In Love with the Prince (of Darkness, That Is)
Chapter Ten: Stand By Me
Taylor shifted his car into park and climbed out to walk Dreama to the door. They stood inside the first set of doors for a second while Dreama fumbled for her keys in her purse.
She looked up at him. "I had a really great time, Taylor.”
"Me, too.”
"So, um… I'll see you at the club tomorrow night? I'm working nine to five again, so I get an hour break at one.”
"Fridays are hip-hop night, right?”
"Yeah.”
"I think I can manage to get there.”
"Great.”
"I'll see you then.”
He bent down and kissed her again, a little briefer but no less deep than the kiss they'd shared at his house.
He pulled away first. "Good night, Dreama.”
"Good night, Taylor.”
She turned and unlocked the door and made her way up the stairs to her fourth-storey apartment.
She was prepared to walk in and tiptoe her way to her bedroom, so as not to wake Jesse, who slept on the couch. She need not have worried, however, because Jesse was wide-awake and watching television. With Thomas.
"Jesse, it's one in the morning. What are you still doing up?”
"P.D. day tomorrow.”
She looked over his shoulder at the screen. "You're watching the door?”
"We saw you come in," Thomas said jerkily.
"Hope you enjoyed the show, then," Dreama shot back.
"That's the guy from the club the other night.”
"Well spotted.”
"What are you doing with him?”
"We had dinner, Tom. It's no big deal," she lied, knowing that it had probably been the best date she'd ever been on.
"It sure looked like a big deal. He stood there and watched you leave.”
Dreama felt her heart skip. He did? Why did that make her so happy?
"Well, that's nice," she said calmly. She headed to the kitchen to boil some water for a tea, which she always drank right before going to sleep. "Maybe he decided that he wanted to look at what he'd had his hands on all night," she added, just to provoke Thomas.
"I thought you had dinner!”
"We did. We also danced for a good four hours.”
"Gee, that's original," Thomas snapped dryly.
"Much more so than anything you and I did," Dreama retorted angrily. "Why are you here, Tom?”
"I told you I was coming.”
"I told you I was leaving. Or did you not think I was serious?" The look on his face was all the answer that she needed. "Get over yourself, Tom, and listen carefully, because I'm not going to say it again. You and I are two people that get together once in a while to have fun together. There is nothing romantic or even long-term about our relationship, got it? I don't care if you come around here to hang out with Craig, but not to see me, got it? Now get out, before I make you.”
"No need," Thomas grumbled, standing. "I'm leaving.”
"Don't bother coming back.”
Thomas slammed the door a little harder than necessary as he walked out, and Jesse raised an eyebrow.
"Did that just happen?”
"Yes.”
"You and Tom just called it quits for good?”
"That's how it would seem.”
"Never thought I'd live to see that day.”
"Please. Tom and I are complete opposites.”
"Yeah, and a good couple," Jesse responded. "Sure you guys were rocky, but you have fun with him.”
"I had more fun tonight than I have in a long time, Jess," Dreama sighed, sitting on the arm of the couch.
"He's practically in love with you anyway.”
"I have to think of myself in this case. I don't love him, and I'm pretty much convinced that I wouldn't be happy forever.”
"I wasn't talking about Tom that time," Jesse said quietly.
"We just met, Jess," Dreama replied, while thinking of the flower that Taylor had given her. "He's infatuated at best.”
"Whatever you say. But I know that look he had when you walked away.”
"Oh really?”
Jesse blushed, and Dreama saw it. "All right, enough about me. Who is she? He? It.”
He chuckled. "It's a girl, Dray.”
"Okay, then. Who is she?”
"Dreama.”
"What? I'm your sister, it's my job to pry. I want details. What colour eyes does she have? Favourite song? Name? Relationship status? Sexual orientation?”
Jesse held up his hands. "Whoa! Give me a minute to process!" He dropped his hands into his lap. "Blue eyes, white-blond hair. Likes the classics, favourite song is Stand by Me by Ben King, closely followed by Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon and Garfunkel. Her name is Lindsay Lorita Amalia Hollister—her mother's Dutch, her father's English. She's straight.”
"And single?”
"I've been meaning to talk to you about that," Jesse chuckled nervously.
"Are you dating her?" Dreama asked, sitting straighter.
"We've gone out once… or twice… every week… for the last two months.”
"What?”
"Shh! I don't want Nathan and Craig to know!”
"Why not?”
