Chapter Three – To Scratch or Not to Scratch
I disclaim
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John sat on the edge of his bed staring at his suitcase. Usually he just threw on a t-shirt and shorts, but this felt different. He needed to suck it up and put on a pair of jeans and a decent shirt. He knew his laundry was clean, he'd just left his mom's house, so no smell test for tonight's clothing. She always tossed a dryer sheet into his suitcase to keep the clean smell too; it was a nice 'mom' touch. Stephanie had called him yesterday morning and told him to get his ass on the first plane to New York City; he was having dinner at her apartment the next day. That meant one thing. Lacie. It was obvious Steph was trying to set them up and he greatly appreciated the help, especially if Orton was after her too.
"Hello?" He answered before looking at the caller id. He rolled his eyes when it was Orton. He lied to Randy and said he was still in West Newbury, why, he had no idea. Randy wouldn't put together that he was in NYC to meet Lacie and have dinner at the Levesque household, but John didn't want to take any chances. As long as Randy had no idea he knew Lacie and wanted Lacie to himself, he was good. Randy wanted to meet up a day early in the next city and John agreed. He was so flustered with lying to his best friend and keeping his secret he absently picked out a shirt and put it on, not paying attention to the haphazard way it was buttoned.
"What?" He answered short tempered, again not looking at the caller id.
"Asshole, you better check yourself before you get here." Paul replied to the rather rude greeting.
"Sorry, man. Orton keeps calling. It's like he knows where I am and what I'm doing." John headed out of his hotel room and down to the lobby for a cab while they talked. Paul knew about John's insecurities when it came to Randy, hell, most of the locker room was the same way. Kept their women away from God's gift to them. He told him about the earlier call and that Randy kept calling ever since. He hadn't answered but didn't want to lie again; he wasn't very good at it. "I'm in a cab and about 2 blocks from your building." He hung up with Paul and began getting nervous as he waited for the red light to change. Fucking New York. Too many people. He liked the small town he was from and the home cooked meals of his mom.
John kept his head down as he got out of the taxi, entered the building and punched the elevator buttons for the 25th floor. He rolled his eyes at the mentality of the higher the floor the more wealth you have. Seems the higher the floor the dumber you are. It's a long way down with a dog that has to pee, a fire in the building, holding grocery bags. Made no sense. The apartment was the only one on that floor so the front door was three steps from the elevator. He stood there looking at it. Deep breaths. He felt like this was an interview. He shrugged as he thought that if Stephanie liked him it was a guarantee he was in the door with Lacie. Well, further in the door. It always helps to be friends with her friends.
As he was about to knock the door flew open and Steph stood there exasperated. She looked him up and down and gave him the sad smile. The tilt of the head. She started unbuttoning his shirt and speaking in a low voice. He looked down and had made a mess of his shirt. He would have been completely humiliated if Lacie had seen that. He thanked Stephanie and followed her in. "Lacie's not here yet. She'll be another 15 minutes. Now, let's review some things." She motioned for him to sit in a chair next to her. "Lacie's very shy. Almost to the point of seclusion. She's only had three men in her life. Two boyfriends and her father. The boys never measured up to her expectations and she never dumbed herself down to them. She wants a man like her daddy. Big shoes to fill. She's the most dedicated, loyal person I know. Professionally and personally. She's fierce." Stephanie took the water from Paul and waited for John to gulp down his shot of whiskey and a few more of the water.
"Don't make the boy panic before she even gets here, Steph." Paul said winking at him as he sat on the couch. "Look, Lacie's not like a ring rat. She's not like a typical girl we're used too. On one hand, she's delicate and fragile. On the other, she'd kick ass and lay down her life for someone she loves. She's the kind of girl you wait for. The kind your mom dreams of you marrying. The kind of woman to raise your children. You wait for her, John. You wait." Paul gave him a look that made John understand beyond the words. He shook his head and jumped when the doorbell rang and Lacie's voice filled the entry hall. If they only knew and I'm not telling them.
