Awkward.
That was how Remy felt. Awkward. Not the type of awkwardness that happened when you feel out of place. Not even the type of awkwardness that happened when a young teenage boy was about to ask a girl he liked out for a date and his voice cracked from combination of puberty and his nerves.
No, this type of awkwardness was new to Remy. He always considered himself blessed with the gift of grace under pressure. He had never been placed into a situation that he could not charm his way out of; he never panicked, he always had his emotions under control. It was an attribute that made him a great thief and admired among women and men.
But now, how was he supposed to react to what happened last night? Remy had spent the past couple minutes struggling over what to do next; it was the only thing that occupied him while he waited for his body to awake and join his already alert mind.
Should he treat her like a friend? That might be helpful if he had any female who were strictly just friends. Should he treat her like she was his girlfriend? Well, although they had an emotional relationship, he had only known her for a week but then again that was longer than some of the relationships he had. Should he treat her like a woman he just slept with? Well technically, he did sleep with her but not in the sexual way and this situation was more delicate than the others.
And that was too bad because he had the morning after spending a night with a woman down to an exact science. His actions really depended on what he thought of the girl. Some of the time, he would leave before she would wake up; a note and room service ordered breakfast would be the only evidence of his presence left behind. But the type of breakfast was the staple in every morning after.
This was where he perfected this maneuver. Eggs were too personal. Everyone had a favorite way to cook the eggs. To know someone's favorite way to cook an egg required getting to know the person. Even in his numerous relationships this was something he avoided; getting to know someone required time and things always became complicated. He wanted to keep it as basic and simple as possible.
That was why for breakfast it would always be pancakes with strawberries and maybe some whip cream, but that depended on the girl.
A small thud echoed through the hotel room, distracting Remy from his relationship analysis on the perfect breakfast food. Curious as to what caused the thud, Remy opened one eye. He saw Marie walk across the hotel room.
He knew she had been out of bed for quite a while. He first realized she wasn't lying beside him when he reached out and was quite surprised when he pulled a pillow instead of Marie into his grasp. He then forced one of his eyes open and made a quick scan of the hotel suite. And there sitting on the balcony was Marie with a cup of coffee in her hands watching the sunrise.
He sighed and rolled over to watch Marie who was completely oblivious to everything but the rising sun. He continued to watch her until he once more drifted back to sleep. But a nagging voice in the back of his head kept him from enjoying his peaceful slumber. The voice that questioned everything he did; he hated that voice.
'Merde' he silently cursed at himself, 'Why don't I have more female friends? Maybe if I did, I would know what to expect and how to go from here. At least I would know what Marie expects or wants to happen.'
Marie was a very hard woman to predict. It seemed that with each day she was different. Not significantly different. But subtle changes, like the way she carried herself or responded to a joke; little things he noticed.
And so the two continued on their path of avoidance.
While Remy tried to distract himself with his thoughts, Marie tried to distract herself by watching the sunrise; something she regrettably never did before. What was she avoiding? Well she had a whole list of things that she had down to a science on how to skillfully avoid. But right now, last night was at the top of the list but more importantly the man in her bed.
'Lawrd, Ah should just introduce myself as 'Hi Ah'm Marie and Ah'm crazy.' That would certainly make things a lot easier,' she silently mused as she wandered around the hotel suite trying desperately not to look at Remy in the bed.
She had done everything to try and take her mind off of Remy and the previous night. She felt stupid for crying, embarrassed that she had a mini break down in front of a handsome stranger, regretful for making him deal with a crazy stranger, and awkward for having to face him this morning. But despite all the negative reactions she was dealing with, they all seemed trivial when compared to the feeling of being held in his arms.
Marie smiled as she remembered what it felt like to fall asleep in his arms; it was indescribable. Bliss. Pure bliss, that was the best she could do at describing but still thought it didn't capture everything she felt.
She didn't have any idea if her feelings were caused from her emotional state and the need to be comforted. Or for being held so tightly as if he needed her as much as she needed him. Or was it because it had been some time since a man, hell she wouldn't go that far, since anyone got that close to her.
A knock on the door stopped Marie from questioning the situation further. Remy smiled as he watched Marie talk to herself as she made her way to answer the door; his smile grew when she pushed a dining cart to the side of the couch.
Remy let out a quiet restless sigh. He had no idea what to do but that had never stopped him before. He jumped out of the bed before his body could protest and began to slowly walk towards Marie.
He always was the type to leap before he looked.
"Told y' one night spent wit moi, and yo're already in love," he said groggily as he raised his arms above his head and yawned dramatically.
