A Rhythm Like You (9/?)
Chapter 1: http://dpracket.livejournal.com/32142.h tml
Chapter 2: http://dpracket.livejournal.com/32417.h tml
Chapter 3: dpracket.livejournal.com/33801.html
Chapter 4: dpracket.livejournal.com/34221.html
Chapter 5: dpracket.livejournal.com/34761.html
Chapter 6: http://dpracket.livejournal.com/34958.h tml
Chapter 7: http://dpracket.livejournal.com/35388.h tml
Chapter 8: http://dpracket.livejournal.com/36032.h tml
"The beating of my heart is a drum, and it's lost, and it's looking for a rhythm like you."
CURRENT CHAPTER:
http://dpracket.livejournal.com/37017.html
"What is your problem?" Katie asked Reid, pushing his feet off the coffee table as she walked by.
Reid picked a pillow up off the couch and lobbed it at Katie. "What the hell, Goldilocks? You almost made me spill my beer."
Katie threw the pillow back at him. "You've been pouting for days. You need to get off that couch. You're depressing me. Are you going to tell me what happened with Luke?"
Reid hugged the pillow to his chest and took a sip of beer. "No."
"Fine," Katie said, retrieving her cell phone from her purse, "I'll call him myself and find out."
"Don't," Reid warned, glaring at her. "You're meddling."
"I'm helping," she corrected Reid, sitting down next to him. "You look like shit, you know that? I can't believe you've been going to work with that scruff all over your face."
"Maybe I'm trying to grow a beard."
"Maybe you're full of shit," Katie replied, putting her head on Reid's shoulder. "Talk to me, Reid."
Reid stayed silent for a few moments, picking at the label on his beer bottle. "I love him," he said softly, admitting out loud what had been banging around inside his chest for weeks, squeezing his eyes shut against the words.
"Well, duh, Captain Obvious."
Reid opened his eyes and scowled at his roommate, wanting the conversation to be over. "Don't you have something you need to be doing?" he asked.
Katie ignored him. "So, if you love him, then why are you here alone every night, moping around the apartment?"
"I fucked up," Reid said with a sigh.
"Well, of course you did; you're a man. It's a wonder that any gay male relationships last, given that two men are involved. Men are stupid."
"Thanks..."
"So, you fucked up. Go fix it." Katie put her hands up, as if the solution was the most obvious thing in the world.
Reid shook his head. "I don't think I can."
"You happen to be involved with Luke Snyder. The man has the biggest heart on the planet. Unless you've done something horrible, he's going to forgive you. And I can tell he likes you a lot. He laughs at all your stupid jokes. Like me, he finds your awkwardness endearing." Katie brushed a hand through Reid's hair.
"I'm not awkward..."
"He looks at you like you're a sparkly vampire in the sunlight."
"You need to stop watching those movies."
"He likes you. If you screwed up, then the first step is saying you're sorry. It's simple, Reid. Two little words. Say it with me. 'I'm sorry.'" Katie squeezed the corners of Reid's mouth with her hand
"Katie...cut it out."
"Did you cheat on him?"
"What?! No."
"Hit him?"
"Katie! Do you know me at all?"
"Call him demeaning names?"
"Of course not."
"Insult his family?"
"Not on that particular day."
"Kick his favorite horse?"
"No..."
"Then he's going to forgive you. But don't wait around for him to make the first move, or you might lose your chance. If you're the one who screwed up, then you need to go to him." Katie nodded in satisfaction of her own words for emphasis.
"What if he slams the door in my face?"
"Then you go back the next day and ring his doorbell again. So, are you going to tell me what you did?"
Reid put the pillow over his face. "No."
Katie pulled the pillow away and Reid groaned. "Tell me."
"It's stupid," Reid said, realizing the idiotic nature of what he did.
"We've already established that you're stupid with this love stuff. Spill." Katie eyed Reid shrewdly.
Reid took a deep breath. What was it about Katie that made him want to talk? "We were...um...we were, ya know...making out, and...things were pretty...uh...intense?"
Katie sat up straighter. "Oooh, excellent... were your clothes off?"
"Just our shirts."
"Where were your hands? Where were your mouths?"
"None of your business, Goldilocks...enough...let's just say, I was moving south...that's as detailed as I'm getting."
"Awwww, c'mon, throw a straight girl a bone..."
"No way. Go get your laptop and read some porn if you need something more in depth...I can direct you to some good gay sites..."
"Okay, you're no fun," Katie sighed, disappointed that Reid wasn't a kiss-and-tell kind of guy. "And then what happened?"
