Something like that."
"You know, War, you don't always have to be strong," she commented, looking at him in the eye. "Me and mom don't expect you to be like that all the time." When he didn't reply she simply rolled her eyes. "I get, it's a man thing, right?"
He chuckled and left the room.
He walked into the kitchen, feeling a little more brave than before, and stood beside Catherine while she busied herself cutting up more carrots than they would ever need for one meal. "Hey," she said softly.
"Hey," she replied, a little gruffer than he had hoped. "How did it go?" Her knife sliced a carrot in half with a loud "crunch".
"Good, I think. She's not mad anymore, but she's back to calling me by my first name." When his words didn't seem to affect Catherine at all, he moved closer to her so he was facing her side. She continued to chop carrots like she was born doing it. "Stop," he said, putting a hand on hers, ceasing the motion.
She sighed, pretending to be annoyed, and turned to face him. "What?"
"I hate it when you're mad at me," he said, pushing a strand of her hair away from her face and behind her ear. "What can I do to make you forgive me?"
"Is Lindsey still mad?"
He frowned, knowing he had already told her that. "No, I said already that she wasn't. I apologized." She shrugged, putting down the knife that was in her hand.
"Promise you won't do this again?" she asked, moving her face closer to his and breathing against him.
He nodded, speechless from the closeness of her body to his. He wrapped his arms around her waist and, deciding to push his luck, inched even closer.
"Then I forgive you," she said, her voice breathy, and she leaned in to kiss him slowly. "I wasn't about to, but you're so damn sexy."
He chuckled. "Same goes for you."
"Yeah, I know," she said, grinning. "That's why you love me."
Author's notes: Whoo!!! That's all I have to say right now. Thanks: Once again, only to the lovely reviewers and to Amber, for all the support.
When Warrick got home he expected a lot of yelling, followed by some things getting thrown as a result of him saying the wrong thing, and then he'd be forced into a corner where he'd undoubtedly make a promise to Catherine that this would "never happen again".
Instead, he got the exact opposite. Slowly he crept through the front door of their spacious home and found his wife by the counter, calmly chopping at some vegetables for dinner. She didn't even look up when he entered the room, just inhaled loudly and said, "She's in her room," in so composed of a voice that Warrick almost thought he might have the wrong house.
He took the hint, that Catherine wasn't ready to talk to him just yet, and walked to Lindsey's room. Loud hip-hop music sailed through the doorway, so he knocked louder than usual and tried to speak above the noise. "Lindsey?" he said, straining to hear anything besides the music.
"Come in!" she yelled, and was turning down her boom box as Warrick opened the door. He sauntered in rather sheepishly and seated himself on her bed. She was clicking away at her computer, her back turned to him as she sat in her pink office chair.
"How was school?" he asked, trying to start up a conversation so he'd have the nerve to bring up his faux-pas. Smoothing down the sheets of her bed, he waited patiently for her to answer. She still wasn't looking at him, but was typing very vigorously into several different instant message boxes.
She finally shrugged, not taking her eyes off the screen. "Fine."
"You're lucky to have a mom who still makes you after-school snacks," he said amiably with a light, fake chuckle, gesturing towards the half-eaten sandwich lying on her desk.
"I'm thirteen, Warrick, not twenty-four," she sneered. Then, seeming to realize just how angry that must have sounded, added in a softer voice, "Besides, she offered."
"No, I know, it was nice of her," he said. "Hey, could you just hold up for a second with the instant messaging or whatever it is you do on there?" He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. "I wanted to talk to you about this afternoon."
She swivelled around in her office chair and looked at him with raised eyebrows, looking a little too much like her mother for his liking. "What, you mean when you forgot about me? ...Again?"
He looked down at his shoes and frowned, knowing he deserved that. "I didn't exactly forget about you, it was more like I lost track of time-"
"No, you forgot about me because you were with your niece, or whatever. It's OK, at least it wasn't raining like it was last time, so I stayed dry while I waited on the outside steps for half an hour."
"Lindsey..."
"You know, whatever it is that's going on with you and mom, it's fine that you keep it to yourself because it's a private issue. But then you start fighting, and you're always gone, and now you're hanging out with your brother's family again...it's started to affect me and so I guess it's kind of reasonable that I want to know what the hell is going on."
"Watch it," he said in response to her language. "You're mad, that's OK, Lindsey, just don't swear." She nodded, looking more sad than mad, and picked at the seam of her jeans. "I know you're confused right now, and I'm sorry that I've been neglecting you." He put a finger on her chin and tilted her head to look at him. "You know I'm sorry, right?"
She blinked and nodded, then half-smiled. "Are you ever going to tell me what's happening?" she asked, sounding more like the little child she was when he had first married Catherine than the teenager she was now.
"Someday," he said softly, taking her hand in his. "Just not now. It's hard enough to talk about with your mom. OK?"
"OK. I just have one question," she said, going to sit beside him on the bed. "Why weren't Mom and I allowed to come to your brother's funeral?"
He shook his head slowly and shrugged. "I just didn't want you guys to see me in such a vulnerable state, I guess."
She widened her eyes as she tried to process the meaning of his words. "You mean you didn't want us to see you cry?" she asked, slightly confused.
"Something like that."
"You know, War, you don't always have to be strong," she commented, looking at him in the eye. "Me and mom don't expect you to be like that all the time." When he didn't reply she simply rolled her eyes. "I get, it's a man thing, right?"
He chuckled and left the room.
He walked into the kitchen, feeling a little more brave than before, and stood beside Catherine while she busied herself cutting up more carrots than they would ever need for one meal. "Hey," she said softly.
"Hey," she replied, a little gruffer than he had hoped. "How did it go?" Her knife sliced a carrot in half with a loud "crunch".
"Good, I think. She's not mad anymore, but she's back to calling me by my first name." When his words didn't seem to affect Catherine at all, he moved closer to her so he was facing her side. She continued to chop carrots like she was born doing it. "Stop," he said, putting a hand on hers, ceasing the motion.
She sighed, pretending to be annoyed, and turned to face him. "What?"
"I hate it when you're mad at me," he said, pushing a strand of her hair away from her face and behind her ear. "What can I do to make you forgive me?"
"Is Lindsey still mad?"
He frowned, knowing he had already told her that. "No, I said already that she wasn't. I apologized." She shrugged, putting down the knife that was in her hand.
"Promise you won't do this again?" she asked, moving her face closer to his and breathing against him.
He nodded, speechless from the closeness of her body to his. He wrapped his arms around her waist and, deciding to push his luck, inched even closer.
"Then I forgive you," she said, her voice breathy, and she leaned in to kiss him slowly. "I wasn't about to, but you're so damn sexy."
He chuckled. "Same goes for you."
"Yeah, I know," she said, grinning. "That's why you love me."