Disclaimer: These are as annoying as hell. I don't own anything except the original characters.
Fine Line Between Love and Hate
Chapter Ten
It was Thursday afternoon and Ali was trying to figure out an excuse that Randy would believe so they wouldn't have to go out. There was nothing coming to mind that wasn't totally lame. She couldn't use the excuse she was working because she didn't start until Monday and she'd already told Leigh that one.
When five came around she still hadn't thought of anything, so she decided to start getting ready if she was going to meet him at seven. She didn't want to but if she was going to be in public she wasn't going to make a fool of herself.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Leigh help me," Randy called to his sister. She was right; she was always better at stuff relating to clothing than he was.
"What do you want?" Leigh asked coming into his room. She knew he wanted to look nice and he wouldn't tell her why.
"Which shirt?" Randy asked holding up a burgundy shirt and a navy shirt.
Leigh just started laughing. He hadn't asked her help for a long time. He usually complained and whined when she tried to help him get dressed for anything. "Why should I help you?" she asked.
"Because I really need your help," Randy said with puppy dog eyes. He knew she wouldn't be able to resist him if he did that. It always worked like a charm.
"Randy Keith Orton don't you dare try that," Leigh said using all the willpower that she had not to give in and help him. She wanted to know why she was helping him, and whom he was going out with, though she had an idea whom it was because Ali had been complaining yesterday about a date with someone who she refused to name.
"Leigh please," Randy said again.
"Tell me where you're going and who with then I might help you," Leigh told him. She wanted to know and he wasn't going to get away without telling her.
He told her he was going to a nice little Italian restaurant with Ali. He didn't to but he wanted to know which shirt she would look better on him. He wanted to look good, maybe it would make a better impression on her and help things go a little better.
"That's what I thought," Leigh said before suggesting that he wear the navy shirt. She had a big smirk on her face.
"If you already knew what then why didn't you just tell me what to wear?" Randy asked. He was frustrated with her because she was in on whatever everyone else was and it was getting to be rather annoying everyone knowing what he's doing before he does it.
"Because I didn't know for sure, it was just a suspicion," Leigh told him before exiting the room.
Randy went and took a shower before changing and running some gel through his hair so it would stay spiky. He then went to his sister's room to make sure he looked okay. He couldn't believe that he was insecure about this; it wasn't any different than meeting up with any of his old friends and having dinner with them. 'Except you don't like any of your other friends,' the little voice in his head told him, before he could shut it up.
"How do I look?" he asked.
"The infamously cocky and arrogant Randy Orton is getting cold feet," Leigh joked. She was getting a kick out of him being insecure even if it was just a little bit. He'd always had more than his fair share of confidence.
"Shut up and answer my question it's almost time for me to leave," Randy said. He knew his sister was getting enjoyment out of this. She always liked to see him insecure or to see him slip up or anything that might be slightly embarrassing.
"You look fine, but don't forget to put some cologne on," Leigh told him. It was fun frustrating him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ali was finally ready. She'd decided on a black dress and a light purple shawl since it was a chilly evening. Her hair and makeup was as done up as it had been at New Years Eve, but that was because she had a much more subtle hand with makeup than Leigh did sometimes.
She got into her car and drove to the restaurant, all the while giving herself a mental pep talk about never ever doing this again. She didn't know how well it would work when she was actually there (she suspected it wouldn't help much), but it was better than nothing.
She looked around the small restaurant and immediately found the man she was looking for and she admitted he looked rather handsome. She gathered all the confidence she had and walked over to him. She didn't want to look as out of place here as she felt. No one she'd ever gone out with had brought her a place like this. 'Stop it,' she told herself. 'We might be friends but that's it.'
"Hi," he said smiling. The moment she waked in she took his breath away. She was absolutely beautiful, more beautiful than she had been the night of the party. 'Slow down,' he told himself. He had to remember he had to regain her trust before he could do anything. Something he knew wasn't going to be an easy task.
"Hi," she said returning the smile. "I was right you really do clean up nice."
He was a bit taken back. She'd never complimented him without being complimented first, even way back when they were civil to each other. Ali surprised herself when she let that slip.
"I'm not the one who's going to attract attention tonight," Randy admitted. If she could finally put everything behind her then he was going to be as charming to her as he was to any other beautiful woman. She was more beautiful than anyone he'd ever been scene with.
