Chapter 28 – So Complicated
AN: Damn am I sorry this took soooo long to get here. I was so busy. Started work, plus had to go to school anyway to try and finish my car...Still not working, but that's another long story. Housekeeping time, go read some stories worth your time...They include, but are not limited to America's Fates, Knights on the Blacktop, Puzzling Pieces, Ultimate Betrayal, and Untimely Revenge. You'll notice I put them in alphabetical order ;) Ok, and to anyone following RIDE, it'll get updated sometime I swear, just had no time for it.
I walked out into the dinning/kitchen area and shot Fiona a dirty look. She refused to meet my gaze. She is up to something and she doesn't want me to see just how far it goes in her eyes. Damn, and Brian said this was going to be ok. I think Brian sees his little sister with rose coloured glasses. He thinks she could do no wrong, but she's got a vindictive soul. I can tell.
"Hey V. You want a drink?" I asked him, to break them up and get his attention back on me. I mean, I'm supposed to be the reason he's even here after all.
"What you got?" Vince asked me and took in my new outfit.
It was one of the one's I'd bought since I came to Miami, and I guess those new cloths I'd bought were slightly different from what I'd worn back home. They were slightly less overtly sexy and slightly more comfortable. Maybe Vince picked up on that, who knows.
"What else bro?" I asked with a grin.
"Hell yeah I want a drink then. Hook a brotha up." Ol Coyote and his Corona, no way to separate the two.
I opened the fridge, grabbed two Coronas and popped them both open, then handed one to Vince. He drained the first quarter in one swallow. I caught Fiona checking him out while he swallowed.
So maybe she thinks Vince is cute too. So what? She still can't have him. Besides I'm sending him home in a day or two. No way is he staying here longer then that. I can't have him here too long. It's enough to worry about him being here for that, if I have to keep worrying about him and the car the car will never get done.
What ever Fiona was cooking smelled good. I didn't want it to. I didn't want to acknowledge there was something she could do well that I couldn't. I took a drink of my beer and caught Fiona looking at me, almost like she thought it was gross.
"You don't drink beer?" I asked her.
"No. God no. I hate beer. I don't know how people drink that stuff." Fiona wrinkled her nose in distaste.
"You don't like Corona?" Vince was in shock, clearly. I think everyone in his world likes Corona.
"No. Unun. I hate beer."
"This isn't beer. It's Corona!" Vince shook his head, trying to get the concept of someone who didn't like beer through his head. He looked at me with this little boy confused look in his blue eyes.
I laughed at him. Couldn't help myself. I walked up behind him and wrapped my arms around his neck. "Yep, some people think Corona is beer, and they really don't like it V. It's not a parallel universe or anything."
"I can't believe it." Vince muttered and finished his own Corona.
"Just means there's more for you." I reminded him.
"I guess." He cheered up at that. He pulled me around and pushed me down into a chair. "So, how's life been treating you?"
"We covered this in the car V." I was not going into it with Fiona around for sure. Damn, she knows enough. She does not need more ammo against me.
"We only sort of covered it. You didn't really answer me if these people all treat you good."
"Yes they do Vince, or I woulda left long ago ok. I didn't become a door mat over night you know. If I wouldn't put up with you all being shitty to me I doubt I'd take it from a stranger."
"But you said this Sucky girl is mean to you." Vince looked so sincere. But I couldn't help it. I laughed at him for calling her Sucky. How appropriate.
"It's Suki, and yeah, she's sort of cold to me. But I don't let it get to me. She'll get over it and if she doesn't who cares, I'm going home sometime anyway."
"Well, what does she do to you?"
Why am I letting him continue this conversation in front of Fiona again? She's just going to run to Suki and tell her everything. I don't know if she could help herself. I mean, at least she actually gets along with Suki.
"She doesn't do anything. She's just rude to me by times and clearly doesn't like me."
"Well, why doesn't she like you?"
"Jesus Vince. I don't know! Maybe because I'm a girl who actually knows how to work on cars, maybe because she found out I did the designs on our cars and till now that was only her department around here. Maybe because I can race. I don't really know why. I never had a conversation about it wit her you know?"
