Chapter 12 -Not a Chick Flick Chick!
"Oh man, I can't remember when I laughed so hard!" I gasped out as Rome told another amusing story from his and Brian's childhood growing up in Barstow. We were just sitting around Brian's little table chatting. The dishes were long since washed and put away. By the guys I might add, even if Rome didn't look overly happy about it. He was one up on Dom already. Dom didn't clean.
Brian looked embarrassed. A lot of Rome's stories proved that Brian was in fact deserving of the nickname Chumpy. He'd been a player even as a kid and he'd gotten into a lot of trouble over it.
"Well, there was this one time that Rome got caught with this Tosha chick in his old Cutlass. He was."
"Brian you need to shut that white mouth before I shut it for you!" Rome almost shouted to stop Brian from telling what manner of trouble Rome had gotten into with this Tosha in the back seat of his old car.
It made me laugh even harder. They joined me. They were so funny together. The oldest of friends.
Then it made me sad. They were Dom and Vince. The oldest of friends, they'd grown up together. They knew almost everything about each other. They'd had each other's backs in more fights then they could likely count. It worked no matter which set of friends you wanted to apply it to.
I don't think that Brian would be flattered to be compared to Vince. He was like him in a lot of ways. Small ways, but significant.
Vince and Brian would both rather take trouble down onto themselves then bring it home with them. Brian had gone down, in a way at least, for us rather then let us take the punishment for what we'd done.
If it had come down to it Vince would have taken all the responsibility too, if we'd have let him.
Both sort of suffered in silence rather then go on about their troubles.
Both had the scruffy hairdo goin on, and it seemed to flatter them more then make them look like the dirty scruffs it should. I think it appeals to a certain kind of girl, a girl looking for someone to take care of. Both Brian and Vince look like they need someone. Someone to take care of them. And I think I've hit the nail on the head there anyway because they both do. Brian's got his woman in Mia. He just needs to see her again and realize that.
And because she's been looking for a guy like him for a long time I think she'll take him back.
If Dom doesn't kill him first for taking off on us and not coming back when the shit died down.
Dom and Rome don't really compare, except for being tall, built and bald. They're like polar opposites. Dom's serious and controlled.
Rome's funny. Not much is serious in his world. His emotions are closer to the surface too. More volatile. He's more outgoing with his emotions. I guess he just doesn't keep them under the iron lock that Dom does.
I know Dom has his reasons but it gets really old to always be trying to force someone to tell you how they feel, force them to show some feeling. I felt like I was always pushing Dom toward some reaction. Just to know he felt something.
He was always so mad at me after I forced him to get mad at me. It was the easiest emotion to force him to show. Anger. I knew just what buttons to push to make him explode. He was good at waiting till we were alone to do it though.
In public I'd just get a terse 'Letty!' while he tried to warn me off and make me shut up. Then if I kept pushing I'd get dragged off to the nearest place with doors that locked so he could yell at me.
Then I'd yell back and we'd have a big fight. Then satisfied that he did care, at least enough to get mad enough to yell at me for whatever I'd said I'd stop pushing and we'd have the wildest sex ever. That was just how it was. Maybe not healthy, but sure fun.
"Hey Letty?" Brian broke into my thoughts, waving a hand in front of my face. "You in there?"
"Yeah, just thinking. Sorry. What's up?"
"Do we want to go up to Tej's and watch a movie with the rest of the crew?" Brian asked.
I checked the clock. Only 9. I wasn't going to be able to go to bed for a while, after sleeping in as late as I had. I figured I may as well go start to get to know my new team. Even if they are only temporary.
"Sure, why not."
"Good. Let's go." Rome said and stood up.
He stretched and I watched the play of muscles under the open shirt he was wearing. It was very intriguing. He was a very nice looking boy.
Despite what Mia had told me I still felt like I shouldn't be noticing just how nice looking Rome was. I felt like an old married lady. Guilty for noticing the young hot guy when my much loved but terribly familiar husband was waiting at home.
But who knew if he was even waiting.
I slid my feet into my sandals and followed Rome and Brian out of the boat. Rome stood on the dock and offered his hand to me to help me off the boat. I took it with a shy smile. Man this guy makes me feel things I haven't felt in a while. Like shy for one. Like I'm the lady not the tramp for another.
