[muse_shuffle] September Disc Two
Track 3. I'll always be there for you // That means no time to waste // Whenever there's a chance (Air - 'Cherry Blossom Girl')
Co-written with asinthecity
[Follows THIS and related to THIS]
It was just falling on dusk when they arrived in Princeton from Atlantic City. It was Friday evening and they hit some traffic heading in to Princeton, especially near the university and hospital, so they spent most of the additional care time in a singalong to Tab's choice of songs on the stereo. At her guiding, however, they now drove up in front of a nice looking apartment block that was apparently where her brother lived. He pulled in to a vacant space just up from it and shut the car off. "Here we are, cutie. You right with your bag, and things?" he asked, smiling.
Tab leaned forward to look out the windshield to double check it was in fact the right place. Last time she'd been here, Mick had dropped her off and she was hardly in the greatest emotional state. Hard to believe that was nearly a week ago.
"Yeah, I think so." She leaned back again, and smiled at Luke. "Thanks for the trip, handsome."
Luke took her hand with a laugh. "Hey, you're not getting away that easily," he told her and leaned in to give her a lingering kiss, his fingers brushing through the tips of her hair. He eased out of it with a few smaller, softer kisses and smiled against her lips. "Were you just going to bugger off without even giving me a chance to give you your present?"
"Do that again," she grinned as she leaned towards him and her other hand rest on his chest. The kissing Luke thing she was definitely getting into. Then Tab blinked and her eyes went wide. "I get a present? It's not even my birthday, or Christmas."
"You get a present for just being you. That's way better than birthdays or Christmas..." Luke picked the kiss up right where he left of, deepening it a little more this time and letting his hand run down her arm to her hip.
Tab moaned against his mouth, and gripped his shirt with her fist as she tried to shift closer to him without hurting herself on the gearstick. "I should be just me more often," she murmured.
"I concur," Luke whispered against her lips. He continued to kiss her, knowing how easily they could get carried away but also well aware he didn't know when he would see her again. The goodbye kiss had to be worth it and last them. It was taking all his self-control to contain it to just a kiss, though. She was addictive and had him well and truly hooked.
She linked her fingers through his and found herself struggling just as much to keep it to a kiss. She didn't like the idea that this was a goodbye kiss, but considering what this weekend was about--she really did have no idea when she might see Luke again. The idea scared her more than she would admit to. She was growing pretty attached to the guy. "I'll call you, okay? Let you know what's going on. I know I said I needed the world to fuck off for a couple of days, but you're not the world."
"I'll keep my phone with me all the time," Luke promised and brushed her hair out of her eyes. "You can call me any time, and remember, I'm just a drive away if you need me to come help out or anything. My boss is pretty flexible," he joked.
He stole another soft kiss before reaching in to his pocket and pulling out a small box containing her present, handing it over with a smile. "Happy Tab Day."
"He's pretty cute, too," Tab responded with a laugh. "Thank you again, for just... you know. Everything. You have no idea how much it means to me."
Tab grinned, and looked up at him as she stroked her fingers over the lid of the box. "Still can't believe I get a present! I like this Tab Day." She lifted the lid slowly, and her lips parted as she gasped. "Oh, wow. It's beautiful, Luke." She took the guitar pendant out of the box and held it up. "It's seriously perfect."
"You don't have to thank me. It means a lot that you even want me around at a time like this," Luke assured her. He kissed her forehead and then smiled. "You like it? When I saw it, I just knew it was you."
She rolled her eyes, and grinned. "Of course I like it! Put it on. Please?" she added after a beat.
Luke took the delicate chain off her and draped it around the neck. He fastened it carefully and then kissed the back of her neck. "There you go, Lucky Charm." He wrapped his arms around her. "You call me, okay? Any time of the night. Let me know how you're getting on and how you're brother is doing. I'm going to miss you."
Her fingers touched the pendant now nestled against the hollow of her throat and she smiled. "I'm going to miss you too, Charlie Parker." She wrestled her arms out from under his and hugged him tight as she kissed his cheek. "Have a safe drive back. No accidents."
"I promise I'll drive like a grandpa," Luke replied. He leaned over her to open the door for her and then pulled her back into another embrace with a lingering kiss.
Her hands cradled his face and she smiled against his lips. "Sooner or later I'm going to have to get out."
"I know," Luke laughed. "Damnit. Sleep well, okay? I'll chat to you soon."
Tab nodded as she gave him another peck on the lips before trying to slide out of the car backwards. "You too. Sleep and chat," she laughed as she leaned back into the car to kiss him again. "Say hi to Benny if you see him."
She braced herself against the car and looked at him. "Okay, so I'm just going to get my car out the bag. I mean, my bag out of the car! Fuck, okay. I'm really going."
Luke laughed and leaned over to touch her nose. "I'll be thinking of you. Don't do anything I wouldn't do." He blew her a kiss and waved.
"That doesn't exactly stop me from doing much now, does it?" Tab returned the wave as she shut the car door and walked around to where he'd already popped the boot for her. She grabbed her bag and slammed it shut before she stepped up onto the pavement and gave him a mock salute.
