That Thing
He was sitting at the bar when she entered, only half hoping that he wouldn’t be there. He was siting there with a cocky smile on his face, sitting back against the bar, leaning on his elbows as he watched her approach.
“Do you always drool when you stare at a woman, or is that supposed to be a compliment?” she asked as she took a seat a stool away from him. The bartender supplied her with her usual and she turned to him.
“What’s wrong with appreciating a beautiful woman?” he asked, cocking his head to look at her.
“Find a new set a lures, those aren’t working.” She took a long sip of her beer and didn’t hide a long look that she used to size him up from toe to head.
“Are you accustomed to drooling as well?” he replied, a smile tugging at his lips.
“I’m not allowed to appreciate a good looking guy?” she asked with a smile. He chuckled a bit and then turned around to take a swallow of his club soda.
“So what’s with you Momma G?” he asked as he hunched over his drink, turning his head to look at her.
“Don’t call me Momma G,” she replied with another smile and raised eyebrow.
“No? Then what should I call you?”
“Francine, Gaea, pick one.”
“That’s what the G stands for then, Gaea?”
“That’s me, Francine Gaea King.”
“Fran,” he said, trying to keep her eyes on him.
“Yeah?” she turned to look at him.
“You think you could possibly talk to me?” she chuckled and smiled.
“What is it that you want me to tell you?”
“Oh, anything, like about you.”
“You’ve been to the shows, you already know about me,” she said skeptically.
“You’re not the same on stage as you are off.”
“Big surprise, neither are you,” she replied quickly.
“Touche, I’ll give you that. You like Miami so far?”
“No. It’s too humid. To hot, too sunny, I don’t like it. Besides, I don’t fit in here, it’s too pretty and nice, you know what I mean?” she looked over at him as she asked and immediately regretted answering the question the way she did. Too personal.
“It’s takes some getting used to, yeah, and if you’re not a socialite, it’s a bit tiring after a while. But you’re only here for the rest of this week right?” he had chosen not to comment on what she had said which she was ever so grateful for.
“Yup, two more shows here, then the big event on Saturday.”
“That’s right, you excited to be doing that?”
“Course I am, it’s the opportunity of a lifetime.”
“Then why you sitting down here every night listening to my friend play out his frustrations in his sleep?”
“You’re one of those analytic types aren’t you?”
“You need to get out of here Franny, cause either you’re gonna die of boredom or I’m gonna kill you for lack of conversation,” AJ said as sat up and pulled his wallet out of his pocket. He looked through it and pulled out some cash, plopping it beside his half empty glass.
“Franny? And you all of a sudden know exactly what I need?” she asked, no intention of moving from that very spot.
“Have you been anywhere but rehearsals and this hotel?” he asked as he stood up and stuffed his wallet back into his pocket. She furrowed her brow as she answered.
“Well, I, no, but that,” she stuttered.
“Then come with me for a drive.”
“But it’s, almost one in the morning, and I have to,” he didn’t let her finish.
“Stop making up excuses. Just come on.” He stepped up to her and gently pulled her off the stool. She was surprised by his forwardness, but she found herself walking with him, out of the bar, out of the hotel and sliding into the passenger seat of his car.
“How did you get into comedy if you hate your voice so much?” AJ asked once they were out on the road and cruising the streets.
“It’s not something I planned, that’s for sure. I wasn’t good at much, except being funny, so that’s what I did,” she explained simply.
“So you just ‘fell’ into it, right?” he asked, looking over at her. She chuckled.
“Two months ago I was the one serving up the Coors instead of drinking them at the bar. So yeah, I did just kinda fall into it.”
“You like it?”
“It’s fun on stage, I’m just, not very good at the one on one thing, as you can tell,” she blushed and looked out the window. He had to smile as he pulled up to a stoplight.
“I got that impression,” he laughed, making her blush again.
“So where are you taking me anyway?”
“Thought you might like to go to the beach while it wasn’t boiling hot out.”
“Really now?” She chuckled.
“And aside from that I like the beach at night, and I thought you might like it too.”
“Why, because it’s romantic to take a night time stroll on the beach?” She rolled her eyes over to him and smirked. He shook his head and made his turn.
“I guess it was a good idea to forgo the flowers then?”
“Yeah, it was.”
“How does a guy get to know you then? You don’t go for the soft approach, what do you go for?” he asked seriously as he navigated through the streets, following the signs that led to the beach.
She sat back, letting her head fall back against the headrest and relax.
“I don’t know what works. I’ve only dated a few people. I don’t worry about it much.”
“Everybody worries about it, but they just don’t talk about it.” She turned to him with the raised eyebrows again. He grinned as he pulled into a parking space and killed the engine.
