Now...
From the surprised look on her face, Ariadne was clearly shocked to find him at her door – which was exactly what he wanted. Arthur knew if she had any inkling that he had found her, she would already have left by now. But now, this way, she didn't have time to run.
He had missed her, but he didn't realize exactly how much until this moment. His heart was beating wildly in his chest, ready to explode, and he had to refrain from reaching out to touch her face. She fled from Paris - him - unexpectedly and without any notice six months ago. Aware of her reasons for leaving, he had tried to give her the space she desperately needed, but he had eventually reached his limits. Now he was here, at her doorstep, still amazed that she was standing in front of him.
They stared at each other silently. Her hair was longer now, the shade slightly darker than he remembered. And even though the wary look in her eyes made her appear older, she could still easily pass for a teenager.
"Arthur," she finally spoke, making no effort to let him in. "What are you doing here?"
"I was in the neighbourhood."
A reluctant smile formed across her face. "You just happened to be in Montréal?"
"I come here all the time."
"Sure you do."
"Have you seen the weather here? It's gorgeous."
This time she actually laughed. "You like snowstorms, huh?"
"Love them. The stormier, the better."
"Maybe I shouldn't invite you in then."
"Well, I tend to appreciate storms much more from indoors."
Worried that maybe she really wouldn't let him in, he shared his most charming smile with her. After what felt like an eternity, she finally opened the door wider; relief surged through him. He stepped inside, careful to keep his distance. Though she didn't say anything, he spotted the grateful glint in her gaze.
"How long are you planning to stay?"
"Not sure yet."
She took his jacket and turned her back to him to hang it up in the hall closet. "Are you here on a job?"
He contemplated lying to her, but decided against it. There was no use pretending; they both knew the truth.
"I'm here for you."
Then...
Arthur couldn't remember the last time he wanted someone this badly. It was as if every part of his body was obsessed with consuming her, possessing her. It wasn't normal, this feeling, and there was no explanation for it. Sure Ariadne was attractive, and sometimes even beautiful when she actually made the effort, but he'd been with numerous women in his life and many of them were far more striking than Ariadne was on her best day.
He spent hours pondering his reaction to her, and the only conclusion he came to was that he was simply infatuated because he hadn't met anyone like her before. She was intelligent, her brain worked in ways that fascinated him. And she was creative, sometimes frighteningly so. She also had more balls than a lot of the guys he'd worked with - and that was saying something. But it was also that same quality that worried him. Sometimes she was too brave (and stupid and stubborn) for her own good and it was something he constantly had to keep in mind when they were working together.
She reminded him a lot of Cobb, her arrogance, impulsiveness, the need to cross limits and enter new territory, but at least Cobb had the benefit of experience on his side. Ariadne didn't – not that that little fact bothered her all too much. As she often reminded him, how else was she supposed to learn and gain experience in extraction if he didn't actually let her take more of an active part in it? Being an architect was fine, but she wanted to do more.
She drove him crazy at times, like she was doing right now, and his ridiculous attraction to her was just a small part of the reason why.
"You know I'm right, Arthur."
She was sitting up on her kitchen counter, legs dangling in the air, while ihe/i was slaving away and making her dinner. And she had the gall to criticize him.
"I know no such thing," he muttered as he stirred the pasta sauce.
"You're so stubborn."
"Yeah, me. I'm stubborn."
He tried to be stern but he couldn't help smirking at her to which she responded with a flirtatious smile. And he felt his heart jump up in his chest.
"So, can I?"
It was only after Ariadne's brows furrowed that he realized he was staring at her and taking too long to answer the question. "No, you can't. I need someone here in case anything goes wrong."
"What the hell can I do from here if all of you guys are in Tokyo? Be reasonable."
"Don't piss me off, Ariadne."
Her eyebrow quirked up, and there was a fierce glint in her gaze. "Or what? What are you going to do about it?"
