---6---
"What? Why?" bellowed an angry voice from inside Kate's apartment. She had gone into the bedroom to change. Frozen as a statue, she stared at the unmade bed from her previous night of passion, flashed back to the genuineness of it all, and realized there was none of that here tonight. She tried breaking it to Richard in an upbeat, nonchalant kind of tone, but there was no calming him. Not when he'd had this much to drink.
"I'm sorry," she said. "Listen, next time you're in town..."
"...don't look me up," he coldly finished her sentence in what sounded like one big slur. He grabbed his coat, slightly opened the door and turned, "I guess I still need to hit the ATM before I come see you. Silly me, I thought I could get the whore for free." Though she was all the way across the room, she stepped back, subconsciously wanting to be as far away from those words as possible. Her body tensed and she felt as if she had just been sliced open with a knife, her vulnerabilities exposed. He slammed the door on his way out, which made her flinch, but the loud "thud" in the hallway was what then made her jump. It sounded as if a ton of bricks had just hit the floor.
"Oh my God," she thought. "Did he just pass out?" She rushed over to the door, and flung it open. Her jaw dropped at the sight before her.
Roman stood above a knocked out Richard Smith. Massaging his right hand, he stared down at him on the floor. "Smarts, doesn't it?" he said with a satisfied smile. Richard got up, clenched a fist, but was stopped when Roman pulled out his police badge. With a smirk he said, "Now, apologize to the nice lady."
"Hell no," he replied. Roman shot him a stern look.
Realizing he shouldn't be messing with a cop, he quietly mumbled, "sorry." Kate stood in the doorway with an astonished look on her face during the entire exchange. As Richard sped down the hallway, covering the right side of his face with his hand, Kate still stood there shaking her head and trying to take in the unlikely event that had just transpired.
Finally, Roman broke the silence, "...and they say chivalry is dead," he joked.
"Why did you come here?" she asked, wondering what he would've accomplished had a fallout between her and Richard not ensued.
"I knew you'd need me," he replied. They stared at each other for a minute. "Well, I have to get going." She could think of nothing to say. Once again, he left her speechless. Slowly, he turned and began walking away. She stood in the same spot, violently fidgeting, trying to find some way to unlock her emotions. C'mon Kate, she thought to herself, spit it out already--- something, anything.
Finally, she did. "Wait," she called out to him. He stopped dead in his tracks, turned and looked at her.
He said nothing, just turned and shot a tired look at her. She knew then that he was still furious---about this morning, about her reluctance, about everything, which didn't surprise her, only challenged her. She knew then she was going to make this right---anything to avoid another night like tonight.
"Come inside for a minute," she said. "I want to talk to you."
"Kate, I don't have the energy for another round of insults and mind games with you."
"No games," she assured him. "I have a lot to say, and I promise every word of it is true."
His reluctance was made apparent as he took a few seconds to consider her request. Finally, he walked inside.
"What? Why?" bellowed an angry voice from inside Kate's apartment. She had gone into the bedroom to change. Frozen as a statue, she stared at the unmade bed from her previous night of passion, flashed back to the genuineness of it all, and realized there was none of that here tonight. She tried breaking it to Richard in an upbeat, nonchalant kind of tone, but there was no calming him. Not when he'd had this much to drink.
"I'm sorry," she said. "Listen, next time you're in town..."
"...don't look me up," he coldly finished her sentence in what sounded like one big slur. He grabbed his coat, slightly opened the door and turned, "I guess I still need to hit the ATM before I come see you. Silly me, I thought I could get the whore for free." Though she was all the way across the room, she stepped back, subconsciously wanting to be as far away from those words as possible. Her body tensed and she felt as if she had just been sliced open with a knife, her vulnerabilities exposed. He slammed the door on his way out, which made her flinch, but the loud "thud" in the hallway was what then made her jump. It sounded as if a ton of bricks had just hit the floor.
"Oh my God," she thought. "Did he just pass out?" She rushed over to the door, and flung it open. Her jaw dropped at the sight before her.
Roman stood above a knocked out Richard Smith. Massaging his right hand, he stared down at him on the floor. "Smarts, doesn't it?" he said with a satisfied smile. Richard got up, clenched a fist, but was stopped when Roman pulled out his police badge. With a smirk he said, "Now, apologize to the nice lady."
"Hell no," he replied. Roman shot him a stern look.
Realizing he shouldn't be messing with a cop, he quietly mumbled, "sorry." Kate stood in the doorway with an astonished look on her face during the entire exchange. As Richard sped down the hallway, covering the right side of his face with his hand, Kate still stood there shaking her head and trying to take in the unlikely event that had just transpired.
Finally, Roman broke the silence, "...and they say chivalry is dead," he joked.
"Why did you come here?" she asked, wondering what he would've accomplished had a fallout between her and Richard not ensued.
"I knew you'd need me," he replied. They stared at each other for a minute. "Well, I have to get going." She could think of nothing to say. Once again, he left her speechless. Slowly, he turned and began walking away. She stood in the same spot, violently fidgeting, trying to find some way to unlock her emotions. C'mon Kate, she thought to herself, spit it out already--- something, anything.
Finally, she did. "Wait," she called out to him. He stopped dead in his tracks, turned and looked at her.
He said nothing, just turned and shot a tired look at her. She knew then that he was still furious---about this morning, about her reluctance, about everything, which didn't surprise her, only challenged her. She knew then she was going to make this right---anything to avoid another night like tonight.
"Come inside for a minute," she said. "I want to talk to you."
"Kate, I don't have the energy for another round of insults and mind games with you."
"No games," she assured him. "I have a lot to say, and I promise every word of it is true."
His reluctance was made apparent as he took a few seconds to consider her request. Finally, he walked inside.