A/N: A little Father/Son conversation to start off...
"What's this?" LaSalle grinned at the fifty dollar bill that King had just slapped into his hand. That Chris could remember Pride had paid for lunch the last time the two of them grabbed a bite to eat so this had him a bit curious. Other than when he sold his house, the man usually wasn't in the habit of giving money away. "You out of pretzels or something'?"
"Just a little spending money to get something nice for Addie. Make up for havin' tuh run out on her on her party the other night," Pride circled around the bar, and picked up a large plastic flat of Shiner Bock, taking them to the back.
"What am I sixteen?" Chris called out, setting the money back on the bar. "And for the record, Addie's good. She understands why we had to leave."
Pride put his hands on the second flat but didn't pick it up. The answer to LaSalle's question was simple but not one his young friend would want to hear, "I'm sure she is. But I've been watchin' you ever since Savannah died and I think it's about time you started investing yourself into a healthy relationship."
Oh this again. Chris looked a bit perturbed as he stared across the bar from the older man. "First, you tell me I need tuh get a hobby and now you're trying to tell me who I should date? I appreciate you, King, but there's something wrong with this picture." He could do just fine in establishing a healthy relationship or otherwise with any number of his lady friends.
"I'm not telling you who you should date, Chris. Just that maybe you should stick a little closer to family right now is all." After what seemed to be slew of destructive decisions, Pride couldn't help but want to steer the younger man in what he thought was the right direction. For the moment, Addie seemed like a safe choice for his friend.
Chris had to ponder that statement, stroking his chin, "Family…so you'd rather me date Percy or how about Brody?"
"Now, I didn't say that." The senior agent chuckled, his eyes lighting up as he went back to the flat of beer that needed to put away. "Besides neither one of them would have ya."
Chris followed his friend to the back and watched as Pride started to rearrange several of the pallets for storage. "Like I said, I appreciate ya looking out for me King, but I'm good now with my grief and as for me and Addie, well…" words failed him. There was just no explanation other than they were friends, who thought about becoming friends with benefits. "Addie and I are good."
"Didn't say you weren't. I just think you should spend a little more time with her is all."
Chris rolled his eyes in time with a tell-all-grin. "So, we're back to this again." There was a period of time when Pride had still been married to Linda that the duo had decided it was their mission to find him the perfect woman. Linda would show up at the office casually pretending to talk to Pride about something and then the next thing Chris knew she was inviting to him dinner with one of her younger co-workers, friends, girls she had met at the gym, or one occasion a pretty girl she had met at the grocery store. It had been a rather vicious cycle where more often than not, he ended up on the side of Linda's wrath when what seemed to be the perfect match didn't work out.
"Don't know what you're talking about," Pride quipped, hiding a proud fatherly grin.
It was a little after 9 pm when Chris showed up at Addie's apartment with his hands full of her favorite munchies (well, truth be known it was his favorite, but she would enjoy them just the same) and a medium sized gift bag, complete with a card and tissue paper. The lady at the store had done a spectacular job of making it look like much more than it really was for the added fee of LaSalle's flirty grin.
She answered the door, in her bare feet, dressed in the classic blue hoodie and matching sweats, which displayed the word NAVY in gold letters down the side of one leg. It was the typical work out attire for the service save for the missing shoes. Her hair was flowing free about her shoulders, and her face had been scrubbed clean. Truth be known he preferred her that way, with just a hint of mascara but not much else.
"LaSalle?" she smiled brightly. "What are you doing here?"
"Brought ya some beer and some fresh shrimp boil." He even had some boiled peanuts stuffed into the pocket of his leather jacket, tucked away for later. "Thought after your big soiree last night, ya might be hankering for a little more blue collar," he answered proudly of the six pack and metal take out bucket in his hands.
Her eyes dropped to the floor hiding her smile as she shook her head. If nothing else, Chris LaSalle could make her laugh. "That's really sweet." She said with a slight edge to her voice as she picked up her head.
Chris had immediately picked up on the uncomfortable sound in her tone and the pleading in her eyes as she stood there looking at him.
"Chris, there's-" uh-oh! He knew that tone! She was about to send him packing.
"Addie, everything ok,?" A deep distinct male voice cut her off, stinging LaSalle to the core.
