Chapter 5
------------Come Back to My Place--------------
Lulu takes a seat at Dante's table without an invitation. She had expected some cheesy retort when she used one of his lines, but only received a half smile that disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. Something must be up she concluded.
``Hey, what`s up`` she questioned as she moved her chair closer. She received no response. Dante just stared at the bottle as he moved it back and forth in his hands. Lulu noticed it was nearly full, so it wasn`t that Dante was drunk.
``Dante`` Lulu whispered as she leaned her head closer to him.
Hearing her say his name, his real name, made his heart jump. Not out of fear out of something else, something more joyous, something real. He looked at her and she caught the twinkle in his eye. She didn`t realize the smile was from as simple of a gesture as hearing his real name on her lips.
Then she saw it all over his face, his utterly confusion and conflict. He was lost, losing his footing. All her instincts were to protect him. He looked back down at the bottle he was still passing from hand to hand. He laid the bottle on the table, let out a deep exhale that he had not realizing her was holding in, and laid his hands on the table, a figurative surrender. Without thinking Lulu reached for each hand and held them in hers.
Dante looked up at her again. She could see the anguish and the defeat written all over his face. "Let's get out of here, come back to my place." He just nodded yes. Lulu knew things were off kilter with no cheesy line or smart ass comment to being invited back to her empty apartment.