|
Awkward
Sept 17, 2008 21:54:07 GMT -5
Post by Miss Jack on Sept 17, 2008 21:54:07 GMT -5
She hadn't exaggerated the sorry state of the cabin. Vince didn't spare the plants and wildlife his sneer of disgust as he examined the outside. Unstable, rotting. He moved his inspection inside, grimacing only one step into the door.
He began on his plans to renovate; just small touches, here and there, that would improve the overall quality, at least make it safe to live in.
Ten minutes later, he heard them, approaching, already at the door. He tensed, frantically considering his options, and then as he listened further, decided he didn't want to leave.
|
|
|
Awkward
Sept 17, 2008 21:57:01 GMT -5
Post by Jules on Sept 17, 2008 21:57:01 GMT -5
“Who’s Vince?” “Whaaat?” “You keep calling me Vince.” “Do I? Huhn. Weird.” “My name’s Toby?” “Of course, of course. I know. Toby.”
The two paused on her stoop and she had to lean against the door as she fumbled with the padlock that served as anti-theft. She felt his arms wrap around her middle and pull her against him, but when she looked down all she saw was bronzed limbs and it was so easy to pretend. He leaned over to kiss her neck but all she could see was his mop of black, black hair and it was so easy to pretend. She’d found him in some dive downtown. He was Egyptian, or at least he looked it: he had black hair, a solid build and close-enough-to-topaz eyes that if she didn’t look at him too closely…
Toby hadn’t minded, even if it had meant a bit of a trek to the forest, even if she did keep calling him Vince. He’d just gotten out of a messy relationship and one night stands always made him feel better, besides, he couldn’t help but notice how those pants fit like a slick second skin, or the way her hair felt against his hand and he didn’t mind the faint smell of ill under the sweet perfume, or the sickly tone to her flesh because none of that affected the way she kissed.
When they finally got through the door, she turned around in his hold and he pulled her right up against his chest and ran a hand through her hair, cradling the back of her head as he kissed her. Toby felt her arms snake around his neck, felt her press herself to him and he finally broke free to locate her bed. Which was when he noticed they weren’t alone. The way the figure was staring at him made him jump away from Mary and she, confused, looked in the direction of his worried stare.
What was he doing here? Mary looked almost angry, but mostly she was embarrassed. Shame, hot and sick welled up inside her. No part of her had agreed what she was doing was healthy, but she’d been doing it anyways. Now, faced with the real deal, her little game seemed that much more pathetic. Even a blind person could’ve made the connections between Toby and the way Vince looked after he’d molted. Vince would have to be completely obtuse not to notice. Mary was flushed, slightly disheveled looking and a touch out of breath. If she’d had her way this would not be how she encountered him again. The first time it had been in plain jane grass stained clothing and now it was pathetically clinging to a look-a-like in slightly trashy bar-clothes.
“Leave.”
Surprisingly, it was Toby she was attempting to herd out. Not Vince. Except Toby wasn’t so easy to herd out in her flustered state. “What, why?” he pushed Mary away from him a little rougher than he’d intended, but he was confused. Why was she throwing him out when they’d been having such a good time and not the mysterious, scary-looking man? The choice was clear to him, but she was acting like she’d prefer the mummy’s company.
|
|
|
Awkward
Sept 17, 2008 22:13:17 GMT -5
Post by Miss Jack on Sept 17, 2008 22:13:17 GMT -5
Watching the display sickened him in a way he couldn't explain; he was angry, certainly, but it hurt too. It took nearly all of his self-discipline, and he had a lot of it, to remain silent and not commit horrific and bloody murder on Toby.
When Toby refused to leave, a feral snarl ripped from Vince's throat and Toby startled, glancing at the mummy. Vince's eyes pulsed a glowing red and Toby backed into the door.
Even if he'd been looking forward to a wicked make-out session, it wasn't worth his life. He threw a swift glare at Mary and then quickly let himself out.
|
|
|
Awkward
Sept 17, 2008 22:19:07 GMT -5
Post by Jules on Sept 17, 2008 22:19:07 GMT -5
Mary watched him leave without much remorse and took the padlock off the door so she could lock it from the other side after Vince left. She closed the door and fiddled with the metal thing in her hand, not looking at him. She couldn't.
She pattered around the cabin for a moment, put the lock down on the table, fixed herself a glass of water from the pot that had been recently boiled, finished it then placed it in the sink, ran her hands through her hair and scrubbed at her arms before finally finding enough---courage, strength, what?---to speak.
"...what are you doing here?" Quiet, not accusing, simply and sadly curious.
|
|
|
Awkward
Sept 17, 2008 22:46:19 GMT -5
Post by Miss Jack on Sept 17, 2008 22:46:19 GMT -5
"I didn't mean to interrupt," he said as cold and cutting as jagged ice. He regretted it at once. He didn't mean to be so deliberately vicious, and yet, he realized a small part of him wanted her to suffer as he suffered.
He drew in a thick breath, glaring to the side. He wanted to talk to her, if for nothing else than to destroy this insidious, heavy thing between them, but he couldn't trust himself not to lash out at her again.
"I'll let myself out," he said, ignoring her question.
|
|
|
Awkward
Sept 17, 2008 22:56:26 GMT -5
Post by Jules on Sept 17, 2008 22:56:26 GMT -5
She wanted to hit him, to make him fall, to make him hurt just as much as she was hurting. Anything to see something besides anger, anything to get that ice out of his voice. Instead, she flinched and looked away again. Apparently he hadn't noticed how much he and Toby looked alike.