"It jus seems weird for her to just not like you because you showed up."
"Vince, lots of people didn't like me in L.A. I got one of those attitudes."
"Letty, lots of girls didn't like you in L.A. because you were dating Dom. It wasn't because of your attitude."
"Vince, every second guy I met ended up wanting to slap me because I wouldn't take his shit. I had lots of enemies in L.A. just because they got the impression I was loud bitch from the first second we met."
I caught Fiona looking at me like she'd love to agree with me. Well, next time I see her and Vince isn't around she's so in for it. She's not gonna go around trying to pick up Vince as a way to get back at me. I won't have it.
If she has issues with me still, she can fucken well take them up with me. I mean that. I'm not one to run away from my problems. Not till they get so bad I don't see any other way. And this thing with Fiona will never get that bad because I won't have it. I'll end things my way long before they ever get to that point.
And if I have to do that Fiona's gonna come out the other end in a far different state then she went in. I still haven't learned not to talk with my fists when I get backed into a corner and riled up. If she gives me a hard time about the whole Vince issue, or tries to let on like she's miss Innocent, the shit is gonna hit the fan.
She comes up to the garage to see Tej and Jimmy all the time so I know I'll get a chance to see her when Vince isn't around. He's not coming to work with me. I'ma put that idea out of his head real quick. I'm not some kid who needs daddy to check out the playground for her.
Before I could get really angry and blow up Fiona put out dinner with a small smile for me and an entirely different sort of smile for Vince. A smile which he lapped up. Thinks he's Don Juan or something.
"So, how's Mia doing?" I wanted to keep Vince talking to me about things that Fiona didn't get so that she'd be the one who felt out of place and like she didn't belong. Her and Suki had been trying to make me feel that way all week and it was nice to flip the script on them.
"She's ok. She was better while you were home. I wish there was something I could do for her Let. I mean, it kills me'n Dom to see her like that all the time but there's nothing we can do for her. You were her rock Let."
"I know, but she'll get stronger V."
"I don't know if she will Let. I thought she would too, but now I'm not so sure. She cries more and more at night when she thinks we don't know."
I cringed at that. Mia wasn't the strong one. I knew it all along. I just figured with Dom and Vince and Leon she'd be ok. Mia was ok to be there for me, for other people, but she really needed someone to be there for her in order to be able to keep it up. And in things like Brian, and any boy troubles, it was me she turned to. Now she had no one to go to at home and I guess I can see how that would get to her. But I can't be there for her every time something goes wrong.
"If I ever see that Brian fucken S...O'Connor again I'm gonna beat the fucken life right out of him. I hate seein her like she is Let. And it's only worse now that you aren't there, aren't being her shoulder and using her to be yours. That little fucken coward O'Connor..."
Vince trailed off into his own dark thoughts and I tried to send apologetic looks behind Vince's back. He didn't know who Fiona was, and if I had my way he wouldn't. But that didn't mean I didn't understand why she'd be upset about hearing her own brother badmouthed. If she badmouthed Dom or Vince I'd be pretty upset.
"Yeah, well, don't forget we were fucking up to V. Blame him for screwing Mia over but don't blame him for trying to do his job."
Ok, so sticking up for Brian wasn't the smartest thing I ever did. But damn it this guy has been crawling into my bed at night to hold me while I sob my heart out over horrible nightmares. It's hard for me to hear him badmouthed, and totally put down without pointing out he has some redeeming qualities.
"When did you become a fan of the punk?" Vince growled.
"Just since I stopped to think about it ok? Damn. You'n Dom had to go ahead and do what you did, and then you got mad when you got caught. I mean, I'm pissed about what he did to Mia too, but I'm not pissed about him trying to bust us anymore. Besides, if he hadn't done something to stop it we'd all be in jail right now, so Dom'd be dead."
"You don't know that Letty."
"Yes I do. He had enough to put at least Dom and you away. He might have had enough for Leon and Jesse and I too. If he hadn't done something to hide the evidence then we'd all be in jail, or at least you and Dom would be. And Dom wouldn't go back Vince. I saw the look in his eyes when he said he'd die before he went back. He was dead serious. He'd kill himself of make the cops take him out to take him in."
