Hey Guys~
Sorry if I'm kinda confusing you by the complications, the halfway feelings of both Louis and Tawny, but that's actually my point. Lol. Anyway, after such a short chapter like "Winter Wonderland" comes a humongous chap 15. Enjoy! R&R
Ren117
*****When was it ever easy? *****
They drove in silence. Louis stared out the window, watching the lines on the road pass by. His mind kept drifting back to Tawny. How close they'd been. For a split second before she turned away, it was them; Louis and Tawny. She'd forgotten about the past. About what he said to her. His heart sank. What a mess he'd created.
Louis jumped as Tawny's phone rang. Tawny smiled inside. "Sorry, can you get that for me Louis?"
He picked up her phone and looked at the screen. Discusted, he threw it down. Tawny gave him a weird look. "Who is it?" the phone continued to ring.
She picked it up, the caller ID showing across the screen.
"Reynolds, Lauren." She read aloud. She scoffed and threw the phone down. "How the hell did she get my cell number?"
"She probably broke into my room and is looking in my directory." Louis sank in his seat.
Tawny let it ring. Finally it stopped and went to her voicemail. Louis settled back down, resting his arm on the door. Just as his eyes began to close, it rang again. He hastily grabbed it and then threw it back down.
"Lauren?" Tawny guessed. He scoffed in reply.
"Maybe you should just turn it off."
She shook her head. "Na, I don't want a million pathetic messages on my voicemail." She answered it.
"Hello?" Louis could hear her crying over the phone. Tawny took the phone away from her ear as Lauren started screaming.
"Ok, would you shut up! I did not 'steal' your man. He's not my man, and obviously, he's not yours. So buck off." Louis silently cheered. The whining on the other end continued even as Tawny hung up.
"If I had to listen to her for one more second I think I'd run off the road." She rolled her eyes. "I can't believe you ever........." The thought disgusted her.
"No." Louis shot back. "Me and Lauren never........." he shook his head. Tawny gave him a dubious look. "No. The closest we got to it was what you saw........." he winced at the fact. "Sorry about that."
"Something would always stop us." He laughed. Tawny stared at the road, strangely relieved. But now old wounds were reopened and hurting more than ever.
They were silent after that. Finally Louis looked over to her.
"Hey, you look tired." Tawny blinked a bit. "No Louis, I'm fine." Her edgy tone didn't deceive him. "Let me drive for a while and you can rest."
"Wait, I drove you in the first place because you couldn't."
"No there was a difference. My car couldn't start and my foot wasn't casted yet." She didn't answer.
"Come on Tawn. What do we got? Like three more hours left? I'll stop in an hour or so in Bakersfield for dinner. It'll be about six by then." He pouted.
Tawny groaned, not exactly sure why she was listening to him. She pulled over and got out. Louis grabbed his crutches and hobbled over to the driver's side when the road was clear. Tawny dodged as his crutches came flying back into the car along with Louis.
"Hey! Watch it." She glared at him. He set his crutches in the back seat and held out his hand. "Keys please."
She grudgingly handed them over. He grinned. "Now buckle in cause now we're in the Louismoblie." He put on his sunglasses and smoothed his hair.
"Great," she said sarcastically. "I'll kill you if you crash. Are you sure you can still push the petal with your cast?" He turned the ignition and pulled back onto the road in response.
"I got it babe." He laughed and broke out in song. "I got you babe, I got you babe." Tawny scowled at him. "You know like the Sonny and Cher song?"
This was going to be a long ride.
****
It was dark, around 6:30pm as they arrived in Bakersfield. Louis parked infront of a small diner to eat.
"We're here Tawny." She didn't stir, her chest moving rhythmically in her sleep. She looked so peaceful. He hated to wake her. He gently patted her shoulder. She mumbled something and stretched her arms. "Are we there?" he nodded. "Come on, lets go get something to eat."
**
Tawny set her fork down, her plate empty. She smiled. "I guess I really was hungry."
Louis patted his stomach and burped. "Yep. Nothin like a dinner burger and fries."
"Oh, I forgot. I told Jason I was going to call him when we got here." She reached for her phone, but felt nothing. "I guess I left it in the car with my purse. You ready to go?" He grabbed his coat and crutches and slid out of the booth. Louis paid the tab.
