A/N: Got nothing to say at the moment… R&R and enjoy!
Disclaimer: Inception belongs to Christopher Nolan
Ariadne found him sitting outside his usual café that was only a few blocks away from the warehouse where they'd prepared for Inception. She originally wasn't going to come. In fact, she'd spent all day yesterday and the morning today debating on whether or not to come. She knew Arthur would be waiting for her to show up, but she also knew that he wasn't forcing her to meet him.
As she approached the café, she tried to look anywhere but at the expensively dressed man who sat that the table farthest from the shop, reading a newspaper and sipping a tall cup of espresso. She tried to keep her face emotionless and smooth hoping that her outside appearance wouldn't give away the whirlwind of emotions and questions.
She reached the table and sat down, still not looking at Arthur.
"You came." He stated, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw his eyes still skimming over the paper.
"Isn't it dangerous for us to be meeting here?" she asked, finally looking at him.
Arthur glanced up for a split second, and Ariadne could feel a blush creeping up into her face. " I never actually asked you to meet me here."
Ariadne hesitated, her temper flaring quickly, letting her emotions take control, "I can leave, but since you never gave me any way of communicating with you, I couldn't exactly ask you where you wanted to meet." She said in a voice close to a snap.
Arthur finally put down his paper, seeming unfazed by her outburst, "Ariadne, I'm sorry, but its protocol."
"Please." She scoffed and looked away, "Don't apologize unless you mean it."
The two of them sat in stony silence for a few moments.
Ariadne looked back at Arthur, unable to control her facial expression anymore, "Did it ever occur to you that I'd have nightmares? Who am I kidding? Of course it did. You're the damn Point Man, it's your job to know these things. But did you ever think that they would occur every night? These nightmares… they're not normal nightmares that keeping your heart pounding for maybe five minutes after you wake. These nightmares," her voice cracked a little but she forced herself to continue, "they plagued me. They made me…they made me start to question reality."
"You had your totem-."
"They made me start questioning my sanity."
Arthur stared at Ariadne, speechless.
"All you guys just disappeared from my life. Hell, even Miles left. I didn't have anyone to talk to about what I was going through. I couldn't just forget and go back to my normal life, you know what happened last time I tried to forget. After a while, I started to wonder if everything that had gone on for the past few months was just a… dream. A weird hallucination. That I was just imagining things, that maybe there was something wrong with my head. Nothing seemed right. Everything was… out of focus. Like I didn't belong in this world." She finished bitterly,
And I missed you guys. Especially you. She thought, but didn't dare voice it aloud.
"I'm sorry." Arthur apologized again, more sincerely than last time.
Ariadne just took a deep breath, "why are you here, anyways?"
Arthur gave her a small regretful half-smile, "I guess now would not be a good time to mention a new job offer?"
Ariadne threw her head back and stared into the sky, "Unbelievable. Did you just not hear everything I told you?"
"I did," Arthur hastened to answer, "but sometimes it's easier the second time around. And dreaming again usually helps with the aftermath of a job so intense. It's hard to go cold turkey, but you have to be careful you don't dream to much-."
"Arthur." Ariadne was surprising herself with all the times she interrupted and swore. What was it with him that made her do these things so much? "Arthur, I- I need time to think about all this. The one time I get drunk enough to have a hang over the next morning, the reason why I drank in the first place shows up in my apartment after months of no contact… it's a little much. And then you offer me another job… I need to sort through my thoughts. I mean, I just poured all my thoughts and crap to you, and I'm supposed to be mad at you. I need time. Please."
Ariadne looked Arthur square in the eye for the first time, and was surprised to see emotion-one she couldn't name-flood his eyes quickly before his face grew expressionless again. She broke eye contact after a second and reached for her bag behind her seat.
"Here. Call me, once you're done thinking about it. Or if you need anything. At all. Take your time." Arthur slipped a small scrap of paper into her hand, his thumb brushing the inside of her wrist as he pulled away. Ariadne shivered slightly, feeling tingles all the way down to her toes.
"Thanks, Arthur." She said hastily, and left before he could see her blush.
A/N: I feel like my writing quality has gone down and this story is starting to get boring... Agree? Disagree? Don't be afraid to offer ideas and leave reviews! I need some inspiration. Until next time!