Vince sighed and shook his head. He didn't want to hear it because it was the truth, and if it was the truth then Brian wasn't a total asshole and Vince didn't want to have to admit that for anything.
"Do you two wanna be alone?" Fiona asked, actually managing to sound like she had sympathy for me, for what Vince and I were fighting over.
"No. Because Vince didn't come here to fight with me over something long in the past did you Vince?"
"No. But you asked about Mia. And the fact is Mia is heartbroken over what that a...O'Connor, did to her."
"Ok, so the answer is Mia is not happy and is finding it hard to deal with it without me there to be her shoulder."
"Yes. That's what I meant." Vince growled. "I didn't know you'd come to love O'Connor so much since you left."
"Yeah, well neither did I. Can we eat now? You're the walking gut, how are you waiting so long to eat with food right in front of you?"
"I don't know." Vince said, gave me a small smile and started to stuff his face.
"He eats just like Rome." Fiona said to me a few minutes later.
"Yeah, he does." I admitted with a laugh.
"Who's Rome?" Vince asked with his mouth full.
"He's the guy from the beach, remember?"
"Yeah, him. Mr. touchy feely." Vince said and swallowed, then stuffed his mouth again.
"Rome's a co worker and a good friend. And he might just eat more then you do."
"I don't know about that!" Fiona added, still watching Vince stuff his face in awe.
There was a knock at the door and I got up to answer since I was done eating anyway. I opened the door to Rome.
"Hi." I greeted him. I remembered my manners at that point and stood back to invite Rome in but I really didn't want to. "Come in."
"Thanks," Rome walked in and saw Vince, "but can we talk alone for a few?"
"Sure." I told him and followed him outside onto the little back deck section of the boat. "What's up?"
"You ok?" Rome asked.
"Yeah, fine. Why?"
"I was worried about you. That guy seemed...I don't know, sorta like he had a short fuse."
"He does, but never with me. Thanks for being worried though. I had to talk to you anyway. I have to keep Vince out of the garage. I don't know how we're gonna do it but if you see him coming to the garage would you yell at me so I can head him off?"
"Sure, why don't you want him in the garage though?"
"Too much chance of him finding something that will tell him who B is. He can't find that out Rome. I mean, he just can't. I'm gonna try and send him home in a day or two anyway, but you really have to understand how bad it will be if Vince finds out who Brian is. I mean, it will get really ugly really quick."
"Ok, we'll try to keep it from him." Rome looked at my face, really deeply, and I could tell he didn't like what he saw. "What else is bothering you Reina?"
"Nothing. It's nothing."
"It's not nothing, what is it?"
"Well, it's Fiona. Among other things."
"What about her? Is she being mean to you?"
"No, she's got something worse for her revenge on me planned then that."
"What's that?"
"She's been flirting with Vince all night. She can't really like Vince. She must hate him for what he did, for what he made Brian do. But she's been smiling and letting him talk about stuff she can't give a fuck about."
"Maybe she's just helping you hide who Brian is from him."
"Maybe, but I don't get that feeling. The sooner he goes home the better. Now what did you want to talk to me about?"
"I wanted to know if you wanted to go see a movie tomorrow night."
"I'd love to but I think I better hold off on that till I get rid of Vince and get the car closer to done."
"Ok, but what about lunch tomorrow?"
"Ok, that's doable I think." I smiled. I like Rome. I don't know just how or why yet, and I'm trying not to care. I just like him and that's as close as I'm looking at it.
"I'll pull you away from that car at 12 then?"
"Sounds good. See you then."
Rome walked away and I went back into the house, were Vince was washing dishes. What the fuck is up with that? Vince is washing dishes?
"What the fuck happened Coyote? Did someone hold a gun to your head?"
"What are you talking about Letty?"
"You're washing dishes."
"So?"
"So you never wash dishes. You run to the TV to watch movies and eat more food. You never clean up."
"Yeah, well, Fiona cooked, the least I could do is not make her clean."
