half-running
the last part of the way.
"Sorry,"
she says when she reaches them, a little out of breath. She tucks a long strand
of hair behind her ear, adjusting the sheer, pink scarf that’s loosely wrapped
around her neck. "I had a thing."
Shanti
checks her watch.
"Only
five minutes late," she says. "Must be a record."
Annie
nudges her.
"I
said I had a thing," she says, but there is no real anger or annoyance in
her voice.
"Uh-huh,"
Shanti says with a smile, getting up from where she sits and draping her hobo
bag over her shoulder. "This thing have a name?"
Annie
gets a small, sneaky smile.
"Who
needs names?" she says lightly, with a shrug. "He's good with his
hands, that's all I need to know."
A
small ripple of laughter runs through the group, and Annie hooks her arm
through Dominic's as they all get going, Killian, Shanti and Jemma leading the
way. Annie and Dominic fall behind a little bit, and it takes a few seconds of
distracted staring at Killian's rear on Dominic's part, before he can feel that
he himself is being watched. He turns to Annie, whose perfectly shaped eyebrows
are pointedly raised.
"What?"
Dominic says, and Annie glances at their friends, as though making sure the
coast is clear.
"Did
I miss something?" she asks, looking back at Dominic, who glances over at
the others as well; he's not worried that Killian will hear, he just doesn't
want the guy to think Dominic is making a big deal out of what happened between
them.
"How
the hell can you make that assumption?" Dominic says to Annie, honestly
impressed by her observational skills, but she just nudges him impatiently.
"Did
I?"
"Maybe,"
Dominic says, and despite the utter lack of teasing or innuendo in his voice,
Annie looks intrigued.
"Well,
what does that mean?" she says. "Did you make a move?"
"You
could say that," Dominic replies. "I may have accidentally cornered
him, yesterday."
"And?"
Annie prompts, drawing out the word.
"And
kissing ensued."
Annie
makes a tiny, high-pitched squeal, enough to make Dominic flinch, but the
others don't seem to have noticed.
"I
knew it," she says with a grin. "It's happening."
"Relax,"
Dominic says tiredly. "It was just a kiss."
An amazing kiss, he thinks to
himself, but still. He feels as though clothes might have started coming off a
minute or so later, had Jemma not interrupted.
"Yeah,
you say that now," Annie says dismissively. "But just wait.
Yesterday, a kiss, tomorrow, fucking like animals against a wall."
Dominic
raises his eyebrows at her, head tilted, in a pointed oh well now?- kind of expression.
"Is
that your usual routine, then?" he asks, amused, and Annie shrugs.
"Has
worked for me, so far," she says. She doesn't sound defensive, but Dominic
can tell that it's most likely because she has taught herself not to be; he can
imagine that she has met her share of prejudice for her sexual habits.
"How
about we dial back, a bit?" Dominic suggests, and Annie gives him a
pointed, slightly doubtful look.
"What,"
she says, "you don't want to bang him?"
"No,
I do," Dominic says simply. "I'm just trying to... maybe slow down
with that whole thing."
"But
why?" Annie frowns, as though she honestly can't understand the logic.
Dominic shrugs.
"Because
it's no fun, in the long run," he says. "I mean, you hook up, it's
awesome, but then it always ends in boredom and-or disappointment. I'd just
like to... savor it, for once."
"Savor
it?"
"Yes,"
Dominic says, a little awkwardly now. "You know, make it last, delayed
gratification― Come on, you're a girl, you're supposed to get this."
He
adds it with some exasperation, but Annie just raises her hands in a disarming
gesture, even the one currently looped through Dominic's arm.
"Hey,
don't generalize, man," she says. "I swear I was born with the libido
of a fourteen-year-old boy, I ain't got time for
savoring."
Dominic
rolls his eyes with a smile, as he glances over at Killian.
"Well,
same," he admits. "But sometimes, I wanna make an
the last part of the way.
"Sorry,"
she says when she reaches them, a little out of breath. She tucks a long strand
of hair behind her ear, adjusting the sheer, pink scarf that’s loosely wrapped
around her neck. "I had a thing."
Shanti
checks her watch.
"Only
five minutes late," she says. "Must be a record."
Annie
nudges her.
"I
said I had a thing," she says, but there is no real anger or annoyance in
her voice.
"Uh-huh,"
Shanti says with a smile, getting up from where she sits and draping her hobo
bag over her shoulder. "This thing have a name?"
Annie
gets a small, sneaky smile.
"Who
needs names?" she says lightly, with a shrug. "He's good with his
hands, that's all I need to know."
A
small ripple of laughter runs through the group, and Annie hooks her arm
through Dominic's as they all get going, Killian, Shanti and Jemma leading the
way. Annie and Dominic fall behind a little bit, and it takes a few seconds of
distracted staring at Killian's rear on Dominic's part, before he can feel that
he himself is being watched. He turns to Annie, whose perfectly shaped eyebrows
are pointedly raised.
"What?"
Dominic says, and Annie glances at their friends, as though making sure the
coast is clear.
"Did
I miss something?" she asks, looking back at Dominic, who glances over at
the others as well; he's not worried that Killian will hear, he just doesn't
want the guy to think Dominic is making a big deal out of what happened between
them.
"How
the hell can you make that assumption?" Dominic says to Annie, honestly
impressed by her observational skills, but she just nudges him impatiently.
"Did
I?"
"Maybe,"
Dominic says, and despite the utter lack of teasing or innuendo in his voice,
Annie looks intrigued.
"Well,
what does that mean?" she says. "Did you make a move?"
"You
could say that," Dominic replies. "I may have accidentally cornered
him, yesterday."
"And?"
Annie prompts, drawing out the word.
"And
kissing ensued."
Annie
makes a tiny, high-pitched squeal, enough to make Dominic flinch, but the
others don't seem to have noticed.
"I
knew it," she says with a grin. "It's happening."
"Relax,"
Dominic says tiredly. "It was just a kiss."
An amazing kiss, he thinks to
himself, but still. He feels as though clothes might have started coming off a
minute or so later, had Jemma not interrupted.
"Yeah,
you say that now," Annie says dismissively. "But just wait.
Yesterday, a kiss, tomorrow, fucking like animals against a wall."
Dominic
raises his eyebrows at her, head tilted, in a pointed oh well now?- kind of expression.
"Is
that your usual routine, then?" he asks, amused, and Annie shrugs.
"Has
worked for me, so far," she says. She doesn't sound defensive, but Dominic
can tell that it's most likely because she has taught herself not to be; he can
imagine that she has met her share of prejudice for her sexual habits.
"How
about we dial back, a bit?" Dominic suggests, and Annie gives him a
pointed, slightly doubtful look.
"What,"
she says, "you don't want to bang him?"
"No,
I do," Dominic says simply. "I'm just trying to... maybe slow down
with that whole thing."
"But
why?" Annie frowns, as though she honestly can't understand the logic.
Dominic shrugs.
"Because
it's no fun, in the long run," he says. "I mean, you hook up, it's
awesome, but then it always ends in boredom and-or disappointment. I'd just
like to... savor it, for once."
"Savor
it?"
"Yes,"
Dominic says, a little awkwardly now. "You know, make it last, delayed
gratification― Come on, you're a girl, you're supposed to get this."
He
adds it with some exasperation, but Annie just raises her hands in a disarming
gesture, even the one currently looped through Dominic's arm.
"Hey,
don't generalize, man," she says. "I swear I was born with the libido
of a fourteen-year-old boy, I ain't got time for
savoring."
Dominic
rolls his eyes with a smile, as he glances over at Killian.
"Well,
same," he admits. "But sometimes, I wanna make an
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