Merry Christmas! Enjoy. I wanted this chapter to get out earlier, but
some writer's block held it up. This is set to be around a couple weeks
after the play. R&R! Thanks
Ren117
********Home for Christmas********
Louis kicked his car. "Come on you piece of crap! Start!" He rattled the engine again. "START!!!" He kicked it again. Hard. He felt something crack in his foot. He swore loudly.
He limped back to his apartment complex and dialed Lauren.
The phone rang twelve times then her answering machine picked up. He hung up and tried again.
Same thing. He tried again. On the eighth ring, she picked up.
"WHAT!?!" She screamed into the phone.
Louis was unresponsive. "Hi honey. I just wondered if you could come over and take me to the emergency room."
She called him a distasteful name and hung up.
He tried five other people with no success.
There was only one person left, and it was a stretch. Tawny.
*******
Tawny was having coffee with Jason.
"Thanks for meeting for coffee this morning Jason." She smiled. He wasn't too bad of a guy after all. Things were finally starting to fall together for them.
"Your welcome." He smiled back at her. ^Ring^
Tawny looked around to find the source. Jason looked back at her.
"I think you're ass is ringing."
She blushed. "oh!" she reached for her phone in her back pocket. She looked to Jason.
"Sorry." She flipped it open.
"Hello?"
*
"Hi Tawny! How are you doing?"
She paused and raised an eyebrow.
"Louis?"
"Yeah, Tawny! I was wondering if you could do a favor for me."
She made a face. "What?"
"Uh.....I kind of need your help. I need to go to the emergency room."
******
"I can't believe I was at the emergency room on Christmas Eve!" Louis cringed.
"Did you know that I was on a date?"
Louis flinched. "My car wouldn't start and my foot hurt really bad."
"How the heck did you break your foot in the first place?" she rolled her eyes. "Nevermind, I don't want to know."
She grabbed Louis's crutches and put them in her car. He leaned on her and she helped him into the passenger seat.
"Careful, it's sore." Louis said, clutching his leg.
Tawny scoffed and slammed the door.
She turned the ignition and started to drive to Louis's apartment.
He cleared his throat nervously. Tawny didn't notice.
He tried again. Nothing.
Again.
"WHAT, Louis! I'm trying to drive!"
"Uh...." he picked at his fingernails.
"...Uh, Tawny, you wouldn't happen to be going home for Christmas today, would you?" He braced himself.
"Listen Louis," He shrank back. "You expect me to take you to the emergency room, wait with you for four hours to get it casted, AND drive you to Sacramento!?!" She was furious to say the least.
He was silent.
"I can't believe you!" She turned the corner sharply, making Louis hit his face on the window. "I'm not your girlfriend. I'm not even your friend, and you just call me out of the blue after three months and demand my service!"
Louis shrank back.
Tawny stopped abruptly at his apartment.
She got out and pulled him out of the car, throwing his crutches at him.
"Hurry up." He smiled at her gratefully.
****
Tawny hauled his suitcase into her trunk. Louis got into the car unassisted.
She stopped again at her dorm building.
"Wait here." She didn't look at him.
"Tawny, wait!" She turned around.
"Thanks." She smiled slightly, then turned and left.
**
Louis banged his head against the window. Tawny had been gone for nearly an hour. What was taking her so long?
He wanted to get out. He grabbed his crutches and opened the door. He got halfway to the entrance then slipped on a patch of ice.
He lay there, sprawled out on the cold concrete. His head throbbed.
An angelic face looked down at him.
"Do I have to take you to the hospital again?"
He groaned. "I'm fine, thanks. I just need an icepack."
She laughed and helped him up
*******
The drive had been quiet. The bump on Louis's head must have shut him up.
He turned to her.
"Lauren and I broke up."
She grinned. "Funny, she didn't mention it to me when I was getting my stuff. But then again, when did we ever talk?"
"Tawny," he waited for her to look at him.
She didn't turn.