"They're both like dad. They'd chew me out for not telling them, then they'd want to meet her….”
"Why shouldn't they get to meet her?”
"You're going to think I'm stupid.”
"Of course I won't.”
"Once they see Craig, all my girl friends are in love with him. Lindsay's… special. I don't want her obsessing over my brother.”
Dreama laughed. "You can't blame him for having good genes. Hell, you got them, too.”
"Craig knows how to use them. I'm not smooth like he is. I stumble over my words every time I'm around her.”
"You just have to work on your confidence.”
"There's nothing wrong with my confidence!”
"You're jealous of Craig," Dreama quipped dryly. "I think it's safe to say that you have confidence issues.”
"Craig's not so bad.”
"If you're going to be jealous of anyone, it should be Nathan. He's the one with a job.”
"Craig has a job.”
"Craig cleans the toilets you and eleven hundred other kids sit on.”
Jesse laughed. "Okay, so he isn't the best role model. But all the girls I hang out with this he's hot. And next to me….”
"Well, if you've got this girl going out with you every week for two months, I'd say she sees something in you. Tell you what. I somehow managed to charm Steve into giving me tomorrow off, too, so invite her over and I'll make an early dinner for the three of us. Then she'll be almost ready to leave by the time Nathan and Craig get home—a quick hello, and then you walk her home. She won't even have time to obsess before you're making out on the porch.”
"Shut up.”
"You're going to tell me the two of you haven't gone at it yet?”
"As a matter of fact, we haven't.”
"Really?”
"She's… a little different… than most high school girls.”
"What do you mean?”
"Her dad's a preacher, so she's… cautious.”
"Is this a moral thing, or an overprotective daddy?”
"A little bit of both, I think. More so the morals.”
"You respect that, you hear me? I don't care how raging your hormones are. If you ever try to make any girl do something she's not ready or willing to do, I will tear you one so big you'll need a whole spool of thread to stitch it back up.”
Jesse laughed. "I don't think I'll have a problem remembering that.”
"Good." Dreama yawned widely. "I am beat, love. Get some sleep, will you? I'm going to bed.”
"All right. Have a good night.”
Dreama kissed her brother on the forehead. "Sweet dreams.”
She looked up at him. "I had a really great time, Taylor.”
"Me, too.”
"So, um… I'll see you at the club tomorrow night? I'm working nine to five again, so I get an hour break at one.”
"Fridays are hip-hop night, right?”
"Yeah.”
"I think I can manage to get there.”
"Great.”
"I'll see you then.”
He bent down and kissed her again, a little briefer but no less deep than the kiss they'd shared at his house.
He pulled away first. "Good night, Dreama.”
"Good night, Taylor.”
She turned and unlocked the door and made her way up the stairs to her fourth-storey apartment.
She was prepared to walk in and tiptoe her way to her bedroom, so as not to wake Jesse, who slept on the couch. She need not have worried, however, because Jesse was wide-awake and watching television. With Thomas.
"Jesse, it's one in the morning. What are you still doing up?”
"P.D. day tomorrow.”
She looked over his shoulder at the screen. "You're watching the door?”
"We saw you come in," Thomas said jerkily.
"Hope you enjoyed the show, then," Dreama shot back.
"That's the guy from the club the other night.”
"Well spotted.”
"What are you doing with him?”
"We had dinner, Tom. It's no big deal," she lied, knowing that it had probably been the best date she'd ever been on.
"It sure looked like a big deal. He stood there and watched you leave.”
Dreama felt her heart skip. He did? Why did that make her so happy?
"Well, that's nice," she said calmly. She headed to the kitchen to boil some water for a tea, which she always drank right before going to sleep. "Maybe he decided that he wanted to look at what he'd had his hands on all night," she added, just to provoke Thomas.
"I thought you had dinner!”
"We did. We also danced for a good four hours.”
"Gee, that's original," Thomas snapped dryly.
"Much more so than anything you and I did," Dreama retorted angrily. "Why are you here, Tom?”
"I told you I was coming.”
"I told you I was leaving. Or did you not think I was serious?" The look on his face was all the answer that she needed. "Get over yourself, Tom, and listen carefully, because I'm not going to say it again. You and I are two people that get together once in a while to have fun together. There is nothing romantic or even long-term about our relationship, got it? I don't care if you come around here to hang out with Craig, but not to see me, got it? Now get out, before I make you.”