We walked into Tej's and sat down. I sat in an oversized chair off to one side, pulling my feet up under me. There I go again, trying to be small and inconspicus. I feel a moment or two of pity for the rest of this team. Someday the shyness and sense of being an outsider will fade, then they'll be stuck with loud mouth, bitchy Letty. I bet it shocks the shit out of them. Letty on my best behaviour is very different from Letty how I normally am.
Rome and Jimmy went to make popcorn and Suki went to put in a DVD.
"What are you putting on Suk?" Tej asked her from his seat on a leather couch.
They were livin pretty large. Nice home theatre system and leather furniture. Nothing hand me down in this crib. Not like home. We still have all Dom's father's furniture. The TV is almost as old as I am. All the money goes into our cars. Either they win more here or being mechanics pays better here. Of course, Tej seems like some sort of gambling mob boss.
"Uptown Girls." Suki answered.
"Oh hell no!" Jimmy yelled back from the kitchen.
"You gotta be kidden me!" Tej exclaimed at her too.
"No freaken way!" Brian added his opinion.
I didn't want to see that movie either but I didn't want to say anything. All that came to mind was chick flick.
I've never been big on 'chick flick' style movies. I like action. I want to see shit blow up. I like fast cars and big stunts and stuff blowing up or getting shot.
I've gotten stuck watching more sappy movies with Mia then I care to count. She'd like Suki. They could go shopping and do their hair together then watch stupid girl movies all night. I don't want to watch Uptown Girls at all.
One, it looked like a stupid movie to me. Two, it'll remind me of doing girly shit with Mia. I don't want to think about it right now. Much as I outwardly let on I hate all that stuff, doing it with Mia was special. I don't know if I'm scared I could learn to like Suki on the same level as I liked Mia, or if I just really hate chick flicks and I only put up with them out of love for Mia. I'm gonna hope for the later because I really don't think I like Suki.
"Either play Underworld or The Italian Job." Brian told Suki.
"But I want to watch this movie." Suki pouted at the room in general.
"Let's let the newest member of the group decide. She's still kinda like a guest, for now." Rome said from the door with a wink for me. He was standing there, holding a big bowl of popcorn. "What do you want to watch?"
"Um." I wasn't happy to be put on the spot. I didn't want to piss anyone off. Of course in this case the only one likely to be pissed off was Suki. So fuck it. "I'd like to see 'The Italian Job'. I never got to see that one yet." I answered back.
"Woowhoo!" The guys all called out together.
"Go Letty. It's your birthday." Jimmy sing songed, happy to not have to watch the chick flick.
"Good choice girl." Tej nodded my way.
Rome just smiled, like he had me pegged anyway and he knew if he let me chose he'd never have to watch 'Uptown Girls' anyway. That's not really a tough call to make. It's gotta be pretty obvious that I'm not a girly girl anyway.
Suki shot me a dirty look.
"Sorry but I just never been much of a chick flick chick." I told them all with a smile.
"Thank God." Tej said, mock look of relief on his face. "One girly girl is all I can handle around the place." We all laughed.
"It's enough to have one." I answered, still laughing, thinking of Mia.
Everyone looked at me speculatively, wondering what I was talking about. Everyone but Brian. It was clear from the reflective look on his face he knew who I meant and he was thinking of her. Good, that's a good thing.
"How do you know that so certainly?" Jimmy asked me, smiling openly.
He's a good kid. I can tell already. Sort of like Jesse but without the ADD induced lack of concentration.
"Well, where I'm from, on my team back home, my best friend is the ultimate girly girl. If I was too it would push us over the limit of girly behaviour allowed in any one house by law. We're the exact opposites of each other, me'n M.My girl." We all laughed at that and Suki reluctantly put in the movie we'd all agreed on.
Rome came fully into the room with the popcorn and after a split second of thought he decided to sit on the floor in front of my chair, leaning against the front of it. He offered me the popcorn bowl and I took a handful.
Brian shot Rome a look I didn't want to know the meaning of. I could tell Brian was still not impressed with the attention his friend was giving me and I figured Brian would have something to say about it to me since saying stuff to Rome didn't seem to do much for him.
I wonder why Brian would even care. It's not like Rome could ever hurt me worse then Dom has. Besides, I don't want to get with Rome. Right?
I'm not sure of the answer to that question myself. I'm not going to rush things, but I have a lot to think about.