His voice startled Marie causing her to almost drop the glass she was pouring orange juice into. She thought she would have more time before he would wake up but most importantly she thought she would be prepared when he did. Marie continued to pour the orange juice in the glass while she turned around to look at Remy.
He was now scratching his head with a goofy grin on his face. His eyes were half opened and his hair fell out of the small ponytail he had in it earlier and now it was sticking all over as if he was trying to impersonate Christopher Lloyd. How she envied how beautiful he looked in the morning.
"Now now, Ah think it takes more than 8 hours for the Florence Nightingale tah take affect," she smiled as he walked closer.
"Shame. Just how much more time are we talkin' bout?" he asked armed with his usual seductive grin.
"Enough," she answered cryptically and then took a sip of her orange juice.
Remy chuckled and was about to lean in to whisper something to her but quickly remembered he hadn't brushed his teeth yet. Morning breath was very unappealing. He quickly closed his mouth and smiled with his lips together. "I'll be right back. Just gotta take care of de morning business," he said barely moving his lips apart. And with that he made his way to the bathroom.
He shortly returned and walked over to Marie who was now placing the plates that were on the dining cart onto the coffee table.
"What smells so good?" he asked
Marie continued to place the last plate on the coffee table. She turned around and smiled at Remy. He had taken the ponytail out of his hair and tried to tame it but it still hung wildly around his face. It suited him.
"Breakfast."
"Breakfast," he repeated, "Merde, I t'ough it was lunch. I'm gonna go back t' bed."
"Funny."
"Well, I try, chere, I try," he smirked and continued, "Y' didn't hafta do dis."
"Ah...uh...just want to thank you and apologize for last night," she finished quickly before trying to stop herself from mentioning last night. Her original plan was to pretend that nothing had happened but she felt like she owed it to him for being so patient and comforting. She was just hoping he didn't expect or want her to tell him what she was crying about. She didn't want to condense her life to him, no matter how much she liked him.
Remy smirked, "Ah, last night. It was good for me, was it good for y'?" He sighed at his usual suggestive tone and continued in a more serious one, before Marie could have a chance to respond, "Y' don' have t' apologize fo' anyt'ing. I'm just glad I could help."
Marie smiled graciously as she dropped her head and looked at the floor. "Thank you," she quietly replied. She silently waited for Remy to question what was last night about; a question she didn't know how to answer. She warily looked up at him.
Remy was staring intently at her. If she wasn't so relieved that he was not going to ask about her past, she might have blushed at the way he was staring into her eyes. He didn't look curious at all, far from it; and she admired him for it. If it had been her, she would have been bursting with questions to ask.
"So...umm...we should start eating before it gets cold," she finally said as she broke free from the trance she was in.
She walked around the couch and sat down.
"So what do we got t' eat?" he asked as he sat on the other couch facing the one Marie was sitting on. He looked down at the coffee table and started to chuckle. There on the plates were pancakes, whip cream, and strawberries. He knew this breakfast would come back and haunt him. "Atleast, she sprung for de whip cream, dat's gotta say somet'ing," he huskily murmured to himself.
"Ah was gonna get eggs but Ah didn't know how yah liked them done- -"
Remy smiled and interrupted her, "No, no. Dis is perfect, chere." He watched her reach over to grab a plate. She sat back on the couch and tucked her feet under her. Remy leaned one of his forearms on his knee while his other hand moved the plate closer to him. He began to cut a piece of the pancake with the fork and shifted to try and find a comfortable position to eat in.
Marie noticed him shift positions again as he continued to eat. "We could eat at the table if yah want," she offered in between bites.
"Nah," Remy shook his head, "Too early t' sit at a table."
"Yea," she agreed even though she knew he was just being polite, "Ah just never eat at tables. Ah think it has become a habit now"
"Must be pretty interesting watching y' eat at a restaurant," he teased as he drank some milk.
"Well that's an exception. Ah don't think they would appreciate me taking the food and sit on a couch at the entrance to eat," she started to laugh but it quickly turned into a yawn.
"What time did y' wake up?" Remy asked in between bites of his pancake.
"Ah dunno, early. Ah couldn't sleep, so Ah cleaned up and got things ready."
Remy stopped and laid his fork on his plate. He looked around the room and sure enough it was spotless. His gaze was now on the door where two duffle bags were placed. He was shocked that she fit all that stuff in those two bags and slightly relieved; he was glad he didn't have the responsibility of deciding where to go from here. But at the same time he was slightly disappointed; he knew she was leaving today, but for some odd reason he thought she would stay.