"I don't know. I got this weird feeling."
"That's lust," Katie deadpanned.
"No," Reid said. "That wasn't it. Yeah, believe me, I wanted him; we were both turned on, but...I don't know. My chest felt really hot, and I got dizzy. And I felt like I was going to throw up...or cry....or both." Reid rubbed a hand over his face and groaned. Katie smiled at him. "What?" Reid asked, leaning his head back on the couch.
"Yup. You're definitely in love. Welcome to the human race, Reid. We've been waiting for ya." Katie leaned over and kissed the side of Reid's head. "So, then what did you do?"
"I left."
"You left?"
"Yeah. I told him I had to go, and I left."
"Just like that?" Katie asked increduously.
"Yeah," Reid said.
"No explanation?"
Reid shook his head. "I had to get out of there, Katie. I felt nauseaous, and there was no fucking way I was crying in front of him. I don't cry. Ever. It's a useless emotion. I don't even know where that shit was coming from. It's not like I was sad or anything."
"Haven't you ever been so overwhelmed during sex that you've cried?" Katie asked.
"Seriously? No. I'm not a girl."
"Whatever...did you cry after you left him that day?" Katie asked.
"No. Of course not. I just told you. I don't cry."
"So, what did you do?"
"I went for a run. And then I came home and jerked off in the shower, both of which were much more productive than puking or letting my eyes leak.'
"Ewww, gross..."
"You asked," Reid said flatly, swallowing down the rest of the beer in the bottle.
"And you haven't spoken to him since?" Katie asked.
"No."
"Does Luke know? Have you told him that you love him?"
"No! Are you insane? Why would I do that?"
"Because life is short, and when you love people, you should tell them. Often."
Reid picked at the label on his empty bottle. He shook his head.
"You need to call him, Reid. No...forget that. You need to GO to him. And you need to be honest and tell him what you're feeling."
"I hate feelings," Reid said, swallowing. "What is it with this ass backwards town? A half a year ago, I was in Texas, perfectly content with working 70 hours a week and finding guys to fuck occasionally. No attachments. Then I come here, and there's you and the kid...and Luke...damn Bob Hughes...and even Luke's brother and sisters...God, this sucks."
"It sucks caring about people, or it sucks that they care back?"
"Both..." Reid sighed.
Chapter 2: http://dpracket.livejournal.com/32417.h tml
Chapter 3: dpracket.livejournal.com/33801.html
Chapter 4: dpracket.livejournal.com/34221.html
Chapter 5: dpracket.livejournal.com/34761.html
Chapter 6: http://dpracket.livejournal.com/34958.h tml
Chapter 7: http://dpracket.livejournal.com/35388.h tml
Chapter 8: http://dpracket.livejournal.com/36032.h tml
"The beating of my heart is a drum, and it's lost, and it's looking for a rhythm like you."
CURRENT CHAPTER:
http://dpracket.livejournal.com/37017.html
"What is your problem?" Katie asked Reid, pushing his feet off the coffee table as she walked by.
Reid picked a pillow up off the couch and lobbed it at Katie. "What the hell, Goldilocks? You almost made me spill my beer."
Katie threw the pillow back at him. "You've been pouting for days. You need to get off that couch. You're depressing me. Are you going to tell me what happened with Luke?"
Reid hugged the pillow to his chest and took a sip of beer. "No."
"Fine," Katie said, retrieving her cell phone from her purse, "I'll call him myself and find out."
"Don't," Reid warned, glaring at her. "You're meddling."
"I'm helping," she corrected Reid, sitting down next to him. "You look like shit, you know that? I can't believe you've been going to work with that scruff all over your face."
"Maybe I'm trying to grow a beard."
"Maybe you're full of shit," Katie replied, putting her head on Reid's shoulder. "Talk to me, Reid."
Reid stayed silent for a few moments, picking at the label on his beer bottle. "I love him," he said softly, admitting out loud what had been banging around inside his chest for weeks, squeezing his eyes shut against the words.
"Well, duh, Captain Obvious."
Reid opened his eyes and scowled at his roommate, wanting the conversation to be over. "Don't you have something you need to be doing?" he asked.
Katie ignored him. "So, if you love him, then why are you here alone every night, moping around the apartment?"
"I fucked up," Reid said with a sigh.
"Well, of course you did; you're a man. It's a wonder that any gay male relationships last, given that two men are involved. Men are stupid."
"Thanks..."
"So, you fucked up. Go fix it." Katie put her hands up, as if the solution was the most obvious thing in the world.