"No need," Thomas grumbled, standing. "I'm leaving.”
"Don't bother coming back.”
Thomas slammed the door a little harder than necessary as he walked out, and Jesse raised an eyebrow.
"Did that just happen?”
"Yes.”
"You and Tom just called it quits for good?”
"That's how it would seem.”
"Never thought I'd live to see that day.”
"Please. Tom and I are complete opposites.”
"Yeah, and a good couple," Jesse responded. "Sure you guys were rocky, but you have fun with him.”
"I had more fun tonight than I have in a long time, Jess," Dreama sighed, sitting on the arm of the couch.
"He's practically in love with you anyway.”
"I have to think of myself in this case. I don't love him, and I'm pretty much convinced that I wouldn't be happy forever.”
"I wasn't talking about Tom that time," Jesse said quietly.
"We just met, Jess," Dreama replied, while thinking of the flower that Taylor had given her. "He's infatuated at best.”
"Whatever you say. But I know that look he had when you walked away.”
"Oh really?”
Jesse blushed, and Dreama saw it. "All right, enough about me. Who is she? He? It.”
He chuckled. "It's a girl, Dray.”
"Okay, then. Who is she?”
"Dreama.”
"What? I'm your sister, it's my job to pry. I want details. What colour eyes does she have? Favourite song? Name? Relationship status? Sexual orientation?”
Jesse held up his hands. "Whoa! Give me a minute to process!" He dropped his hands into his lap. "Blue eyes, white-blond hair. Likes the classics, favourite song is Stand by Me by Ben King, closely followed by Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon and Garfunkel. Her name is Lindsay Lorita Amalia Hollister—her mother's Dutch, her father's English. She's straight.”
"And single?”
"I've been meaning to talk to you about that," Jesse chuckled nervously.
"Are you dating her?" Dreama asked, sitting straighter.
"We've gone out once… or twice… every week… for the last two months.”
"What?”
"Shh! I don't want Nathan and Craig to know!”
"Why not?”
"They're both like dad. They'd chew me out for not telling them, then they'd want to meet her….”
"Why shouldn't they get to meet her?”
"You're going to think I'm stupid.”
"Of course I won't.”
"Once they see Craig, all my girl friends are in love with him. Lindsay's… special. I don't want her obsessing over my brother.”
Dreama laughed. "You can't blame him for having good genes. Hell, you got them, too.”
"Craig knows how to use them. I'm not smooth like he is. I stumble over my words every time I'm around her.”
"You just have to work on your confidence.”
"There's nothing wrong with my confidence!”
"You're jealous of Craig," Dreama quipped dryly. "I think it's safe to say that you have confidence issues.”
"Craig's not so bad.”
"If you're going to be jealous of anyone, it should be Nathan. He's the one with a job.”
"Craig has a job.”
"Craig cleans the toilets you and eleven hundred other kids sit on.”
Jesse laughed. "Okay, so he isn't the best role model. But all the girls I hang out with this he's hot. And next to me….”
"Well, if you've got this girl going out with you every week for two months, I'd say she sees something in you. Tell you what. I somehow managed to charm Steve into giving me tomorrow off, too, so invite her over and I'll make an early dinner for the three of us. Then she'll be almost ready to leave by the time Nathan and Craig get home—a quick hello, and then you walk her home. She won't even have time to obsess before you're making out on the porch.”
"Shut up.”
"You're going to tell me the two of you haven't gone at it yet?”
"As a matter of fact, we haven't.”
"Really?”
"She's… a little different… than most high school girls.”
"What do you mean?”
"Her dad's a preacher, so she's… cautious.”
"Is this a moral thing, or an overprotective daddy?”
"A little bit of both, I think. More so the morals.”
"You respect that, you hear me? I don't care how raging your hormones are. If you ever try to make any girl do something she's not ready or willing to do, I will tear you one so big you'll need a whole spool of thread to stitch it back up.”
Jesse laughed. "I don't think I'll have a problem remembering that.”
"Good." Dreama yawned widely. "I am beat, love. Get some sleep, will you? I'm going to bed.”
"All right. Have a good night.”
Dreama kissed her brother on the forehead. "Sweet dreams.”
♠ ♠ ♠
Title credit goes to Ben King, off the albumThis one, too, is somewhat long, though not quite so sappy. I love writing break-up scenes. I think it's because I argue with people so much.
Shout out to anyone who's reading. I write for myself, but I update for you.