'Carousel'. Ry/Col Fic. Epilogue.
Title: Carousel
Rating: 17+
Paring: Ry/Col. (Hints of Greg/Jeff and slightly mentions of Greg/Ryan but neither main focus.)
How long is the correct time to wait for a date to show up?
I leant against the restaurant building, the hardness of the brick digging into my back, as I pondered the answer to that question.
I sighed and looked down at my watch, the small silver hands moving quickly, as I confirmed that he was definitely late.
I had arrived ten minutes early, unable to stay in my apartment any longer, the rooms feeling too empty, too new and clean and much too quiet. I made my way to the restaurant, the heat suffocating and intense, as I wandered through the streets.
I hadn’t minded waiting, but I’d been at our meeting point fifteen minutes, and I was still alone.
Ryan was only five minutes late, and my watch could be slow, I reasoned, but I was already getting antsy. What if he'd changed his mind? What if something had happened on his way? What if this had all been some elaborate dream and he didn’t really want to see me?
What if...?
I sighed again, forcing away the irrational thoughts as I shuffled on the spot, trying to get more comfortable.
Crowds were milling around me, people laughing and joking together, weaving in and out of each other as if in some elaborate coordinated dance. Their chattering filled the air like music would, dipping louder and quieter yet never pausing, the cars zooming past a steady background beat.
I stared around, mentally willing the people to move out of the way so I could see clearer, even though I knew that I would see Ryan towering above most of them if he was there.
Feeling separate to all the people, I stood awkwardly, alone at the sidelines, watching as I waited.
I took another look at my watch. Another minute had passed.
He still wasn’t there.
It felt like forever that I stood, frozen in the spot as the world moved quickly around me, taunting me with its speed, each second reminding me I was still alone.
I'd gone a month without seeing him, a month that had moved quickly and impossibly slowly at the same time, filled with emotional revelations, pain and big confrontations. Yet these last moments suddenly seemed the hardest.
-
I was exhausted, the flight had been long and uncomfortable and relief consumed me when I realised it was over.
The young child sat behind me had kicked the back of my seat constantly, the couple next to me hadn't stopped arguing and the woman in front had been snoring loudly. The cabin had felt much smaller than it usually did, all the noises seeming impossibly loud.
At any other time, I could’ve blocked out the sound, or used it as a comfortable distraction from my thoughts, but unfortunately, my mind had still raced the whole journey, trying to predict what was to come and causing me a headache as I tried to concentrate.
I had a dull ache in my stomach at the thought of everything I had yet to face, the pain worse with the fact that I had had to leave Ryan.
Rubbing my neck absently, I looked around the airport. The mark Ryan had made had disappeared now, a faint red line the only trace of it, yet it still seemed to tingle from where he had kissed it hours before.
Spotting Brad across the airport terminal, I quickly pulled my hand away, shoving it in my pocket. He couldn’t find me immediately, looking around curiously, as he towered over the crowd and scanned the area for me.
Seeing me finally, he smiled and waved enthusiastically; pulling me into a quick hug once I was in reach. He patted my back and bounced on the spot, acting as if it had been months since I'd seen him, not just a couple of days.
We shared the usual greetings, asking how each other were, and then a big grin spread across his face and his eyes sparkled.
"Did you have a good time?" He asked me, eyebrows raised and a lot more than just a hint of suggestion in his voice.
I rolled my eyes and sighed. "You've spoken to Greg." I said, trying to sound exasperated, yet I was silently pleased that I wouldn’t have to explain. I couldn't stop the pang of nervousness that shot through me though, as I waited for his reaction.
"About what?" He asked innocently, eyes still sparkling wildly as he wiggled his eyebrows.
I didn't say anything, beginning to walk towards the exit, knowing that he'd get frustrated soon enough and shoot questions at me.
"Co-lin." He sing-songed, drawing out my name as he caught up with me.
"Brad." I replied equally as cheerfully, smiling at him yet not pausing in my step.
The cool air hit me as we exited the terminal, and I breathed in deep, thankful to be anywhere but the plane. I looked around the town, smiling as I thought about the next few days, excited about performing. It was the only thing that was going to get me through the month, and I knew I had two shows to enjoy before I would have to start dealing with things properly.
If only I could get through this with Brad.