They ordered their drinks and looked at the menu. "So what did you do after graduation?" Randy asked her.
"I went to college for a semester but decided it wasn't for me. I've been bouncing from job to job since," Ali admitted. She'd never been good at lying to anyone especially him. "I heard you entered the marines."
"Yeah," Randy said letting that one drop. "What kind of work are you doing now?"
"I was a receptionist, but the guy was a jerk and we didn't get along," Ali said. "He found some reason to fire me before I could quit. I got a job at a local daycare center now."
"Sounds like my boss sometimes," Randy said. It wasn't that bad seeing as he was male and hanging out with two of the most important people in the business, but for the divas there were times he was sure it was hell on earth.
"Mr. Big Shot has a boss that's an ass that's kind of funny," Ali said.
They caught up some more and ate a rather pleasant meal. They didn't talk much while they ate but the silence wasn't uncomfortable, like most of the other silences between the two had been recently.
"How bad were you really hurt the other day?" Ali finally asked when they were almost finished with dinner.
"I got some stitches and that's it aside from the normal bumps and bruises," Randy reassured her.
Ali was happy that he hadn't said a few because if she could see correctly there were at least half a dozen probably more. "How many?" Ali asked figuring she probably didn't want to know. She'd gotten four stitches before one weekend when Randy's mom was watching her while her parents were out of town.
"Ten," Randy quietly admitted.
"See why you don't hit your head?" Ali asked. "You should have just let me have the stitches long ago and left it be."
"I'm still sorry about pushing you," Randy said remembering the incident when they were six. He'd pushed her and she fell into the corner of the coffee table slicing her head open.
"It wasn't your fault," Ali told him.
They finished up and Randy walked Ali to her car. He wanted to say something but he didn't know what to say, so he followed his first instinct to kiss the woman.
Ali was surprised that he'd kissed her. Part of her wanted to slap him and thought that he'd deserved it, but the other part that was winning out said that it was a good thing. A very good thing.
A moment later when Randy got his hormones under control he backed away. "I'm sorry," he apologized.
"It's okay," Ali told him, "but I really need to go."
Randy watched her leave the parking lot wondering what kind of hole he'd dug himself into this time.
________________________________________________________________________
And the drama builds. You've read now as always please review
Fine Line Between Love and Hate
Chapter Ten
It was Thursday afternoon and Ali was trying to figure out an excuse that Randy would believe so they wouldn't have to go out. There was nothing coming to mind that wasn't totally lame. She couldn't use the excuse she was working because she didn't start until Monday and she'd already told Leigh that one.
When five came around she still hadn't thought of anything, so she decided to start getting ready if she was going to meet him at seven. She didn't want to but if she was going to be in public she wasn't going to make a fool of herself.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Leigh help me," Randy called to his sister. She was right; she was always better at stuff relating to clothing than he was.
"What do you want?" Leigh asked coming into his room. She knew he wanted to look nice and he wouldn't tell her why.
"Which shirt?" Randy asked holding up a burgundy shirt and a navy shirt.
Leigh just started laughing. He hadn't asked her help for a long time. He usually complained and whined when she tried to help him get dressed for anything. "Why should I help you?" she asked.
"Because I really need your help," Randy said with puppy dog eyes. He knew she wouldn't be able to resist him if he did that. It always worked like a charm.
"Randy Keith Orton don't you dare try that," Leigh said using all the willpower that she had not to give in and help him. She wanted to know why she was helping him, and whom he was going out with, though she had an idea whom it was because Ali had been complaining yesterday about a date with someone who she refused to name.
"Leigh please," Randy said again.
"Tell me where you're going and who with then I might help you," Leigh told him. She wanted to know and he wasn't going to get away without telling her.
He told her he was going to a nice little Italian restaurant with Ali. He didn't to but he wanted to know which shirt she would look better on him. He wanted to look good, maybe it would make a better impression on her and help things go a little better.
"That's what I thought," Leigh said before suggesting that he wear the navy shirt. She had a big smirk on her face.
"If you already knew what then why didn't you just tell me what to wear?" Randy asked. He was frustrated with her because she was in on whatever everyone else was and it was getting to be rather annoying everyone knowing what he's doing before he does it.
"Because I didn't know for sure, it was just a suspicion," Leigh told him before exiting the room.
