DreamInColour
© 2004
He tried to pretend he didn’t hear her
knocking. In fact he thought it’d worked then she knocked again. Finally
reluctantly he pulled the door open just far enough so that he could lean
against the doorframe and hold the door open with his foot. “What?” He asked
with a raised eyebrow.
“I, uh, just came to say I’m sorry.” She
practically mumbled, his stare was unnerving and rather frightening.
“Well you said it.” He said with a shrug and
went to turn and shut the door.
“Wait.” She reached forward to touch him.
He pushed her hands away, “Don’t…” He growled,
“I’m sick of being a convenient fuck Dylan…I’m done…finished. It ends here.” He
deliberately stepped away from her and slammed the door shut.
She was slightly more than shocked as she
stumbled towards her room, “Shit, shit, shit.” She said as she entered room and
threw her belongings on the bed. She flung herself after them and stared at the
ceiling, “Just great Dylan go and fucking wreck perfection. Nice one.”
Deciding she needed a drink from the bar she
changed into some comfortable jeans and hoodie. She was pocketing her key while
she waited for the elevator and was taken aback when it opened to reveal a
tired Orlando leaning against the railing with his eyes closed.
“Long day?” She asked as she stepped in and
pushed the button for the lobby.
He opened his eyes slowly, “Something like
that.” He looked at his watch then back at her, “Hey, aren’t you supposed to be
on a date?”
She’d been numb till he’d said that. The tears
came before she could stop them, still she put her hands up to her face in a
vain effort to hide them, “I was, but I’m a moron and fucking wrecked it.”
Orlando made a split second decision and
pressed the button for his floor instead of getting off the elevator when it
opened to the lobby. Once the doors had closed he put a hand on her arm, “Do
you want to talk about it?”
She looked at him an embarrassed colour in her
cheeks, “You don’t have to listen to my woes Orli, I’m sure you have more
important things to do.”
He smiled, “Actually I don’t. How about we
order some drinks from room service and sit on my balcony discussing why you
are crying instead of on your date?”
Thinking about it for a moment she finally
nodded when the elevator doors opened again, “I suppose I can talk to you.”
He laughed, “Your confidence in me is
overwhelming D.”
“Coming, coming!” Torrie called as the knocking
on her door intensified.
“You’re not Billy.” Elijah said once she’d
opened it.
She looked at him funny, “No I’m not. Where’s
Dylan?”
He shrugged and knocked on the door next to
hers, “Don’t know don’t care.” He muttered.
“What happened?” She was instantly curious and
concerned.
Billy opened the door, “Hey mate what the hell
are you doing here?” He asked.
Elijah looked over at Torrie, “Why don’t you
ask Dylan cause I don’t have a fucking idea.” He then brushed passed Billy into
the room.
Torrie eyed her cousin, “What’s going on?”
“I don’t have a bloody clue.” Billy shrugged
looking over his shoulder into his room at Elijah’s back. “Best go find Dylan
then.”
“Come on Dylan I know you’re in there!” Torrie
called.
“Why is it I’m constantly finding you in front
of Dylan’s door?” Dominic asked an arm up on the top of his door and a toothpick
between his lips.
Torrie had to force herself to remember why she
was there, how did he manage to look hot in jeans and a t-shirt? “I’m looking
for her.” She managed to say.
He smirked and pulled the toothpick out of his
mouth, “I gathered that and if I didn’t know better I’d think you were stalking
her.”
Torrie laughed, “Now why would I be stalking
her?”
“I don’t know, to get closer to me perhaps.” He
suggested smiling at her slyly.
“Perhaps.” She teased the blush deepening.
He raised an eyebrow at her not actually
expecting her to say that, “Well then I’d advise stalking the source.” He
leaned forward, “Much quicker results.”
She gulped and took a step back trying to
maintain her reason for being there, “I’ll have to take that into
consideration. You wouldn’t by any chance know where Dylan is would you?”