"The cab's gonna be here soon," she said trying to hide the regret she was already feeling.
"Talk about din and dash," Remy remarked which caused Marie to nod in response.
And silence once again crept back between the two. Remy watched as Marie studied the strawberries she was pushing around on her plate. He continued to watch her as she drifted into her own little world. Her curly hair was pulled into a messy bun with wild pieces of hair sticking out, refusing to be tamed. The white streaks in her hair were pulled to the sides of her head and met in the messy bun; it made her look like she was wearing a white crown. Her brilliant emerald eyes were partly hidden behind her long lashes; he was partially glad he couldn't see them because he always lost himself when he looked into them. Her black sweatpants clung to her shapely hips causing him to want to wrap his arms around her and never let go. She was alarmingly beautiful. How he envied the man who would wake up to her every morning.
Marie glanced up and saw Remy staring intently at her. "Don't look at me like that," she softly stated as she looked out the window.
"Like what?"
"Like Ah'm a problem tah be fixed," she answered; her attention was still focused on the window.
Remy gave her a confused look before realization hit him. She misinterpreted his admiring glances as ones of trepidation. 'Guess dis fille hasn't been on de receiving end often, which is very surprisin'.'
"Never. Yo're just a work in progress." Marie looked at him out of the corner of her eyes and smiled causing Remy to smile in return.
"Tah say the least," she scoffed to herself. She then focused her attention on Remy. "Remy. . ." she began slowly but was interrupted by the high pitch ring of the telephone.
She reluctantly broke eye contact with him. She placed her plate on the coffee table and scooted off the couch. She walked across the room to the end table and picked up the phone.
"Hello....Already? Now?" she glanced down at her watch, "Umm...Ah'll be down in a couple of minutes." She hung up the phone and slowly turned around to face Remy.
"Did Monsieur cab driver say it was time t' go?" he asked even though he knew the answer. "Y' know y' don't have t' go, chere."
"Ah can't. Ah have......things tah do," she offered lamely.
"Ah...things, sounds terribly important," he teased.
"Yah can stay here if yah want. They won't kick yah out til five," she said as she slipped on her shoes.
"Nah, that's alright. I have.....things t' do," he mimicked.
"Hmmm...well aren't we just a pair of busy bodies."
They remained silent. Marie scanned the suite for anything she might have missed while Remy collected his things. When Remy was finished, he waited by the door and watched Marie roam about the room. When she was finally satisfied that she wasn't leaving anything behind, she joined him by the door.
He gave her a half smile and picked up her two duffle bags before she could protest. "It's one of de...things I hafta do t'day," he flung one bag over his shoulder and held the other one by his side, "How bout I carry de bags and y' get de doors."
"Deal," she said as she shifted her purse from her right to her left and opened the door for him. The two continued to make their way down to the street in silence; both were unsure of what to say. But like everything, the silence did not last long.
"Bonjour," Remy greeted the taxi driver who stood with an angry scowl on his face.
"Bags go in the trunk," he grunted while he grabbed the bags from Remy, tossed them in the trunk and slammed it shut. He stood impatiently looking at the two.
"Ah'll be there in a couple minutes," Marie said as she tucked a stubborn stray hair behind her ear.
"It's your dollar," he remarked as he threw his hands in the air. He turned around, got in the car and slammed the car door shut.
"Y' sure got yo'self a fun fella dere," Remy sarcastically remarked as he turned to face Marie.
Marie looked up at him and laughed. The tension that was looming over the two faded away as she laughed. "That's the way Ah like them," she teased.
"What? Hairy, sweaty, mean, and has an unhealthy obsession with wearing gold," he laughed.
"A girl can dream can't she?"
He laughed, "Oh, oui, now I know what I have t' work on." He was about to continue with the playful banter but stopped when Marie spoke again.
"Um, Ah had a really good time. Ah just want to thank yah again for last night. . . and all the other nights."
"It was not'ing," he shrugged while putting his hands in the pockets of his trench coat.
"It meant something tah me. For the first time Ah feel like Ah can finally breathe," she motioned with her hands, "And it feels great. Ah just didn't realize how badly Ah needed it."
"Me too, chere, me too," he ran a hand through his hair, "Are you sure I can't take you t' de airport?"
"No," she waved her hand dismissively, "That's way too horribly clichéd."
Remy chuckled, "Well den..."
"Yea," she closed the two feet gap between them and caught Remy by surprise when she wrapped her arms around him, "It's just a shame that we met when Ah was going through a mental breakdown."
"Well dat just means y' hafta come down and visit again so I can see dat yo're better," he replied as he held her tightly.