Tawny waited on the passenger side as Louis fiddled with his pockets. He checked all his pockets. No keys. He checked again, grabbing his shirt pocket and digging in the pockets of his cargo pants. Tawny gave him an annoyed look.
"Louis, stop playing around. Unlock the door, it's cold." He froze, looking in the car. There were the keys, still in the ignition. He pounded on the window.
Tawny closed her eyes. "Please don't tell me you locked the keys in the car. Did you?" Louis laughed nervously.
Tawny screamed.
***
"Ok, I talked to the guy and he said the cheapest hotel that's pretty decent is the Vagabond Inn not very far from here. We'll stay there for the night. When the locksmith guy is open tomorrow, we'll be on our way."
"Looks like I'm not calling Jason tonight." Tawny leaned against the car on the driver's side, furious. "You do realize that we can't even get our suitcases, right?"
"What? All we have to do is open the trunk."
"How are we going to open the trunk Louis? The keys are in the car if you haven't noticed!"
"What about that little lever thing?"
"THAT'S IN THE CAR LOUIS!"
He flinched. "Ok sorry Tawn." She turned her back to him and crossed her arms.
"How are we going to pay for this? My money is in the car."
Louis itched his head. "Well, I have sixty bucks in my wallet. That should pay for the room." He slowly approached her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Look, I'm really sorry Tawny." She turned toward him, still angry, but not murderously angry. That was good enough for him.
"Come on." He took off his jacket and put it around her shoulders, even though he was freezing. "Lets walk to the hotel. It's not far from here."
****
The entered the room and turned on the lights.
"It's not too bad." Louis smiled. "Hey look, they even gave us extra toilet paper and shampoo samples!"
"Louis there's one bed."
"What?" he popped his head from out of the bathroom.
"There's one bed, not two." He came out.
"I thought we said two beds."
He bit his lip. "Yeah, I did too. Hold on, I'll fix it." He picked up the phone and dialed the desk.
"Hi, can I speak to Derek, the guy that gave us this room?"
"Speaking." The man on the other end replied.
"Uh hi. This is Louis Stevens. I thought I said two beds, not one queen." Could this day get any worse?
"I gave you a special deal for that room since we had no vacant double bed rooms and you couldn't afford the suite, sir."
"But we need a double bed room!"
"I'm sorry sir, there is nothing I can do. My apologies. We will give you complementary breakfast in bed for the inconvenience."
Louis rubbed his forehead. Tawny is not going to be happy. "Ok thanks. Bye." He hung up and turned to her. "Looks like we're stuck, but getting free breakfast."
"I can't believe this!" She flopped down angrily on the bed. Louis could feel a headache coming on. "So what are we going to do?" Tawny asked, closing her eyes in frustration.
"Well, I guess you get one side and I'll get the other and we'll sleep in our clothes."
Tawny shed her coat and sweater. "I'm tired." She looked at the clock. Almost 10:30. She headed to the bathroom to get ready for bed. Less then fifteen minutes later, she emerged and loosened the covers on 'her side of the bed'. Louis switched off the TV and yawned. "I guess I'll hit the hay too. Good thing they gave us two sets of toothbrushes."
Tawny sighed, exhausted. No matter how much trouble Louis got himself into, he'd always find a way out. She couldn't believe she was letting him off the hook, like always. Especially today. He was so different than Jason. So ununiform, unpredictable, fun compared to pretty boy actor that was flirting with Ren. But if she really loved Jason, why did her heart ache so much with Louis?
When he came back out of the bathroom, the lights were off and Tawny's back was toward him. He could remember how many times before he wanted to be in a situation like this with her before. Now the opportunity was here, and he didn't want to take it.
Louis took off his belt and unbuttoned his shirt halfway as he slipped into bed. Tawny stirred in her sleep at his arrival, turning over so he faced her. She hummed slightly and her hand slipped unconsciously into Louis's. She was so warm. He softly caressed her hand, careful not to wake her. She would kill him if she were to wake up. She was so beautiful. Her soft hair spread out along her shoulder, her head resting on the pillow, lips slightly parted. He slowly moved to her, feeling more of her warmth and gently kissed her. She licked her lips but didn't move.
He set his head back down and clasp her hand again. Maybe it was his imagination, but he thought he caught a glimpse of a smile.
"Night Tawn."