Randy went and took a shower before changing and running some gel through his hair so it would stay spiky. He then went to his sister's room to make sure he looked okay. He couldn't believe that he was insecure about this; it wasn't any different than meeting up with any of his old friends and having dinner with them. 'Except you don't like any of your other friends,' the little voice in his head told him, before he could shut it up.
"How do I look?" he asked.
"The infamously cocky and arrogant Randy Orton is getting cold feet," Leigh joked. She was getting a kick out of him being insecure even if it was just a little bit. He'd always had more than his fair share of confidence.
"Shut up and answer my question it's almost time for me to leave," Randy said. He knew his sister was getting enjoyment out of this. She always liked to see him insecure or to see him slip up or anything that might be slightly embarrassing.
"You look fine, but don't forget to put some cologne on," Leigh told him. It was fun frustrating him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ali was finally ready. She'd decided on a black dress and a light purple shawl since it was a chilly evening. Her hair and makeup was as done up as it had been at New Years Eve, but that was because she had a much more subtle hand with makeup than Leigh did sometimes.
She got into her car and drove to the restaurant, all the while giving herself a mental pep talk about never ever doing this again. She didn't know how well it would work when she was actually there (she suspected it wouldn't help much), but it was better than nothing.
She looked around the small restaurant and immediately found the man she was looking for and she admitted he looked rather handsome. She gathered all the confidence she had and walked over to him. She didn't want to look as out of place here as she felt. No one she'd ever gone out with had brought her a place like this. 'Stop it,' she told herself. 'We might be friends but that's it.'
"Hi," he said smiling. The moment she waked in she took his breath away. She was absolutely beautiful, more beautiful than she had been the night of the party. 'Slow down,' he told himself. He had to remember he had to regain her trust before he could do anything. Something he knew wasn't going to be an easy task.
"Hi," she said returning the smile. "I was right you really do clean up nice."
He was a bit taken back. She'd never complimented him without being complimented first, even way back when they were civil to each other. Ali surprised herself when she let that slip.
"I'm not the one who's going to attract attention tonight," Randy admitted. If she could finally put everything behind her then he was going to be as charming to her as he was to any other beautiful woman. She was more beautiful than anyone he'd ever been scene with.
They ordered their drinks and looked at the menu. "So what did you do after graduation?" Randy asked her.
"I went to college for a semester but decided it wasn't for me. I've been bouncing from job to job since," Ali admitted. She'd never been good at lying to anyone especially him. "I heard you entered the marines."
"Yeah," Randy said letting that one drop. "What kind of work are you doing now?"
"I was a receptionist, but the guy was a jerk and we didn't get along," Ali said. "He found some reason to fire me before I could quit. I got a job at a local daycare center now."
"Sounds like my boss sometimes," Randy said. It wasn't that bad seeing as he was male and hanging out with two of the most important people in the business, but for the divas there were times he was sure it was hell on earth.
"Mr. Big Shot has a boss that's an ass that's kind of funny," Ali said.
They caught up some more and ate a rather pleasant meal. They didn't talk much while they ate but the silence wasn't uncomfortable, like most of the other silences between the two had been recently.
"How bad were you really hurt the other day?" Ali finally asked when they were almost finished with dinner.
"I got some stitches and that's it aside from the normal bumps and bruises," Randy reassured her.
Ali was happy that he hadn't said a few because if she could see correctly there were at least half a dozen probably more. "How many?" Ali asked figuring she probably didn't want to know. She'd gotten four stitches before one weekend when Randy's mom was watching her while her parents were out of town.
"Ten," Randy quietly admitted.
"See why you don't hit your head?" Ali asked. "You should have just let me have the stitches long ago and left it be."
"I'm still sorry about pushing you," Randy said remembering the incident when they were six. He'd pushed her and she fell into the corner of the coffee table slicing her head open.
"It wasn't your fault," Ali told him.
They finished up and Randy walked Ali to her car. He wanted to say something but he didn't know what to say, so he followed his first instinct to kiss the woman.
Ali was surprised that he'd kissed her. Part of her wanted to slap him and thought that he'd deserved it, but the other part that was winning out said that it was a good thing. A very good thing.
A moment later when Randy got his hormones under control he backed away. "I'm sorry," he apologized.
"It's okay," Ali told him, "but I really need to go."
Randy watched her leave the parking lot wondering what kind of hole he'd dug himself into this time.
________________________________________________________________________
And the drama builds. You've read now as always please review