“Have you really come to all my shows?” she asked, looking over at him in the dim light of the car. He undid his seatbelt and turned to look at her.
“I have.”
“Why?”
“Why do you have to know?”
“Are you going to just keeping answering my questions with questions?”
“Are you going to stop worrying whether or not that I really want you here and just relax for a while?” She laughed outright and turned to the window.
“I told you, I’m not good at this one on one thing.”
“This, it’s still a ‘thing’?”
“I, don’t, mm,” she struggled with her words, putting a hand to her forehead and smiling nervously. She picked her head up and closed her eyes, shaking her head, still not able to find her words.
“This, it’s,” she still couldn’t get a coherent word out of her mouth.
“You don’t have to impress me, I’m not going anywhere. I just thought you were funny, and maybe you’d like to do something that didn’t require to you be in a meeting, or whatever. Just a chance for you to have some fun, and, just cause I liked you, that’s all, there’s no pressure to be anything, or do anything.”
“That, doesn’t help, you know, saying there’s no pressure, usually means that there is pressure, because nobody ever says what they mean, and,” AJ’s face was suddenly very close, his lips even closer as they touched hers, his hand on the back of her neck.
“Am I moving too fast for you?” he asked as he pulled back a bit. She blinked several times in and stuttered,
“Um, no, no, this is fine.” He grinned at her and laughed, moving closer, this time being even bolder than before. She parted his lips with her tongue, heard him laugh before his other hand took her face gently in it’s palm. She sucked his tongue into her mouth as she followed his lead, leaning towards him, her hands pressing against his chest to steady herself.
“You’re getting better at this one on one thing, you know?” he asked as he repositioned himself, turning on the seat so that his back was pressed to the door.
“As long this ain’t for pity,” she replied, moving forward, kneeling between his knees on the seat and holding onto the door to hold herself up.
“Trust me, it’s not.” She shut off her inhibitions when his arms gathered her waist towards him and they kissed again.
In the back of her mind she knew this was a bad idea, but it had been too long, too lonely, and the piano man’s song was in the background or her thoughts. That song played over and over, all day long in her brain, reminding her how lonely she was. She knew that he wasn’t about to stick around, she knew this was just a mutual agreement to fuck.
“You’re not just a pick up,” he whispered into her mouth.
“I’m not?” she asked, breath ragged as she licked her lips and kissed the corner of his mouth. His neck was damp as she ran her hands along his collarbone, pressing her fingers into the hollow between his neck and his shoulder.
“No, you’re not,” he pushed forward this time, nibbling her neck as he went onto her side of the car. His soft whiskers and masculine scent caused her to close her eyes as she tugged at the strands of black hair in her hands. Little noises of approval escaped her lips as he pressed forward nuzzling into her neck.
“Now I know you’re gonna take this the wrong way,” he said, picking up his head and looking her directly in the eyes.
“You’re gonna think that because we’re here, doing this, that it’s just a one night stand, or a pity fuck, but I don’t do those.” His tone was serious but she let her hands remain in his hair as he spoke.
“And what exactly do you expect me to say to that?” she asked. She had no venom in her voice. She would have been happy to let this thing linger and she would have been happy to let it end here. She’d always be honest with herself, maybe not anyone else, but she never lied to herself, maybe that’s why she was happy in her misery.
She really couldn’t call it misery. It was just life, and you can’t blame a thing for being what it is. So what was this thing then? She couldn’t explain it to herself. She wasn’t hiding it from herself, or lying about it, she just didn’t know what it was. Here AJ was, talking like he was a meant to be in her life. What did it all mean?
“That you’ll give me a chance to show you a couple of good times, a chance to let me get you to laugh, you know, that kind of thing.” A corner of her mouth lifted at the mention of the “thing” again. AJ shifted one of his arms to the door to prop himself up better.
“And I’m supposed to be all swept away by this, go all, head o-o-over heels!” She felt herself falling back and out of the car, AJ tumbling with her as the door swung open and poured them out of the car. Fran took the brunt of the fall and grunted slightly when AJ fell on top of her. They scrambled to get to off one another, untangling limbs and laughing all the while as they discovered the irony of the situation.
Once they were both sitting up they looked at one another and couldn’t help but break out in long peels of laughter. It was a few minutes before they had both calmed down enough to talk.
“That went well, didn’t it?” he asked, still chuckling slightly.
“Very.”
“You want to go to dinner sometime?” he asked as he picked up his head. She nodded and replied,
“Yeah, I do.”
“How about now?”
“Yeah.”
Author's Chapter Notes:
Sorry It's been so long, but here's another chapter! Thanks for reviewing girls!
