Chapter 10
Bait
~~~
For some reason he found himself not really looking forward to the evening ahead.
He still had varied emotions concerning a certain impetuous individual and he wasn't sure if he was going to come out of this one relatively unscathed.
But Rory had insisted that he come along and that things weren't going to be so bad, he wasn't so sure.
So it was with a touch of trepidation that he made his way into tonights selected venue.
He realised he was the first one to arrive which sort of calmed him down until he saw the reason for his unwillingness walk towards him a few minutes later. Her eyes were shimmering amethyst this time and he wondered what lay in store for him.
"Wait," she said before he had a chance to talk, "I'm not gonna bite your head off, so just relax." she continued.
He hadn't exactly been expecting this greeting.
"I was relaxed until you showed up." He retorted and then mentally kicked himself for drawing attention to his vulnerability.
If she noticed what he'd done, she didn't let on.
"I come bearing a white flag." She said directly.
"Excuse me?"
Tristan wasn't sure if this was genuine, although he had to admit she seemed to appear friendlier even if he could sense a trace of reluctance. He fought back a smile at knowing he wasn't the only one feeling ill at ease.
"You know what forget it." She said suddenly, turning to walk away.
He jumped up before she could take a step, taking hold of her arm "Whoa, what is this?"
She jerked herself free, "This is me walking away."
"Why are you so sensitive?"
"Why are you such a jerk?" she retorted frostily.
He ran his hands through his hair in frustration. They were travelling down the same path as before.
She must have come to the same conclusion because her gaze softened and she sighed deeply.
"Why don't we start over?" he suggested tentatively, gesturing towards the table.
She sat down and he took it as acquiescence.
"Like I was saying," she said pointedly, "I came to - G-d why is this so hard?"
"What's hard?" he asked even though he felt the same way.
"This! Me, you. me trying to talk to you without, oh I don't know." She finished helplessly.
"I think you do. Tell me." He encouraged.
She sat opposite him, peering at him intently and Tristan felt like his essence was being dissected and yet he couldn't look away. Her eyes, they were hypnotic.
"I find it hard sitting here with you, trying to make polite chit chatter while you sit there all smug and snotty, it's absolutely infuriating!" she bit out bluntly.
He couldn't have hidden his surprise to that if he had tried.
"I'm smug and snotty - what about you?"
"What about me?"
"You're the one who's all over-sensitive and always on the defensive!" he bit out before he'd even known that was what he had been thinking.
It was though his mouth had a mind of its own.
"I am not sensitive or always defensive! You don't know me!"
"Yes, and I never will as you've so subtly pointed out to me." He retorted resentfully.
Why did he even care that she was hell bent on shutting him out?
"Why do you even care?"
What, was she a mind reader now?
"I never said I cared."
He'd thought it but he hadn't said it, so technically he wasn't lying.
"You never said you didn't." she countered angrily.
"Well you can rest assured I don't!" he threw at her and instantly regretted it.
He felt the atmosphere change after that, the tension was hanging over them like a cloud. He felt the tingles of awareness as he held his breath.
"Now that we've got that sorted I can leave, I don't know why I even bothered." She said, getting up from her seat.
Tristan wasn't sure why but he wasn't ready to end things just yet.
"Please don't go on my account."
The words were out of his mouth before he even realised that they sounded a bit derogatory.
Apparently she shared the same view because her eyes widened in anger and other suppressed emotions, which he couldn't define.
Tristan couldn't help admiring the array of colours, which flitted in their depths; he's never seen eyes change to so many hues in such a short time, it was completely enrapturing.
"Excuse me?" she asked deceptively softly.
"I meant that you shouldn't leave if you're feeling uncomfortable." He replied half in provocation.
"You're very presumptuous, did anyone ever tell you that?" she bit out.
"If you can't handle being around me just say so." He baited.
"Someone certainly hit every branch on their way down the conceited tree." Her spat out, her eyes gleaming violet now.
"Are you staying or not?" he asked, despite the sudden alarm that crept into him.
"Oh, I'm definitely not going anywhere," she sat back down again, "I certainly wouldn't want to deprive myself of the rapture of your company." She drawled scathingly.
"What a waste that would be." He agreed, ignoring the barb.
Tristan didn't know what was wrong with him but he couldn't help baiting her to see which retort she would fire back at him. It was only then that he realised that he might be the one to get hooked.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Could this evening possibly get any worse?
Skye thought to herself as she sat across from him, drawing on every ounce of intrepidity that she possessed not to smack him right then and there.
What on earth had she been thinking, promising Jess she would give it a try?
