~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hoping for the best
Just hoping nothing happens
A thousand clever lines
Unread on clever napkins
I will never ask
If you don't ever tell me
I know you well enough
To know you never loved me
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A month went by. Piper still struggled with indecision. She didn't want to lose Leo or Dan. Both men loved her, but she knew she'd have to choose. Finally, she did.
Dan was out of town on business. Piper wanted to tell both men at the same time, to be fair, but she couldn't wait any longer. So finally, she called Leo. She asked him to meet her at the club, which she was still in the process of buying. She obtained a private booth in the back of the club, and waited for him there.
"You wanted to talk?" he asked nervously, sliding into the seat next to her.
She nodded, then started with, "This isn't working. I knew it wouldn't, but... Leo, I can't be friends with you."
He nodded gravely. "Let me guess. This is the part where you say that you care about me, but you never want to see me again."
"No." she responded quickly. "No, that's not it at all. Leo, the reason I can't be friends with you is that I love you too much. I want us to be more than friends. That is, if you'll take me back."
He smiled, happier than he'd been in weeks. "Of course I'll take you back. Piper, I love you."
They kissed, then snuggled close. They were interrupted by Piper's cell phone ringing.
"Hello?" she answered, straightening up.
"Hey, Piper." came Dan's voice. "Just calling to check in."
"Dan, hi," she said awkwardly, shooting Leo an apologetic glance. "How are you?"
"Fine." he responded. There was a pause. "Piper, is everything okay? You sound distracted."
"Everything's fine." she lied. "It's just that I'm at the club, and things are a bit... busy.. tonight."
He accepted this. "Okay. I'll be home in a couple days, so I'll talk to you then."
"Allright.. Bye."
Piper put the phone away, and turned toward Leo. "I'm so sorry. I know, I have to tell him, and I will, but I just can't do it over the phone. He's been good to me, and I need to be fair to him. I at least owe him that."
Leo nodded. "It's okay. I understand, and I'm glad that you respect him that much."
"Thank you." she said.
He kissed her cheek, and stood up. "I have to go. Call me after you talk to him?"
"I will." she promised. He left, and she sat back, wondering what she could possibly say to Dan.
-x-
A few days later, when Dan was back from his trip, Piper went over to see him. Hands shaking, she stood on his porch and rang the bell.
"Piper, hey!" he greeted. He opened the door, and moved to kiss her, but she stepped back.
"Dan, we need to talk."
Dan frowned. He knew what was coming. He'd known it for some time now, even before she did. "It's Leo, isn't it? You're choosing him."
She nodded. "I'm sorry. I care about you a lot, but I just... My heart belongs to him, and I can't change that."
He sighed. "I've had to compete with him the entire time we were together. I guess he won."
"Dan, it wasn't like that." she protested.
"Don't, Piper." he cut her off. "Just... don't."
With that, he went back inside and closed the door. Piper lingured there for a minute, hating herself for hurting him, and then, head down, walked back across the lawn to her own house.
****************
A/N: Well, it took a while, but it finally happened. Review and I'll start getting to the P/L stuff.
~from the song "Cute Without the 'E' (Cut From the Team)" by Taking Back Sunday~
Hoping for the best
Just hoping nothing happens
A thousand clever lines
Unread on clever napkins
I will never ask
If you don't ever tell me
I know you well enough
To know you never loved me
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A month went by. Piper still struggled with indecision. She didn't want to lose Leo or Dan. Both men loved her, but she knew she'd have to choose. Finally, she did.
Dan was out of town on business. Piper wanted to tell both men at the same time, to be fair, but she couldn't wait any longer. So finally, she called Leo. She asked him to meet her at the club, which she was still in the process of buying. She obtained a private booth in the back of the club, and waited for him there.
"You wanted to talk?" he asked nervously, sliding into the seat next to her.
She nodded, then started with, "This isn't working. I knew it wouldn't, but... Leo, I can't be friends with you."
He nodded gravely. "Let me guess. This is the part where you say that you care about me, but you never want to see me again."
"No." she responded quickly. "No, that's not it at all. Leo, the reason I can't be friends with you is that I love you too much. I want us to be more than friends. That is, if you'll take me back."
He smiled, happier than he'd been in weeks. "Of course I'll take you back. Piper, I love you."
They kissed, then snuggled close. They were interrupted by Piper's cell phone ringing.
"Hello?" she answered, straightening up.
"Hey, Piper." came Dan's voice. "Just calling to check in."
"Dan, hi," she said awkwardly, shooting Leo an apologetic glance. "How are you?"
"Fine." he responded. There was a pause. "Piper, is everything okay? You sound distracted."
"Everything's fine." she lied. "It's just that I'm at the club, and things are a bit... busy.. tonight."
He accepted this. "Okay. I'll be home in a couple days, so I'll talk to you then."
"Allright.. Bye."
Piper put the phone away, and turned toward Leo. "I'm so sorry. I know, I have to tell him, and I will, but I just can't do it over the phone. He's been good to me, and I need to be fair to him. I at least owe him that."
Leo nodded. "It's okay. I understand, and I'm glad that you respect him that much."
"Thank you." she said.
He kissed her cheek, and stood up. "I have to go. Call me after you talk to him?"
"I will." she promised. He left, and she sat back, wondering what she could possibly say to Dan.
-x-
A few days later, when Dan was back from his trip, Piper went over to see him. Hands shaking, she stood on his porch and rang the bell.
"Piper, hey!" he greeted. He opened the door, and moved to kiss her, but she stepped back.
"Dan, we need to talk."
Dan frowned. He knew what was coming. He'd known it for some time now, even before she did. "It's Leo, isn't it? You're choosing him."
She nodded. "I'm sorry. I care about you a lot, but I just... My heart belongs to him, and I can't change that."
He sighed. "I've had to compete with him the entire time we were together. I guess he won."
"Dan, it wasn't like that." she protested.
"Don't, Piper." he cut her off. "Just... don't."
With that, he went back inside and closed the door. Piper lingured there for a minute, hating herself for hurting him, and then, head down, walked back across the lawn to her own house.
****************
A/N: Well, it took a while, but it finally happened. Review and I'll start getting to the P/L stuff.
~from the song "Cute Without the 'E' (Cut From the Team)" by Taking Back Sunday~