"Now, see if you'd taken that attitude at home long before now you might have had a chance with poor Mia. And I'd like to point out you picked that up from Brian."
Vince just gave me a dirty look.
"Where is Fiona anyway?"
"She's in the bathroom I guess." Vince answered after looking around.
"Say, V, wanna go to a movie tonight?"
"I guess so. Should we ask Fiona too?"
Should we ask her? Yes. Do I want to? Hell no.
"Sure. We can ask her." There I go, playing nice again. She picked then to come out of the bathroom.
"Hey, we're going to a movie, wanna come?" Vince asked. He likes her. I can tell. This is getting more and more complicated all the time.
"No, I don't think so. I think I'll go up to the house and visit instead."
"Ok then." I answered, trying to hide my pleasure at her answer.
We went to see our movie. I imagine Fiona went to Tej's to bitch to Suki about me and the things Vince said. She wasn't in the boat when we got back.
Vince was sitting on the couch watching TV when I got out of the bathroom.
"I can't believe you expect me to sleep on this." Vince looked up at me and pouted again. He does that pouty face surprisingly well for such a tough lookin guy.
"I don't. I told you you could sleep on the floor or in a hotel."
"You sure can be mean, you know that?"
"Yep. I'm evil."
"Ok, well, I'm going to bed then, see you in the morning." Vince told me and with a sigh he got up to go to the bathroom to change for bed. He's such a baby. He is too tall to enjoy sleeping on the couch though.
I went ot my room and got ready for bed in my ususal sleeping outfit, shorts and a tank top. I heard Vince come out of the bathroom and I literally heard his feet drag the whole way down the little hall. I stuck my head out my door.
"V?"
"Yeah?"
"You wanna sleep in here with me? I got a double bed and I guess I could share." I told him like I'd really rather not.
"I thought you'd never ask!" Vince called back and headed down the hall with his pillow and blanket.
"I wasn't going to but I guess I like ya Coyote. Don't tell anyone."
"Deal." Vince chuckled.
After all, it wasn't the first time we'd shared a bed. Sometimes when Dom would really piss me off and scare me I'd run to Vince instead of Mia because if Dom came after me and I was with Mia Dom would be able to take me out of the room, but if I ran to Vince, Dom wouldn't mess with him.
I crawled into the back by the wall and let Vince have the outside. We both fell asleep almost right away. I don't know when Fiona got back or if she found it strange that Vince wasn't on the couch.
When I woke up the next day Vince was still asleep. I crawled over him carefully to make sure he stayed that way and got dressed in the bathroom. Then I headed up to the garage, after leaving Vince a note telling him under no circumstances was he to follow me there, or I'd kill him.
Fiona was up at the garage. That was a first. I looked around and realized she had Jimmy finally putting the new piece in her exhaust. It had taken a long time to get that piece of pipe in. She was talking to Rome when I walked in. I just headed to the Acura and got to work. I was putting the block back together and then all I had to do was put the heads back on and it was ready to go back into the car.
That was, when the car came back. I mean, at this rate I'll never be done but it's not my fault. I mean, I can't control the fact that the body shop is taking longer then they thought they would.
After I had the first piston back in the block complete with new rings Rome came up to me.
"I thought you and Vince were just friends?"
Rome seemed pretty mad.
"We are. What do you mean?"
"Friends don't sleep together in my world." Rome was really pissed.
"I see you've been talking to Fiona." I didn't know which one to be angrier at. Him for buying it or her for spreading it.
"Yeah. So, is it true?"
"What? Did Vince sleep in the same bed as me last night? Yeah. Because he's pretty tall and the couch is pretty small. He's been like a brother to me since I was 11 or so, nothing happened." I told Rome, clearly pissed, or at least I hope the fact I was pissed came off clearly.
"I see." He didn't seem to be buying it. Well, screw him.
"Yeah, I hope you see. I guess if you don't wanna take my word for it you can fuck off and believe what you want." I'd never done anything to deserve for him not to trust me. I looked up at him to wait for his reaction to that. I didn't want to fight with yet another guy I liked, but maybe that was my point in life.
