Worth Waiting For

Chapter three :The Catalyst

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to S.E. Hinton.

It was three o'clock that same day. Cassy was sitting behind a rounded counter reading a book with her legs propped up on the inside ledge. It usually didn't get too busy until after five when everyone got off work. She still had two more hours until she had to really focus, which she was glad for. She was getting to the best part of the book. She was about to turn the page when two young men came in wearing big, dirty yellow gloves. She had almost forgotten there was some maintenance being done today. She looked up smiling to greet them. It grew when she recognised one of them to be Darryl. Obviously they were working on the roof.

"Hello again Darryl, how can I help you two?" Putting her book away she stood up to properly greet them. The man next to him was rather handsome. He had black hair with the deepest blue eyes Cassy had ever seen. His face was long and defined. He was giving her an appraising look with a glint in his eye. She could see the arrogance not only in his expression but in his posture as well. He was attractive and knew it. Just as Darryl opened his mouth to reply, he was cut off by the other man beside him.

"Well babe, once we got all the shingles to the roof, the latch on the ladder broke and now we can't get up there to do our job. What do you suggest we do?" The suggestive tone in his voice bothered her. She noticed Darryl glaring at him after he cut him off. It seemed the two didn't get along too well.

"She has a name," Darryl said in a low voice. Cassy was sure she could hear a trace of a growl in his voice. The other man looked at him quizzically.

"Ok…?" He obviously didn't get it. Cassy could only roll her eyes.

"Well, come on, there's a stairwell at the back with a door to the roof." Darryl and the other man followed her silently to the back of the gym. All the while Darryl was glaring at Trent, his partner. Trent was always flirting on the job, but this time it bothered Darryl. He assumed it was because she was part of the gang by association now and in a similar position to himself. This made him respect her all the more.

He watched as Trent's eyes followed her every move. An irrational anger swept over him. He, of course, would do nothing about it though.

Pulling the keys from her belt loop, Cassy unlocked the door and opened it, revealing to them the roof. After Trent walked past, Darryl took Cassy's arm and pulled her just behind the door.

"Be careful with him Cass, he's a one night stand kind of guy. His idea of a good time is to kick someone's ass, get drunk and then get laid. You don't want to get caught up in that." His tone and expression were deadly serious. She smiled brightly at him which visibly made him calm.

"There's no need to worry Darryl, he's not my type anyway." Darryl raised his brows at this.

"May I ask what your type is?" His eyes were boring intensely into hers. Knots were slowly building in his stomach and were making his breath speed up. He had an irrational urge to pull her into his arms where he knew she would be safe from anyone that only wanted her body. He pegged it to adopting the roll of protective older brother for the past few months. Even he had a hard time believing that.

"My type is caring, not arrogant, responsible..." At this she paused and looked him over. "About two years older with brown hair…" Is she implying…

"Darryl, get your ass out here and help me!" Trent cut his train of thought and any extension to Cassy's answer there may have been. He could have throttled Trent at that moment but instead averted his gaze to the floor.

"Sorry, I have to go." She looked disappointed when he said that.

"Me too, I shouldn't leave the front desk unattended for too long." She smiled brightly at him once more before she turned and went back to her desk. It was busier this time of year since summer was coming up. People were preparing for vacations and the like. Though Cassy wasn't an incredibly social person, everyone that entered the gym was completely friendly, and the manager had an outlandish sense of humour that never ceased to make Cassy smile. The thought that Darryl was there made the day seem to go by quicker.

It was just as she was putting her sweater on that Darryl and Trent returned to the front. Darryl had a dirt smudge on his cheek that made his rugged features look soft, or as Cassy would have described it, 'utterly adorable'. Trent's suave smile unnerved her as he approached.

"Hey, perfect timing, need a ride home?" She gave him a polite smile.

"No, I have my own car thanks." He frowned for a second before taking out a pen and a piece of scrap paper.

"Ok babe, but if you're ever in need of my…services, here's my number." She rolled her eyes at his wink after he'd turned his back to leave. Darryl exited behind her and once outside he grabbed the little piece of paper.

"Let me take care of that for you." Setting it on the ground, he lit it on fire with his cigarette lighter. The smirk on his face as it burned was priceless.

"Well, I was going to throw it out, but that works too." She smirked. "A bit more creative."

"I thought so too," he laughed and she could help but join in. The chance to see the rare spark of true contentment in his features was enough to make her want to spend time with him.

Placing his hand on the small of her back, he walked her to her car. He didn't want her to leave but he was afraid of what she would think if he asked her to stay. This was the one area that he was unsure about.

Looking into his eyes she saw the longing and on an impulse pulled him into a hug. His eyes widened but he wrapped his arms around her in the protective embraced that he wanted her to stay in. Where he knew she was safe.

"Did you know your name means darling?" It was a rather random question and he pulled back slightly to look at her, brows raised.

"Really?" she nodded and pulled him back to her.

"It suits you." If her head hadn't been buried into his shoulder she would have seen the grin that spread across his face.

"Is that why you don't call me Darry?" He felt the breath of her contemplative sigh on his nckt, sending goose bumps to every place it touched.

"One reason, but Darryl is one of my favourite names, I could never turn such a nice name into a food group, no matter how endearing it may seem." He nodded.

"Call me whatever you want," he said wistfully. He couldn't see the mischievous grin on her face.

"Ok Hunnybuns." He spluttered at the utterly feminine name. "Well you said whatever I want right?" He glared down at her only to see her smile widen. "Fine, fine, I'll stick with Darryl." He gave a single nod to show he approved.

"Good idea," he said, positioning his chin back over her head where it had been before. He voice took on a warning tone.

"Was that a threat?" she asked. He held her a bit tighter.

"No, just a fact." There was a silence for a few minutes before Darryl pulled back slightly to look in her eyes. She noticed his uncertainty and rubbed his arms for assurance. His focus moved to her hands for a split second before they returned to her eyes. "So, Cassy, are you free on Sunday?" She looked thoughtful for a moment.

"As far as I know." Again, he nodded once.

"Well, Soda's gonna be working and Ponyboy's going with Johnny to watch the horse show, so did you wanna go up to the beach with me? It's a forty minute drive but I know a place that's pretty secluded, we'll probably have that whole part to ourselves." He visibly relaxed when he noticed her eyes light up at the suggestion.

"I'd love to; I haven't been to a beach in so long." She beamed at him.

"Great, um, I'll pick you up at about ten thirty and we can eat lunch there."

"I'll be waiting." She gave him a kiss on the cheek before she hopped in her car. Darryl was grinning to himself as he watched her drive off. She's really something. He thought on his way home.