"Go on then." I said to him, turning to look at him once more, as I paused outside the terminal.
"What?" He asked innocently again, trying to get me to talk first, but I wasn't going to. If he wanted to know, he would have to ask because I wasn't prepared to spill secrets like a teenage girl with a new boyfriend.
I waited patiently, eyeing the crowds across the entranceway. The area was frantic, cars stopping and starting and people beeping their horns whenever someone got in their way.
And yet it still seemed quieter than the plane. And even quieter than my thoughts.
Brad rolled his eyes, already bored. "So you and Ryan? About time."
I stared at him. "What?"
About time? That was all he had to say.
I was expecting... I didn’t know.
Something more than that. I had told him before about my feelings, shared the whole story one night when I had been feeling rough and had had a few drinks to loosen my tongue. He'd been understanding and comforting but he had also seemed to agree when I had told him that nothing could ever come of it.
So I had been expecting some sort of questioning, something like 'What are you thinking?' or 'What about your family?" or 'But it's Ryan!?' or any one of the many questions that had circled around in my head those few years when I hadn't seen Ryan.
"About time." He repeated. "Hell, we've all been watching you two dance around each other for years. It's not like you both kept your feelings well hidden." He told me, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, but it hadn't been to either of us.
He put his arm around my shoulder, pulling me into a sideways hug then steered us both towards the car park. "I'm happy for you. Just don't start making out in front of me." He wrinkled up his nose, but smiled to let me know he was joking. I didn't care if he wasn't.
I was just pleased that he'd taken it well, and that one confrontation was over.
-
I asked a passer-by the time, ignoring the odd look he gave me when he saw my watch, and sighed when he just confirmed what I had already known.
Ryan was now eight minutes late.
I tapped my fingers on the bricks behind me, nervously fidgeting in the spot as I stared out at the crowds, willing Ryan to appear.
Why wasn't he here yet? What had happened?
I knew I had the right place; I'd picked it after all. The sign above the door glared at me, teasingly, confirming that I was definitely where I was supposed to be.
A cool breeze swirled around the air briefly, a short interlude from the intense heat, and I breathed in deep, drawing my attention from the crowd and staring down the busy street. The street lights were flickering and the cars sped past, their headlights merging into colourful swirls, bright and harsh.
Closing my eyes, I tried to turn off the constant questioning in my head. The voice wouldn’t give up, wondering if Ryan would show up, wondering if something had happened to him, wondering if he’d changed his mind and didn’t want to be with me any more.
I focused in on the crowds around me, letting the sound of their talk wash over me and calm my thoughts.
-
I closed my eyes, the noises from the traffic on the street below oddly calming as I sat on the tiny balcony of the hotel.
I was mentally exhausted. The past couple of days had been horrible, emotional and heartbreaking as I ruined the family life I had built.
Deb had been waiting for me when I had arrived home from my tour for the weekend, like I always did.
She looked in my eyes, not greeting me with a hug or a kiss, but simply staring at me. I stared back, trying not to give much away, yet knowing I would have to eventually.
It didn't matter how much I tried, she soon saw what she had been looking for and she nodded, a sad smile on her face. “So you’re leaving?” She asked me, and I was shocked, not by her words, but how resigned she sounded.
The confrontations had been long, but instead of shouting and screaming, which would have been horrible but easier somehow, there were calm quiet words, tears and sadness.
We'd come to some conclusion, short-term arrangements made, and finally my body was starting to relax from the tension, my muscles aching as they loosened and calmed.
I stared out into the darkness, the sparkling lights of the city shining, twinkling like the stars they were hiding from view.
I tried to look past the buildings, out across the horizon, wondering where Ryan was, wondering if he was sat on a similar balcony, smoking and relaxing after a performance.
Trying to picture him, I guessed he would probably be with Greg and Jeff and maybe Chip if he was feeling better. They would likely be laughing together, joking around, and although I felt a pull inside, wishing I could be with them, I knew that in a few short weeks I would be seeing him again. And that made me feel instantly better.
I took a deep breath, pulling the cool air into my lungs and for the first time since I'd left him, I allowed myself to smile.
-
A woman came up and asked for my autograph and a photo. I smiled for the camera and asked her some questions, happy for the momentary distraction.