AN: Damn am I sorry this took soooo long to get here. I was so busy. Started work, plus had to go to school anyway to try and finish my car...Still not working, but that's another long story. Housekeeping time, go read some stories worth your time...They include, but are not limited to America's Fates, Knights on the Blacktop, Puzzling Pieces, Ultimate Betrayal, and Untimely Revenge. You'll notice I put them in alphabetical order ;) Ok, and to anyone following RIDE, it'll get updated sometime I swear, just had no time for it.
I walked out into the dinning/kitchen area and shot Fiona a dirty look. She refused to meet my gaze. She is up to something and she doesn't want me to see just how far it goes in her eyes. Damn, and Brian said this was going to be ok. I think Brian sees his little sister with rose coloured glasses. He thinks she could do no wrong, but she's got a vindictive soul. I can tell.
"Hey V. You want a drink?" I asked him, to break them up and get his attention back on me. I mean, I'm supposed to be the reason he's even here after all.
"What you got?" Vince asked me and took in my new outfit.
It was one of the one's I'd bought since I came to Miami, and I guess those new cloths I'd bought were slightly different from what I'd worn back home. They were slightly less overtly sexy and slightly more comfortable. Maybe Vince picked up on that, who knows.
"What else bro?" I asked with a grin.
"Hell yeah I want a drink then. Hook a brotha up." Ol Coyote and his Corona, no way to separate the two.
I opened the fridge, grabbed two Coronas and popped them both open, then handed one to Vince. He drained the first quarter in one swallow. I caught Fiona checking him out while he swallowed.
So maybe she thinks Vince is cute too. So what? She still can't have him. Besides I'm sending him home in a day or two. No way is he staying here longer then that. I can't have him here too long. It's enough to worry about him being here for that, if I have to keep worrying about him and the car the car will never get done.
What ever Fiona was cooking smelled good. I didn't want it to. I didn't want to acknowledge there was something she could do well that I couldn't. I took a drink of my beer and caught Fiona looking at me, almost like she thought it was gross.
"You don't drink beer?" I asked her.
"No. God no. I hate beer. I don't know how people drink that stuff." Fiona wrinkled her nose in distaste.
"You don't like Corona?" Vince was in shock, clearly. I think everyone in his world likes Corona.
"No. Unun. I hate beer."
"This isn't beer. It's Corona!" Vince shook his head, trying to get the concept of someone who didn't like beer through his head. He looked at me with this little boy confused look in his blue eyes.
I laughed at him. Couldn't help myself. I walked up behind him and wrapped my arms around his neck. "Yep, some people think Corona is beer, and they really don't like it V. It's not a parallel universe or anything."
"I can't believe it." Vince muttered and finished his own Corona.
"Just means there's more for you." I reminded him.
"I guess." He cheered up at that. He pulled me around and pushed me down into a chair. "So, how's life been treating you?"
"We covered this in the car V." I was not going into it with Fiona around for sure. Damn, she knows enough. She does not need more ammo against me.
"We only sort of covered it. You didn't really answer me if these people all treat you good."
"Yes they do Vince, or I woulda left long ago ok. I didn't become a door mat over night you know. If I wouldn't put up with you all being shitty to me I doubt I'd take it from a stranger."
"But you said this Sucky girl is mean to you." Vince looked so sincere. But I couldn't help it. I laughed at him for calling her Sucky. How appropriate.
"It's Suki, and yeah, she's sort of cold to me. But I don't let it get to me. She'll get over it and if she doesn't who cares, I'm going home sometime anyway."
"Well, what does she do to you?"
Why am I letting him continue this conversation in front of Fiona again? She's just going to run to Suki and tell her everything. I don't know if she could help herself. I mean, at least she actually gets along with Suki.
"She doesn't do anything. She's just rude to me by times and clearly doesn't like me."
"Well, why doesn't she like you?"
"Jesus Vince. I don't know! Maybe because I'm a girl who actually knows how to work on cars, maybe because she found out I did the designs on our cars and till now that was only her department around here. Maybe because I can race. I don't really know why. I never had a conversation about it wit her you know?"
