Another update....and it only took me a month and a half! Argh, I'm so sorry
for the delay but atleast I'm getting better right? Okay...don't answer that.
Thank you everyone for your amazing reviews, you guys rock! To tell the
truth I had this chapter done almost a month ago but the delay occurred
because of the Jubilee/Bobby storyline. I'm so stumped as to how to do the
relationship justice without making it to cheesy and implausible. I'd
appreciate you guys telling me what works and what doesn't! Again, review
please!! Thanks, enjoy!
What was it about fortune telling that had everybody from little kids to pimply faced thirteen year olds in a frenzy? Rogue wondered as she readjusted the gauzy violet scarf, along with the glittery bangles adorning her wrists in keeping with her gypsy look.
"Well, what do you see?" a loud girl with badly applied eye shadow demanded, shoving the dime-store crystal ball closer to Rogue.
"Um, you're going to marry that guy you have a crush on," Rogue lied, not even bothering to use her fake mystical gypsy voice.
"But that's what you told Rachel, and she has a crush on the same guy that I do!" the girl accused. "We can't BOTH marry him!"
"Yes you can, all three of you are going to move to Utah and live in a society that accepts polygamy," Rogue snapped. She exhaled slowly, as the girl stormed off. An hour of making up believable futures for preteens was making her truly irritable. And it didn't help knowing that less than thirty feet from her, Remy was at his kissing booth. The booth wasn't even officially open yet, and already there was a line of girls a mile long! Rogue thought hotly, folding her arms crossly as she watched Remy push a stool behind his booth. At that moment, he glanced over at her, but Rogue looked down immediately, refusing to make eye contact. But veiled glances at his booth revealed that he was still watching her, and for some reason it made her ridiculously happy.
Suddenly she spotted a large white sign above the booth reading in dark letters, "Monsieur LeBeau's Kissing Booth: A little Taste of Heaven." Rogue huffed. "Ah can't believe he named it, of all the egotistical things to do." Probably had done it just to annoy her. Well, she didn't have to sit and watch Remy kissing hundreds of girls. Rogue stood up abruptly and closed the flaps of the canvas tent that served as her booth. She stomped back to her cushioned chair and sat down despondently, staring at the flickering flame of the candle in front of her. Ah'm not gonna feel sorry for myself, Rogue told herself firmly. Just because it'd been an hour and Scott still hadn't come over to visit, and Remy was probably about to start kissing every girl in plain sight, and she was stuck in this stupid booth didn't mean she should wallow in self-pity.
Rogue heard the flaps of the tent open, but didn't care enough to see who it was. "We're closed," she said flatly, hoping the intruder would go away.
"Dat's too bad, was hoping you'd tell me my future," a smooth voice that was unmistakably Remy's jerked her out of her stupor.
"You're going to get your lights punched out in about five minutes," Rogue snapped.
"Oh, really?" Remy's voice interjected, amused. "In five minutes? And what will we be doing in the meantime?" Remy asked suggestively.
"Nothing!"
"Y'sure?"
The candlelight captured the flush flooding Rogue's face as Remy stepped forward, his scarlet eyes glittering in the darkness. "What are you doin' here anyway?" Rogue asked defensively. Ah can't even begin to imagine how stupid I look with these scarves, Rogue thought, glaring defiantly at Remy's stunning profile. "Shouldn't you be giving the girls a "Little Taste of Heaven?"
Remy shrugged, a grin springing to his lips at Rogue's acidic tone, clearly revealing that he'd known his sign would irritate her. "Guess they'll have to wait a little. Thought I'd drop in on you, and see how you're doin'. Imagine de kids been drivin' you crazy, right cherie?"
Rogue looked at him, slightly suspiciously. God, he was confusing. One minute he was making fun of her and Scott, driving her insane....and now he was trying to cheer her up? What was he trying to do? A whole lot more than Scott, her mind nagged her. "Ah'm fine, really," Rogue said stiffly, but her green eyes revealed confusion.
