A/N I finally updated! I'm sorry for taking so long. School work is a drag.
For those who like David, there /is/ some action here O So if you don't like those scenes, don't read the chapter.
There was no way in hell that I was going to be apologizing first this time. no way hosé as the spanish say. Lindsay had hurt me real deep, and my pride could be represented with the lion; meaning that I was not going to open my mouth and plead for her to not be mad with me, when in the end it was all her fault. I hadn't done anything wrong this time; sure, I had gotten a little mad, but that was understandable. Would you have been able to bite your tongue and listen to all the lies she was fabricating had it been your friend she was insulting? I think not.
The more I paused and took the time to reasses our friendship, the more I came to the conclusion that I didn't know Lindsay all too well. I had befriended her after our match up didn't go down so well, but even then, how is that a good foundation for a friendship? Even now, we are still hiding things from each other, and the more we kept these feelings bottled up, the more they were let out in dribs and drabs. But these leaks in our defenses were enough to blow up everything we had to smitherines.
Even as I thought about this, I let myself think about Lindsay as a whole. Had she always been so snarky? Had she always been that sarcastic? Had I allowed myself to succumb to the all-time low of allowing myself to be bossed around by someone who was supposed to be my friend?
I put the shut-down mechanism on that thought, not wanting to go into too much detail over something that could necessarily be me just being paranoid, like usual. Besides, I liked Lindsay; she was, in all honesty, my only real friend, the one person that I still came back to in the end, and vice versa. David, even though I was dating him, was her brother, and because of that, I was still slightly iffy about our relationship working out anyway. Sarah I never spoke to anymore, not since that day a couple of weeks ago. And Jason? He was an entirely different scenario which I wasn't going into at the moment.
So even if her package entailed rudeness and sarcasm, annoyance and possessiveness, I was willing to accept that out of fear of losing her. But, when cases such as this come along, I was willing to allow the inner-me of king Pride come out and defend my lands from any intrusion, until a sorry came from the attacking party. She had no right to insult me, nor Jason like that, so until she scrummaged up the courage to speak to me, she and I were to be extremely silent towards one another.
I remember the bus ride back to Lindsay's place had been deathly quiet. Not one of us made a sound to another, to the point that the other passengers on that bus had picked up the degree of tension in the air. The minute the bus pulled to our stop, and we got off, I could very well imagine the sighs of relief everyone would have let in. If I had been one of those pedestrians, I certainly would have.
When we had arrived at Lindsay's place, we had all trudged up those steps with the good will of elephants. The minute the front door was opened, I had pushed my way through and had thrown off my shoes, before fleeing to the upstairs, clamboring up those tedious steps and finding my room, closing the door behind me with a soft bang. Soon there were the noises of other feet walking up the stairs. The sound of a door slamming not too far from my own room indicated that that was Lindsay. There were the sounds of steps pausing before my door, and the light that was on in the hallway that peeked beneath my door was soon cloaked in shadow. The person, whom I assumed to be David, had left after only a moment's rest. Good, I had thought at the time.
Over the next three days, the entire Copperman household had been filled with our yelling and the sound of doors being torn off their hinges, figuratively, and sometimes, literally. Carl had already had to repair two doors that I had accidently torn off, which I had professed my infinite apology to him. He had accepted my sorry, but that didn't mean that Lindsay and I continued to be discreet in our rage. There had actually come a time where she hadn't been able to deal with out arguing over something (I can't even remember now), and so she had slapped me; hard. That had gotten me to stop mid-sentence real quick, my shock had been so great. Lindsay never had hit me before. Which didn't stop me from recovering (if not swiftly) and lowering my voice to the most threatening tone I could summon in my current state of surprise and warned that I would leave the house and return home earlier than I had been scheduled to.
This relentless fight had gone on throughout those three days until finally friday had come along, the sun bright and cheery on the outside. The house, more like the kitchen, on the other hand, was once again a battlefield, with Lindsay and I fighting once again about the restaurant.
"You had no right at all to insult my friend!" I snapped, glaring at her.