Reid shook his head. "I don't think I can."
"You happen to be involved with Luke Snyder. The man has the biggest heart on the planet. Unless you've done something horrible, he's going to forgive you. And I can tell he likes you a lot. He laughs at all your stupid jokes. Like me, he finds your awkwardness endearing." Katie brushed a hand through Reid's hair.
"I'm not awkward..."
"He looks at you like you're a sparkly vampire in the sunlight."
"You need to stop watching those movies."
"He likes you. If you screwed up, then the first step is saying you're sorry. It's simple, Reid. Two little words. Say it with me. 'I'm sorry.'" Katie squeezed the corners of Reid's mouth with her hand
"Katie...cut it out."
"Did you cheat on him?"
"What?! No."
"Hit him?"
"Katie! Do you know me at all?"
"Call him demeaning names?"
"Of course not."
"Insult his family?"
"Not on that particular day."
"Kick his favorite horse?"
"No..."
"Then he's going to forgive you. But don't wait around for him to make the first move, or you might lose your chance. If you're the one who screwed up, then you need to go to him." Katie nodded in satisfaction of her own words for emphasis.
"What if he slams the door in my face?"
"Then you go back the next day and ring his doorbell again. So, are you going to tell me what you did?"
Reid put the pillow over his face. "No."
Katie pulled the pillow away and Reid groaned. "Tell me."
"It's stupid," Reid said, realizing the idiotic nature of what he did.
"We've already established that you're stupid with this love stuff. Spill." Katie eyed Reid shrewdly.
Reid took a deep breath. What was it about Katie that made him want to talk? "We were...um...we were, ya know...making out, and...things were pretty...uh...intense?"
Katie sat up straighter. "Oooh, excellent... were your clothes off?"
"Just our shirts."
"Where were your hands? Where were your mouths?"
"None of your business, Goldilocks...enough...let's just say, I was moving south...that's as detailed as I'm getting."
"Awwww, c'mon, throw a straight girl a bone..."
"No way. Go get your laptop and read some porn if you need something more in depth...I can direct you to some good gay sites..."
"Okay, you're no fun," Katie sighed, disappointed that Reid wasn't a kiss-and-tell kind of guy. "And then what happened?"
"I don't know. I got this weird feeling."
"That's lust," Katie deadpanned.
"No," Reid said. "That wasn't it. Yeah, believe me, I wanted him; we were both turned on, but...I don't know. My chest felt really hot, and I got dizzy. And I felt like I was going to throw up...or cry....or both." Reid rubbed a hand over his face and groaned. Katie smiled at him. "What?" Reid asked, leaning his head back on the couch.
"Yup. You're definitely in love. Welcome to the human race, Reid. We've been waiting for ya." Katie leaned over and kissed the side of Reid's head. "So, then what did you do?"
"I left."
"You left?"
"Yeah. I told him I had to go, and I left."
"Just like that?" Katie asked increduously.
"Yeah," Reid said.
"No explanation?"
Reid shook his head. "I had to get out of there, Katie. I felt nauseaous, and there was no fucking way I was crying in front of him. I don't cry. Ever. It's a useless emotion. I don't even know where that shit was coming from. It's not like I was sad or anything."
"Haven't you ever been so overwhelmed during sex that you've cried?" Katie asked.
"Seriously? No. I'm not a girl."
"Whatever...did you cry after you left him that day?" Katie asked.
"No. Of course not. I just told you. I don't cry."
"So, what did you do?"
"I went for a run. And then I came home and jerked off in the shower, both of which were much more productive than puking or letting my eyes leak.'
"Ewww, gross..."
"You asked," Reid said flatly, swallowing down the rest of the beer in the bottle.
"And you haven't spoken to him since?" Katie asked.
"No."
"Does Luke know? Have you told him that you love him?"
"No! Are you insane? Why would I do that?"
"Because life is short, and when you love people, you should tell them. Often."
Reid picked at the label on his empty bottle. He shook his head.
"You need to call him, Reid. No...forget that. You need to GO to him. And you need to be honest and tell him what you're feeling."
"I hate feelings," Reid said, swallowing. "What is it with this ass backwards town? A half a year ago, I was in Texas, perfectly content with working 70 hours a week and finding guys to fuck occasionally. No attachments. Then I come here, and there's you and the kid...and Luke...damn Bob Hughes...and even Luke's brother and sisters...God, this sucks."
"It sucks caring about people, or it sucks that they care back?"
"Both..." Reid sighed.