Her gaze lay steadily on the road. "Louis, I'm driving."
"Nevermind." He shook his head.
He heard her mumble something.
"What did you say?"
She shook her head. "Nothing."
"No, what did you say? Really."
She sighed. "I said, why do I always end up saving you?"
He paused, letting it sink in, then snorted. "Maybe 'cause I'm so irresistible and you're my princess uncharming?"
They laughed together, then it was quiet again.
"I'm not looking forward to going home." Tawny said.
He turned to her. "Why?"
"My Dad doesn't approve of my career choice, and he won't ever give up on me becoming a psychotherapist." She said, concealing her anger. Louis knew better. Her knuckles were turning white from gripping the steering wheel too tight, and her jaw was clenched.
"Oh yeah, that's right. He wants you to become a shrink like him."
"And my mom." She added.
"Ah, don't listen to him. I saw you in the play. You were great, you're a great actress. " She glanced at him.
"Thanks."
*
Tawny hauled Louis out of the car. Sacramento, finally. His legs ached and felt numb all at the same time. Another hour in the car would have driven him crazy. He leaned heavily on her. His bump, probably a concussion now, had thrown off his balance. He felt nauseated, now moving.
"Careful not to slip on the ice." Louis joked. "I don't want to beat up the concrete again."
"I think you lost." She hid her grin.
He laughed, even though his head hurt when he did. He had almost forgotten what it was like to be with Tawny. For the first time since they split, he realized how much he'd missed her.
Tawny knocked on the Stevens' door. He could hear Christmas music and people talking inside.
A muffled 'coming' came from inside.
Mrs. Stevens answered the door. Her face lit up at the sight of them.
"Louis dear! I'm so happy you made it. And Tawny, so nice to see you! You look very beautiful today!" Louis cringed, his head spinning from her voice. She stopped, noticing the unnatural position of his head, and how much he was leaning on Tawny.
"What happened?"
Louis felt his legs give out on him and heard Tawny groan as he fell on her.
**********************************************
Hope you guys liked it! R&R!
Ren117
********Home for Christmas********
Louis kicked his car. "Come on you piece of crap! Start!" He rattled the engine again. "START!!!" He kicked it again. Hard. He felt something crack in his foot. He swore loudly.
He limped back to his apartment complex and dialed Lauren.
The phone rang twelve times then her answering machine picked up. He hung up and tried again.
Same thing. He tried again. On the eighth ring, she picked up.
"WHAT!?!" She screamed into the phone.
Louis was unresponsive. "Hi honey. I just wondered if you could come over and take me to the emergency room."
She called him a distasteful name and hung up.
He tried five other people with no success.
There was only one person left, and it was a stretch. Tawny.
*******
Tawny was having coffee with Jason.
"Thanks for meeting for coffee this morning Jason." She smiled. He wasn't too bad of a guy after all. Things were finally starting to fall together for them.
"Your welcome." He smiled back at her. ^Ring^
Tawny looked around to find the source. Jason looked back at her.
"I think you're ass is ringing."
She blushed. "oh!" she reached for her phone in her back pocket. She looked to Jason.
"Sorry." She flipped it open.
"Hello?"
*
"Hi Tawny! How are you doing?"
She paused and raised an eyebrow.
"Louis?"
"Yeah, Tawny! I was wondering if you could do a favor for me."
She made a face. "What?"
"Uh.....I kind of need your help. I need to go to the emergency room."
******
"I can't believe I was at the emergency room on Christmas Eve!" Louis cringed.
"Did you know that I was on a date?"
Louis flinched. "My car wouldn't start and my foot hurt really bad."
"How the heck did you break your foot in the first place?" she rolled her eyes. "Nevermind, I don't want to know."
She grabbed Louis's crutches and put them in her car. He leaned on her and she helped him into the passenger seat.
"Careful, it's sore." Louis said, clutching his leg.
Tawny scoffed and slammed the door.