*****
Sorry if I'm kinda confusing you by the complications, the halfway feelings of both Louis and Tawny, but that's actually my point. Lol. Anyway, after such a short chapter like "Winter Wonderland" comes a humongous chap 15. Enjoy! R&R
Ren117
*****When was it ever easy? *****
They drove in silence. Louis stared out the window, watching the lines on the road pass by. His mind kept drifting back to Tawny. How close they'd been. For a split second before she turned away, it was them; Louis and Tawny. She'd forgotten about the past. About what he said to her. His heart sank. What a mess he'd created.
Louis jumped as Tawny's phone rang. Tawny smiled inside. "Sorry, can you get that for me Louis?"
He picked up her phone and looked at the screen. Discusted, he threw it down. Tawny gave him a weird look. "Who is it?" the phone continued to ring.
She picked it up, the caller ID showing across the screen.
"Reynolds, Lauren." She read aloud. She scoffed and threw the phone down. "How the hell did she get my cell number?"
"She probably broke into my room and is looking in my directory." Louis sank in his seat.
Tawny let it ring. Finally it stopped and went to her voicemail. Louis settled back down, resting his arm on the door. Just as his eyes began to close, it rang again. He hastily grabbed it and then threw it back down.
"Lauren?" Tawny guessed. He scoffed in reply.
"Maybe you should just turn it off."
She shook her head. "Na, I don't want a million pathetic messages on my voicemail." She answered it.
"Hello?" Louis could hear her crying over the phone. Tawny took the phone away from her ear as Lauren started screaming.
"Ok, would you shut up! I did not 'steal' your man. He's not my man, and obviously, he's not yours. So buck off." Louis silently cheered. The whining on the other end continued even as Tawny hung up.
"If I had to listen to her for one more second I think I'd run off the road." She rolled her eyes. "I can't believe you ever........." The thought disgusted her.
"No." Louis shot back. "Me and Lauren never........." he shook his head. Tawny gave him a dubious look. "No. The closest we got to it was what you saw........." he winced at the fact. "Sorry about that."
"Something would always stop us." He laughed. Tawny stared at the road, strangely relieved. But now old wounds were reopened and hurting more than ever.
They were silent after that. Finally Louis looked over to her.
"Hey, you look tired." Tawny blinked a bit. "No Louis, I'm fine." Her edgy tone didn't deceive him. "Let me drive for a while and you can rest."
"Wait, I drove you in the first place because you couldn't."
"No there was a difference. My car couldn't start and my foot wasn't casted yet." She didn't answer.
"Come on Tawn. What do we got? Like three more hours left? I'll stop in an hour or so in Bakersfield for dinner. It'll be about six by then." He pouted.
Tawny groaned, not exactly sure why she was listening to him. She pulled over and got out. Louis grabbed his crutches and hobbled over to the driver's side when the road was clear. Tawny dodged as his crutches came flying back into the car along with Louis.
"Hey! Watch it." She glared at him. He set his crutches in the back seat and held out his hand. "Keys please."
She grudgingly handed them over. He grinned. "Now buckle in cause now we're in the Louismoblie." He put on his sunglasses and smoothed his hair.
"Great," she said sarcastically. "I'll kill you if you crash. Are you sure you can still push the petal with your cast?" He turned the ignition and pulled back onto the road in response.
"I got it babe." He laughed and broke out in song. "I got you babe, I got you babe." Tawny scowled at him. "You know like the Sonny and Cher song?"
This was going to be a long ride.
****
It was dark, around 6:30pm as they arrived in Bakersfield. Louis parked infront of a small diner to eat.
"We're here Tawny." She didn't stir, her chest moving rhythmically in her sleep. She looked so peaceful. He hated to wake her. He gently patted her shoulder. She mumbled something and stretched her arms. "Are we there?" he nodded. "Come on, lets go get something to eat."
**
Tawny set her fork down, her plate empty. She smiled. "I guess I really was hungry."
Louis patted his stomach and burped. "Yep. Nothin like a dinner burger and fries."
"Oh, I forgot. I told Jason I was going to call him when we got here." She reached for her phone, but felt nothing. "I guess I left it in the car with my purse. You ready to go?" He grabbed his coat and crutches and slid out of the booth. Louis paid the tab.
