Chapter 5

Well, I asked her to dinner. And she said yes! I was so excited the following night, that I almost choked myself with the tie I was putting on! I really would have, except that Peter came to the rescue with an even better tie.

"Here, John. It is a silk tie." The tie he was holding out was sky blue. "I bought it when I got first job in America. I want to impress ladies too."

I smirked and whipped my thick, itchy, red tie from neck. "Sure, Peter. Sure."

"I would not advise antagonizing me, John," he growled. I smiled but shook my head playfully.

"Whatever, Peter."

I tighthened the tie against my Adam's apple and look at my reflection in the mirror. In all black except for Peter's tie, I had to say. I did look good. But looking good did nothing to nervousness.

"Peter?" I asked to the bulky Russian across the room from me. "You said you want a girl to notice you, right?"

He peered at me.

"Yes?"

"Well... Who is it?"

"As I said before; not of your business."

"But I really want to know."

"But I cannot tell you."

"But I'm one of your best friends!"

"Sure, but that does not entitle you to knowing whom I like."

"Yup."

"Yup?"

"Yup as in: I am entitled to knowing who you like."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"You're late."

"Ye-- What?"

"You're late."

I glanced at the clock and realized it was past 7. Past the time that I said I would meet Rogue at the front doors.

"Crap," I muttered while pulling a comb quickly through my mop of dark brown hair. "See ya later, Colossus! And you better tell me who it is!"

I hurried down the stairs, only to see Rogue chatting with Gambit. So I stopped before I reached the bottom of the stairsand managed to hear some of their conversation.

"So, Mr. LeBleau." At this, Gambit smiled.

"What's your power?" Rogue smiled back.

"Oh, well... I can make the potential energy in anything and turn it into kinetic energy." He took out a card and held it in his hand until it glowed a pink-ish purple.

"Which in English translates to: things will blow up with me around."

He flicked the card into a nearby trash can just as it went up in flames.

"And I can control how strong the 'explosives' are."

Rogue smiled at Gambit once again, but she looked at her watch. She muttered something and looked at the stairs. Apparently, she didn't spot me crouching there, just watching the two of them talk.

Gambit spoke again. "You know... You are the most beautiful person I've ever seen!"

Blushing, Rogue accepted the compliment. "Thanks. But can I talk to you later? I have to go somewhere."

So Gambit smiled, grabbed Rogue's gloved hand, kissed it, waved good bye before walking off in the other direction.

And as he disappeared around the corner, I stood up. My eyes burning with the fire within, I strode right up to her.

"What the hell was that?" The words echoed in my mind, not sounding unlike to the words from the first night she was here.

"What?" she asked, a deep hurt resounding in her eyes. "That wasn't anything."

"Yeah, sure it wasn't."

"It really wasn't, John! We were just talking!"

I loosened my tie as I spoke. "Well, if you were just talking, why did he friggin' kiss your friggin' hand?"

She had tears in her eyes now. "It's a nice thing to do, John. Oh wait, you're not the nice guy, are you? You with the stupid bad boy image! I can't believe you thought I was flirting with him or something, because we weren't! I just happened to see him, and I wanted to talk to someone while you were late to our date!"

I sighed angrily and thre my tie on the ground. "Well,Marie,maybe I wouldn't have been late if I didn't have to stop and watch you with that son of a bitch!"

"John." Rogue's face was streaming with tears. "I really thought I was going on a date with a guy worth going with."

She grabbed the black velvet purse sitting on a small end table by the door.

"But I guess I was wrong."

She stormed away, leaving me to gape at her rapidly retreating form. When I could no longer see her in her black semi-formal dress, I had the guts to whisper one question to myself.

"Who said I was worth anything?"