"Wanna come for a spin with me?" Remy asked huskily.
Rogue's breath hitched, but she forced herself to calm down. What she needed was to distance herself from Remy. If she went on another ride with him, she'd be lost. That night when he'd give her a chance to escape Bayville for a little while, she'd somehow fooled herself into thinking of him as her savior. But he's not, Rogue reminded herself angrily. "Sorry, but ah can't just leave my booth. Ah have responsibilities," Rogue informed him archly, trying to ignore the fact that he was getting closer and closer.
Remy cast a long look around at the tent, his eyes resting on the cheap crystal ball and the red candle, both of which were failing at creating a mystic atmosphere. "Indeed. Far be it for me t'interrupt business," Remy said seriously, but his glinting eyes were laughing at her. Instead of leaving, he merely sat down in front of her, extracted a quarter from his coat pocket, and placed it on the table.
"What's this? Lunch money?" Rogue asked dryly.
"Mm, you're a cheap date if dat's all it takes t'feed you," Remy teased. "Tell me what y'see in my future," Remy said so seriously, that it forced a reluctant grin out of Rogue.
"Fine, let me see," Rogue said grudgingly, and massaged her temples in an exaggerated fashion. "Oh, Magic Crystal Ball, what does thou see in the future of Monsieur LeBeau.....?"
Remy leaned in, his lips quirking with humor as Rogue spun the crystal ball, and chanted some nonsensical verses. Rogue peered into the crystal ball, and began in a mysterious voice. "It's foggy...but I see, a carnival, and several booths. Especially this one booth that has a really stupid name," Rogue continued, trying not to laugh at the look Remy gave her.
"Gee, I wonder whose booth y'speakin' of cherie," Remy said wryly.
"Shhhhh, ah need concentration," Rogue intoned. She widened her eyes mockingly, and traced a line along the crystal ball. "Oh no.....I see....you've been kissed into a coma....so tragic," was all Rogue got out, before bursting into peals of laughter.
"Glad you find m'death so amusing," Remy said, but his features were set in a relaxed smile, his eyes drinking in the rare sight of Rogue laughing.
"Guess you'd better think twice before going back to your booth, huh?" Rogue teased. "Some girl could have mono or something and give it to you."
"My thoughts exactly," Remy said, with a heart-stopping smile. "What do you say to just a small ride?"
"Ah told you Remy, ah can't," Rogue said firmly, but she could feel her resolve melting quickly. The more time she spent with him, it became increasingly apparent that she had no willpower whatsoever. She was drawn to him inexplicably, as much as she hated to admit it.
"I'm not talkin' bout de bike, cherie. I was thinking about taking you for a ride on dat big carousel," Remy said, smirking at the befuddled look on her face.
"The Carousel?" Rogue echoed. "You mean the yellow one that goes slower than an ant with no legs and that hardly anyone wants to ride anymore?"
"Dat's de one, yes," Remy replied with a grin. "What?"
"Well, it doesn't exactly seem like you're type of ride. And besides, ah'm supposed to meet Scott for lunch soon," Rogue finished slowly, avoiding his eyes. But to her surprise, Remy barely blinked, smiling nonchalantly.
"Just one ride, p'tite. You'll be back with plenty of time t'meet Summers," Remy assured her innocently. The former irritation that usually flashed in his eyes at the mention of Scott was missing today, leading Rogue to the depressing conclusion that he really didn't care. And he shouldn't, Rogue thought, stubbornly squelching the urge to search Remy's face for some sign to the contrary.
"Ah guess it couldn't hurt," Rogue said finally, hating herself for not being able to turn down the chance to spend even a little time with Remy. He's just bein' a good friend, Rogue reminded herself. It wasn't as if he wanted her for a girlfriend, and it was a good thing he didn't, Rogue thought sternly. "After this you can get back to your kissing booth," Rogue said emptily, trying to infuse some humor into her voice.