Marie laughed and rested her cheek against his shoulder, "Maybe we'll meet again by accident."
Remy smiled, "Just tell me when and where dis accident is gonna take place and I'll make sure I'm dere."
Marie smiled; she was too afraid to ruin the moment. She was busy committing everything to memory. The way his arms felt around her. The scratchy material of the trench coat against her cheek. His husky laugh. His warm light brown eyes that always reminded her of the rich deep color of a rare honey. How is hair felt like silk when she ran her fingers through it. The smell of cigarettes, and cologne. She inhaled his scent one last time and to her surprise the aroma of vanilla and coconuts, her perfume, was melded in with his. Her scent was on him and she liked that very much.
"Y' don't hafta leave," he murmured into her hair.
Marie exhaled deeply, trying to regain her composure and sense. "Ah hafta, Ah gotta work out some things. 'Side Ah don't think taxi nazi over there wouldn't be too pleased."
"Mmm," was all Remy offered in response. They gave each other one last squeeze before letting go of one another. Marie shyly stepped out of his grasp and looked up at him. She wanted to kiss him to see if his lips were actually as soft as they looked but there wasn't anything more she hated than kissing some one goodbye.
Remy reached over and affectionately tucked a strand behind her ear, "Well it certainly been a fun week."
"Yea, it sure has been interesting," she trailed off.
"Well," he leaned over and gave a lingering kiss on her forehead, "Take care of yo'self, y' hear chere."
She smiled, "Yah tah. Try not tah cause too much trouble."
"Ah she knows me well," he winked as he opened the cab door for her. Marie thanked him once more and stepped into the cab. She rolled down the window.
"Remy.." she called after him. She wanted to leave him with something profound. Something that would make up for all her craziness. Something that wouldn't allow him to forget her. He leaned in and waited for Marie to continue. ".....Have a good life," the moment she said it, she wanted to take it back but it was too late. She had to play it off now like she meant to say it. She just hoped her smile made up for her lame comment.
Remy tilted his head back and smirked as he tried to process what she said. He chuckled, "Y' too, chere, y' too." He stepped away from the cab and watched it pull away. He didn't have any idea how he was supposed to feel. He stood and watched until the cab turned a corner and was out of sight. He looked down at his watch. It was nine o'clock. He began to walk down the street, wondering if it was too early for a bar to be open.
Marie cursed herself as the cab pulled away. She held her head with her hands. 'Have a good life' she mentally repeated. 'God damnit. Ah write romance. Ah live off of this sappy shit. And the best Ah could come up with was that. Everything was perfect, no it was better than perfect it was real. Ah couldn't have written anything better and Ah just ruined it by opening my mouth trying to impress him. Ah always go one step too far.' "Have a good life," she scoffed to herself aloud.
"Yea," the cab driver said in a more civil tone than he had before; it was probably due to the fact that he kept the meter running and was now making a pretty penny, "That had to be the worst parting line I have heard and that's sayin something I've been around a while and you wouldn't believe what I hear. But one things for sure, he won't forget that but I don't know if that's a good or bad thing"
"Thanks," Marie muttered as leaned back and sighed. She could tell this guy to turn around so she could prove to herself that she could deliver a line that would leave Remy intrigued. But she knew he wasn't going to be there and that was what she wanted, right? It was better to burn out than fade away.
It would only be a matter of time before he was tired of her or she couldn't handle him. Hell, they had only known each other a couple days before they got into a fight. A fight she didn't want to remember because of the hurtful things he said. Yes, it was definitely better to burn out than fade away. But if that was true than why did she have a pit in her stomach that resembled an oh so familiar feeling of regret. She shook her head clear of her thoughts and looked out the window.
Yes, they had a lovely week together. But it was best to leave on a high note that way she could look fondly back on this experience; she just wasn't sure what she had learned from it yet. But it was still early. Besides, she had alot of things she needed to work out on her own. She sighed once more as the cab drove onto the highway, leaving the city of New Orleans behind her.
Sorry for the late update! Well, I was going to end the story there but I thought hmmm..why stop there when I can drag this puppy out a little bit longer, that is of course if you are still reading/want to read this. But I thought as an ending this kinda fizzled out and was kinda well anti-climatic and left alot of questions unanswered. I just want to say that this story is winding down and will only have two or three more chapters left, so I'm not going to drag it out too much longer.
Thanks for your reviews! You guys are so good to me, I just love reading them!
I'll make a deal, if you review I'll update. That's fair right? haha--Well review please! It's my favorite part!