Here we go, another chapter on the same night, aren't I kind ;OD
Chapter 4: Brown on blue.
It wasn't as if this was a real date. It wasn't as if he had asked her out at all. They had planned this so she could snare another man. So why-oh-why did the idea of a date with Jack make her so uncomfortable?
Looking up as the bell rang for the end of class, she dismissed her students. Glancing at the clock, she was surprised to see it was also the end of the day. The children filed out of the room as she considered her dilemma. Clothes. What the hell was she going to wear? She had to wear something hot, otherwise Malcolm would hardly nod her way. But then, she didn't want to look like she was trying to impress Jack. Did she? Rubbing her face with her hands, she groaned loudly. What the hell was wrong with her all of a sudden? Sure, she could admit that Jack was good looking- ok really hot, if she were honest- but she had never thought of him in that way. He was a friend. Nothing more. And that was the end of the matter.
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Yep. Something downright ugly had hit the fan. He should have said no. There wasn't a chance in hell that he was going to get through this in one piece. At the very least he was going to eyeball her in a perverted way and say something utterly inappropriate, or touch her in a way he shouldn't and- hadn't ever- done or punch Malcolm for even trying to come near her and be way too possessive for a 'best friend'. Knowing his luck, he'd do all three.
He'd chosen to go all in black, seeing as it looked to be his funeral. Suits weren't really his thing, but this place was first class, a place where Malcolm often took his dates while he lived in Colorado. Now, of course, he lived in New York, top lawyer that he was.
Looking at himself in the mirror, he knew that a guy like him had no chance when it came to Malcolm O'Neill. It was hottie vs. average. Lawyer vs. sports fanatic. Romantic vs. well…not so much. Plus, Sam had been in love with Malcolm for years. Never with him. Damn, but that hurt. He couldn't understand it. He knew that even at thirteen she had turned his eye, being a cute blonde, even a crying cute blonde; but the past few years, that flip of his stomach seemed to have gotten much more noticeable, and a lot more frequent in occurrence. It was also kinda obvious. According to Daniel, anyway. Apparently it was to everyone else except the woman herself, and he was "wasting his time" not going for it.
Life's a bitch and then you die, he thought. Clenching his fists, he huffed out a breath. He could do this. Without making one of those three big mistakes. He could. He would. Glancing at his watch, he realised he should get going.
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As she answered the door, she expected something hot. But she hadn't expected the reality. He was dressed all in black. Trousers, shirt and jacket. Standing straight, arms behind his back, he looked absolutely edible. Almost choking at that thought, she smiled at him. However, he wasn't looking at her face; his eyes were looking her up and down, rather judgementally, she thought. Maybe the dress wasn't hot enough. Janet had said it would blow any guy away. But she was a woman who liked men, how would she know? It might be the most unflattering dress on earth from a man's point of view. Or sluttiest. Or something.
"Do I not look okay?" she asked hesitantly.
His eyes swept upwards and the look in the brown depths made her freeze. As their gazes met, the brown darkened into black, making her heart leap in her chest, her blood rush to her cheeks and her breathing accelerate.
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She was wearing a red dress that didn't reach her knees. He had never seen her show that much cleavage or leg before, and her question hovered fuzzily in his mind for a few seconds as he drank in her appearance. Their eyes met.
"Christ, you look hot," the words were out of his mouth before he could stop them. Mistake number one, he thought to himself. Instead of looking shocked as he expected though, she looked pleased. "Thank you," she replied, making her way into the hall, closing the door behind her and linking her arm though his, as they had a thousand times since they first met.
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She spotted him as soon as they entered the restaurant. He was in the far corner; she could see his neatly combed blonde hair over the head of a beautiful brunette that was seated opposite him. She let out a small groan. She had hoped he'd have been here on a business meeting. Surprisingly though, she was more angry than upset. A warm hand squeezing hers brought her back to the present as they were led to their table. They were in the opposite corner, far away, but near enough to catch glimpses of both of them. She knew he'd seen them, had felt his eyes follow them to the back of the room. It made her feel uncomfortable, but again, not upset. Jack, seeing the frown on her face, asked:
"You ok?" She nodded in reply, sinking deeper in thought. She had yet to set eyes on Malcolm, and not be in either love or hate. This was a first.
That's when she realised, that all night, she hadn't even thought of Malcolm. Only Jack. Tonight, she had dressed for Jack, not Malcolm. The though stopped her in the middle of sitting down. Hovering just above her chair, she realised Jack was looking at her questioningly.
"We can go if you want," he said quietly.
"No!" It was almost a shout. His eyebrows lifted. "No." She repeated, a little less vigorously. He nodded in acceptance as she sat.
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They were dancing. It was all Jack could do to stop himself from pulling her closer. Malcolm was smirking at him from across the room. He obviously didn't buy their act. Well, who would? They were dancing as if practically allergic to each other. They had danced before, with no problem, but something was bothering her, he could tell. Sighing in exasperation he yanked her a bit nearer. She looked up, surprised.
"He's not buying it," he whispered.
"Oh." She was looking at his feet now, as they circled the dance floor slowly. Rolling his eyes, he yanked again. This time, their chests made contact, and with a slight "oomph", she lost her balance. He grabbed her, and, luckily, kept her from falling. Unfortunately, it also made mistake number two. Hastily removing his wayward hand from her backside, he mumbled an apology.
Her head was buried in his shoulder, her muffled laughter making him roll his eyes again.
"No giggling," he ordered. She looked at him, shaking her head, before leaning back against him, in an embrace he didn't think he could ever break.
As they danced, their gazes met and glued. Brown on blue. It could have been for five seconds or five hours, Jack had no idea. But, the voice that broke it was definitely unwelcome.
"May I steal your partner for a bit, Jack?" The voice was friendly enough, but he tensed all the same, his grip on Sam's waist tightening. She noted his reaction with a tilt of her head. It took all of his self restraint not to make mistake number three and punch the smug bastard in the face.
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Malcolm's arms were decidedly colder than Jack's.
"So, you and Jack, huh? I should have known, he's been hung up on you for years, you know."
"What happened to your date?" she changed the subject quickly, uneasy with the thought of Jack 'hung up' on her, and the way it made her stomach flip.
"Bathroom," he replied shortly.
"Well, maybe you should go wait for her then." She was surprising herself with the cold welcome. She wasn't the only one surprised, judging by the way his eyebrows were touching his hairline.
"Give it up Malcolm. For the first time in my life, I'm actually over you," and for the first time in her life, she also meant it.
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That's it for a few days, guys. If u like, review. If u don't, review!