Until she asked about Ryan and if I was still in touch with him, a hint of something that could have been suggestion in her tone. I smiled at her pleasantly, told her that I did still see him, and hoped that she would leave before he showed up.
If he showed up.
Signing the pad she had produced from nowhere, I gave her one more smile and then thankfully she said her goodbyes, disappearing down the street.
Yet my relief didn't last long as I remembered that Ryan still wasn't here. I looked down at my watch once more, adjusting it on my wrist as if that would somehow alter the time.
It was eleven minutes past now. The hands on the watch kept ticking, my ears tuning into the sound as it taunted me.
I couldn't take it any more.
I pulled out my phone, ready to call to find out where he was.
Hoping he would answer.
-
I had come to dread the sound of my phone ringing, because it rarely seemed to bring good news.
I was just heading to bed when I heard it, vibrating against the bedside table, the annoying ring tone long gone.
The number on the screen wasn't a familiar one and it wasn't local so I almost didn't answer it, but something inside made me pick up, sighing as I said quietly, "Hello?"
"Hello there, I am sorry to bother you but I am wondering if you have considered changing your cell phone plan recently?" It took me a moment to register the voice on the other end, and another moment to realise that no one cold-called cell phones before I placed the voice, the familiar tone suddenly registering.
"Ryan?" I asked.
I couldn't remember ever talking to him on the phone before, but it definitely sounded like him. Curiosity and worry shot through me as I found myself desperately hoping that it wasn't just wishful thinking.
"That would be me." He said, and I could hear the smile behind the words.
"You never call me." I blurted out, unable to believe it was him.
It had only been a week since I’d seen him, but I was counting the days until we could meet again, my thoughts constantly filled with his image, and I was pleased yet surprised to hear him on the other end of the line.
"There's a lot of things we never used to do." He replied teasingly, his voice low and hinting at something more. Then, he added quietly, almost shyly and very unlike him, "I was missing you."
The words were quiet, nearly silent, but I heard them clear enough and I smiled, sighing, knowing I felt the same. It was ridiculous, we had been apart for years and yet here we were after a week missing each other.
"It's only been a week." I told him, amused. "Remember when we used to complain that we had to see each other so much? When we'd beg to work with someone different on Whose Line?" I smiled at the memory, meetings where we'd discuss working with the others more, being told more than once that we worked too well together for them to justify splitting us up.
We didn't really mind so much, I always loved working with him, but variety was good too and we did worry we would be repeating things. No one else seemed to care though.
"Well I didn't say I wanted to *work* with you." He replied, and there was a flirtatious undertone in his words that, although may have always been there, meant so much more now. I lay back on the bed, cradling the phone to my ear and stared up at the ceiling, wishing he were next to me talking.
"How are you?" He asked after a pause, sounding concerned, the playful tone gone for now.
I sighed, my smile disappearing for a moment. "I've been better. But... things are getting there. I'm at a hotel; we both thought it would be better than staying at the house for now." My fingers toyed with the blanket on the bed as I glanced around my empty room.
So much in my life had happened in hotel rooms. Hundreds of moments, good and bad, that had taken place in characterless rooms just like this one. "Lots to sort out, but it's bearable." I added. "How about you?" I asked, just wanting to hear his voice.
"Same old, Greg's being an ass, Jeff's all over him and Chip's back. I wish I was there instead."
I smiled, wishing the same thing, but replied, jokingly, "Why would you possibly want to be here?"
"Apparently the weather's nice at the moment."
I laughed a little, before saying quietly; my voice low like his had been earlier. "I love you."
Just as quietly, he replied, "I love you too." And that was enough.
Then with his voice louder, teasingly playful again, he said suggestively, "So, what are you wearing?"
I laughed once more, rolling my eyes to myself, but unable to keep the grin from my face.
Three weeks, I told myself.
Only three weeks.
-
My finger hovered over the call button on my phone, and I was ready to press it when someone leant against the wall next to me. I glanced up briefly, and I froze as I found myself staring into familiar green eyes.
Ryan was smiling at me apologetically, looking more than a little flushed, and all my anger disappeared when I saw him. His hair was tussled, his cheeks a little red, he was breathing a bit heavier than necessary and he looked absolutely amazing stood next to me.
I put my phone back in my pocket, trying my best to glare at him, but a smile was edging at the corner of my lips. "You're late." I told him pointedly, taking another look at my watch.