"Oh really? Last time I checked, this was a free country, and so I am entitled to my own opinions!" She shot back, returning my glare with one of her own from across the table. I was pretty sure that we would have continued on chucking derogatory comments at one another, if Tina hadn't decided on speaking just then. She had remained out of our personal lives, thinking that we'd be able to handle this argument like any other, but I didn't think she could handle us screeching at each other much longer, for she herself had screamed over us, "Will you two just shut up already?!"
Wide-eyed, both Lindsay and I stared with out mouths hanging wide enough for flies to take up residence. We watched Tina take a few calming breaths, but her anger was almost tangible in the air around us.
"My god!" Tina remarked from where she was by the stove. "You two have been driving me nuts, what with both of you acting like immature preteen girls," such a comment was directed at me, and I felt my cheeks burn, "jabbing at one another's pride for three days. Enough is enough! I can understand fights do happen amongst friends, but it has got to stop. And if it doesn't, I will make it stop." Her words held a hint of malice, and I understood what she meant. An angry Tina was a scary Tina; very much indeed.
I risked a glower towards Lindsay and noticed that her cheeks (whether out of anger, or embarressment, or possibly both held little to no importance to me at the moment) were flushed, her eyes glinting with barely retained fury.
Carl, I noted, was sitting at the table as well, the newspaper so high up that I couldn't even catch a small glimpse of his face. That was probably why I hadn't noticed him at all, for he was cleverly hiding behind flimsy, printed news articles. If I hadn't been so mad, I would have found this situation highly amusing.
David had come to be rather absent at the table whenever Lindsay and I crossed paths. And to think I had gone into this relationship, believing I was with a strong man. Yeah, right. That was a funny one. It would seem as if he were afraid of my anger, or didn't like the way my voice rose when I expanded on that anger. To tell the truth, i didn't think that this was all that bad. i mean, I rarely got mad, so this was an entirely new experience for me, but there had been a time when I had gotten really mad, and I didn't have to say a word, my eyes seeming to transform everything to ice. It hasn't happened again, and I didn't think it would...yet.
"Well?" Tina demanded, bringing me back out of my feelings and into the current situation at hand. "Are you two going to settle your differences right now, or am I going to bring Sam home immediately after breakfast?"
"I have no idea why she's pissed," I said finally, pointing towards Lindsay. "She's the one that had decided to make nasty comments about a friend of mine, and got upset when I had defended him." My eyes narrowed to a glare as I addressed Lindsay, "You should have known that I would defend my friend's honor if they were being put-down! You've known me for how long now, and you can't honestly say that you weren't expecting me to reply?"
Lindsay returned my frosty look. "That still doesn't give you the right to insult me in turn!"
"Ooh, it doesn't eh?" I said in a dry voice. "What did you expect me to do? Just sit in that chair with a big smile on my face and let you put Jason down? Silly me, for not realizing that the phrase, 'defending one another' has actually turned into, 'sit on your ass and remain quiet'. Thank you for clearing that up for me!"
Surprise flickered on Tina's face. I didn't think she'd think it would get as bad as it had, but to be honest, I wasn't quite so surprised. I was beginning to get adjusted to this new and improved me. This me stood up for what he believed in, while the other me decided to be the passive little doormat beneath everyone's shoes, even offering to eat the dirt they brought. Well, not anymore. That me was soon going to be but a distant memory, for I quite liked the new me.
"Okay, who are you, and what have you done with Sam Daucette?" I heard Tina ask me softly. I looked into her face; the woman who was like a mother to me, and answered truthfully, "The Sam you knew and loved is still here. He's just been modified and going through some minor adjustments."
"Well, I don't like this 'improved' you!" Lindsay snapped. "Because this is definitely not you!"
"What isn't me? The fact that I'm not allowing you nor anyone else to walk all over me? The fact that I'm actually accumulating a backbone and refusing to let people depreciate my friends? That I'm actually sticking up for my values? Is that what isn't me?" I watched her suck in her cheeks more and more with each response I gave her.
"You look like a fish," I commented, amused despite the fact that I was still mad at her. Lindsay immediately filled her cheeks up with air in such amounts that she resembled a monkey. A let a tense smile curl my lips; I wasn't going to fall into any more traps until I knew exactly how this game was played. And she was playing some sort of game.
