AN : hey all. So close to a major development of the story. Maybe lots
reviews will make this much anticipated event come faster. ;) Take a hint
people! Anyway, on to the story.
Chapter 44 - Too Little, Too Late
"Hey." He said, chastising himself for being lame, again.
"Hey." She said back. She wanted to jump for joy, but something told her that it wasn't a great idea to let him know such a small effort pleased her. It was sort of too little too late.
"I'm sorry I didn't call sooner. Things were hectic at work and I spent most of last week under a car or asleep." It was true but he could have made time to call.
"S'ok." She gave him a small smile. She didn't totally buy his story but it was better then nothing. She checked for Nikki and the other girl was talking to Stacy off to one side. The music started again. "You gonna dance wit me or just stand there?"
"I'll try to dance with you, but you're better at it then I am."
"I'll go slow. You know, this kind of dancing should be done like driving a Honda." She gave him a smug grin, confident he would play into her hands and ask how so.
"How's that?" He asked and didn't disappoint her.
"Hard, obscene and loud enough for the neighbours to hear." She tried to keep a straight face but gave up when Leon threw back his head and laughed. "They say the same thing about driving a Honda and sex, they're both done slow, obscene and loud enough for the whole neighbourhood to hear." She laughed at the look on his face.
"What're you doin' talkin' like that and lookin' like you do?" Leon couldn't believe the angelic creature in front of him had spoken like that.
"I once had to drive a Honda." She said simply. Leon laughed till tears ran down his cheeks.
"Me too." He gasped out. Kat shot the DJ a look and the DJ knew what she wanted. B R right. He spun the track. Now Leon was gasping trying to keep up. He did ok. 3am came along quickly and the club closed down.
"Well, I had a nice time Leon." Kat said as she walked out of the club into the cooler night air.
"Me too. I'm sorry I didn't call you sooner."
"S'ok." Kat was glad she'd stayed pretty well sober for the evening. She didn't trust herself not to throw herself at Leon if she had had anything much to drink. And she didn't want to go there yet. She wanted him like crazy, but he didn't need to know that yet. She still didn't trust him. Wanting him and trusting him were two totally different things.
"How you all getting home?" Leon asked. "Cause I have to go that way anyway if you want a ride."
"Ok. We'd love a ride." Stacy and Nikki agreed with a look that a ride sounded good. They all got in the car and had a pretty well silent ride back home. Kat didn't have much she wanted to say in front of other people and Leon felt the same way. Kat didn't miss the arm Stacy had around her friend's shoulders, and Kat figured she wasn't going to be the one sharing her room with Nikki tonight. She sighed softly, she didn't intend for anyone to hear her. She was just feeling sorry for herself. It seemed like everyone had someone but her, and the guy she wanted was right there beside her, but he may as well have been half way around the world for the way it felt between them. She felt like the Grand Canyon was between them. It was like when they were alone things were back to the way they were before. But when others were around he acted different toward her and she didn't know what to do about it.
She caught Leon looking at her out of the corner of her eye and she knew that he'd heard her sigh. She hoped he didn't ask questions. She figured she could escape into her house before he'd get a chance. She'd had a good time with him tonight and she'd rather hold onto those thoughts for the rest of the evening before they had a fight about where they were going again.
Leon wondered why she sighed like she did. Why she was sad. He thought they'd had a nice time. Of course, he'd just showed up. It wasn't like he put a lot of effort into the whole evening. She'd planned a night out for her and her girl, and he'd just crashed it. He felt like they weren't even in the same car at all, like they weren't sitting side by side with only 6 inches between them. She was leaning on her door, away from him and he could sense she was drawn into her own mind, her own thoughts, and essentially she was elsewhere, not in the car with him.
It didn't matter if she wasn't thinking of him, he was thinking of her. He wanted her. He always wanted her when she was within a hundred foot radius of his vision. He still had visions of them in the back seat of his car whenever he saw her. He just didn't know how to get back to where they'd been before. Just wanting her wasn't enough. Dom had been right all along, he couldn't just sleep with Kat. He had to be sure. He couldn't get past the anger. It returned whenever they were apart and even to some extent when they weren't alone. But he still liked her and still wanted her.
