I know I haven't updated in, like, three months, but my current ability to access the internet is... limited. Feedback is appreciated.
I stayed up nearly all night doing make up work, and by the time I decided to go to bed, the sun had long been up. Just as I laid my head on my pillow, my phone rang. I nearly groaned and slumped up, reaching around under the covers to get to the ringing phone. "Hello?" I said sluggishly, dragging a hand down my face.
"Good morning, Alex." Bruce greeted. "Did I wake you?" he asked, his voice going from cheerful to worried in a second.
I stifled a laugh as I checked the time. "No, I was just about to go to bed, actually."
"Couldn't sleep?" he asked sympathetically.
"Not really. I just had a lot of work to catch up on." I said, covering my mouth as I yawned.
"Oh. Then I suppose you wouldn't be willing to go to breakfast with me this morning…" he offered slyly.
This time I did laugh. "Actually, I think I might take you up on that if you're offering." I replied.
"What's your address? I'll pick you up." He said.
I hesitated for a moment, then decided it would be alright since enough people had my address already. Besides, it'd be changing soon enough anyway, so it didn't matter. I gave him my address before hanging up and getting up from the safety of my covers. I grabbed a change of clothes before heading off to the bathroom and cleaning up before he'd arrive. I was in the middle of the tedious process of trying to tame my curls when I heard a horn blow outside, so I decided to pin it back in a neat ponytail at the base of my neck before I grabbed a sweater and my bag before I left.
From the moment Bruce first saw her in that coffee shop, he knew she was different. The way she smiled at times hinted at a secret she wanted to share, and it pulled him in. When she slid into the passenger seat of his car an hour after he got off of the phone with her, the scent of her filled the car and she smiled that smile. "Good morning, Mr. Wayne." She said playfully.
He smiled in return, "Good morning, Ms. Peyton."
The first few moments were quiet as Bruce pulled away from the curb and into the thin morning traffic, but then he broke the silence. "So, what's been going on with you lately? You never really explained over the phone…" Bruce started but let the sentence trail off, unsure if it was too personal. After all, she had been mugged the day before…
She turned her head to stare out of the window at the city before she answered, her red curls falling to shield her face from him in a red curtain. "To be honest," she spoke softly, almost too quiet for him to hear, "I don't really remember. My… my brother was killed a few weeks ago, and things after that have pretty much been a blur."
Wordlessly, Bruce's mouth fell open and clamped closed, unsure what to say. His brows creased as he mulled it over. "Do the police know who did it?" he asked carefully.
He barely missed the tiny shrug of her shoulders, which, now that he looked closer, did look a lot frailer than the last time he saw her. "I don't know… I haven't talked to his mother since I found out. I don't think I could handle—" she cut herself off before suddenly turning back to face Bruce. "Can we change the topic, please? I just don't—"
"It's fine, Alex, I understand." He interrupted her with a sympathetic look as he slowed the car to a stop at a red light. "Are you sure you're alright with going to breakfast? I can take you back home if you want." He turned to look her in the face carefully, watching as a smile curled on her lips that didn't quite reach her eyes.
"No, I'm fine, Bruce. You don't have to waste gas taking me back; we might as well continue." She said, but moments later, a low rumble filled the space of the car.
Bruce laughed once he recognized the sound, a smirk tugging at his lips. "So that's why you want to continue?" he teased, laughing even more when her face flushed a red that nearly matched her hair.
"Wha— n-no!" she fumbled over her embarrassment, "I just haven't seen you in a while and didn't want to pass up the chance…" she mumbled, crossing her arms stubbornly.
"So you wanted to see me?" he asked slyly, a genuine smile crossing his face as he risked a glance at her.
She looked almost surprised as she pondered her own words before she dipped her head down so her hair covered her face again. "I didn't say that!" she said indignantly, and Bruce laughed again.
Most of the rest of the car ride was in silence, which, thankfully, wasn't awkward or long, and before long, we pulled up to a restaurant. A slight frown creased my eyebrows ass my thoughts mulled over the conversation I'd had with Bruce. Is it true that I actually did want to see him? The only reason I'd had to continue seeing him at first was to "keep tabs on him" for the Joker, but just the thought of that man sent a cold shiver of fury to roll through my system. So now that I didn't have any obligations to the man, why did I still keep in contact? I admit, he wasn't as bad as I originally thought, but still…
Once we were seated inside the restaurant, I stared down at the menu, my mouth watering at the tempting-looking options. "Have any idea what you're getting?" Bruce asked, bringing me out of my fantasy of the enticing plate of bacon staring at me from the menu's glossy page.
"I don't know, but I'm getting the largest amount of this bacon here with whatever I get." I said, giving the image of the juicy-looking bacon a loving tap. Bruce laughed in response, even though I was only half-joking. That bacon really was calling my name.
After the waiter had stopped by to take our order, Bruce and I made small talk as we waited for our food. "So, do you have any plans for this Saturday?" Bruce asked casually.
"Not yet, no. Why do you ask?" I replied as I took a sip from my glass of water.
"I'm having a fundraiser for Harvey Dent, and I would like it if you came." He said. "I know it's a bit of a short notice, but I couldn't get in contact with you before…" his voice trailed off and I reached across the table to touch his hand, smiling softly.