"I need your shower." Lacie said to Steph without even noticing others in the room.
"That's my girl. Do you want company?" Stephanie joked.
"No, I don't want company you nasty girl. Some jerk spilled his entire decaf mocha choca grande venti whatever down the front of this dress. And by jerk I mean a real jerk. He blamed me because he can't use his blackberry and hold a cup of coffee while walking out of Starbucks." She walked to the stairs and headed up to Steph's bedroom. She always had spare clothes here and thanked heaven when it wasn't a running suit or business suit. She freshened up and thought of last week in LA. She needed to tell them or Steph would kill her. There were no secrets between her and her best friend and she was a horrible liar, so better to fess up. Her mom called and she spoke briefly with her while she got ready. Lacie was still talking to her mom as she descended the staircase instantly seeing John. "I'm hanging up now…I gotta go. I gotta go. I'm at Stephie's for dinner. Gotta go…I'm hanging up on you…I gotta go…love you." Her eyes never left his but her feet couldn't move from the last stair.
"Hi." He almost whispered and coughed to play off the hitch in his voice, he broke the eye contact and looked at his water as if that were the cause.
"Hi." She whispered back. He walked to her and they both stood staring at everything but eachother. His hands were in his pockets for fear she'd see them sweating. She had a death grip on her phone and was afraid she'd break it.
"How have you been?" He asked looking around the room, afraid to meet her eyes again but took a quick peek at her mouth.
"Good. You?" She bit her lower lip. He loved that.
"I'm good." Better now that I've seen you. "How was LA?" Again he cleared his throat.
"Um, it was okay. Business trip so I spent most of it in meetings and on conference calls." Steph and Paul watched them from the kitchen, so obvious they both wanted and needed eachother. They knew John's history which was why they thought he'd be great for Lacie. He's a one woman man and serious relationships are more his lifestyle. They slinked back into the kitchen and discussed why their friends were so nervous. They'd all had dinner together and John and Lacie were only alone for about 15 minutes before Paul and Steph had gotten there. They knew it had been all business for Lacie, so her actions tonight were a mystery. John was always nervous when they spoke of Lacie so they knew he'd be a train wreck.
Lacie and John continued to talk with her still on the first step and him directly in front of her. Neither had thought to move. He found his balls and reached out for her hand which still held tightly to her phone. He stroked the top with his thumb and loved how soft she was. "I thought of you a lot." He whispered.
"You did?" She smiled. The high wattage of it made him smile. The small gesture of her tiny hands on his face made his heart leap into his throat. She touched his dimples with her fingertips and he couldn't stop himself. He took her chin between his thumb and finger and gently pulled her to him. The kiss was soft, barely a touch and yet the feel of it sent her senses into oblivion. Their eyes half open bore into the others looking deep into eachother's souls. Her hands reached up and rested on his chest, his snaked around her waist. John closed his eyes and deepened the kiss. He let his tongue slide into her mouth when she gave him entrance. Slow and tantalizing. He loved kissing her. She made him a complete nervous wreck, made him feel like a 15 year old boy, but the way her mouth felt on his was no high school crush come to life.
Stephanie and Paul stood there stunned. Not sure how to react. Their friends weren't kissing like they'd only had dinner a week ago. Two weeks ago, whenever it was. They were kissing like two people who had something. Who had had something for a long time. She felt guilty watching but couldn't pull her eyes away. They weren't going at it like teenagers and these weren't friendly kisses. "They're kissing like they know eachother." She said to her husband. All he could do was nod in agreement.
"I missed you." He spoke softly into her mouth. Her arms were around his neck and her hands framing his head so she could devour his mouth. She wanted to hear those words and wanted to return them to him but couldn't speak.
"Thanks for meeting me in LA." She smiled when she finally broke the kiss.
"Thanks for inviting me." He wrapped her up in his arms and buried his face in her hair. He had missed her smell and the way she felt against him. Lacie held him tight and closed her eyes. Her deep breath and body movements gave her feelings away to her best friend. It was no longer hidden from the world.