"Oh man, I can't remember when I laughed so hard!" I gasped out as Rome told another amusing story from his and Brian's childhood growing up in Barstow. We were just sitting around Brian's little table chatting. The dishes were long since washed and put away. By the guys I might add, even if Rome didn't look overly happy about it. He was one up on Dom already. Dom didn't clean.
Brian looked embarrassed. A lot of Rome's stories proved that Brian was in fact deserving of the nickname Chumpy. He'd been a player even as a kid and he'd gotten into a lot of trouble over it.
"Well, there was this one time that Rome got caught with this Tosha chick in his old Cutlass. He was."
"Brian you need to shut that white mouth before I shut it for you!" Rome almost shouted to stop Brian from telling what manner of trouble Rome had gotten into with this Tosha in the back seat of his old car.
It made me laugh even harder. They joined me. They were so funny together. The oldest of friends.
Then it made me sad. They were Dom and Vince. The oldest of friends, they'd grown up together. They knew almost everything about each other. They'd had each other's backs in more fights then they could likely count. It worked no matter which set of friends you wanted to apply it to.
I don't think that Brian would be flattered to be compared to Vince. He was like him in a lot of ways. Small ways, but significant.
Vince and Brian would both rather take trouble down onto themselves then bring it home with them. Brian had gone down, in a way at least, for us rather then let us take the punishment for what we'd done.
If it had come down to it Vince would have taken all the responsibility too, if we'd have let him.
Both sort of suffered in silence rather then go on about their troubles.
Both had the scruffy hairdo goin on, and it seemed to flatter them more then make them look like the dirty scruffs it should. I think it appeals to a certain kind of girl, a girl looking for someone to take care of. Both Brian and Vince look like they need someone. Someone to take care of them. And I think I've hit the nail on the head there anyway because they both do. Brian's got his woman in Mia. He just needs to see her again and realize that.
And because she's been looking for a guy like him for a long time I think she'll take him back.
If Dom doesn't kill him first for taking off on us and not coming back when the shit died down.
Dom and Rome don't really compare, except for being tall, built and bald. They're like polar opposites. Dom's serious and controlled.
Rome's funny. Not much is serious in his world. His emotions are closer to the surface too. More volatile. He's more outgoing with his emotions. I guess he just doesn't keep them under the iron lock that Dom does.
I know Dom has his reasons but it gets really old to always be trying to force someone to tell you how they feel, force them to show some feeling. I felt like I was always pushing Dom toward some reaction. Just to know he felt something.
He was always so mad at me after I forced him to get mad at me. It was the easiest emotion to force him to show. Anger. I knew just what buttons to push to make him explode. He was good at waiting till we were alone to do it though.
In public I'd just get a terse 'Letty!' while he tried to warn me off and make me shut up. Then if I kept pushing I'd get dragged off to the nearest place with doors that locked so he could yell at me.
Then I'd yell back and we'd have a big fight. Then satisfied that he did care, at least enough to get mad enough to yell at me for whatever I'd said I'd stop pushing and we'd have the wildest sex ever. That was just how it was. Maybe not healthy, but sure fun.
"Hey Letty?" Brian broke into my thoughts, waving a hand in front of my face. "You in there?"
"Yeah, just thinking. Sorry. What's up?"
"Do we want to go up to Tej's and watch a movie with the rest of the crew?" Brian asked.
I checked the clock. Only 9. I wasn't going to be able to go to bed for a while, after sleeping in as late as I had. I figured I may as well go start to get to know my new team. Even if they are only temporary.
"Sure, why not."
"Good. Let's go." Rome said and stood up.
He stretched and I watched the play of muscles under the open shirt he was wearing. It was very intriguing. He was a very nice looking boy.
Despite what Mia had told me I still felt like I shouldn't be noticing just how nice looking Rome was. I felt like an old married lady. Guilty for noticing the young hot guy when my much loved but terribly familiar husband was waiting at home.
But who knew if he was even waiting.
I slid my feet into my sandals and followed Rome and Brian out of the boat. Rome stood on the dock and offered his hand to me to help me off the boat. I took it with a shy smile. Man this guy makes me feel things I haven't felt in a while. Like shy for one. Like I'm the lady not the tramp for another.