"Lindsay, what on earth are you doing?" Tina asked her, but her focus was on me and not on her daughter. The look in her eyes was one of respect, and I knew that I would have her continued support as I went through this change.
The rustling of paper and a slight coughing confirmed that Carl was still present, keeping mute throughout this scenario.
"I'm just trying to lighten up the atmosphere," she muttered, and I could literally see her deflate, her energy spent. I continued to eye her warily. I was glad to see her finally tired, but wasn't ready to let go of my defenses, even when she let out a small sigh.
"I'm...sorry Sam," she murmured, looking into my eyes. "I know what I said must have hurt you, because you're the kind of person that takes other people's pain and makes it your own, but...I just want to apologize for the way I've been acting lately. I'm sure it doesn't help that it seems that I've decided to become bipolar, for that is very much the way I have been towards you as of late." I raised an eyebrow, but didn't say a word. Lindsay's gaze soon focused on the table rather than at me. "I guess I'm just not ready to accept this new you," she admitted and when she looked back into my eyes, I saw tears spiking at her lashes. My heart twisted despite the fact that I refused to be daunted. "But...give me some time to get used to you, and I'll try. I'll...try not to be possessive of you and I'll try not to get jealous when you hang out with other people, for it's your business and not mine."
My brow arched higher. "Jealous? Possessive? Why would you ever feel that way anyhow?" I saw her cheeks redden and just as she opened her mouth to reply, Tina walked over to the table and announced, "Breakfast is served!"
As Tina began piling our plates, I kept darting looks in Lindsay's direction, not quite sure how to proceed with these new turn of events. Did I want to forgive Lindsay? Not particularly. At least, not right now. I was glad that she had told me sorry finally, but I wasn't ready to accept it.
As the table once again lapsed into silence, I not only contemplated my meal, but my thoughts on Lindsay. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of hearing soft sobs come from Lindsay's throat, and Tina's reproachful glances, I too, let out a sigh of my own before I stood up from my spot of the table and moved around behind Lindsay, wrapping my arms around her. I couldn't help but sense myself sighing way too often for my own liking. When had I picked up that annoying habit?
"Am I forgiven?" Lindsay asked, her wide hazel eyes turned towards me. I smiled softly.
"I don't exactly know," I told her. She looked at me then, her eyes dancing over my face, as if she were memorizing every detail, before her eyes fluttered shut and she leaned back into me. I was torn. When Tina glanced at us, I knew that she was happy. It showed in her eyes.
But was I supposed to accept her apology? Was I ready to handle that new side of her? Or, more importantly, that new side of me?
The hours fled quickly since that morning, and before I knew it, it was nighttime. The sky was beginning to go dark, and my bags had all been packed and placed near the door. Lindsay had entered my room previously to aid me with my belongings, and we stood in the centre of the room I had come to think of as my own. David was nowhere to be seen; not that that wasn't unusual. He'd been invisible man for the past three days, and I was pretty certain that he would continue to remain invisible for quite some time, lest he wanted to get a yelling.
"I can't believe that you're going home already," Lindsay said sadly, moving to sit on the guest bed. I shrugged my shoulders.
"It's not the end of the world," I said. Turning around, I once more did a retake of the room, just in case I missed some articles of clothing or some other accessories. "I'm still going to be able to visit you guys. This was just a treat, being able to spend these weeks with you."
The room suddenly got so thick and heavy with sorrow that it felt as if it had become a fist, choking off the air supply. I didn't like it, so I turned around only to see Lindsay plucking absent-mindedly at the covers.
"Unless you're going on a vacation I hadn't been aware about?" I inquired, not liking this mood that had befallen her.
"N-no, no," she stammered, still not looking at me. "I'm just...thinking about something. Don't mind me."
"Uh-huh. My arse. Something's wrong, and don't deny it." I moved over to the bed and sat down beside her, putting a hand on her shoulder. I tried to turn her around to face me, but she wouldn't budge.