Speaking of Jess, where the heck were they anyway - if they didn't their butts down here pronto, she would not be responsible for the consequences.
The moment they arrived she shot out of her seat, hardly pausing for greetings and dragged him away apologetically from Rory, who seemed utterly confused.
She had no doubt that Tristan would relay his account of the tale to her, as well as the fact that she would be painted in a non-flattering light.
She pounced on Jess, when they were out of earshot.
"I can't do this!"
"What?" Jess asked, completely befuddled, but Skye ignored him, she had a couple of things on her mind.
"He is the most arrogant, smug, snotty son of -"
"Whoa!" Jess cut in.
"a gun I have ever had the misfortune of meeting Jess! I cannot spend five minutes in his company without wanting to throttle him. He says the cockiest things. Does he not know the world doesn't revolve around him?" She asked incredulously.
"Skye -"
"No, Jess - you listen. It's not just what he says, 'cause I know you were gonna say something along those lines. I'm sure if he just sat there I'd wanna kill him too! G-d why did I agree to this again?" she threw her hands up forlornly.
Jess stood there flabbergasted, "This guy is really getting to you isn't he?"
"He is not getting to me, he's not getting at me, he's not getting me period!"
"Would you please calm down?" he asked with a smile on his face.
"I am calm!" she yelled.
"Really?" he drawled.
"I am calm and would you please stop smiling. Why are you smiling?" she asked suspiciously.
"I just never thought this day would come that's all. And boy, am I glad to see it."
"What on earth are you rambling about? What day?" Skye was not following him at all.
"The day some guy, other than me, would affect you in any way. Get you to let down your defences and actually penetrate that wall you've built around yourself. Hey mine's been broken, now it's your turn."
"WHAT?"
"Tristan's affecting -"
"Jess Mariano, if you utter another word I swear -" she fumed, "you take that back right now. All that stuff you said, you take it back!" she threatened menacingly.
"Skye, relax. It's not necessarily a bad thing." He reasoned.
"No it is definitely a bad thing! Tristan? No way, do you hear me no freakin' way!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N: This chapter was just sort of introducing the possibility of S and T?? What do you guys think? Next chapter more R/J action don't worry!!! The next update will come after the Easter weekend 'cause we have a LONG weekend here in SA, Yay!!!!! That is if you are still interested..
Bait
~~~
For some reason he found himself not really looking forward to the evening ahead.
He still had varied emotions concerning a certain impetuous individual and he wasn't sure if he was going to come out of this one relatively unscathed.
But Rory had insisted that he come along and that things weren't going to be so bad, he wasn't so sure.
So it was with a touch of trepidation that he made his way into tonights selected venue.
He realised he was the first one to arrive which sort of calmed him down until he saw the reason for his unwillingness walk towards him a few minutes later. Her eyes were shimmering amethyst this time and he wondered what lay in store for him.
"Wait," she said before he had a chance to talk, "I'm not gonna bite your head off, so just relax." she continued.
He hadn't exactly been expecting this greeting.
"I was relaxed until you showed up." He retorted and then mentally kicked himself for drawing attention to his vulnerability.
If she noticed what he'd done, she didn't let on.
"I come bearing a white flag." She said directly.
"Excuse me?"
Tristan wasn't sure if this was genuine, although he had to admit she seemed to appear friendlier even if he could sense a trace of reluctance. He fought back a smile at knowing he wasn't the only one feeling ill at ease.
"You know what forget it." She said suddenly, turning to walk away.
He jumped up before she could take a step, taking hold of her arm "Whoa, what is this?"
She jerked herself free, "This is me walking away."
"Why are you so sensitive?"
"Why are you such a jerk?" she retorted frostily.
He ran his hands through his hair in frustration. They were travelling down the same path as before.
She must have come to the same conclusion because her gaze softened and she sighed deeply.
"Why don't we start over?" he suggested tentatively, gesturing towards the table.
She sat down and he took it as acquiescence.
"Like I was saying," she said pointedly, "I came to - G-d why is this so hard?"
"What's hard?" he asked even though he felt the same way.
"This! Me, you. me trying to talk to you without, oh I don't know." She finished helplessly.
"I think you do. Tell me." He encouraged.
She sat opposite him, peering at him intently and Tristan felt like his essence was being dissected and yet he couldn't look away. Her eyes, they were hypnotic.
"I find it hard sitting here with you, trying to make polite chit chatter while you sit there all smug and snotty, it's absolutely infuriating!" she bit out bluntly.
He couldn't have hidden his surprise to that if he had tried.
"I'm smug and snotty - what about you?"