"And die of a coma," Remy quipped back, but he was looking at her concernedly.
"Whoah, brace yourself for the line," Rogue joked, determined to keep things light-hearted. It would do no good for her to give an opening for Remy to knock down her defenses, and get her to admit something she wasn't ready to admit.
Remy smiled at her but he shook his head slightly at her as if he were aware of her façade. Rogue determinedly deposited her ticket into the box and slid into a seat next to Remy, noting that at the moment nobody else was riding the old carousel. She was actually alone on a ride with Remy, Rogue thought, blushing against her will as she was lifted into the air.
The rode in silence as the carousel plodded along, and Rogue felt herself stealing a glance at Remy, who was rummaging in his coat for something. "Here," Remy said in a low voice, handing her something.
Rogue took it from him, bewildered to find herself holding a pair of gloves. Her own gloves, in fact, the ones he'd stolen from her the night in the laundry room. It had been the minute he'd promised that she'd never have to wear them around him. The memory, unbidden, brought tears to her eyes. She blinked them back quickly, as she stared down at the gloves. "Uh, thanks. I-I didn't know you'd kept them," Rogue stammered.
"Figured I'd kept them longer den I should've," Remy murmured apologetically, his scarlet eyes flickering over her. Rogue nodded and realized they were at the pinnacle, and that in mere seconds, they would be making their descent. She would go back to her booth and have lunch with Scott and he would go and make girls swoon at his booth. A tear slipped down her cheek at the thought.
Suddenly, she heard the ride lurched loudly, causing Rogue to sit up. "What was that?" she yelled to Remy over the grinding noise. And then it stopped abruptly. Rogue saw that they were stopped too. I knew this ride was old, but seriously, Rogue thought, this is ridiculous. A crackling sound caught Rogue's attention, and she turned around just long enough to see that the tips of Remy's fingers were glowing red before fading quickly. She followed his gaze to the control center for the ride, which was sizzling a hundred feet below them, and realized furiously why they had stopped so suddenly. "What the hell have you done Remy!" Rogue said slowly, enunciating every word, her green eyes flashing.
Remy threw her a guilty look, but his eyes were dancing merrily. "Guess we're stopped cherie. Bad luck huh?"
What was it about fortune telling that had everybody from little kids to pimply faced thirteen year olds in a frenzy? Rogue wondered as she readjusted the gauzy violet scarf, along with the glittery bangles adorning her wrists in keeping with her gypsy look.
"Well, what do you see?" a loud girl with badly applied eye shadow demanded, shoving the dime-store crystal ball closer to Rogue.
"Um, you're going to marry that guy you have a crush on," Rogue lied, not even bothering to use her fake mystical gypsy voice.
"But that's what you told Rachel, and she has a crush on the same guy that I do!" the girl accused. "We can't BOTH marry him!"
"Yes you can, all three of you are going to move to Utah and live in a society that accepts polygamy," Rogue snapped. She exhaled slowly, as the girl stormed off. An hour of making up believable futures for preteens was making her truly irritable. And it didn't help knowing that less than thirty feet from her, Remy was at his kissing booth. The booth wasn't even officially open yet, and already there was a line of girls a mile long! Rogue thought hotly, folding her arms crossly as she watched Remy push a stool behind his booth. At that moment, he glanced over at her, but Rogue looked down immediately, refusing to make eye contact. But veiled glances at his booth revealed that he was still watching her, and for some reason it made her ridiculously happy.
Suddenly she spotted a large white sign above the booth reading in dark letters, "Monsieur LeBeau's Kissing Booth: A little Taste of Heaven." Rogue huffed. "Ah can't believe he named it, of all the egotistical things to do." Probably had done it just to annoy her. Well, she didn't have to sit and watch Remy kissing hundreds of girls. Rogue stood up abruptly and closed the flaps of the canvas tent that served as her booth. She stomped back to her cushioned chair and sat down despondently, staring at the flickering flame of the candle in front of her. Ah'm not gonna feel sorry for myself, Rogue told herself firmly. Just because it'd been an hour and Scott still hadn't come over to visit, and Remy was probably about to start kissing every girl in plain sight, and she was stuck in this stupid booth didn't mean she should wallow in self-pity.