She turned the ignition and started to drive to Louis's apartment.
He cleared his throat nervously. Tawny didn't notice.
He tried again. Nothing.
Again.
"WHAT, Louis! I'm trying to drive!"
"Uh...." he picked at his fingernails.
"...Uh, Tawny, you wouldn't happen to be going home for Christmas today, would you?" He braced himself.
"Listen Louis," He shrank back. "You expect me to take you to the emergency room, wait with you for four hours to get it casted, AND drive you to Sacramento!?!" She was furious to say the least.
He was silent.
"I can't believe you!" She turned the corner sharply, making Louis hit his face on the window. "I'm not your girlfriend. I'm not even your friend, and you just call me out of the blue after three months and demand my service!"
Louis shrank back.
Tawny stopped abruptly at his apartment.
She got out and pulled him out of the car, throwing his crutches at him.
"Hurry up." He smiled at her gratefully.
****
Tawny hauled his suitcase into her trunk. Louis got into the car unassisted.
She stopped again at her dorm building.
"Wait here." She didn't look at him.
"Tawny, wait!" She turned around.
"Thanks." She smiled slightly, then turned and left.
**
Louis banged his head against the window. Tawny had been gone for nearly an hour. What was taking her so long?
He wanted to get out. He grabbed his crutches and opened the door. He got halfway to the entrance then slipped on a patch of ice.
He lay there, sprawled out on the cold concrete. His head throbbed.
An angelic face looked down at him.
"Do I have to take you to the hospital again?"
He groaned. "I'm fine, thanks. I just need an icepack."
She laughed and helped him up
*******
The drive had been quiet. The bump on Louis's head must have shut him up.
He turned to her.
"Lauren and I broke up."
She grinned. "Funny, she didn't mention it to me when I was getting my stuff. But then again, when did we ever talk?"
"Tawny," he waited for her to look at him.
She didn't turn.
Her gaze lay steadily on the road. "Louis, I'm driving."
"Nevermind." He shook his head.
He heard her mumble something.
"What did you say?"
She shook her head. "Nothing."
"No, what did you say? Really."
She sighed. "I said, why do I always end up saving you?"
He paused, letting it sink in, then snorted. "Maybe 'cause I'm so irresistible and you're my princess uncharming?"
They laughed together, then it was quiet again.
"I'm not looking forward to going home." Tawny said.
He turned to her. "Why?"
"My Dad doesn't approve of my career choice, and he won't ever give up on me becoming a psychotherapist." She said, concealing her anger. Louis knew better. Her knuckles were turning white from gripping the steering wheel too tight, and her jaw was clenched.
"Oh yeah, that's right. He wants you to become a shrink like him."
"And my mom." She added.
"Ah, don't listen to him. I saw you in the play. You were great, you're a great actress. " She glanced at him.
"Thanks."
*
Tawny hauled Louis out of the car. Sacramento, finally. His legs ached and felt numb all at the same time. Another hour in the car would have driven him crazy. He leaned heavily on her. His bump, probably a concussion now, had thrown off his balance. He felt nauseated, now moving.
"Careful not to slip on the ice." Louis joked. "I don't want to beat up the concrete again."
"I think you lost." She hid her grin.
He laughed, even though his head hurt when he did. He had almost forgotten what it was like to be with Tawny. For the first time since they split, he realized how much he'd missed her.
Tawny knocked on the Stevens' door. He could hear Christmas music and people talking inside.
A muffled 'coming' came from inside.
Mrs. Stevens answered the door. Her face lit up at the sight of them.
"Louis dear! I'm so happy you made it. And Tawny, so nice to see you! You look very beautiful today!" Louis cringed, his head spinning from her voice. She stopped, noticing the unnatural position of his head, and how much he was leaning on Tawny.
"What happened?"
Louis felt his legs give out on him and heard Tawny groan as he fell on her.
**********************************************
Hope you guys liked it! R&R!
Ren117