And then Chris saw him. A tall stocky African American guy with a football build dressed in nothing but a pair of jeans sitting on her couch. Two glasses of wine were sitting on the coffee table. He was stupid not to have noticed the presence of somebody else. That's what he was trained to do.
"It's just a friend." Looking back, Addie's voice went horse as if the life had just been strangled out of her. She turned back to Chris and the undeniable look of disappointment in his normally bright sapphire eyes.
"Here you enjoy this." He said, shoving the beer and take out bucket into her hands as her lips parted trying to find an explanation that wouldn't make him feeling any worse than he already did. Not that she needed to say anything; it was spelled out quite clear. She was with somebody and he'd interrupted them. He could take it. It wasn't as if they had an exclusive commitment.
"Chris, wait!" she shrieked passing the food and the gift to a small end table behind the door.
He jerked his arm back as she reached for him, clawing his leather sleeve as he slipped through her fingers.
Turning his back, he was already a good twenty strides ahead of her when he heard the pounding of her bare feet thumping on the hard concrete.
"LaSalle, stop!"
"There's no need tuh, explain. I got it" he called back over his shoulder in a huff as he reached into his pocket for the remote start to the truck. The security system beeped and the doors unlocked as the engine started to roar to the life with all of the intent of racing out there.
His hand reached the door handle and he felt her latch onto his bicep followed by a shove. Now Addie wasn't a particularly strong woman but she had enough in her that she managed to spin him around.
"Would you please just listen to me?" she begged, her doleful brown eyes pleading. "It's not what you think-" She knew that was a cliché thing to say, but the words just slipped out. But even it were he had no right to judge her when all the man had ever done was shamelessly flirt with her.
-and she had flirted back.
"And what do I think?" Chris repeated, in a tone that was normally reserved for interrogating suspects. Again, he reached for the door handle and again she blocked him, shoving him against the door this time. Dang, the woman had some power in those skinny arms. But then again, she had been the Security Officer for the base.
"Chris, please, I care about you." Her voice choked with hard emotion, tears were threatening to leak out of her eyes. She hadn't planned for this happen, but he wasn't listening. God! Didn't he fricken understand that she would never hurt him like that? Not purposely at least. But without some sort of indication from him what was she supposed to do? Live her life like a celibate nun?
Chris' eyes went wide. He was almost startled by her slight admission. Anger and disappointment were controlling him now. If he didn't leave now he was going to say things that he couldn't take back.
"Ya need tuh get out of my way," he said calmly, swallowing back the rage that was threatening to crawl out from the back of his throat. Looking over her, he saw that her date had come out of the house, watching from a safe distance.
"No," Damn it. If he was going to be stubborn then she could too. "Not until you tell me why you came here tonight." His intent seemed clear but she wanted to hear him say it, not to humiliate him but confirm that what she had been feeling for him these last few weeks wasn't just solely in her head, that she hadn't been participating in some one sided game of infatuation.
Wait a minute. Was she actually trying to turn this around on him? His throat went dry as he searched for something plausible that wouldn't make him look like an idiot. He looked away pinching the bridge of his nose, "Pride and I felt bad about having tuh leave the other night." He said when he looked back. He felt like an ass for not having called first.
"You and Pride, huh?" Addie crossed her arms over her chest tightly to fend off her quivering stomach muscles; her insides were turning to liquid as the thought of ruining their friendship came to mind. But then again, what more damage could she do? Clearly, she'd already hurt Chris, probably to the point where he was never going to speak to her outside of the work setting. So why not take a chance?
She looked back down at the ground at her deliciously red painted toenails and then back up at him. "You know if you want some sort of claim on me, you need to say so."
What? His brow crinkled. Why would she say- Oh hell!
Suddenly he found his hand anchoring the back of her neck, pulling her to him. His lips covered hers in a slow what had to potential to be a burning kiss. He felt Addie hesitate at first from the shock, but her lips finally parted, and his tongue was dancing with her own, in a rhythmic fashion that made his groin start to twinge with familiar desire. It wasn't a long kiss, but it would be enough to make his intentions known.
Neither said anything as they parted and he hopped into the truck without so much as word. Whether or not the impromptu kiss ended up being something more or just a stupid move to piss off her date remained to be seen.