DreamInColour © 2004
They sat in the car in uncomfortable silence for what seemed like
forever. In reality it was only about five minutes. When they were well on their
way to Orlando’s house Hope finally broke the silence, “This is weird.”
“Yeah it is.” He agreed, “On one hand I feel like I can say anything to
you and on the other I have no idea what to say.”
She sighed, “Me neither wanna call my cell so we can do this over the
phone?”
“I have a feeling that even if I did the words wouldn’t come.”
“So then what do we do?”
They sat in silence again until finally Orlando couldn’t take it
anymore, “Fine I’ll start…what was up in New York?”
She cleared her throat and watched the traffic wiz by, “Umm…what do you
mean?”
“Oh you know perfectly well what I mean. That whole shutting the door in
my face twice, mumbling to yourself about kissing me…the whole thing, what was
up with that?”
“I don’t know I was having a hormonal reaction to…” She trailed off and
started playing with her fingers.
“Right, this is going to get bloody annoying if you don’t just spill
it.” He said as he pulled into his driveway. After parking he turned in his
seat, “Look at me…” When she did so he continued, “Do you trust me?”
See here was the problem she didn’t trust herself. She was extremely
angry with herself for allowing this to happen. There were so many things she
could have done to keep him away but she hadn’t done any of them. Now she was
stuck in a confined space staring into his beautiful dark eyes being asked to
trust him. She was going to answer affirmatively when there was a tap on the
driver side window.
Orlando turned and stared incredulously at the perfectly coiffed blond
motioning for him to come out of the car. “Kate?” He shook his head in
disbelief and exited the car, “What…the fuck…are you doing here?”
Kate gave him a pitiful look and pushed out her lower lip, “I realized
how much I missed you while you were away and I wanted us to try again.”
He put a hand to the back of his neck and exhaled slowly, “This isn’t
happening.” He mumbled.
Meanwhile Hope had gotten out of the car and was making her way around
the vehicle. “This is a private conversation.” Kate snapped at Hope then
reached out to touch Orlando’s arm in an effort to make him look at her.
Before he could respond Hope spoke up, “Not anymore it’s not.”
“Excuse me?” Kate’s attention was squarely on Hope at this point, as was
Orlando’s.
“I’m sorry was that too difficult for you to understand?” Hope’s manor
was calm and controlled.
This manor was agitating Kate who looked her up and down, “Who do you
think you are?”
Hope shrugged, “The only one out of the two of us who was invited here
tonight.” She looked at Orlando, “I’ll meet you inside.”
It took him a second to grasp what was going on, finally he nodded and
handed her his keys. “I won’t be but a minute.”
Hope smiled, “Take all the time you need.” She nodded in Kate’s
direction then took a determined step towards the home.
Once she was inside Kate said confidently. “That was a stupid mistake.”
“Why is that?” He asked somewhat naively.
“Because now she can’t stop this…” Kate stepped forward and grabbed his
face gently trying to bring it closer to her own.
He took her wrist and forced some distance between, “She can’t but I
can.”
“Why would you want to?” She seemed genuinely shocked that he would say
no to her. “It can’t be because of that woman, she’s got nothing I don’t have.”
“Actually she does have one thing…” He said with a smile.
“What in the world could that be?”
He turned on his heel and walked toward his front door, “The one thing
you never really had Kate.” He glanced over his shoulder with a smirk. “Me.”
She stood in his driveway staring at his retreating back until he was
inside the home. He hadn’t looked back once.
“You know…” Hope started once he had joined her in the kitchen where she
had made herself at home opening a beer and taking a long sip, “I do trust
you.”
He couldn’t take it anymore he didn’t say anything just cleared the
distance between them took the beer she was holding and put it on the counter.
“I know you do.” He said before covering her mouth with his.
It took her a full second to realize this was really happening then it
was like fireworks went off in her head and sailed throughout her entire body.
Every nerve she had was alive. She stepped back from him a few minutes later
and stared at him, “I…uh…what was that?”
“Something I’ve wanted to do since I saw you standing on my front stoop
with your eyes closed.” He said with a grin, “Now you were about to explain to
me what you meant by hormonal reaction.”
“Right…I…umm…you’re just going to have to give me a second.” She was
still dazed, she could still taste him on her lips and it really was making it
difficult for her to stand. She stumbled back and reached for the counter for
support.
He tipped his head to the side and watched her with a sly smile, “Are
you going to be all right?”
Her mind was swimming…then all of a sudden it was like clarity hit her.
She shook her head and stepped close to him again. Taking his face in her hands
she pulled him so close her lips brushed over his as she spoke, “This is a
hormonal reaction.” She whispered before taking over his lips again.
“Oh…” He said a few minutes later, “Uh…that’s a…hor-uh-monal reaction.”
He licked his lips, “Interesting.”
She laughed, “Is it just me or can you finally breathe?”
He thought for a moment then nodded with a smile, “Yes, everything’s a
lot clearer all of a sudden.”
“It most definitely is.”
“What changed your mind?” He asked keeping his arms firmly around her.
She closed her eyes for a minute, “You proved yourself real to me in the
last few months.”
“I did?”
“Yup, you were honest and consistent and nothing like I had expected.
Plus…” She trailed off.
“Plus what?”
“You’re so...” She sighed, “…fuckin’ sexy.” She grinned at him, “I’m not
blind you know.”
“Apparently not.” He chuckled.
“You know I’m going to feel sorry when I break this to Elijah.” She said
all of a sudden.
He raised an eyebrow at her, “Why is that?”
Pushing her body as close to him as possible she smiled, “He’s going to
owe Dom fifty bucks.”
“Really?” He asked knowing about the bet Dom and Elijah had made the
first day he’d met Hope, “You’re sure about that?”