"I know. I'm sorry. Traffic was a bitch; I should have left earlier... or later. I decided to drive around a bit because I was too early and got caught up around the corner. Forgive me?" He tiled his head, smiling at me and trying for those puppy-dog eyes, looking impossibly adorable.
I tried to feign annoyance, but I couldn't, because I was just too elated that he was here and that we were together.
I shrugged nonchalantly, like I didn't care either way, but I couldn't stop myself smiling at him.
He grinned and the little boy look disappeared as he suddenly moved closer to me, trapping me against the wall. He rand his hands down my arms, staring into my eyes and everything around me disappeared, leaving just him.
He pulled me gently away from the wall, wrapping his arms around me and nuzzling his neck into my shoulder, kissing it softly.
His lips then moved to my cheek and he kissed me there, slow and drawn out, one hand slipping lower and resting on my ass.
I pulled him tight to me until there wasn’t even a sliver of air between us, and I whispered, "Missed you," to him, before capturing his lips with mine.
I kissed him slowly; melting at the feel of him, as he slipped his tongue past my lips. His other hand cupped my cheek, rubbing softly on my cheekbone as he tangled his tongue together with mine, the kiss getting more passionate as we both pressed harder, trying to get even closer together.
I pulled away first as I became aware that we were stood on a public street, and we were supposed to be going to dinner. I knew I wouldn’t want to if we continued like that, instead wanting to take him back to my apartment immediately. I was sure he could make it feel a lot less empty.
I rested my forehead against his, staring into his eyes. "Hello," I said quietly, smirking a little, breathing heavily.
Ryan was breathing harder, panting, and he looked even more flushed and even more amazing as he smiled at me. "Hi Col," He replied.
We stayed staring at each other for a long moment as I took in the sight of him, the feel of him against me, then he leant forward once more, letting our lips touch just gently, teasingly.
All the tension from the previous month disappeared, my body instantly relaxing as I felt him.
There was a lot to come, more confrontations, more complications and it wasn’t going to be easy. But we were together now, and that was all that mattered.
I suddenly realised that I didn’t care if he was late.
I would've waited forever for him.
-
Rating: 17+
Paring: Ry/Col. (Hints of Greg/Jeff and slightly mentions of Greg/Ryan but neither main focus.)
How long is the correct time to wait for a date to show up?
I leant against the restaurant building, the hardness of the brick digging into my back, as I pondered the answer to that question.
I sighed and looked down at my watch, the small silver hands moving quickly, as I confirmed that he was definitely late.
I had arrived ten minutes early, unable to stay in my apartment any longer, the rooms feeling too empty, too new and clean and much too quiet. I made my way to the restaurant, the heat suffocating and intense, as I wandered through the streets.
I hadn’t minded waiting, but I’d been at our meeting point fifteen minutes, and I was still alone.
Ryan was only five minutes late, and my watch could be slow, I reasoned, but I was already getting antsy. What if he'd changed his mind? What if something had happened on his way? What if this had all been some elaborate dream and he didn’t really want to see me?
What if...?
I sighed again, forcing away the irrational thoughts as I shuffled on the spot, trying to get more comfortable.
Crowds were milling around me, people laughing and joking together, weaving in and out of each other as if in some elaborate coordinated dance. Their chattering filled the air like music would, dipping louder and quieter yet never pausing, the cars zooming past a steady background beat.
I stared around, mentally willing the people to move out of the way so I could see clearer, even though I knew that I would see Ryan towering above most of them if he was there.
Feeling separate to all the people, I stood awkwardly, alone at the sidelines, watching as I waited.
I took another look at my watch. Another minute had passed.
He still wasn’t there.
It felt like forever that I stood, frozen in the spot as the world moved quickly around me, taunting me with its speed, each second reminding me I was still alone.
I'd gone a month without seeing him, a month that had moved quickly and impossibly slowly at the same time, filled with emotional revelations, pain and big confrontations. Yet these last moments suddenly seemed the hardest.
-
I was exhausted, the flight had been long and uncomfortable and relief consumed me when I realised it was over.
The young child sat behind me had kicked the back of my seat constantly, the couple next to me hadn't stopped arguing and the woman in front had been snoring loudly. The cabin had felt much smaller than it usually did, all the noises seeming impossibly loud.