Rogue heard the flaps of the tent open, but didn't care enough to see who it was. "We're closed," she said flatly, hoping the intruder would go away.
"Dat's too bad, was hoping you'd tell me my future," a smooth voice that was unmistakably Remy's jerked her out of her stupor.
"You're going to get your lights punched out in about five minutes," Rogue snapped.
"Oh, really?" Remy's voice interjected, amused. "In five minutes? And what will we be doing in the meantime?" Remy asked suggestively.
"Nothing!"
"Y'sure?"
The candlelight captured the flush flooding Rogue's face as Remy stepped forward, his scarlet eyes glittering in the darkness. "What are you doin' here anyway?" Rogue asked defensively. Ah can't even begin to imagine how stupid I look with these scarves, Rogue thought, glaring defiantly at Remy's stunning profile. "Shouldn't you be giving the girls a "Little Taste of Heaven?"
Remy shrugged, a grin springing to his lips at Rogue's acidic tone, clearly revealing that he'd known his sign would irritate her. "Guess they'll have to wait a little. Thought I'd drop in on you, and see how you're doin'. Imagine de kids been drivin' you crazy, right cherie?"
Rogue looked at him, slightly suspiciously. God, he was confusing. One minute he was making fun of her and Scott, driving her insane....and now he was trying to cheer her up? What was he trying to do? A whole lot more than Scott, her mind nagged her. "Ah'm fine, really," Rogue said stiffly, but her green eyes revealed confusion.
"Wanna come for a spin with me?" Remy asked huskily.
Rogue's breath hitched, but she forced herself to calm down. What she needed was to distance herself from Remy. If she went on another ride with him, she'd be lost. That night when he'd give her a chance to escape Bayville for a little while, she'd somehow fooled herself into thinking of him as her savior. But he's not, Rogue reminded herself angrily. "Sorry, but ah can't just leave my booth. Ah have responsibilities," Rogue informed him archly, trying to ignore the fact that he was getting closer and closer.
Remy cast a long look around at the tent, his eyes resting on the cheap crystal ball and the red candle, both of which were failing at creating a mystic atmosphere. "Indeed. Far be it for me t'interrupt business," Remy said seriously, but his glinting eyes were laughing at her. Instead of leaving, he merely sat down in front of her, extracted a quarter from his coat pocket, and placed it on the table.
"What's this? Lunch money?" Rogue asked dryly.
"Mm, you're a cheap date if dat's all it takes t'feed you," Remy teased. "Tell me what y'see in my future," Remy said so seriously, that it forced a reluctant grin out of Rogue.
"Fine, let me see," Rogue said grudgingly, and massaged her temples in an exaggerated fashion. "Oh, Magic Crystal Ball, what does thou see in the future of Monsieur LeBeau.....?"
Remy leaned in, his lips quirking with humor as Rogue spun the crystal ball, and chanted some nonsensical verses. Rogue peered into the crystal ball, and began in a mysterious voice. "It's foggy...but I see, a carnival, and several booths. Especially this one booth that has a really stupid name," Rogue continued, trying not to laugh at the look Remy gave her.
"Gee, I wonder whose booth y'speakin' of cherie," Remy said wryly.
"Shhhhh, ah need concentration," Rogue intoned. She widened her eyes mockingly, and traced a line along the crystal ball. "Oh no.....I see....you've been kissed into a coma....so tragic," was all Rogue got out, before bursting into peals of laughter.
"Glad you find m'death so amusing," Remy said, but his features were set in a relaxed smile, his eyes drinking in the rare sight of Rogue laughing.
"Guess you'd better think twice before going back to your booth, huh?" Rogue teased. "Some girl could have mono or something and give it to you."