She wanted to tell him that she still loved him, that the only reason she'd even picked up Toby was because when her eyes had first scanned the crowd her heart had stopped a moment thinking it was him. She wanted to tell him she missed him and the circus with everything in her and being away was the single most depressing experience of her life. But all she did was brace herself, like she expected to get hit.
"You don't get to come in here, to my home without telling me why you were here in the first place."
Mary moved in front of the door, and looked like she was prepared to fight tooth and nail.
|
|
|
Awkward
Sept 17, 2008 23:07:28 GMT -5
Post by Miss Jack on Sept 17, 2008 23:07:28 GMT -5
Vince's jaw clenched. He recognized the look on her face, the one that usually meant she was digging in her heels, preparing for battle. Difficult woman.
He fought himself internally for a moment before giving a noise of defeat, running a hand over his mouth. It would be more pathetic to make excuses now than to admit to the pitiful reason he was here to begin with.
"Jack wouldn't know a foundation from a tree stump," he said finally, moodily. "I was inspecting your sorry living conditions myself."
|
|
|
Awkward
Sept 17, 2008 23:13:01 GMT -5
Post by Jules on Sept 17, 2008 23:13:01 GMT -5
For some reason his answer was like a spear through her stomach, she winced. "Why?" She muttered, loud enough to carry through the small cabin. Why did he have to keep doing this to her? It had taken a while to forget the hope Finn had made her feel, but here it was again, some part of her hated him for it.
Her mind raced to find logical reasons, Jack had probably bribed him, he didn't want to lose a valuable officer, he was just snooping so he could laugh at the dilapidation of where she lived, he'd been bored. But none of it stopped the way her heart picked up pace. Closing her eyes she leaned against the door; she needed the support.
"Why?" A little louder, harsher.
|
|
|
Awkward
Sept 17, 2008 23:24:47 GMT -5
Post by Miss Jack on Sept 17, 2008 23:24:47 GMT -5
He hesitated. The why lingered in the air, impossible to ignore. A flippant answer would not suffice; to deliberately wave off her intensity would be cruel, even for him.
He had never sought to dress up his words before, always simple and truthful, usually blunt in doing so. "I didn't want you to have to stay somewhere unsuitable, unsafe," he said quietly, hoping a second why would not surface.
|
|
|
Awkward
Sept 17, 2008 23:30:50 GMT -5
Post by Jules on Sept 17, 2008 23:30:50 GMT -5
She hated the way he was so calm when it felt like she was waging a civil war, she hated how unaffected by it all he was when it was all she could do to remain standing, she hated the short-handed way he was answering her questions, if he chose to do so at all, but at the very least the hope was gone.
"Why?"
Mary kept her eyes closed because she did not want to see his expression, or see him smirk or roll his lip in disgust or appear amused. She much preferred imagining him with as distraught an expression as hers must be.
|
|
|
Awkward
Sept 17, 2008 23:41:07 GMT -5
Post by Miss Jack on Sept 17, 2008 23:41:07 GMT -5
He been prepared for it, but even so he grimaced, grinding his teeth in frustration. "Because--" he began, then cut himself off. Would he really debase himself so readily after watching her willingly kiss another man?
She had to know. Why else would she ask him? He should despise her for disrupting his way of life so violently. "Because you insufferable, idiotic woman," he said through his teeth.
"I miss you."
And then it was too late to call the words back; words that, in retrospect, didn't even make that much sense in correspondence to her question, but hadn't that been what she was asking, beneath the pretext?
|
|
|
Awkward
Sept 17, 2008 23:47:54 GMT -5
Post by Jules on Sept 17, 2008 23:47:54 GMT -5
Mary took two steps forward, picked the lock off the table and whipped it full-force at his head. "That's not fair. You're not allowed to miss me." She growled, all signs of dejection gone from her expression.
"You don't love me, fine. I wasn't expecting it. But you do not get to miss me. You do not get to go halfway, to kind of care about me but not really. It's black and white Vince." She picked up her plate from some previous meal, crumbs dried to it like glue and threw it at him.
"You aren't allowed to toy with me like that." Mary looked down, her hand resting on the back of a chair. No, she wouldn't throw that, under her grip however, the wood splintered. They were poorly made chairs.
|
|
|
Awkward
Sept 17, 2008 23:53:40 GMT -5
Post by Miss Jack on Sept 17, 2008 23:53:40 GMT -5
He barely ducked out of the way of the lock, throwing her an aghast look. What the hell? He followed her movements cautiously, backing up a pace to keep apt distance between them.
"You don't get to command my emotions," he shot back. "If I only 'kind-of' cared about you, I wouldn't miss you in the first place." He deflected the plate and it shattered against the wall. "Idiot."
|
|
|
Awkward
Sept 17, 2008 23:59:53 GMT -5
Post by Jules on Sept 17, 2008 23:59:53 GMT -5
"But that's not enough! I want all of it or none of it. I don't want to know you care about me, just not 'in that way'. I don't want hope. Ignore me like you were, pretend I don't exist. It's easier than knowing there's something keeping you from loving me."
She left the broken chair to march up to him, eyes blazing but fingertips still cool. "Call me an idiot one more time, Mr. Friendly." Mary already knew she was an incredible buffoon, she did not need him reminding her of what a good laugh he was going to get out of this afterwards.
|
|
|
Awkward
Sept 18, 2008 0:07:49 GMT -5
Post by Miss Jack on Sept 18, 2008 0:07:49 GMT -5
He let out a harsh laugh. "And you love me?" he asked, the mocking clear in his voice. "You didn't love me, you were attached to me, and clearly," his face darkened bitterly, "it didn't take you long to rid yourself of the baggage."
His heart almost broke on the familiar nickname. His heart? All of it he knew about, anyway.
|
|