At any other time, I could’ve blocked out the sound, or used it as a comfortable distraction from my thoughts, but unfortunately, my mind had still raced the whole journey, trying to predict what was to come and causing me a headache as I tried to concentrate.
I had a dull ache in my stomach at the thought of everything I had yet to face, the pain worse with the fact that I had had to leave Ryan.
Rubbing my neck absently, I looked around the airport. The mark Ryan had made had disappeared now, a faint red line the only trace of it, yet it still seemed to tingle from where he had kissed it hours before.
Spotting Brad across the airport terminal, I quickly pulled my hand away, shoving it in my pocket. He couldn’t find me immediately, looking around curiously, as he towered over the crowd and scanned the area for me.
Seeing me finally, he smiled and waved enthusiastically; pulling me into a quick hug once I was in reach. He patted my back and bounced on the spot, acting as if it had been months since I'd seen him, not just a couple of days.
We shared the usual greetings, asking how each other were, and then a big grin spread across his face and his eyes sparkled.
"Did you have a good time?" He asked me, eyebrows raised and a lot more than just a hint of suggestion in his voice.
I rolled my eyes and sighed. "You've spoken to Greg." I said, trying to sound exasperated, yet I was silently pleased that I wouldn’t have to explain. I couldn't stop the pang of nervousness that shot through me though, as I waited for his reaction.
"About what?" He asked innocently, eyes still sparkling wildly as he wiggled his eyebrows.
I didn't say anything, beginning to walk towards the exit, knowing that he'd get frustrated soon enough and shoot questions at me.
"Co-lin." He sing-songed, drawing out my name as he caught up with me.
"Brad." I replied equally as cheerfully, smiling at him yet not pausing in my step.
The cool air hit me as we exited the terminal, and I breathed in deep, thankful to be anywhere but the plane. I looked around the town, smiling as I thought about the next few days, excited about performing. It was the only thing that was going to get me through the month, and I knew I had two shows to enjoy before I would have to start dealing with things properly.
If only I could get through this with Brad.
"Go on then." I said to him, turning to look at him once more, as I paused outside the terminal.
"What?" He asked innocently again, trying to get me to talk first, but I wasn't going to. If he wanted to know, he would have to ask because I wasn't prepared to spill secrets like a teenage girl with a new boyfriend.
I waited patiently, eyeing the crowds across the entranceway. The area was frantic, cars stopping and starting and people beeping their horns whenever someone got in their way.
And yet it still seemed quieter than the plane. And even quieter than my thoughts.
Brad rolled his eyes, already bored. "So you and Ryan? About time."
I stared at him. "What?"
About time? That was all he had to say.
I was expecting... I didn’t know.
Something more than that. I had told him before about my feelings, shared the whole story one night when I had been feeling rough and had had a few drinks to loosen my tongue. He'd been understanding and comforting but he had also seemed to agree when I had told him that nothing could ever come of it.
So I had been expecting some sort of questioning, something like 'What are you thinking?' or 'What about your family?" or 'But it's Ryan!?' or any one of the many questions that had circled around in my head those few years when I hadn't seen Ryan.
"About time." He repeated. "Hell, we've all been watching you two dance around each other for years. It's not like you both kept your feelings well hidden." He told me, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, but it hadn't been to either of us.
He put his arm around my shoulder, pulling me into a sideways hug then steered us both towards the car park. "I'm happy for you. Just don't start making out in front of me." He wrinkled up his nose, but smiled to let me know he was joking. I didn't care if he wasn't.
I was just pleased that he'd taken it well, and that one confrontation was over.
-
I asked a passer-by the time, ignoring the odd look he gave me when he saw my watch, and sighed when he just confirmed what I had already known.
Ryan was now eight minutes late.
I tapped my fingers on the bricks behind me, nervously fidgeting in the spot as I stared out at the crowds, willing Ryan to appear.
Why wasn't he here yet? What had happened?
I knew I had the right place; I'd picked it after all. The sign above the door glared at me, teasingly, confirming that I was definitely where I was supposed to be.
A cool breeze swirled around the air briefly, a short interlude from the intense heat, and I breathed in deep, drawing my attention from the crowd and staring down the busy street. The street lights were flickering and the cars sped past, their headlights merging into colourful swirls, bright and harsh.