"Lindsay..." I coaxed, and wasn't prepared for her standing up so suddenly, as if trying to avoid me.
"I...need to use the washroom." I didn't even have time to tell her that there was a bathroom built in with the room we were in for she was gone in a flash.
I stayed where I was for a few seconds before I flopped backwards onto the bed and closed my eyes, groaning aloud. Women.
"Tired, are we?" A voice asked. I cracked open an eye.
"He lives!" I said sarcasticaly, before I let my eyes close again. I hadn't even heard him come in, but I heard his footsteps now as he walked over to the bed and sank down on it. I opened my eyes again.
"Go away," I said. David stared at me, not saying a word. I sighed and lifted myself up on my elbows, which sank into the matress.
"What do you want?"
"I want to give you an explanation for my behavior towards you."
My brow raised. "An explanation?" I scoffed. "I don't need one. You avoiding me is truth enough."
"I wasn't avoiding you!" He protested. "I was just-"
"Making it appear as if we weren't dating," I supplied. David glared at me.
"That's not it at all, I-"
"Well, it certainly looked like it," I snapped, irritated. Suddenly David was gripping my shoulders and hauling my upper body up. He shook me a couple of times before letting go of me.
"What the hell?" I demanded, brushing my hair out of my face.
"Don't you ever say that again," he said fiercly, his eyes glowing.
"Okay, I won't Dad, I promise," I muttered darkly, disengaging myself from his grip and moving off of the bed and towards the direction of my bags. I had managed to gather up my baggage when David announced, "I'll be the one driving you home." I didn't look at him. Instead, I grunted as I hefted my stuff in a more comfortable position, ignoring David as he opened the door for me. I stepped out of the room and struggled down the steps, gasping when I reached the bottom and dropped my bags onto the floor, my arms suddenly going limp.
"I'll take them for you." I glowered at David, who had materialized beside me and was now taking ahold of my stuff. Stupid muscles.
"Fine," I huffed. "Do what you want; I don't care." We went outside and I closed the front door behind us, hollering my goodbyes to everyone before walking over to the car. David had dropped my bags by the trunk and had withdrew keys from his jean pocket, pressing a button to start the car and unlock the doors, and another to pop the trunk. I got in by the front and buckled myself in and waited rather impatiently for him to join me in the driver's seat. My arms were crossed, my foot tapping beneath me when he finally joined me, closing the door behind him. I could feel my eyes becoming flames.
David was smart enough not to look in my direction for the short ride home that seemed rather long. My eyes began closing on their own accord, and I felt myself fall into a deep sleep. I had been too exhausted from the fight with Lindsay and the tiff with David that I drifted rather quickly into the realm of dreams. When I opened my eyes, I found myself in my bed. I sighed and closed my eyes again to snuggle deeper into the silky black covers...
Wait a minute. My eyes popped open. This wasn't my room at all. I stood bolt right and fought the rising panic that swelled within me as my green eyes flitted about the room. My large king-sized bed that was covered in soft green blankets and ivory silk pillowcases had somehow been replaced by satiny red pillows and black lacy comforters. My room, which was painted in warmth earth tones, was now a deep red wine color with a black band bordering the bottom and the top half of the walls. Just as I felt as if the fear was about to strangle me like a noose, the doorknob creaked. I watched, horrified as it continued to turn ominously opening to reveal a shadowy figure in the doorway.
I couldn't help myself. I screamed.
"Did I scare you?" A familiar voice questioned, amused. My cheeks flushed in embarressment and I turned my body sideways, grabbing a pillow and chuking it in the man's direction.
"David, you idiot!" I raged as he easily dodged my weapon. "Just what the hell were you trying to do? Give me a heart attack?"
He didn't answer me. The room which wasn't mine was illuminated in a soft, reddish glow which was aided by the little candles that bore red screens over them. When I looked back at him, I noticed he was dressed differently, and holding a bundle of something in his hands.
"Where the heck are we anyway?" I asked. "Better yet, where am I? Why did you bring me here? What are your intentions?" His mouth opened, but I didn't let any sound come out as I suddenly gasped out loud.