He parked in Kat's driveway and she jumped out of the car to let her friend out of his back seat. He waited for her to hop back in so they could take off for a ride like they always did. She leaned into the car a bit.
"Thanks for the ride Leon. See you around?" What could he say? It was clear she didn't want to be around him. He couldn't force her to come with him. But he'd wanted to talk to her. To make sure everything was ok. Even though he knew everything wasn't ok. But he just told her good night and watched her walk into her house before driving to his own.
He parked the car and went into the house. Dom was sitting at the kitchen table.
"What the hell are you doin' up Dawg?" Leon asked, he'd expected the whole house to be in bed by the time he got home.
"Can't sleep." Dom growled and looked up.
"Why not?" Leon asked.
"Don't know. Just can't." Dom was in a very bad mood. He knew why he couldn't sleep but he didn't want to share it with Leon, or anyone. He wanted to mull it over in his own head first.
"I see. Well, try warm milk or somethin'. I gotta go to bed myself before I fall asleep where I stand." Leon said and headed for the stairs.
"Leon?" Dom started.
"Yeah?"
"Just watch your back." Dom stated. Leon knew what he meant, even though he wished he didn't.
"I will Dawg, try to go to bed man, it's after 3am." Leon said and continued down the stairs. Dom hoped Leon took his advice.
*~*
Kat and her friends walked into the house to find everyone was already in bed but them. She headed for the kitchen to get a drink of water and heard the TV turn on. She walked out of the kitchen into the living room when she'd had her drink and found Stacy and Nikki watching TV.
"You stayin' up for awhile Kitty cat?" Nikki asked her.
"Nope, I'm tired as hell for some reason." Kat sighed. "Goin' to bed. G'night."
"Night." Nikki and Stacy answered in unison. Kat knew they wanted her to go to bed so they could go together. She just hoped that Stacy didn't hurt Nikki again, and that they had better luck with romance then she'd been having lately.
She went to her room and decided she had to take a shower before she went to bed, she felt very sweaty and grimy. She took her shower and then went to bed, after peaking over the landing and seeing that the living room had been plunged into darkness while she showered, just as she had suspected, and that there was no sign of Nikki in her room. She shook her head, but smiled to herself and went to bed, where the melancholy mood got to her and she cried herself to sleep, again.
Chapter 44 - Too Little, Too Late
"Hey." He said, chastising himself for being lame, again.
"Hey." She said back. She wanted to jump for joy, but something told her that it wasn't a great idea to let him know such a small effort pleased her. It was sort of too little too late.
"I'm sorry I didn't call sooner. Things were hectic at work and I spent most of last week under a car or asleep." It was true but he could have made time to call.
"S'ok." She gave him a small smile. She didn't totally buy his story but it was better then nothing. She checked for Nikki and the other girl was talking to Stacy off to one side. The music started again. "You gonna dance wit me or just stand there?"
"I'll try to dance with you, but you're better at it then I am."
"I'll go slow. You know, this kind of dancing should be done like driving a Honda." She gave him a smug grin, confident he would play into her hands and ask how so.
"How's that?" He asked and didn't disappoint her.
"Hard, obscene and loud enough for the neighbours to hear." She tried to keep a straight face but gave up when Leon threw back his head and laughed. "They say the same thing about driving a Honda and sex, they're both done slow, obscene and loud enough for the whole neighbourhood to hear." She laughed at the look on his face.
"What're you doin' talkin' like that and lookin' like you do?" Leon couldn't believe the angelic creature in front of him had spoken like that.
"I once had to drive a Honda." She said simply. Leon laughed till tears ran down his cheeks.
"Me too." He gasped out. Kat shot the DJ a look and the DJ knew what she wanted. B R right. He spun the track. Now Leon was gasping trying to keep up. He did ok. 3am came along quickly and the club closed down.
"Well, I had a nice time Leon." Kat said as she walked out of the club into the cooler night air.
"Me too. I'm sorry I didn't call you sooner."
"S'ok." Kat was glad she'd stayed pretty well sober for the evening. She didn't trust herself not to throw herself at Leon if she had had anything much to drink. And she didn't want to go there yet. She wanted him like crazy, but he didn't need to know that yet. She still didn't trust him. Wanting him and trusting him were two totally different things.
"How you all getting home?" Leon asked. "Cause I have to go that way anyway if you want a ride."