“As far as I know she’s on a date, but
considering your rather frantic need to see her I’m going to assume something
happened that I need to hear about.” He pushed the door open further.
“I don’t know really, Elijah showed up at my
room thinking it was Billy’s and he was incredibly pissed. I just came down
here to see how Dylan is and now that she’s not here I’m worried she’s done
something stupid.” She put a hand to her mouth realizing she’d said too much.
“Stupid like what?”
“I really don’t think I should say.”
He crossed his arms and leaned closer to her,
“Okay I’m sure we can agree that those two are rather stupidly attracted to
each other right?” She nodded but didn’t say anything else so he reached forward
and took hold of her hand, “So I propose that we put our heads together and
figure out how to get them to realise that they need each other.”
“Well I mean I guess since she’s not here…”
Torrie was conceding allowing him to pull her gently into the room.
“Good to know my powers of persuasion work on
you.” He joked.
She gulped again, “You really have no idea.”
She muttered more to herself than anything.
He heard her but pretended he didn’t. Smiling
at her back he followed her into his room and thought that maybe things were
going to be interesting on this press tour for him as well.
Dylan stayed on the balcony when Orlando went
to get the drinks. She didn’t need hotel staff wondering why she was in Elijah’s
room most of the time and Orlando’s now. He handed her the drink she’d ordered
and sat down beside her.
“So tell me. What’s wrong?” He asked kicking
his feet up on the railing and taking a long drink.
She sipped hers once before answering, “I
really don’t know everything’s all fucked up I couldn’t tell you which way is
up at this point.”
Reaching over he took her hand and pointed one
of her fingers skyward, “Well to start, that’s up.”
She chuckled lightly, “Thanks.”
“No troubles.” He let go of her hand and sat in
silence with her for a moment letting her decide when to speak.
Finally she sighed, “I think I’m in love with
him Orli.”
“You think?” He asked.
Swirling the ice in her cup she mumbled, “I
know I’m in love with him.”
He smiled, “Well that’s a good thing isn’t it?”
“Not if he hates me.”
“Why would he hate you?”
“Rodney.” She shook her head and took another
sip of her drink.
“Wait, who’s Rodney?”
“My ex.”
“I still don’t follow.”
“He showed up at the restaurant tonight.” She
explained.
“Ah.” He understood a bit better now, “This is
an important ex then?”
“I don’t know.” She shrugged, “I thought he was
my world at one point.”
“Turns out he wasn’t?” He asked.
“Not at all.” She agreed, “…but I was just so
excited to see his buddy and then they got me all caught up in reminiscing…”
She trailed off.
“That you momentarily forgot that Lij was
there.” Orlando finished off for her,
She groaned and ran a hand over her face, “I’m
on a date with him and we end up sitting with one of my exes and I forget he’s
there…I’m a fucking moron.”
“Well I wouldn’t call that the brightest move.”
Dylan put her drink down and hugged her knees
up to her chest, tears fell down her face, “Now can you see why he’d hate me?”
Leaning closer to her Orlando put an arm around
her, “He doesn’t hate you D.”
“How do you know?” She asked softly laying her
head on his shoulder.
“Cause if he hated you he wouldn’t waste his
time being pissed at you. Give him time, he’ll come around.”
Sitting up and running the sleeve of her hoodie
over her face Dylan lay her head on her knees and regarded Orlando for a
moment, “How do you know so much about shit like this?” She asked.
He smiled at her, “I don’t know a lot about
shit like this, but I do know Lij. He doesn’t get angry, ever. So if he’s angry
he’s deeply attached I’m sure of it.”
“Thanks Orli.” She sighed.
He patted her arm, “Anytime D.”
Torrie bit on her lip and watched Dom move
through the room; he opened the window then reached into his mini bar for a
couple drinks. He passed it to her as he sat next to her on the small loveseat.
“So what aren’t you telling me?” He asked.
She cleared her throat, “About what?”
He looked over at her with a strange
expression, “About Dylan and Elwood, you know…the reason you were banging on
Dylan’s door.” He smiled.
