justprompts Part of being sane, is being a little bit crazy. -Janet Long
His cellphone rang and he immediately closed his eyes and let out a long and hard exhale. He hated the sound of that ring. He wasn't sure he'd ever be able to hear the theme song to the Pink Panther again without a near heart attack. It's what he got, of course, assigning Rebeka that ring. Giving himself an ulcer every time she called because he could instantly know it was her.
He'd been laying about in Nina's living room, waiting for her to get home from work. He really had no idea when it would be since the case had her working crazy hours. He had hoped to take her out for a date that night, but he wasn't so sure it would happen.
Then he heard that ring. Dun dun - dun dun - dun dun dun dun dun dun.. Every bit as shady as the person making it ring. He rubbed his forehead and answered. "Yea?"
"Thanks for answering my call, bastard."
"Welcome," he said, not acknowledging the insult.
"I've been calling for a couple days now."
"And I've been callin' back. You just don't answer."
"Whatever, Av. Try harder, okay? Your daughter misses you, she's been asking for her Daddy. You should be available to her."
"Don't play that card..don't even-" he sat up and crossed his arms tightly over his chest. "Put Lu on the phone."
"Heard you're in New York," she went on.
"Yea? From who?"
"I called the gym. I was worried since I wasn't hearing from you."
"No. You were checkin' up on me. I'm in New York, you've got my kid in California. Let me talk to her."
"You know, it really says something about your character that you'd jump a plane out of town the second your daughter is out of the state." He didn't even want to respond to that, so he stayed quiet. He heard her chuckle. "This woman made outta cotton candy or something, Av?"
"Rebeka," he warned.
"I mean, hell, I'm sure you could have saved yourself a few hundred dollars and gotten your rocks off at home. Much cheaper."
"Stop."
"No. Really. I want to know what is so special about this one that..that you won't even try to work things out. For us or for our daughter. I want to know why you'll fly across the country to see her. Why you'll let her have a claim over you when you barely get to see her. Why? Who the hell is she?"
"She's...she's not you, Bek," he said quietly.
"No? Well, no shit."
His hand massaged his eyes and he listened to the silence between them. He could see her wringing the end of her shirt around her finger and chewing on her bottom lip. He could see that her long dark hair was probably in a million directions at once, and her shorts were swallowed up by a large tshirt hanging over them. He could almost see her face, every line of it, and the darkness of her eyes. Both in color and feeling. The small dimple on her left cheek that she rarely let anyone see. And he could still feel the way her body felt when it fit so perfectly with his. He sighed. She sighed.
"Av," she said slowly. Her voice was calm and gentle just as it had always been when times were good. He dropped his hand and sat there with his eyes closed.
"What?"
"She's not me." Her voice came through the line strong, but weak all the same. And even though he had uttered the sentence only seconds before - her voice gave it a completely different meaning.
"I know."
"I..I know I'm a bitch sometimes...I know I mess everything up.." he heard the familiar painful plea tone coming on. "I don't mean to. I..I really don't. You know I love you, Av..I just..it's hard. You know?"
"Rebeka-"
"No, Avery. No. We belong together. You, me, and Lu. We are a family. You don't...you don't just turn your back on your family."
"I gotta so," he shook his head. He couldn't listen to those words. He couldn't keep talking. He needed to be able to think, and her voice in his ear didn't help in that regard.
"But-"
"I gotta go."
"Fine."
He pulled his phone from his ear and closed it slowly. He took a long breath and exhaled. Suddenly, he didn't want to be there when Nina got home. Not when he couldn't greet her with a smile. He got up and headed out the door, turning his phone off and shoving it back into his pocket. He couldn't bare to hear that ring again that night.
He'd been laying about in Nina's living room, waiting for her to get home from work. He really had no idea when it would be since the case had her working crazy hours. He had hoped to take her out for a date that night, but he wasn't so sure it would happen.
Then he heard that ring. Dun dun - dun dun - dun dun dun dun dun dun.. Every bit as shady as the person making it ring. He rubbed his forehead and answered. "Yea?"
"Thanks for answering my call, bastard."
"Welcome," he said, not acknowledging the insult.
"I've been calling for a couple days now."
"And I've been callin' back. You just don't answer."
"Whatever, Av. Try harder, okay? Your daughter misses you, she's been asking for her Daddy. You should be available to her."
"Don't play that card..don't even-" he sat up and crossed his arms tightly over his chest. "Put Lu on the phone."
"Heard you're in New York," she went on.
"Yea? From who?"
"I called the gym. I was worried since I wasn't hearing from you."
"No. You were checkin' up on me. I'm in New York, you've got my kid in California. Let me talk to her."
"You know, it really says something about your character that you'd jump a plane out of town the second your daughter is out of the state." He didn't even want to respond to that, so he stayed quiet. He heard her chuckle. "This woman made outta cotton candy or something, Av?"
"Rebeka," he warned.
"I mean, hell, I'm sure you could have saved yourself a few hundred dollars and gotten your rocks off at home. Much cheaper."
"Stop."
"No. Really. I want to know what is so special about this one that..that you won't even try to work things out. For us or for our daughter. I want to know why you'll fly across the country to see her. Why you'll let her have a claim over you when you barely get to see her. Why? Who the hell is she?"
"She's...she's not you, Bek," he said quietly.
"No? Well, no shit."
His hand massaged his eyes and he listened to the silence between them. He could see her wringing the end of her shirt around her finger and chewing on her bottom lip. He could see that her long dark hair was probably in a million directions at once, and her shorts were swallowed up by a large tshirt hanging over them. He could almost see her face, every line of it, and the darkness of her eyes. Both in color and feeling. The small dimple on her left cheek that she rarely let anyone see. And he could still feel the way her body felt when it fit so perfectly with his. He sighed. She sighed.
"Av," she said slowly. Her voice was calm and gentle just as it had always been when times were good. He dropped his hand and sat there with his eyes closed.
"What?"
"She's not me." Her voice came through the line strong, but weak all the same. And even though he had uttered the sentence only seconds before - her voice gave it a completely different meaning.
"I know."
"I..I know I'm a bitch sometimes...I know I mess everything up.." he heard the familiar painful plea tone coming on. "I don't mean to. I..I really don't. You know I love you, Av..I just..it's hard. You know?"
"Rebeka-"
"No, Avery. No. We belong together. You, me, and Lu. We are a family. You don't...you don't just turn your back on your family."
"I gotta so," he shook his head. He couldn't listen to those words. He couldn't keep talking. He needed to be able to think, and her voice in his ear didn't help in that regard.
"But-"
"I gotta go."
"Fine."
He pulled his phone from his ear and closed it slowly. He took a long breath and exhaled. Suddenly, he didn't want to be there when Nina got home. Not when he couldn't greet her with a smile. He got up and headed out the door, turning his phone off and shoving it back into his pocket. He couldn't bare to hear that ring again that night.