"Ok. We'd love a ride." Stacy and Nikki agreed with a look that a ride sounded good. They all got in the car and had a pretty well silent ride back home. Kat didn't have much she wanted to say in front of other people and Leon felt the same way. Kat didn't miss the arm Stacy had around her friend's shoulders, and Kat figured she wasn't going to be the one sharing her room with Nikki tonight. She sighed softly, she didn't intend for anyone to hear her. She was just feeling sorry for herself. It seemed like everyone had someone but her, and the guy she wanted was right there beside her, but he may as well have been half way around the world for the way it felt between them. She felt like the Grand Canyon was between them. It was like when they were alone things were back to the way they were before. But when others were around he acted different toward her and she didn't know what to do about it.
She caught Leon looking at her out of the corner of her eye and she knew that he'd heard her sigh. She hoped he didn't ask questions. She figured she could escape into her house before he'd get a chance. She'd had a good time with him tonight and she'd rather hold onto those thoughts for the rest of the evening before they had a fight about where they were going again.
Leon wondered why she sighed like she did. Why she was sad. He thought they'd had a nice time. Of course, he'd just showed up. It wasn't like he put a lot of effort into the whole evening. She'd planned a night out for her and her girl, and he'd just crashed it. He felt like they weren't even in the same car at all, like they weren't sitting side by side with only 6 inches between them. She was leaning on her door, away from him and he could sense she was drawn into her own mind, her own thoughts, and essentially she was elsewhere, not in the car with him.
It didn't matter if she wasn't thinking of him, he was thinking of her. He wanted her. He always wanted her when she was within a hundred foot radius of his vision. He still had visions of them in the back seat of his car whenever he saw her. He just didn't know how to get back to where they'd been before. Just wanting her wasn't enough. Dom had been right all along, he couldn't just sleep with Kat. He had to be sure. He couldn't get past the anger. It returned whenever they were apart and even to some extent when they weren't alone. But he still liked her and still wanted her.
He parked in Kat's driveway and she jumped out of the car to let her friend out of his back seat. He waited for her to hop back in so they could take off for a ride like they always did. She leaned into the car a bit.
"Thanks for the ride Leon. See you around?" What could he say? It was clear she didn't want to be around him. He couldn't force her to come with him. But he'd wanted to talk to her. To make sure everything was ok. Even though he knew everything wasn't ok. But he just told her good night and watched her walk into her house before driving to his own.
He parked the car and went into the house. Dom was sitting at the kitchen table.
"What the hell are you doin' up Dawg?" Leon asked, he'd expected the whole house to be in bed by the time he got home.
"Can't sleep." Dom growled and looked up.
"Why not?" Leon asked.
"Don't know. Just can't." Dom was in a very bad mood. He knew why he couldn't sleep but he didn't want to share it with Leon, or anyone. He wanted to mull it over in his own head first.
"I see. Well, try warm milk or somethin'. I gotta go to bed myself before I fall asleep where I stand." Leon said and headed for the stairs.
"Leon?" Dom started.
"Yeah?"
"Just watch your back." Dom stated. Leon knew what he meant, even though he wished he didn't.
"I will Dawg, try to go to bed man, it's after 3am." Leon said and continued down the stairs. Dom hoped Leon took his advice.
*~*
Kat and her friends walked into the house to find everyone was already in bed but them. She headed for the kitchen to get a drink of water and heard the TV turn on. She walked out of the kitchen into the living room when she'd had her drink and found Stacy and Nikki watching TV.
"You stayin' up for awhile Kitty cat?" Nikki asked her.
"Nope, I'm tired as hell for some reason." Kat sighed. "Goin' to bed. G'night."
"Night." Nikki and Stacy answered in unison. Kat knew they wanted her to go to bed so they could go together. She just hoped that Stacy didn't hurt Nikki again, and that they had better luck with romance then she'd been having lately.
She went to her room and decided she had to take a shower before she went to bed, she felt very sweaty and grimy. She took her shower and then went to bed, after peaking over the landing and seeing that the living room had been plunged into darkness while she showered, just as she had suspected, and that there was no sign of Nikki in her room. She shook her head, but smiled to herself and went to bed, where the melancholy mood got to her and she cried herself to sleep, again.