“Oh, uh, right that.” She looked around the
room trying to get her bearings, “I thought she may have gone to see an
ex-boyfriend.”
“Why would you think that?”
“An ex of hers called the other day and she
contemplated getting hold of him.” Torrie explained finally able to look at him
again, “Then Elijah asked her on the date and she forgot all about Rodney.”
“So then now you think it’s probably not the
Rodney bloke then?”
“I don’t know, it was something, Elijah looked
ready to punch something and I’ve never seen him like that. I wasn’t aware he
could GET angry till tonight.”
“Yeah he’s pretty happy all the time.”
“Dylan seems to bring out strange emotions in
him.” Torrie lamented as she finished off her drink. She pulled herself closer
to the corner of the sofa and tried not to breathe in the cologne he was
wearing.
“Speaking of strange emotions why are you doing
that?”
“D-doing? Doing what?” She looked around the
room again.
“That.” He pointed, “Not looking at me and
shrinking away from me. Do you fancy me then?”
She continued to look away from him, “Wow that
was blunt.”
“Well?” He prodded with a smile. “Do you?” He
put a finger under her chin and turned it to face him.
“So what if I do.” She finally conceded.
He leaned in closer to her face; “For starters
it would make my fancying you a lot easier to deal with.”
She stared at him with a shocked expression,
“I’m sorry what.”
“Don’t look so shocked Tor…” His lips were
brushing hers, “You stick round in a lad’s head.”
“I-I do?” She was slowly leaning into him
having momentarily lost control of her body’s reactions.
“Yup…” He was so close she could see every
speck of colour in his eyes, “You wouldn’t mind if I kissed you then?” He
finally asked with a smirk.
She shook her head, “Not at all.” She managed
to say before he silenced her with his mouth. Dylan and Elijah’s problem seemed
a distant thought at that moment.
“If you’re going to be pacing in my room the
least you could do is enlighten me with what the hell is going on.” Billy
watched Elijah walked back and forth in front of his window.
“She can’t make up her mind to save her life.”
He finally said.
“All women are like that mate.”
“One minute she acts like I’m the only guy in
the world, the next she doesn’t remember I’m in the fucking room.” He continued
like Billy hadn’t even spoken.
He eyed Elijah for a second, “I’m gonna assume
there is a beginning and you’re going to have to go there before I understand
what’s going on.”
So Elijah relayed the evening from the moment
he picked her up till he got up and left the restaurant, “She didn’t even
notice I left.”
“I doubt that…”
“How can you doubt that?”
“Based on the information you’ve given me.”
“Quit fucking with my head Billy!”
“Relax already she was at your door rather
quickly for someone who didn’t notice you leave. That’s all I meant” Billy
explained. “She probably didn’t want to cause a scene.”
“I don’t even care about that. She fucking
mooned all over that Rodney guy and didn’t even notice I was THERE!” Elijah
reiterated, “We’re on a fucking date and she totally forgets I’m there.”
“I can’t explain that cause in case you haven’t
noticed I’m not her.” Billy commented.
“I don’t want to talk to her.”
“This is stuff you should be discussing with
Dylan not me Lij.”
“Fuck Billy, I don’t want to fucking see her
let alone talk to her.” Elijah seethed.
Regarding his friend Billy inhaled, “I’ve never
seen you this worked up over anything Lij, are you sure you aren’t in love with
her?”
Finally stopping his pacing and slumping
himself into a nearby chair Elijah sighed, “Why do you think this is pissing me
off so much?”
“Have you told her any of this?”
“Well no, but how can I when she’s chatting up
some old boyfriend?”
“Ah okay so you were hoping this date would
turn into something more official?” Billy prodded.
“Yeah and yet again I’m given the fucking
shaft. I swear I gotta be defective or something.” He fingered a ring that he
still wore on his right hand engraved with the saying ‘If not now, when’ in
German. It constantly reminded him that he hadn’t been enough for that person.
Maybe this was another time; maybe he wasn’t enough for Dylan.