Luke winked at her and made a gesture with his hand to remind her to call him. He waved again as he started the car and pulled away for the drive back to New York.
pullmysteth referenced with permission
Words | 1,134
Co-written with asinthecity
[Follows THIS and related to THIS]
It was just falling on dusk when they arrived in Princeton from Atlantic City. It was Friday evening and they hit some traffic heading in to Princeton, especially near the university and hospital, so they spent most of the additional care time in a singalong to Tab's choice of songs on the stereo. At her guiding, however, they now drove up in front of a nice looking apartment block that was apparently where her brother lived. He pulled in to a vacant space just up from it and shut the car off. "Here we are, cutie. You right with your bag, and things?" he asked, smiling.
Tab leaned forward to look out the windshield to double check it was in fact the right place. Last time she'd been here, Mick had dropped her off and she was hardly in the greatest emotional state. Hard to believe that was nearly a week ago.
"Yeah, I think so." She leaned back again, and smiled at Luke. "Thanks for the trip, handsome."
Luke took her hand with a laugh. "Hey, you're not getting away that easily," he told her and leaned in to give her a lingering kiss, his fingers brushing through the tips of her hair. He eased out of it with a few smaller, softer kisses and smiled against her lips. "Were you just going to bugger off without even giving me a chance to give you your present?"
"Do that again," she grinned as she leaned towards him and her other hand rest on his chest. The kissing Luke thing she was definitely getting into. Then Tab blinked and her eyes went wide. "I get a present? It's not even my birthday, or Christmas."
"You get a present for just being you. That's way better than birthdays or Christmas..." Luke picked the kiss up right where he left of, deepening it a little more this time and letting his hand run down her arm to her hip.
Tab moaned against his mouth, and gripped his shirt with her fist as she tried to shift closer to him without hurting herself on the gearstick. "I should be just me more often," she murmured.
"I concur," Luke whispered against her lips. He continued to kiss her, knowing how easily they could get carried away but also well aware he didn't know when he would see her again. The goodbye kiss had to be worth it and last them. It was taking all his self-control to contain it to just a kiss, though. She was addictive and had him well and truly hooked.
She linked her fingers through his and found herself struggling just as much to keep it to a kiss. She didn't like the idea that this was a goodbye kiss, but considering what this weekend was about--she really did have no idea when she might see Luke again. The idea scared her more than she would admit to. She was growing pretty attached to the guy. "I'll call you, okay? Let you know what's going on. I know I said I needed the world to fuck off for a couple of days, but you're not the world."
"I'll keep my phone with me all the time," Luke promised and brushed her hair out of her eyes. "You can call me any time, and remember, I'm just a drive away if you need me to come help out or anything. My boss is pretty flexible," he joked.
He stole another soft kiss before reaching in to his pocket and pulling out a small box containing her present, handing it over with a smile. "Happy Tab Day."
"He's pretty cute, too," Tab responded with a laugh. "Thank you again, for just... you know. Everything. You have no idea how much it means to me."
Tab grinned, and looked up at him as she stroked her fingers over the lid of the box. "Still can't believe I get a present! I like this Tab Day." She lifted the lid slowly, and her lips parted as she gasped. "Oh, wow. It's beautiful, Luke." She took the guitar pendant out of the box and held it up. "It's seriously perfect."
"You don't have to thank me. It means a lot that you even want me around at a time like this," Luke assured her. He kissed her forehead and then smiled. "You like it? When I saw it, I just knew it was you."
She rolled her eyes, and grinned. "Of course I like it! Put it on. Please?" she added after a beat.
Luke took the delicate chain off her and draped it around the neck. He fastened it carefully and then kissed the back of her neck. "There you go, Lucky Charm." He wrapped his arms around her. "You call me, okay? Any time of the night. Let me know how you're getting on and how you're brother is doing. I'm going to miss you."
Her fingers touched the pendant now nestled against the hollow of her throat and she smiled. "I'm going to miss you too, Charlie Parker." She wrestled her arms out from under his and hugged him tight as she kissed his cheek. "Have a safe drive back. No accidents."
"I promise I'll drive like a grandpa," Luke replied. He leaned over her to open the door for her and then pulled her back into another embrace with a lingering kiss.
Her hands cradled his face and she smiled against his lips. "Sooner or later I'm going to have to get out."
"I know," Luke laughed. "Damnit. Sleep well, okay? I'll chat to you soon."
Tab nodded as she gave him another peck on the lips before trying to slide out of the car backwards. "You too. Sleep and chat," she laughed as she leaned back into the car to kiss him again. "Say hi to Benny if you see him."
She braced herself against the car and looked at him. "Okay, so I'm just going to get my car out the bag. I mean, my bag out of the car! Fuck, okay. I'm really going."
Luke laughed and leaned over to touch her nose. "I'll be thinking of you. Don't do anything I wouldn't do." He blew her a kiss and waved.
"That doesn't exactly stop me from doing much now, does it?" Tab returned the wave as she shut the car door and walked around to where he'd already popped the boot for her. She grabbed her bag and slammed it shut before she stepped up onto the pavement and gave him a mock salute.
Luke winked at her and made a gesture with his hand to remind her to call him. He waved again as he started the car and pulled away for the drive back to New York.
pullmysteth referenced with permission
Words | 1,134