fandomtownies | The Photo Hut, Wednesday, 6/27

After the lunch rush was over at the hotel (http://community.livejournal.com/fandomtownies/1816011.html), Mary started checking things off her party planning to-do list. First on the list was film for her camera. It seemed like a good place to start until she walked in and spotted the boy from the other night at Caritas.

"Hi," Johnny said with a warm smile at the woman who just walked in. Tilting his head he studied her for a moment. "Do I...yes, we've met, right? Mary is it?" Uh-oh. Caritas. When he was drunk and hit on her oh my god.

Johnny turned red.

Well, this was going to be awkward.

"Hello, Johnny," said Mary. "That bruise is looking a lot better than it did on Sunday. I guess you did take my advice about the ice?"

"Uh. Thanks. No, um, no I didn't use ice. I just lived with the pain." God he was sounding all kinds of stupid here! Maaan!

"'Pain is only weakness leaving the body,' or so someone once told me," said Mary. "How did you get hurt, anyway?"

He stared at her not sure he understood that. Was she telling him he was weak? He wasn't weak. Maybe he should tell her he wasn't weak. "Walked into some guys fist."

"I bet that wasn't fun," said Mary sympathetically. She tilted her head to one side. "I used to do some pretty stupid things when I was drunk, too," she admitted.

"Well, I uh, wasn't exactly drunk when that guy amused himself with my face," Johnny admitted, looking down.

"Oh," said Mary. "I hope he walked with some bruises also."

"I gave him a black eye," he said almost proudly. "And a busted cheek." Johnny did have a nice bruise center stomach from Dick's fist though. Probably not a good idea to show her that.

"I'm sorry, you've probably come in here for a reason and I'm not doing so hot in the sales department, am I?"

"All I really need is film and some of those cute little one-time use cameras for my party," said Mary. "What were you guys fighting about, anyway?"

"You're having a party? Cool. Do I get to come?" Modesty? What modesty?

Johnny went about grabbing some of those cameras for her while he explained in the smalles voice he could muster up, "I sort of kissed his girl."

"Monday night at the Arms Hotel. It's going to be my birthday, and sure you can come. I think I've invited everyone I know in Fandom and then some," Mary said with a grin. This was going to be the biggest event she'd ever planned and for once, she was was going to be the guest of honor.

"That probably wasn't the smartest thing to do, but people make mistakes. Do you like this girl?" asked Mary, thinking about the mess she left behind with Danny and his girlfriend.

Johnny smiled wide, "Thank you! I will make sure I am there then." He wouldn't ask her her age, that he knew she was older than him enough.

"No. I don't like her like that. I made a huge mistake and I recognize that now. I just haven't really apologized yet. I mean, I'm going to...I just haven't done it yet."

"You might want to make sure that her boyfriend isn't around for that," suggested Mary with a smirk. "And next time you want to kiss a girl, you might first count to five and then ask yourself if it's really a good idea."

"Yeah, he kind of told me to stay away from her." Johnny grinned at Mary. "Counting to five, got it. Think I might better just start asking the girl if I can kiss her first. Might serve me better that way." And did he ask Mary if he could kiss her? That thought was nagging his brain something fierce.

"It's always best to take things slow, and asking first is always a good idea," said Mary. "For example, if you hadn't asked first on Sunday, I probably would have thrown my drink at you."

She blushed as she added, "I have to admit, though, that I've been getting a lot attention from a lot of different men since arriving in Fandom and you were the only one with the guts to offer to kiss me."

Ah maan, he did ask her! Johnny blushed and looked down, then caught her blushing and suddenly felt better. "Well, you are a very beautiful woman, Mary. I can understand the reason behind the attention." He paused, thinking, then asked, "If I had the guts a second time around, would your answer still be no?"

"Probably not," she replied, still blushing furiously.

"But you are blushing," he stated, grinning. "Blushing is a telltale sign if you ask me. It's cute. Sweet. Says a lot about a person, Mary."

"I think it just says that it's been a long time since anyone kissed me," said Mary, her face still red.

"Ah, I see," he said softly not wanting to make her feel worse or more embarrassed. "Well, I could help with that, but I understand if you don't want me to. Age thing and all." Johnny thought it'd be pretty hot to kiss an older woman, but he was a teenage guy, of course he would.

Mary looked at him warily. "How old are you again?" she asked.

Johnny thought he better not lie here. "Uh, seventeen."

Seventeen wasn't so young. Her high school sweetheart Danny was seventeen when he joined the Marines, and if he was old enough to die for his country at that age...

She remembered being seventeen. That was the year that she finally told Danny what happened to her at home. Danny went to her house that night and beat the crap out of her father for what he had done to her, and from that day she lived with Danny's family until she was old enough to be on her own. Her father never touched her again and she thought she was finally free of him. Of course, that was all a lie because he showed up a few years ago with two young half-sisters that she hadn't known about.

When she though of everything that Danny and the Delines had gone through just to protect her and her little sisters from her monster of a father, she realized that sitting here and thinking about kissing a teenage boy was probably the worst thing she could do.

"I think I'd better go now," she said.

Johnny wondered what it was that made her suddenly appear so...sad? Withdrawn? What was she thinking about?

"Mary? Are you okay? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you."

"It's not you. It's all my fault," said Mary, grabbing her purchases. She could feel tears running down her face. "I should leave. I shouldn't be here."

Oh my god! She was crying! Johnny made a girl cry! Holy hell!

He didn't walk around the counter, he jumped over it and settled himself directly in front of her. It was obvious he didn't know what to do, that he was slightly uncomfortable in this situation, but he offered with a meaningful look, "Can I help you? Do something for you? Do you want a hug?" He reached up in an attempt to wipe the tears from her cheeks with his thumbs.

Mary hadn't expected that. "I'll be okay," she mumbled as she tried to get her emotions under control.

Ah, man, did he make her cry? Crapola.

"Mary, really, I was just teasing and all about the kissing. You know, I'm just a ... teaser." Ugh. "Please don't cry, sweetheart. It's breaking my heart here."

"I'm fine. Really, it's not anything that you did. It's just that it's been a rough couple of months," said Mary.

She actually found herself disappointed that he wasn't serious about kissing her.

Johnny had been serious about kissing her but he didn't want her to know that in case that was the cause for all of this.

"I'm sorry," he repeated. "I could buy you an ice cream or something?"

What she needed was a therapist. Mary made a mental note that she should talk to Stan about that at dinner on Saturday.

"Thanks for the offer, but that's not necessary. I really should be going anyway," said Mary.

"All right, Mary," Johnny nodded and stepped aside to let her pass. "For whatever it's worth, I'm here."

"Thanks," said Mary. One day she was going to deal with the mess she left behind in Las Vegas and she was going to need all the support she could get.

"I'll see you at the party on Monday?"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world." He said with a firm nod.

The Photo Hut, Wednesday, 6/27

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