Tawny waited on the passenger side as Louis fiddled with his pockets. He checked all his pockets. No keys. He checked again, grabbing his shirt pocket and digging in the pockets of his cargo pants. Tawny gave him an annoyed look.
"Louis, stop playing around. Unlock the door, it's cold." He froze, looking in the car. There were the keys, still in the ignition. He pounded on the window.
Tawny closed her eyes. "Please don't tell me you locked the keys in the car. Did you?" Louis laughed nervously.
Tawny screamed.
***
"Ok, I talked to the guy and he said the cheapest hotel that's pretty decent is the Vagabond Inn not very far from here. We'll stay there for the night. When the locksmith guy is open tomorrow, we'll be on our way."
"Looks like I'm not calling Jason tonight." Tawny leaned against the car on the driver's side, furious. "You do realize that we can't even get our suitcases, right?"
"What? All we have to do is open the trunk."
"How are we going to open the trunk Louis? The keys are in the car if you haven't noticed!"
"What about that little lever thing?"
"THAT'S IN THE CAR LOUIS!"
He flinched. "Ok sorry Tawn." She turned her back to him and crossed her arms.
"How are we going to pay for this? My money is in the car."
Louis itched his head. "Well, I have sixty bucks in my wallet. That should pay for the room." He slowly approached her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Look, I'm really sorry Tawny." She turned toward him, still angry, but not murderously angry. That was good enough for him.
"Come on." He took off his jacket and put it around her shoulders, even though he was freezing. "Lets walk to the hotel. It's not far from here."
****
The entered the room and turned on the lights.
"It's not too bad." Louis smiled. "Hey look, they even gave us extra toilet paper and shampoo samples!"
"Louis there's one bed."
"What?" he popped his head from out of the bathroom.
"There's one bed, not two." He came out.
"I thought we said two beds."
He bit his lip. "Yeah, I did too. Hold on, I'll fix it." He picked up the phone and dialed the desk.
"Hi, can I speak to Derek, the guy that gave us this room?"
"Speaking." The man on the other end replied.
"Uh hi. This is Louis Stevens. I thought I said two beds, not one queen." Could this day get any worse?
"I gave you a special deal for that room since we had no vacant double bed rooms and you couldn't afford the suite, sir."
"But we need a double bed room!"
"I'm sorry sir, there is nothing I can do. My apologies. We will give you complementary breakfast in bed for the inconvenience."
Louis rubbed his forehead. Tawny is not going to be happy. "Ok thanks. Bye." He hung up and turned to her. "Looks like we're stuck, but getting free breakfast."
"I can't believe this!" She flopped down angrily on the bed. Louis could feel a headache coming on. "So what are we going to do?" Tawny asked, closing her eyes in frustration.
"Well, I guess you get one side and I'll get the other and we'll sleep in our clothes."
Tawny shed her coat and sweater. "I'm tired." She looked at the clock. Almost 10:30. She headed to the bathroom to get ready for bed. Less then fifteen minutes later, she emerged and loosened the covers on 'her side of the bed'. Louis switched off the TV and yawned. "I guess I'll hit the hay too. Good thing they gave us two sets of toothbrushes."
Tawny sighed, exhausted. No matter how much trouble Louis got himself into, he'd always find a way out. She couldn't believe she was letting him off the hook, like always. Especially today. He was so different than Jason. So ununiform, unpredictable, fun compared to pretty boy actor that was flirting with Ren. But if she really loved Jason, why did her heart ache so much with Louis?
When he came back out of the bathroom, the lights were off and Tawny's back was toward him. He could remember how many times before he wanted to be in a situation like this with her before. Now the opportunity was here, and he didn't want to take it.
Louis took off his belt and unbuttoned his shirt halfway as he slipped into bed. Tawny stirred in her sleep at his arrival, turning over so he faced her. She hummed slightly and her hand slipped unconsciously into Louis's. She was so warm. He softly caressed her hand, careful not to wake her. She would kill him if she were to wake up. She was so beautiful. Her soft hair spread out along her shoulder, her head resting on the pillow, lips slightly parted. He slowly moved to her, feeling more of her warmth and gently kissed her. She licked her lips but didn't move.
He set his head back down and clasp her hand again. Maybe it was his imagination, but he thought he caught a glimpse of a smile.
"Night Tawn."
*****