We walked into Tej's and sat down. I sat in an oversized chair off to one side, pulling my feet up under me. There I go again, trying to be small and inconspicus. I feel a moment or two of pity for the rest of this team. Someday the shyness and sense of being an outsider will fade, then they'll be stuck with loud mouth, bitchy Letty. I bet it shocks the shit out of them. Letty on my best behaviour is very different from Letty how I normally am.
Rome and Jimmy went to make popcorn and Suki went to put in a DVD.
"What are you putting on Suk?" Tej asked her from his seat on a leather couch.
They were livin pretty large. Nice home theatre system and leather furniture. Nothing hand me down in this crib. Not like home. We still have all Dom's father's furniture. The TV is almost as old as I am. All the money goes into our cars. Either they win more here or being mechanics pays better here. Of course, Tej seems like some sort of gambling mob boss.
"Uptown Girls." Suki answered.
"Oh hell no!" Jimmy yelled back from the kitchen.
"You gotta be kidden me!" Tej exclaimed at her too.
"No freaken way!" Brian added his opinion.
I didn't want to see that movie either but I didn't want to say anything. All that came to mind was chick flick.
I've never been big on 'chick flick' style movies. I like action. I want to see shit blow up. I like fast cars and big stunts and stuff blowing up or getting shot.
I've gotten stuck watching more sappy movies with Mia then I care to count. She'd like Suki. They could go shopping and do their hair together then watch stupid girl movies all night. I don't want to watch Uptown Girls at all.
One, it looked like a stupid movie to me. Two, it'll remind me of doing girly shit with Mia. I don't want to think about it right now. Much as I outwardly let on I hate all that stuff, doing it with Mia was special. I don't know if I'm scared I could learn to like Suki on the same level as I liked Mia, or if I just really hate chick flicks and I only put up with them out of love for Mia. I'm gonna hope for the later because I really don't think I like Suki.
"Either play Underworld or The Italian Job." Brian told Suki.
"But I want to watch this movie." Suki pouted at the room in general.
"Let's let the newest member of the group decide. She's still kinda like a guest, for now." Rome said from the door with a wink for me. He was standing there, holding a big bowl of popcorn. "What do you want to watch?"
"Um." I wasn't happy to be put on the spot. I didn't want to piss anyone off. Of course in this case the only one likely to be pissed off was Suki. So fuck it. "I'd like to see 'The Italian Job'. I never got to see that one yet." I answered back.
"Woowhoo!" The guys all called out together.
"Go Letty. It's your birthday." Jimmy sing songed, happy to not have to watch the chick flick.
"Good choice girl." Tej nodded my way.
Rome just smiled, like he had me pegged anyway and he knew if he let me chose he'd never have to watch 'Uptown Girls' anyway. That's not really a tough call to make. It's gotta be pretty obvious that I'm not a girly girl anyway.
Suki shot me a dirty look.
"Sorry but I just never been much of a chick flick chick." I told them all with a smile.
"Thank God." Tej said, mock look of relief on his face. "One girly girl is all I can handle around the place." We all laughed.
"It's enough to have one." I answered, still laughing, thinking of Mia.
Everyone looked at me speculatively, wondering what I was talking about. Everyone but Brian. It was clear from the reflective look on his face he knew who I meant and he was thinking of her. Good, that's a good thing.
"How do you know that so certainly?" Jimmy asked me, smiling openly.
He's a good kid. I can tell already. Sort of like Jesse but without the ADD induced lack of concentration.
"Well, where I'm from, on my team back home, my best friend is the ultimate girly girl. If I was too it would push us over the limit of girly behaviour allowed in any one house by law. We're the exact opposites of each other, me'n M.My girl." We all laughed at that and Suki reluctantly put in the movie we'd all agreed on.
Rome came fully into the room with the popcorn and after a split second of thought he decided to sit on the floor in front of my chair, leaning against the front of it. He offered me the popcorn bowl and I took a handful.
Brian shot Rome a look I didn't want to know the meaning of. I could tell Brian was still not impressed with the attention his friend was giving me and I figured Brian would have something to say about it to me since saying stuff to Rome didn't seem to do much for him.
I wonder why Brian would even care. It's not like Rome could ever hurt me worse then Dom has. Besides, I don't want to get with Rome. Right?
I'm not sure of the answer to that question myself. I'm not going to rush things, but I have a lot to think about.