"What about me?"
"You're the one who's all over-sensitive and always on the defensive!" he bit out before he'd even known that was what he had been thinking.
It was though his mouth had a mind of its own.
"I am not sensitive or always defensive! You don't know me!"
"Yes, and I never will as you've so subtly pointed out to me." He retorted resentfully.
Why did he even care that she was hell bent on shutting him out?
"Why do you even care?"
What, was she a mind reader now?
"I never said I cared."
He'd thought it but he hadn't said it, so technically he wasn't lying.
"You never said you didn't." she countered angrily.
"Well you can rest assured I don't!" he threw at her and instantly regretted it.
He felt the atmosphere change after that, the tension was hanging over them like a cloud. He felt the tingles of awareness as he held his breath.
"Now that we've got that sorted I can leave, I don't know why I even bothered." She said, getting up from her seat.
Tristan wasn't sure why but he wasn't ready to end things just yet.
"Please don't go on my account."
The words were out of his mouth before he even realised that they sounded a bit derogatory.
Apparently she shared the same view because her eyes widened in anger and other suppressed emotions, which he couldn't define.
Tristan couldn't help admiring the array of colours, which flitted in their depths; he's never seen eyes change to so many hues in such a short time, it was completely enrapturing.
"Excuse me?" she asked deceptively softly.
"I meant that you shouldn't leave if you're feeling uncomfortable." He replied half in provocation.
"You're very presumptuous, did anyone ever tell you that?" she bit out.
"If you can't handle being around me just say so." He baited.
"Someone certainly hit every branch on their way down the conceited tree." Her spat out, her eyes gleaming violet now.
"Are you staying or not?" he asked, despite the sudden alarm that crept into him.
"Oh, I'm definitely not going anywhere," she sat back down again, "I certainly wouldn't want to deprive myself of the rapture of your company." She drawled scathingly.
"What a waste that would be." He agreed, ignoring the barb.
Tristan didn't know what was wrong with him but he couldn't help baiting her to see which retort she would fire back at him. It was only then that he realised that he might be the one to get hooked.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Could this evening possibly get any worse?
Skye thought to herself as she sat across from him, drawing on every ounce of intrepidity that she possessed not to smack him right then and there.
What on earth had she been thinking, promising Jess she would give it a try?
Speaking of Jess, where the heck were they anyway - if they didn't their butts down here pronto, she would not be responsible for the consequences.
The moment they arrived she shot out of her seat, hardly pausing for greetings and dragged him away apologetically from Rory, who seemed utterly confused.
She had no doubt that Tristan would relay his account of the tale to her, as well as the fact that she would be painted in a non-flattering light.
She pounced on Jess, when they were out of earshot.
"I can't do this!"
"What?" Jess asked, completely befuddled, but Skye ignored him, she had a couple of things on her mind.
"He is the most arrogant, smug, snotty son of -"
"Whoa!" Jess cut in.
"a gun I have ever had the misfortune of meeting Jess! I cannot spend five minutes in his company without wanting to throttle him. He says the cockiest things. Does he not know the world doesn't revolve around him?" She asked incredulously.
"Skye -"
"No, Jess - you listen. It's not just what he says, 'cause I know you were gonna say something along those lines. I'm sure if he just sat there I'd wanna kill him too! G-d why did I agree to this again?" she threw her hands up forlornly.
Jess stood there flabbergasted, "This guy is really getting to you isn't he?"
"He is not getting to me, he's not getting at me, he's not getting me period!"
"Would you please calm down?" he asked with a smile on his face.
"I am calm!" she yelled.
"Really?" he drawled.
"I am calm and would you please stop smiling. Why are you smiling?" she asked suspiciously.
"I just never thought this day would come that's all. And boy, am I glad to see it."
"What on earth are you rambling about? What day?" Skye was not following him at all.
"The day some guy, other than me, would affect you in any way. Get you to let down your defences and actually penetrate that wall you've built around yourself. Hey mine's been broken, now it's your turn."
"WHAT?"
"Tristan's affecting -"
"Jess Mariano, if you utter another word I swear -" she fumed, "you take that back right now. All that stuff you said, you take it back!" she threatened menacingly.
"Skye, relax. It's not necessarily a bad thing." He reasoned.
"No it is definitely a bad thing! Tristan? No way, do you hear me no freakin' way!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N: This chapter was just sort of introducing the possibility of S and T?? What do you guys think? Next chapter more R/J action don't worry!!! The next update will come after the Easter weekend 'cause we have a LONG weekend here in SA, Yay!!!!! That is if you are still interested..