Closing my eyes, I tried to turn off the constant questioning in my head. The voice wouldn’t give up, wondering if Ryan would show up, wondering if something had happened to him, wondering if he’d changed his mind and didn’t want to be with me any more.
I focused in on the crowds around me, letting the sound of their talk wash over me and calm my thoughts.
-
I closed my eyes, the noises from the traffic on the street below oddly calming as I sat on the tiny balcony of the hotel.
I was mentally exhausted. The past couple of days had been horrible, emotional and heartbreaking as I ruined the family life I had built.
Deb had been waiting for me when I had arrived home from my tour for the weekend, like I always did.
She looked in my eyes, not greeting me with a hug or a kiss, but simply staring at me. I stared back, trying not to give much away, yet knowing I would have to eventually.
It didn't matter how much I tried, she soon saw what she had been looking for and she nodded, a sad smile on her face. “So you’re leaving?” She asked me, and I was shocked, not by her words, but how resigned she sounded.
The confrontations had been long, but instead of shouting and screaming, which would have been horrible but easier somehow, there were calm quiet words, tears and sadness.
We'd come to some conclusion, short-term arrangements made, and finally my body was starting to relax from the tension, my muscles aching as they loosened and calmed.
I stared out into the darkness, the sparkling lights of the city shining, twinkling like the stars they were hiding from view.
I tried to look past the buildings, out across the horizon, wondering where Ryan was, wondering if he was sat on a similar balcony, smoking and relaxing after a performance.
Trying to picture him, I guessed he would probably be with Greg and Jeff and maybe Chip if he was feeling better. They would likely be laughing together, joking around, and although I felt a pull inside, wishing I could be with them, I knew that in a few short weeks I would be seeing him again. And that made me feel instantly better.
I took a deep breath, pulling the cool air into my lungs and for the first time since I'd left him, I allowed myself to smile.
-
A woman came up and asked for my autograph and a photo. I smiled for the camera and asked her some questions, happy for the momentary distraction.
Until she asked about Ryan and if I was still in touch with him, a hint of something that could have been suggestion in her tone. I smiled at her pleasantly, told her that I did still see him, and hoped that she would leave before he showed up.
If he showed up.
Signing the pad she had produced from nowhere, I gave her one more smile and then thankfully she said her goodbyes, disappearing down the street.
Yet my relief didn't last long as I remembered that Ryan still wasn't here. I looked down at my watch once more, adjusting it on my wrist as if that would somehow alter the time.
It was eleven minutes past now. The hands on the watch kept ticking, my ears tuning into the sound as it taunted me.
I couldn't take it any more.
I pulled out my phone, ready to call to find out where he was.
Hoping he would answer.
-
I had come to dread the sound of my phone ringing, because it rarely seemed to bring good news.
I was just heading to bed when I heard it, vibrating against the bedside table, the annoying ring tone long gone.
The number on the screen wasn't a familiar one and it wasn't local so I almost didn't answer it, but something inside made me pick up, sighing as I said quietly, "Hello?"
"Hello there, I am sorry to bother you but I am wondering if you have considered changing your cell phone plan recently?" It took me a moment to register the voice on the other end, and another moment to realise that no one cold-called cell phones before I placed the voice, the familiar tone suddenly registering.
"Ryan?" I asked.
I couldn't remember ever talking to him on the phone before, but it definitely sounded like him. Curiosity and worry shot through me as I found myself desperately hoping that it wasn't just wishful thinking.
"That would be me." He said, and I could hear the smile behind the words.
"You never call me." I blurted out, unable to believe it was him.
It had only been a week since I’d seen him, but I was counting the days until we could meet again, my thoughts constantly filled with his image, and I was pleased yet surprised to hear him on the other end of the line.
"There's a lot of things we never used to do." He replied teasingly, his voice low and hinting at something more. Then, he added quietly, almost shyly and very unlike him, "I was missing you."
The words were quiet, nearly silent, but I heard them clear enough and I smiled, sighing, knowing I felt the same. It was ridiculous, we had been apart for years and yet here we were after a week missing each other.
"It's only been a week." I told him, amused. "Remember when we used to complain that we had to see each other so much? When we'd beg to work with someone different on Whose Line?" I smiled at the memory, meetings where we'd discuss working with the others more, being told more than once that we worked too well together for them to justify splitting us up.