"It jus seems weird for her to just not like you because you showed up."
"Vince, lots of people didn't like me in L.A. I got one of those attitudes."
"Letty, lots of girls didn't like you in L.A. because you were dating Dom. It wasn't because of your attitude."
"Vince, every second guy I met ended up wanting to slap me because I wouldn't take his shit. I had lots of enemies in L.A. just because they got the impression I was loud bitch from the first second we met."
I caught Fiona looking at me like she'd love to agree with me. Well, next time I see her and Vince isn't around she's so in for it. She's not gonna go around trying to pick up Vince as a way to get back at me. I won't have it.
If she has issues with me still, she can fucken well take them up with me. I mean that. I'm not one to run away from my problems. Not till they get so bad I don't see any other way. And this thing with Fiona will never get that bad because I won't have it. I'll end things my way long before they ever get to that point.
And if I have to do that Fiona's gonna come out the other end in a far different state then she went in. I still haven't learned not to talk with my fists when I get backed into a corner and riled up. If she gives me a hard time about the whole Vince issue, or tries to let on like she's miss Innocent, the shit is gonna hit the fan.
She comes up to the garage to see Tej and Jimmy all the time so I know I'll get a chance to see her when Vince isn't around. He's not coming to work with me. I'ma put that idea out of his head real quick. I'm not some kid who needs daddy to check out the playground for her.
Before I could get really angry and blow up Fiona put out dinner with a small smile for me and an entirely different sort of smile for Vince. A smile which he lapped up. Thinks he's Don Juan or something.
"So, how's Mia doing?" I wanted to keep Vince talking to me about things that Fiona didn't get so that she'd be the one who felt out of place and like she didn't belong. Her and Suki had been trying to make me feel that way all week and it was nice to flip the script on them.
"She's ok. She was better while you were home. I wish there was something I could do for her Let. I mean, it kills me'n Dom to see her like that all the time but there's nothing we can do for her. You were her rock Let."
"I know, but she'll get stronger V."
"I don't know if she will Let. I thought she would too, but now I'm not so sure. She cries more and more at night when she thinks we don't know."
I cringed at that. Mia wasn't the strong one. I knew it all along. I just figured with Dom and Vince and Leon she'd be ok. Mia was ok to be there for me, for other people, but she really needed someone to be there for her in order to be able to keep it up. And in things like Brian, and any boy troubles, it was me she turned to. Now she had no one to go to at home and I guess I can see how that would get to her. But I can't be there for her every time something goes wrong.
"If I ever see that Brian fucken S...O'Connor again I'm gonna beat the fucken life right out of him. I hate seein her like she is Let. And it's only worse now that you aren't there, aren't being her shoulder and using her to be yours. That little fucken coward O'Connor..."
Vince trailed off into his own dark thoughts and I tried to send apologetic looks behind Vince's back. He didn't know who Fiona was, and if I had my way he wouldn't. But that didn't mean I didn't understand why she'd be upset about hearing her own brother badmouthed. If she badmouthed Dom or Vince I'd be pretty upset.
"Yeah, well, don't forget we were fucking up to V. Blame him for screwing Mia over but don't blame him for trying to do his job."
Ok, so sticking up for Brian wasn't the smartest thing I ever did. But damn it this guy has been crawling into my bed at night to hold me while I sob my heart out over horrible nightmares. It's hard for me to hear him badmouthed, and totally put down without pointing out he has some redeeming qualities.
"When did you become a fan of the punk?" Vince growled.
"Just since I stopped to think about it ok? Damn. You'n Dom had to go ahead and do what you did, and then you got mad when you got caught. I mean, I'm pissed about what he did to Mia too, but I'm not pissed about him trying to bust us anymore. Besides, if he hadn't done something to stop it we'd all be in jail right now, so Dom'd be dead."
"You don't know that Letty."
"Yes I do. He had enough to put at least Dom and you away. He might have had enough for Leon and Jesse and I too. If he hadn't done something to hide the evidence then we'd all be in jail, or at least you and Dom would be. And Dom wouldn't go back Vince. I saw the look in his eyes when he said he'd die before he went back. He was dead serious. He'd kill himself of make the cops take him out to take him in."
