Chapter Nineteen: Words Are Only Words
A/N: If you read the last ch. 19, the you really don't have to read this. There isn't too much difference. But, if you haven't, I sincerely hope you enjoy this. And please, if you can find it in your wonderful hearts, review when you're done. It makes my day reading them. Thanks everyone! I hope this hasn't becaome disappointing!
Sara stared down at her house phone, urging it to ring. She knew that it was the day Dave was returning from his vacation, and that Kali had intended on talking to him about everything the moment she saw him. So Sara was expecting her to call.
Finally, when it did ring, she snatched it up so quickly she dropped it. "Oh shit!" she cried, picking it up off the floor. "Hello? Kali?"
"Someone more important than that," was the reply.
"Oh, John," Sara said, "hi."
"What's the 'oh, John, hi?' you sound disappointed to hear from me," he said.
"No, of course not," she replied, "I was just expecting a phone call from Kali."
"Oh, Dave came back today, that right," John said, "So… what do you think they're doing?"
"Talking I hope, or maybe more," she said, smiling wickedly to herself, "the sexual tension between those two was getting to be too much to bare."
"Think so, huh?" John asked, "I thought they already took care of their tension."
"I mean in a way they can actually remember," she replied.
"Oh, okay, well enough about their sexual tension, what are you gonna do about ours? Cause, it's getting pretty bad," he said.
"Are you ever not horny?" she asked, laughing, "and stop talking like that, I'm trying to worry about my sister and her ever so dramatic love life."
"Well, I'm sure that whatever they're doing, they're working out whatever needs to be," John said.
"God, I hope so."
xxxxx
Dave and Kali walked side by side through a garden outside their hotel. Neither was saying a word, both unsure of what they should say. "Kali, we really need to talk," Dave said finally, sighing loudly.
"I know we do," she replied.
"Good," he said. They stopped in front of a bench and sat down. "Look, Kali, I really like you, I'm pretty sure you know that-"
"Yeah, I think I've pretty much gotten the message," she said, nodding her head, "And I really like you, too Dave."
"And I don't regret anything that's happened between us," he continued, "Not that night in the restaurant or the night in Vegas."
"You don't remember what happened in Vegas, though," she replied, "Neither do I. So I do regret it."
"And I can understand that," he said, "Really, I can.What I can't understand is why you started dating Randy afterward."
Kali looked down at her feet, trying to think of a way to answer him. "Dave, I was attracted to you the moment we first met. I'm pretty sure you know that, but after what happened in Las Vegas… nothing like that has ever happened to me and I was afraid of what I was feeling because I've never felt that way about anyone so quickly," she said, looking back up at him. "And as horrible as it may sound, Randy was my outlet for those feelings."
"So, you were using him?" Dave asked.
"I was," she admitted, frowning to herself..
"Were you ever attracted to him?"
Kali sighed, trying to choose her words carefully because she knew she had been. "Not like I was to you."
Dave felt relieved and frustrated all at the same time. "Do you know how jealous I was?" he asked, "if you needed someway to deal with your feelings for me, you should have come to me."
"Is that why you told Randy about us," she asked, "Because you were jealous and it gave you something to have over him when it came to me?"
"I was frustrated about my feelings for you, too," he replied, "And it was driving me crazy knowing how much I wanted you and knowing that he had you. To see you with him was torture, so yeah that's why I told him. To let him know I got there first."
"You got there first?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at him. "So it was just some kind of macho, ha ha I fucked your girlfriend first kinda thing?"
"Kali, I'm-" he tried, but she interrupted.
"Do you have any idea what he said to me after talking to you?"
Dave shook his head, hearing how hurt she was in voice.
"He called me a whore," she said as if the word left a bad taste in her mouth.
"He what?" Dave asked, shocked by what she said.
"He called me a whore and then proceeded to tell anyone who would listen the very same thing."
"Kali, I'm so sorry," he said.
"Don't," she replied, "I'm over it now." he could tell by her tone, she really wasn't.
"Have you talked to him at all since?" Dave asked.
"No, he won't talk to me at all," she answered. "Same goes for Uncle Ric. Well, no he speaks to me, but just barely. He's going to kill you."
"So I've heard," Dave said, nodding his head, "I'm going to talk to him tonight at the arena. I figure it's the adult thing to do."
"You think he's going to want to talk to you about how you slept with his niece?" Kali asked.
"No, I know he won't, so we won't talk about that. But I will talk to him about how much I care about you and how much I respect you, and hopefully, as my friend and as your uncle he can and will respect and understand that," Dave said. He stopped and looked at her for a moment, before continuing. "Are you still coming on as part of Evolution?"
"Oh, so you heard about that, huh?" she asked.
"About your contract? Yeah," he replied, "which show are you signing to?"
"God, you sound like Trish. She was asking the same thing just before you came into the gym today," she replied.
"Have you even decided yet?" he asked, to which she nodded.
"But just so you know, I made my choice based on what I thought was going to best for me and for you," she said.
"Kali, this is your career you're talking about right now, please don't tell me that you went against what you thought was right for you because of your feelings for me," he said, "because it's not about me."
"But it is," she answered, "And about me, and even about Randy. It's about everything that's happened in the past few weeks, all of it has really influenced me." Dave nodded, he understood what she was saying.
"Alright, so which show did you pick?"