fast eddie's | early evening | saturday | december 19

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

Even though Alex's break week had started back on Wednesday, it still felt like it was official once the weekend started. To celebrate, he'd slept late, eaten something unhealthy for breakfast and lazed away the hours (all the while thankfully avoiding any mistletoe while Griff was in the room) until he actually realized he had something planned.

So, having already downed half his beer (he was celebrating, after all), Alex was leaning over the pool table and lining up a shot. It was easy enough but his concentration was off or the table was tilted or something and he flubbed the shot, shaking the cue ball off the side.

That just meant he ended up cursing under his breath and deciding that downing the rest of his beer was a good way to make himself feel better. He had great coping skills.

[possibly expecting someone but open place in town is open]

Comments

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"Okay," he said after a moment both dreading and anticipating whatever answer she might come out with. Her answer, though, it was the better one, the one he wanted to hear even if hearing it was another one of those 'fucking scary' steps they'd been taking.

"You, uh, want anything else?" Alex asked, a bit awkwardly but considering the fact that he was doing his version of clinging to her, it didn't mean anything bad. Just that he didn't know exactly what to say now.

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

Baby steps towards... whatever this was. One of those things that needed to be taken a little bit at a time.

Effy just, turned her head, pressing her lips briefly to the edge of his. "Take your damn shot," she requested with a bit of a smile.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

Right, they were in a pool hall during all this. Interesting place to have a semi serious discussion. But, that was enough to snap Alex out of whatever little funk he'd been in and he reached for the cue that she'd been holding.

"That wasn't an attempt at giving up either," he said, making light of their fantastically messy attempts at this thing. Seemed to be the thing to do. "You're still not winning."

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

Making light of it all seemed to be the best way to deal with it. Better than dwelling on their complete inability to figure out that side of things, at the very least.

"Prove it." Easy enough way to solve this little dispute, and that was to actually get some balls sunk.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"Gladly," he said, rolling his shoulders a few times to loosen up before finding the first easy shot he could and smacking a good, clean shot. Maybe someone felt sorry for him because it proved to be a good shot and the ball rolled in.

Without saying a word (though he did smirk), Alex circled the table and found another shot. It wasn't as easy as the previous one but he hit it solid and grinned widely when that ball rolled in too.

"Proof enough yet?" he asked, winding his way around the table but stopping near her for the moment.

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

"Not actually proof until you've won," she pointed out, keeping that careful illusion of utter confidence up for now. "But you are good."

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"What would you cook when I do win?" When not if. He could be confident too. But hey, he tempered it by pressing an impulsive kiss against the side of her neck since she was there and he liked to touch her and all.

"Besides," he said, finding another shot and leaning down, "I'm sure you could convince me to go to that hot tub place with you anyway."

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

"Probably could," she agreed, smirking a little. If he was allowed to touch, she was allowed to skim her palm along his back, up towards his neck. For once, it wasn't actually intended to be off-putting.

"And first thought, macaroni cheese." Because really, how hard was it to get pasta and cheese sauce wrong?

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

It wasn't off putting but it was definitely nice and Alex had to take a little more time with his shot so he could just enjoy that sort of touch.

"Not a hard thing, convincing me that I'd have to see you half naked," he said and grinned. Probably one of the easiest things ever. "And I haven't had mac and cheese in awhile. Maybe you'd even get some weirdo flirting with you in the common room while you tried to cook it. Breaking out the eyebrows and all."

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

"Bit harsh, calling yourself a weirdo," she said, grinning as she watched him line up his shot. Couldn't help a bit of tease. He was the only one she'd seen that eyebrow routine from.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"I've been called worse," he shared, slanting a look at her before he took his shot. Unfortunately, three for three wasn't in the offing because the ball rolled left of the pocket.

With a grimace, he stood up and turned towards her, leaning on the pool cue. "You're attracted to this weirdo. What's that say about you?"

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

"Innocently didn't realise," she claimed. "Bit late to change my mind now."

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"You are not innocent," he said, taking a few step towards her and shaking his head. Whatever was between them, he was always going to be physically drawn to her. "There is nothing about you that's innocent. And I'm pretty sure you don't want to change your mind."

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

"I don't," she agreed easily. Weird as their relationship was, it wasn't something she'd give up. "But it's true I didn't know quite what I was getting into."

... Still, he was so right on the innocence issue. It had been a very, very long time since Effy had been truly innocent.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"Got something you didn't expect?" he asked, using the pool cue to loop behind her and then pulling it towards him to pull her closer. He was a handy guy. Really.

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

So smooth, oh so smooth. One way of getting her to step up close to him.

"Something," she allowed. "Didn't expect to keep coming back." Effy had always been one to move on pretty quickly when it came to this kind of thing. Not into keeping people around.

Until now.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

Pool cues could be used for more than just shooting pool. In this instance, he was going to use it to bring her flush against him and keep her there for the moment.

"Don't wanna stay away now?" he asked, giving her an actual geniune smile that was free of smugness or teasing. Sometimes it was nice to hear things like that.

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

Effy shook her head returning that smile and leaning right up closer since he'd pulled her in half the way, arms going automatically around his shoulders. "Nope."

Tense as their interactions could get at points, it usually managed to wane back to this comfortable level, where no, she didn't want to stay away. Not even a little.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"Making me feel like I'm all special and shit," he said, honesty and teasing all rolled up in his tone. They were never going to finish the game. "At least this proves that you do have a thing for Americans."

Or him. Whatever. Americans was more general and less scary, he thought.

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

Less scary, even if him was closer to the truth.

"You're alright, I suppose," she decided, circling her forefinger against the side of his neck with a twitch of a smile. "Manage to grow on a girl."

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"It's a talent," he replied. A talent he'd apparently just discovered since he hadn't done a lot of growing in the past.

"You really wanna finish the game?" he asked, already bending down to press lips to shoulder and neck. "We could call it a draw, do both things sometime and get out of here."

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

"Better not start telling me I took the easy way out." she said, closing her eyes for a moment as he met her skin. He'd been the one to suggest it, but she still wouldn't put it past him.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"Cross my heart," he said, still keeping his mouth against the side of her neck. "Tie. Draw. Even up. We'll do both the things."

Because it was such a hardship for them.

"I wanna do other things to you now." This was probably that 'distraction by physical things' again. Oh well. It wasn't a hardship either.

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

Not even close to a hardship.

"Mm." Well, she wasn't against that idea. It seemed like Effy was never going to finish a game of pool in this town. "How about we try not to get thrown out this time?" Not that, that hadn't been amusing.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"Sure I can resist jumping you till we get somewhere else," he said, pulling back to grin at her.

"Might be a close thing though." Well. She was hot and all. "Better pick a place quick."