"My god!" I said, my eyes wide. "You kidnapped me! You...you...scumbag!"
David finally managed to get a word in. "Sam, what the hell are you yabbering about?" He moved closer to me.
"Don't you touch me! You took me away from the-" I couldn't really say 'bosom' of my family, because there wasn't really a 'bosom' involved when it came to my parents, so I opted instead for-" My home! How could you!"
David merely rolled his eyes heavenwards.
"Sam, just calm down okay? Breathe. Not that complicated. First, you're at a hotel, because I had told you the other day that I had changed our date to friday, remember?"
Oh. Well now, didn't that make me some kind of stupid.
"Exactly. You can be so blonde at times Sam," David said, seeming to be able to read my expression. I scowled in response to his comment.
He moved closer to me and dropped the bundle beside me.
"Here. Get changed and meet me out on the balcony."
"But-" I managed to say, but he had already turned around and left, closing the door behind him. I snorted.
"Stupid David," I muttered, quickly stripping myself of my clothing, leaving only my boxers on. I reached for the clothes, putting the ribbon that was placed on top of it on the bed for now. I struggled with getting the new outfit on, and once I managed to overcome the material, I gasped at its tightness. It honestly felt as if a painter had decided to make me my clothes with the help of a brush.
"I might as well be naked!" I said, aghast. The shirt I wore was silky and flowed like liquid shadow over my arms, ending in cuffs at the wrists. It had a low neckline, revealing more of my chest than I would have allowed. Ruffles followed the vee, and the shirt attached itself to my torso like a frabric leech.
My legs fared no better, for they were clad in tight black jeans that left nothing to the imagination. I grimaced and grabbed the ribbon before exiting the room. The frown melted into a smile as I saw blood red rose petals marking a trail to the screen door that led onto the deck, just in case I had trouble finding it. Grinning like an idiot (for I was such a suck-up for mushy romance stuff), I quickly strided towards the door, tying my hair up as I went. Once I got there, I pushed open the screens and stepped outside.
The night was beautiful. The full moon was shining down onto the river below us, the ripples distorting the reflected image. There were trees in the distance, framing the water. I was happy to see that there were no street lamps or anything related to the city around us.
I turned my head to the side to see a table lit with red candles, a vase with red roses in it placed in the centre. There were two chairs opposing each other, with scrumptious-looking food placed in ivory plates in front of the seats. Two glasses filled with wine were seated beside the food, its color a deep red.
My eyes were then drawn to the opposite corner of the balcony and my mouth went dry. David was leaning there, his back pressed against the rail that bordered the patio. He was bathed in the glow of the moon, his black clothes obtaining an ivory tinge. It was his eyes though that I found myself staring into. A deep amber, they seemed to have me shivering despite the fact that it wasn't cold out.
"Hey," I managed to say once I was able to get my tongue moving.
"You look good," David commented, his eyes trailing up and down my body. A blush crept into my cheeks.
"You too," I mumbled, and raised a hand to run it behind my neck nervously.
He kept staring, and I continued on blushing. I finally clapped my hands to break this spell that had befallen us.
"So, how about some food, hm? It looks really good," I said, my voice rather bubbly and cheery, a nervous smile twitching my lips. David finally dragged his eyes away from me before he ushered to the table.
I moved over to my designated seat, but before I could reach it and pull it out, David was there, moving it aside for me.
"Oh...um...thanks." I sat down and he tucked me in. I felt a pair of lips kiss the back of my neck before David moved away and went to his seat, pulling it out and sitting astride it. Once he was comfortable, he lifted his wine glass to me.
"Bon appetit," he toasted, before taking a sip of wine.
"Yes...bon appetit," I repeated quietly, not even bothering with my own drink. For the next few minutes, David ate while I poked and nibbled at my own plate. I was rather twitchy. I knew something was going to happen tonight, and that I wasn't here just to eat. There must be a specific reason as to why he had me dress the way I am.
I put my fork down. I was starting to get butterflies. My nerves were really going crazy.
"Not hungry?" David asked, drawing my gaze to his face.
I felt guilty for not even eating the food.
"Yeah. I'm sorry David," I apologized. "I'm just not in the mood for food."
