Room 234/236 : Saturday evening

[mparkerceo]

Ring.

Please ring.

Ring, damn you!

Thinking hard at the phone doesn't make it ring any faster. Especially about certain plans that might be in effect. In case anyone was wondering. Parker couldn't seem to stop herself, though.

[for a very specific set of guys, then open!]

Comments

[nadiathesaint]

Nadia wasn't feeling too terribly social, but, well, Parker had offered, and she'd always been pretty good when it came to listening. And she wasn't actually involved, which was nice.

An outside perspective might be just what she needed.

She knocked gently.

[nadiathesaint]

Nadia didn't answer for a long moment, and when she did, her voice was barely audible. "He said he loved me."

She took another swig from her drink and set it a bit too hard, her voice getting stronger. "I told him that I tried to seduce another guy, and he told me that he loved me."

[mparkerceo]

And oh, that had to just burn. "Do you believe him?" Parker asked quietly.

[nadiathesaint]

". . . I even said it back." Nadia wrapped her arms around her knee and set her chin on it. "I think we're cursed, now."

[mparkerceo]

Knowing from experience that I love you wasn't the same thing as I forgive you, Parker took a sip of her drink, and nudged Nadia's foot with her own. "You're not cursed. At least, not because of that. Unless you know something I don't. Which doesn't make this any easier."

[nadiathesaint]

Nadia picked up her drink again. "I've had guys tell me they loved me before. Every single one of them screwed me over. Including, I might add, my father. . . . It's a curse. It is. And I'm falling for it all over again and thinking that I can have it when I know that I can't."

[mparkerceo]

Parker rubbed her eyes, and restrained a sigh. "You screwed up. But you stopped. And you had extenuating circumstances, and..." She stopped, and shook her head. "I'm sorry about the others," she said, her voice calmer. "You don't deserve that."

[nadiathesaint]

"Yeah, well, I don't know anyone who does, really. But that doesn't seem to stop it from happening." She fiddled with a fold in her jeans. "Walter seemed . . . not okay, with everything. That's too much to ask. But even before we figured out that it must have been because of the thing with Bel, he didn't seem like he wanted to break up with me. And I did stop." She swallowed. She knew Parker wouldn't hold it against her, but it wasn't easy to say. "But . . . I'm kind of wondering if I'll end up doing it again. And not stopping."

[mparkerceo]

"Ohhhh. Yeah." Parker thought about Jarod, and the attraction that just *would* not die an easy death, and then thought of Chad being a sweetheart, and Nadia being confused.... "You need to stay away from Chad, then. If you can help it." She sighed. "At least until you and Walter are okay, maybe?"

[nadiathesaint]

"I really doubt Chad wants to see me any time soon, anyway. But what about the band?"

[mparkerceo]

"Gahhhh." Zero would go postal if this broke up the band. Parker thought about that a long moment, then carefully said, "We've got a week and change before the next engagement. I'll-- talk to Chad." She shook her head. "If he doesn't want to be around you, then you two have choices to make. I hope he can deal. At least you're not at risk of a repeat occurence on-stage with him, no matter *what* Bel and Phoebe are doing."

[nadiathesaint]

"Oh hell no. That is never going to happen. And I'm going to be much, much more careful about my reactions to what I'm feeling until this whole thing is over with."

[mparkerceo]

"Completely understandable." Although if it happened once, then... anyway. "You're not a horrible person, Nadia. Having feelings for more than one person is outside your control. Especially when your feelings really *are* outside your control."

[nadiathesaint]

"Having feelings is one thing. Acting on them and intending to hide it? Something else altogether. I mean, it's good for the spy stuff, but I don't want to do that to Walter. I've never met anyone like him before, Parker. And I've definitely been with one guy for this long, before."

[mparkerceo]

Parker nodded slowly, then frowned. "Then I think the sooner that damn spell is lifted, the better. Because this doesn't seem like you. You're too freaked out. The spell must be causing a *really* bad impulse control problem, if you're this resistant to the just the idea now."

[nadiathesaint]

Nadia nodded miserably. "I mean, okay, I have issues. I'm 18, what do you expect? But . . . even back in Argentina, when I realized that I wanted to be with Roberto while I was dating Cesar, I broke it off with Cesar first. But yesterday, it was like *pow* I'm suddenly a big . . . prostitute or something. I couldn't figure out what was wrong with me."