She nodded, “Damn sure.”
Allie, Dom, Kierra and Elijah decided to go back to Hope’s when the
party seemed to die down. “You know I think I’m going to have to spend the night.”
Allie stated when the group had settled themselves in the living room with some
drinks.
“Why?” Elijah was curious.
“Well I have a feeling Hope is going to come through that door sometime
tomorrow morning and I want to be nowhere but right here when she tells Kierra
everything.”
Dom rolled his eyes, “What makes you think she’ll want to talk about
anything?”
“It’s not a matter of her wanting to talk about it.” Kierra said with a
grin, “It’s about us needing to know details.”
“Damn who wants to know gory details?” Elijah asked with a semblance of
disgust.
Kierra and Allie both raised their hands, “I do!” They exclaimed with a
laugh.
“Well then do you want to miss anything Dom?”
“Not a word…” Dom laughed then jumped up and clapped his hands together
“OOOH it’s a slumber party.”
Allie looked and Kierra and rolled her eyes, “Wanna kick them out?”
“Nah they could prove to be entertaining.”
The guys weren’t even paying attention to their conversation, “Do you
have cucumbers Kiki?” Dom asked adopting the nickname his girlfriend used.
“Oooh are we going to do facials and everything?” Elijah asked with a
laugh, “Anybody got a mud mask I can borrow.”
“Someone needs too give me a manicure.” Dom said returning from the
kitchen with a full cucumber, “Okay what do you do with this?”
“Something about the eyes.” Elijah said.
“Okay.” Dom tilted his head back and tried to balance the cucumber over
his eyes, “This isn’t helping anything, just giving me a damn pain in my neck.”
“I’ll give you pain in the neck.” Kierra said with a laugh snatching to
poor vegetable off of his face. “If you two are going to stay here you have to
behave.”
“Yes Ma’am.” They saluted.
“You can’t badger Hope or you are kicked out.” Allie added.
“Aww.” They pouted.
“No bothering Hope.” Kierra reiterated.
The guys slumped their shoulders, “Yes Ma’am.” They said with pathetic
defeat.
The sun poured into the room and shone brightly into Hope’s eyes. She
groaned and rolled over in an attempt at blocking out the light. She opened her
eyes then closed them again. She inhaled slowly and then slowly looked again.
He really was there she reached out to touch his face. “He even looks good in
the morning.” She muttered.
“He hears pretty well too.” He opened his eyes and smiled at her, “And
for the record you don’t look so bad yourself.”
“I should get home, but frankly I’m afraid.”
He sat up and stretched his arms over his head. He rubbed his stomach
and looked at her, “You’re afraid of your home?”
“No I’m afraid of my sister who is staying at my home.”
“Don’t forget Allie I’m sure she spent the night.”
“Which means Dom wouldn’t be far behind.” Hope groaned.
“And Lij would not have wanted to be out of the loop.” Orlando agreed,
“Okay so don’t go home yet.”
“What’s the alternative?” She asked with a smile.
He raised an eyebrow, “Shower?”
Hope laughed, “Who needs to go home?”
“Mmm…phone…get…phone.” Allie groaned. The four of them had crashed in
various areas of Hope’s living room. Kierra and Elijah had folded themselves
onto the love seat while Allie and Dom were stretched out on the longer sofa.
Elijah and Dom both scrambled for their coats, it turned out to be Dom’s
phone his eyes were still closed when answered it, “mghmghgmgh…hello?” He
mumbled.
“My life is complete.”
“Good on ya, why the hell are you waking me up to tell me that?”
“Cause you’re me best mate even if Allie has stolen you.”
“Right.” Dom ran a hand over his face, “Why is your life complete?”
“She’s coming with me to meet the lot of you.” Billy explained speaking
about Gemma an old friend of his that he’d finally gotten up the courage to ask
out. She’d refused for the last few months to actually leave Scotland and meet
the group of friends Billy always talked about.
“Brilliant.” Dom yawned, “Orlando can introduce him to his new
girlfriend.”
“Orli’s got himself a new woman?” Billy was confused, “What about Hope?”
“Who do you think the new woman is?” Dom laughed.
“Are you takin’ the Mickey out Dom?”
“I don’t think I am. They left last night to go to his place and we
haven’t seen either of them since then. Plus we’re all at Hope’s apartment so
we know she’s not here.”
“Well it’s about time.”
“I know. So when are you two going to be out here?”
“Tomorrow afternoon.”
“Right, we’ll see you then.”
Dom flipped his phone shut and yawned again, “Gemma’s gonna meet us
finally.” He lay down on the sofa again putting his head into Allie’s lap; she
was sitting up trying to get a kink out of her neck.
“Good.” Allie said, “I told her she needed to make a trip out here.”
“Who’s Gemma?” Kierra asked shifting herself a bit so she could lean on
Elijah who had returned to the loveseat with his phone.
“Billy’s woman.” He explained, “Only Dom and Allie have met her.”
“As in Billy Boyd?”
“The one and the same.”
“I wish Hope would have told me I was going to meet the whole Lord of
the Rings cast.” Kierra laughed, “I would have made sure Kylie and Luke could
be here too.”
“Well Billy and Gemma’ll be here tomorrow aft so why don’t you invite
Kylie and Luke out to the party.” Elijah suggested.
“What party?”
Dom and Elijah exchanged looks then Dom laughed, “The party that Orli’s
havin’ at his place. I’ll call Liv.” He flipped open his phone again.
“Does Orlando know he’s having a party tomorrow?” Kierra asked Allie.
“He will soon enough.” Allie said with a smile, “Now we’d better clean
this place up a bit, Hope will eventually get her butt home and we need to talk
to her.”