"It's alright." I said. "I think I can come, but I'll have to get back to you later because—" my response was cut off by the loud noise of my phone's ringtone, and I jumped slightly before digging in my purse to answer it.
Seeing that it was Cat, I mouthed the words excuse me to Bruce before standing and walking to the ladies' room as I answered, "Hello?"
"Where are you?" she demanded.
"Um, out…?" I questioned, not sure if it was the right answer.
Apparently, it wasn't, because Cat's voice rose in volume. "Out? You need to be here for training!"
I grimaced. "But you said within the next few days, not the next day. I'm kind of busy right now." I complained.
"What's so important that you can't be here?" she asked smartly, and I could see her standing at my front door with her hand on her hip as she scowled at her phone.
I stammered for a moment, wondering whether it'd be safer to tell the truth or make up a lie. I decided on the latter. "I do have a job, you know." I said.
"But that's not what you're doing right now, is it?" I could hear the deadpan in her voice, and my mouth fell open again before I snapped it closed and sighed in defeat.
"No, I'm not. Look, I'll call you back in an hour, and we can train after that." I said in a hurriedly.
"Wait, what are you—?" she started, but I cut her off.
"I'll tell you when I see you, bye!" I said quickly and hung up, leaning against the sink with a heavy sigh. A few moments later, I left the bathroom and rejoined Bruce.
I smiled when I saw that our food had arrived. "You didn't have to wait for me." I said.
He smiled back. "It's fine; the food came just a few minutes ago."
We were mostly quiet as we ate, and it was only when the bill came that a problem arose. I reached for the little leather book that the waiter had sat on the table, but Bruce grabbed it before I did. "Hey, I can pay for my half of the bill." I said, holding out my hand for the check.
He waved me off and slipped a card inside, presumably a credit card of some sort. "It's alright; I've got it." He said. I opened my mouth to protest, but he silenced me with a look. My mouth twisted into a frown, but I kept quiet.
The ride back to my apartment was mostly silent, and I texted Cat to ask if she still wanted to train. By the time I got a response, we had pulled in front of the building, and Bruce had come around to open the passenger door.
"Oops." I said, giving a lopsided smile. "That ride went by quickly." I said as I laughed sheepishly.
He walked me to the front door, and I turned to give him a sly look as I put the key in the lock. "Trying to follow me inside, ne?" I said, snickering as his eyes widened and he fumbled for a response.
"No, I was just—" I put a hand on his arm to stop him as I laughed.
"It's fine, I was just teasing." I said, my voice trailing off as I noticed how close he was.
"You have such a beautiful smile." He murmured, tucking a rebellious red curl behind my ear as he leaned closer. My eyes widened as I realized what was about to happen, but by the time the thought to move crossed my mind, his lips were already pressed into mine.
I stiffened, not quite sure what to do. His arms slid around my waist and pulled me closer, and I forced myself to relax before planting my hands firmly on his shoulders and pushing away. "I-I'm sorry, I should get inside…" I stammered as I took a step back and started fumbling with the lock again.
"Alex." He put a hand on my shoulder and I paused. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have kissed you; I crossed a line."
I gave him a weak smile. "No, no, it's fine, I just—" The door clicked as the lock finally decided to work, and I twisted the knob and opened it. "I'll call you later!" I said and ducked inside, leaving a confused Bruce on my doorstep.
Once in the safety of my apartment, I sighed as I locked the door behind me and let my head fall forward to collide with it loudly, muttering curses under my breath. 'Well. I know I'm not going to that darn fundraiser now.' I thought to myself as I dragged myself across the room to the kitchen. Still mentally scolding myself over my idiocy, I sat my bag and keys down on the counter and opened the fridge, pulling out a bottle of water.
"Had a nice date with lover boy, sweetheart?"
I nearly hit my head on the freezer door and I jerked back and spun on my heel, glaring as I met Joker's dark eyes. He leaned casually against the doorframe leading back to the living room and the rest of the apartment.
"What the hell are you doing here?" I spat, my voice almost a growl.
"Aw…" he pretended to pout as he strode towards me. I took a step back but was cornered as my back smacked painfully into the counter. "You didn't miss me?" he reached up to touch my face, but I smacked his hand away.
"Don't touch me." My voice was barely above a whisper, and it shook with raw anger.
"Now, now, Jade—" he started, but the sound of a knock on the door interrupted him. He sighed impatiently before grabbing me by the upper arm and pulling me closer. "You need to be at that fundraiser, toots." He put a gloved finger to my mouth when I opened it to protest, but I smacked it away. His hand snaked out and grabbed my wrist, squeezing it with nearly bone-breaking force.
I opened my mouth to make a smart retort, trying not to wince at his grip on my wrist as I pulled to snatch away from him, but the sound of more knocking on the door interrupted me. "Just a minute!" I yelled around him before lowering my voice to a hiss, "I'm not doing a damn thing you tell me to."
"Oh, you will." He growled in my ear, and through my anger, I couldn't help the small shudder that ran down my spine. "You wouldn't want anything happening to your new friend, now would you?" I froze as I felt the color drain from my face. He turned me around and shoved me through the doorway towards the front door, and I stumbled, catching myself on the doorframe sharply before I fell on my face. I turned in time to see him disappear through the back door in the kitchen.