He knew exactly what this was. She was challenging him, trying to push his boundaries, and up until now he'd always indulged her... but not today. Maybe he'd had enough, or he just wasn't in the mood to be fucked with. Either way, he wasn't bowing down this time.
"Face it, Arthur. I'm going with you guys, and there' s nothing you can-"
Arthur moved quickly, so quickly in fact he was directly in front of her before she could even finish her sentence. And for the first time that he could recall, she actually looked worried.
"Don't test me, Ariadne."
"Then don't pull this protective crap on me. I'm an adult who can make her own decisions."
"Then act like it."
"How am I supposed to learn-"
"Your personal growth doesn't interest me. I'm paying you to do a job and I expect it to be done. If you don't think you're capable of that, I'm sure I can find someone who is."
"Fuck off!"
He kissed her. Without much thought or concern as to how this would affect their working relationship, and with the overwhelming need to feel her mouth against his. He could pretend this was his way of coaxing her to shut up, but it would be a lie. He had wanted this for a long time, had been advised against it by Cobb and even Eames (for fuck's sakes!), but here he was, kissing her anyway.
She didn't respond for a long time, just sat there passively as he explored the contours of her mouth with his tongue, but just when he thought maybe he should pull away, her legs encircled his thighs and she finally started kissing him back.
Her lips were hesitant, her mouth unsure, and he slowed down his movements, because he may have started kissing her in part to control her but that's not what he really wanted. Not at all.
His fingers languidly swept through her hair before he held her in his arms and he groaned into her mouth, aching, when she started playing with his tongue, stroking him, teasing him.
Her every move was tentative, which surprised him as he was used to a cocky and brash Ariadne. She wasn't shy, that wasn't a part of her personality, but that's how she was acting now. And he wasn't really sure how to react to it.
"Arthur," she breathed softly, pressing her palms against his chest.
Despite the layers of clothing between them, it felt like the heat of her touch was searing his skin, burning him up from the inside. And the intense need to fuck her, something he'd tried desperately hard to bury, came rushing back, surging through his veins, demanding to be satisfied.
His fingers pulled at the scarf around her neck, untying it, throwing it to the ground.
"Arthur," she whispered again, more insistent this time, and it suddenly dawned on him that something was wrong.
Once again she sat there unmoving, unresponsive to his touch.
He pulled himself away.
Her lips were swollen, eyes fraught with fear, as they both remained frozen in place, panting for air.
He was at a loss for words.
As was she.
Hell, she wasn't even looking at him anymore.
"I think you should leave," she whispered after a long bout of silence.
"Is that what you really want?"
"Yes."
Without another word, he walked out of her apartment.
Now...
"I'm here for you."
Ariadn'e s back was turned to him, and she was as stiff as a board. There was no need to wonder if she'd heard him, her body language made it all too apparent that she had.
He waited for her to say something, anything.
When she finally turned to face him, her ambivalent mask had, once again, slipped back into place. "Are you hungry?" she asked.
He pondered his next move. If he pressed her to talk, there was a possibility she would shut down and throw him out. But if he played by her rules... maybe, just maybe, he could get somewhere with her. "Had a sandwich earlier," he answered with a deliberately casual smile.
It worked.
As if the heavy burden on her shoulder had miraculously lifted, she visibly relaxed around him again. He was even gifted with a friendly smile that brightened her face and left him breathless.
"There's some stuff in the fridge," she said. "You can make me dinner."
He laughed, he couldn't help it.
She was incorrigible; at least that hadn't changed.
"Can I really?" he grinned, following behind her into the kitchen.
"Play your cards right, and I may even help you with the dishes after."
"Be still, my beating heart..."
"Come on, Homer." She grabbed the nearby apron and handed it to him. It didn't escape his notice that she was careful not to make any physical contact with his fingers. "I'm famished."
"Ariadne?"
"Yes."
"I missed you."
She stared at him, silent and still, while a whole range of emotions flitted across her face. After a long time, she finally smiled again.
"I missed you too."
And he exhaled the sharp breath he didn't even realize he was holding.