Vince sighed and shook his head. He didn't want to hear it because it was the truth, and if it was the truth then Brian wasn't a total asshole and Vince didn't want to have to admit that for anything.
"Do you two wanna be alone?" Fiona asked, actually managing to sound like she had sympathy for me, for what Vince and I were fighting over.
"No. Because Vince didn't come here to fight with me over something long in the past did you Vince?"
"No. But you asked about Mia. And the fact is Mia is heartbroken over what that a...O'Connor, did to her."
"Ok, so the answer is Mia is not happy and is finding it hard to deal with it without me there to be her shoulder."
"Yes. That's what I meant." Vince growled. "I didn't know you'd come to love O'Connor so much since you left."
"Yeah, well neither did I. Can we eat now? You're the walking gut, how are you waiting so long to eat with food right in front of you?"
"I don't know." Vince said, gave me a small smile and started to stuff his face.
"He eats just like Rome." Fiona said to me a few minutes later.
"Yeah, he does." I admitted with a laugh.
"Who's Rome?" Vince asked with his mouth full.
"He's the guy from the beach, remember?"
"Yeah, him. Mr. touchy feely." Vince said and swallowed, then stuffed his mouth again.
"Rome's a co worker and a good friend. And he might just eat more then you do."
"I don't know about that!" Fiona added, still watching Vince stuff his face in awe.
There was a knock at the door and I got up to answer since I was done eating anyway. I opened the door to Rome.
"Hi." I greeted him. I remembered my manners at that point and stood back to invite Rome in but I really didn't want to. "Come in."
"Thanks," Rome walked in and saw Vince, "but can we talk alone for a few?"
"Sure." I told him and followed him outside onto the little back deck section of the boat. "What's up?"
"You ok?" Rome asked.
"Yeah, fine. Why?"
"I was worried about you. That guy seemed...I don't know, sorta like he had a short fuse."
"He does, but never with me. Thanks for being worried though. I had to talk to you anyway. I have to keep Vince out of the garage. I don't know how we're gonna do it but if you see him coming to the garage would you yell at me so I can head him off?"
"Sure, why don't you want him in the garage though?"
"Too much chance of him finding something that will tell him who B is. He can't find that out Rome. I mean, he just can't. I'm gonna try and send him home in a day or two anyway, but you really have to understand how bad it will be if Vince finds out who Brian is. I mean, it will get really ugly really quick."
"Ok, we'll try to keep it from him." Rome looked at my face, really deeply, and I could tell he didn't like what he saw. "What else is bothering you Reina?"
"Nothing. It's nothing."
"It's not nothing, what is it?"
"Well, it's Fiona. Among other things."
"What about her? Is she being mean to you?"
"No, she's got something worse for her revenge on me planned then that."
"What's that?"
"She's been flirting with Vince all night. She can't really like Vince. She must hate him for what he did, for what he made Brian do. But she's been smiling and letting him talk about stuff she can't give a fuck about."
"Maybe she's just helping you hide who Brian is from him."
"Maybe, but I don't get that feeling. The sooner he goes home the better. Now what did you want to talk to me about?"
"I wanted to know if you wanted to go see a movie tomorrow night."
"I'd love to but I think I better hold off on that till I get rid of Vince and get the car closer to done."
"Ok, but what about lunch tomorrow?"
"Ok, that's doable I think." I smiled. I like Rome. I don't know just how or why yet, and I'm trying not to care. I just like him and that's as close as I'm looking at it.
"I'll pull you away from that car at 12 then?"
"Sounds good. See you then."
Rome walked away and I went back into the house, were Vince was washing dishes. What the fuck is up with that? Vince is washing dishes?
"What the fuck happened Coyote? Did someone hold a gun to your head?"
"What are you talking about Letty?"
"You're washing dishes."
"So?"
"So you never wash dishes. You run to the TV to watch movies and eat more food. You never clean up."
"Yeah, well, Fiona cooked, the least I could do is not make her clean."