If anything, his eyes darkened further. "Then you wouldn't mind me cleaning up the plates? I'm not that hungry either. I'll come back out."
"What? Oh, okay. And I'm really sorry once again." I stood up and moved over to the railing, tucking my chair in before I went. I heard David pick up our dishes before disappearing inside.
The moon. I had forgotten how beautiful it was to just stare into a star-filled sky. The only problem was, was that the moon was playing hide-and-seek with me, running behind the darkened clouds to only peek at me when I wasn't looking. Was this suppose to be telling me something? I placed my hands on the rail, the metal cool against my skin as I leaned forward until I was pressed right up against it.
I was happy when I was David; I knew that. And he made me feel good. Surely better than Jason ever could.
Jason. Now that was the problem. He was the one who gave me real butterflies. With his deep blue eyes, he melted the walls I had build around myself, rendering me helpless against his touch.
Was this feeling I had towards Jason not only lust? Was this why I was sticking with David, because Jason scared me? He could easily rip my heart out if he wanted to, and I'd still crawl back to him on my knees, demanding for him.
I was suddenly jolted out of my reverie when I felt someone standing behind me. I paused and was about to turn around when strong hands gripped my pelvis, bringing me back and snugging my ass right up against a warm crotch.
"David," I managed to say. I felt his lips on my nape, kissing the tender skin.
"You're so beautiful," he whispered huskily in my ear. I felt a tight smile on my lips; his arousal was pressing against his jeans, and I could feel him, and yet, personally, felt nothing. I was numb to his attempts at pleasure; detached from this world. I felt David's feelings for me, but couldn't bring myself to give anything in return.
That is, before his hands had decided to slip beneath my shirt. I gasped out loud as the cooling air from outside brushed against my flat tummy and higher still, touching the skin David was exposing the more he lifted my shirt.
"David...What are you..." I breathed, before quickly taking in another breath as his fingers pinched my nipples.
"Sam...my beautiful Sam," David said in my ear, his tongue tracing the outer shell. "Let me touch you; please."
"You're kinda doing that," I replied, my voice hoarse. I rather felt than saw his smile.
"I know," he said. "But I meant this." While one of his hands pulled and stroked a taut nub, his other hand dipped to my pants.
I froze.
"David...we mustn't!"
"Shh. Relax. Let me pleasure you." Protests never managed to escape my lips for his fingers undid the button and pulled down the zipper. I was amazed at how quickly he had undressed my lower half, but soon forgot what I was thinking when he managed to pull down my boxers partway, his fingers grasping onto my length.
I jerked and a moan vibrated from within my throat. His fingers stroked me expertly, knowing when to use the right amount of pressure. He teased me, working me fast until I was panting and pressing myself against his crotch, my hips gyrating against him, only to work me slowly, illiciting deep groans from my throat. My arms hooked around his neck as he continued to stroke my weeping member, his fingers sliding with relative ease now as he squeezed.
"That's it baby," he cajoled when I began losing control, his other hand circling my nipple and continuing to play with me, "Cum for me. I know you want to."
It seemed to me that I was like a fine tuned instrument in the hands of a musician, his skillful hands coaxing a myriad of sounds, half of them I wasn't even sure I had been able to make.
I felt my body stiffen, clamoring for that release that David was striving to give me, until David spoke again. And what he said left me cold.
"Say my name. Say I'm the only one for you. Say that I'm better than that Jason character you hung around with. Say that you love me and not him. Say it." Each command was ensued with a tight squeeze and a hard stroke, but I was paralyzed. How could he make such demands of me?
I closed my eyes and trembled in his grasp. Why? Why was I forced to choose? Why did I put myself in these situations anyway?
Beneath the shadowed moon was where all my feelings were exposed. Beneath that shadowed moon, my body tightened and released itself, causing me to collapse in David's embrace, my clothing damp with sweat. Beneath that shadowed moon, I had called out David's name over and over.
But my heart whispered its own prayer beneath that hazy sky. And even as David's name fled my lips, my heart whispered softly to itself.
Jason...Jason...Jason...