We didn't really mind so much, I always loved working with him, but variety was good too and we did worry we would be repeating things. No one else seemed to care though.
"Well I didn't say I wanted to *work* with you." He replied, and there was a flirtatious undertone in his words that, although may have always been there, meant so much more now. I lay back on the bed, cradling the phone to my ear and stared up at the ceiling, wishing he were next to me talking.
"How are you?" He asked after a pause, sounding concerned, the playful tone gone for now.
I sighed, my smile disappearing for a moment. "I've been better. But... things are getting there. I'm at a hotel; we both thought it would be better than staying at the house for now." My fingers toyed with the blanket on the bed as I glanced around my empty room.
So much in my life had happened in hotel rooms. Hundreds of moments, good and bad, that had taken place in characterless rooms just like this one. "Lots to sort out, but it's bearable." I added. "How about you?" I asked, just wanting to hear his voice.
"Same old, Greg's being an ass, Jeff's all over him and Chip's back. I wish I was there instead."
I smiled, wishing the same thing, but replied, jokingly, "Why would you possibly want to be here?"
"Apparently the weather's nice at the moment."
I laughed a little, before saying quietly; my voice low like his had been earlier. "I love you."
Just as quietly, he replied, "I love you too." And that was enough.
Then with his voice louder, teasingly playful again, he said suggestively, "So, what are you wearing?"
I laughed once more, rolling my eyes to myself, but unable to keep the grin from my face.
Three weeks, I told myself.
Only three weeks.
-
My finger hovered over the call button on my phone, and I was ready to press it when someone leant against the wall next to me. I glanced up briefly, and I froze as I found myself staring into familiar green eyes.
Ryan was smiling at me apologetically, looking more than a little flushed, and all my anger disappeared when I saw him. His hair was tussled, his cheeks a little red, he was breathing a bit heavier than necessary and he looked absolutely amazing stood next to me.
I put my phone back in my pocket, trying my best to glare at him, but a smile was edging at the corner of my lips. "You're late." I told him pointedly, taking another look at my watch.
"I know. I'm sorry. Traffic was a bitch; I should have left earlier... or later. I decided to drive around a bit because I was too early and got caught up around the corner. Forgive me?" He tiled his head, smiling at me and trying for those puppy-dog eyes, looking impossibly adorable.
I tried to feign annoyance, but I couldn't, because I was just too elated that he was here and that we were together.
I shrugged nonchalantly, like I didn't care either way, but I couldn't stop myself smiling at him.
He grinned and the little boy look disappeared as he suddenly moved closer to me, trapping me against the wall. He rand his hands down my arms, staring into my eyes and everything around me disappeared, leaving just him.
He pulled me gently away from the wall, wrapping his arms around me and nuzzling his neck into my shoulder, kissing it softly.
His lips then moved to my cheek and he kissed me there, slow and drawn out, one hand slipping lower and resting on my ass.
I pulled him tight to me until there wasn’t even a sliver of air between us, and I whispered, "Missed you," to him, before capturing his lips with mine.
I kissed him slowly; melting at the feel of him, as he slipped his tongue past my lips. His other hand cupped my cheek, rubbing softly on my cheekbone as he tangled his tongue together with mine, the kiss getting more passionate as we both pressed harder, trying to get even closer together.
I pulled away first as I became aware that we were stood on a public street, and we were supposed to be going to dinner. I knew I wouldn’t want to if we continued like that, instead wanting to take him back to my apartment immediately. I was sure he could make it feel a lot less empty.
I rested my forehead against his, staring into his eyes. "Hello," I said quietly, smirking a little, breathing heavily.
Ryan was breathing harder, panting, and he looked even more flushed and even more amazing as he smiled at me. "Hi Col," He replied.
We stayed staring at each other for a long moment as I took in the sight of him, the feel of him against me, then he leant forward once more, letting our lips touch just gently, teasingly.
All the tension from the previous month disappeared, my body instantly relaxing as I felt him.
There was a lot to come, more confrontations, more complications and it wasn’t going to be easy. But we were together now, and that was all that mattered.
I suddenly realised that I didn’t care if he was late.
I would've waited forever for him.
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