"My thoughts exactly," Remy said, with a heart-stopping smile. "What do you say to just a small ride?"
"Ah told you Remy, ah can't," Rogue said firmly, but she could feel her resolve melting quickly. The more time she spent with him, it became increasingly apparent that she had no willpower whatsoever. She was drawn to him inexplicably, as much as she hated to admit it.
"I'm not talkin' bout de bike, cherie. I was thinking about taking you for a ride on dat big carousel," Remy said, smirking at the befuddled look on her face.
"The Carousel?" Rogue echoed. "You mean the yellow one that goes slower than an ant with no legs and that hardly anyone wants to ride anymore?"
"Dat's de one, yes," Remy replied with a grin. "What?"
"Well, it doesn't exactly seem like you're type of ride. And besides, ah'm supposed to meet Scott for lunch soon," Rogue finished slowly, avoiding his eyes. But to her surprise, Remy barely blinked, smiling nonchalantly.
"Just one ride, p'tite. You'll be back with plenty of time t'meet Summers," Remy assured her innocently. The former irritation that usually flashed in his eyes at the mention of Scott was missing today, leading Rogue to the depressing conclusion that he really didn't care. And he shouldn't, Rogue thought, stubbornly squelching the urge to search Remy's face for some sign to the contrary.
"Ah guess it couldn't hurt," Rogue said finally, hating herself for not being able to turn down the chance to spend even a little time with Remy. He's just bein' a good friend, Rogue reminded herself. It wasn't as if he wanted her for a girlfriend, and it was a good thing he didn't, Rogue thought sternly. "After this you can get back to your kissing booth," Rogue said emptily, trying to infuse some humor into her voice.
"And die of a coma," Remy quipped back, but he was looking at her concernedly.
"Whoah, brace yourself for the line," Rogue joked, determined to keep things light-hearted. It would do no good for her to give an opening for Remy to knock down her defenses, and get her to admit something she wasn't ready to admit.
Remy smiled at her but he shook his head slightly at her as if he were aware of her façade. Rogue determinedly deposited her ticket into the box and slid into a seat next to Remy, noting that at the moment nobody else was riding the old carousel. She was actually alone on a ride with Remy, Rogue thought, blushing against her will as she was lifted into the air.
The rode in silence as the carousel plodded along, and Rogue felt herself stealing a glance at Remy, who was rummaging in his coat for something. "Here," Remy said in a low voice, handing her something.
Rogue took it from him, bewildered to find herself holding a pair of gloves. Her own gloves, in fact, the ones he'd stolen from her the night in the laundry room. It had been the minute he'd promised that she'd never have to wear them around him. The memory, unbidden, brought tears to her eyes. She blinked them back quickly, as she stared down at the gloves. "Uh, thanks. I-I didn't know you'd kept them," Rogue stammered.
"Figured I'd kept them longer den I should've," Remy murmured apologetically, his scarlet eyes flickering over her. Rogue nodded and realized they were at the pinnacle, and that in mere seconds, they would be making their descent. She would go back to her booth and have lunch with Scott and he would go and make girls swoon at his booth. A tear slipped down her cheek at the thought.
Suddenly, she heard the ride lurched loudly, causing Rogue to sit up. "What was that?" she yelled to Remy over the grinding noise. And then it stopped abruptly. Rogue saw that they were stopped too. I knew this ride was old, but seriously, Rogue thought, this is ridiculous. A crackling sound caught Rogue's attention, and she turned around just long enough to see that the tips of Remy's fingers were glowing red before fading quickly. She followed his gaze to the control center for the ride, which was sizzling a hundred feet below them, and realized furiously why they had stopped so suddenly. "What the hell have you done Remy!" Rogue said slowly, enunciating every word, her green eyes flashing.
Remy threw her a guilty look, but his eyes were dancing merrily. "Guess we're stopped cherie. Bad luck huh?"