"Now, see if you'd taken that attitude at home long before now you might have had a chance with poor Mia. And I'd like to point out you picked that up from Brian."
Vince just gave me a dirty look.
"Where is Fiona anyway?"
"She's in the bathroom I guess." Vince answered after looking around.
"Say, V, wanna go to a movie tonight?"
"I guess so. Should we ask Fiona too?"
Should we ask her? Yes. Do I want to? Hell no.
"Sure. We can ask her." There I go, playing nice again. She picked then to come out of the bathroom.
"Hey, we're going to a movie, wanna come?" Vince asked. He likes her. I can tell. This is getting more and more complicated all the time.
"No, I don't think so. I think I'll go up to the house and visit instead."
"Ok then." I answered, trying to hide my pleasure at her answer.
We went to see our movie. I imagine Fiona went to Tej's to bitch to Suki about me and the things Vince said. She wasn't in the boat when we got back.
Vince was sitting on the couch watching TV when I got out of the bathroom.
"I can't believe you expect me to sleep on this." Vince looked up at me and pouted again. He does that pouty face surprisingly well for such a tough lookin guy.
"I don't. I told you you could sleep on the floor or in a hotel."
"You sure can be mean, you know that?"
"Yep. I'm evil."
"Ok, well, I'm going to bed then, see you in the morning." Vince told me and with a sigh he got up to go to the bathroom to change for bed. He's such a baby. He is too tall to enjoy sleeping on the couch though.
I went ot my room and got ready for bed in my ususal sleeping outfit, shorts and a tank top. I heard Vince come out of the bathroom and I literally heard his feet drag the whole way down the little hall. I stuck my head out my door.
"V?"
"Yeah?"
"You wanna sleep in here with me? I got a double bed and I guess I could share." I told him like I'd really rather not.
"I thought you'd never ask!" Vince called back and headed down the hall with his pillow and blanket.
"I wasn't going to but I guess I like ya Coyote. Don't tell anyone."
"Deal." Vince chuckled.
After all, it wasn't the first time we'd shared a bed. Sometimes when Dom would really piss me off and scare me I'd run to Vince instead of Mia because if Dom came after me and I was with Mia Dom would be able to take me out of the room, but if I ran to Vince, Dom wouldn't mess with him.
I crawled into the back by the wall and let Vince have the outside. We both fell asleep almost right away. I don't know when Fiona got back or if she found it strange that Vince wasn't on the couch.
When I woke up the next day Vince was still asleep. I crawled over him carefully to make sure he stayed that way and got dressed in the bathroom. Then I headed up to the garage, after leaving Vince a note telling him under no circumstances was he to follow me there, or I'd kill him.
Fiona was up at the garage. That was a first. I looked around and realized she had Jimmy finally putting the new piece in her exhaust. It had taken a long time to get that piece of pipe in. She was talking to Rome when I walked in. I just headed to the Acura and got to work. I was putting the block back together and then all I had to do was put the heads back on and it was ready to go back into the car.
That was, when the car came back. I mean, at this rate I'll never be done but it's not my fault. I mean, I can't control the fact that the body shop is taking longer then they thought they would.
After I had the first piston back in the block complete with new rings Rome came up to me.
"I thought you and Vince were just friends?"
Rome seemed pretty mad.
"We are. What do you mean?"
"Friends don't sleep together in my world." Rome was really pissed.
"I see you've been talking to Fiona." I didn't know which one to be angrier at. Him for buying it or her for spreading it.
"Yeah. So, is it true?"
"What? Did Vince sleep in the same bed as me last night? Yeah. Because he's pretty tall and the couch is pretty small. He's been like a brother to me since I was 11 or so, nothing happened." I told Rome, clearly pissed, or at least I hope the fact I was pissed came off clearly.
"I see." He didn't seem to be buying it. Well, screw him.
"Yeah, I hope you see. I guess if you don't wanna take my word for it you can fuck off and believe what you want." I'd never done anything to deserve for him not to trust me. I looked up at him to wait for his reaction to that. I didn't want to fight with yet another guy I liked, but maybe that was my point in life.