Sequel: A Ship in Harbor is Safe ›
Status: complete
Dangerous Light
two.
Blindly groping the top of her nightstand, the cool plastic of the cell phone finally meets Athena’s hand. The device vibrates wildly under her skin before she slowly pulls it over onto the bed to stop the noise. Looking into it would be a mistake, she knew – it would be like staring into the sun and the chances of her getting back to sleep would be slim.
An incoming call; it has to be, because the phone is still vibrating. Athena does not look at the screen, but accepts the call and puts the phone to her ear. Immediately, she is met with a good deal of noise – too many for her tired ears and mind to identify.
“Hello?” Her voice is abnormally raspy and deep. The thought that it could be her grandmother calling made Athena want to hang up, simply because she could, and would, ask if Athena had shacked up with some guy and tried to hide it.
“Athena,” his voice is deep and scratchy, laced with sadness and alcohol, “when am I gonna see you?”
“Jord,” she whispers, daring to open her eyes and catch a glimpse of the red numbers on her alarm clock. They deliver news that she could have gone without – it is nearly four in the morning. “Why are you calling me at four in the morning?”
“You never have a problem with me calling you, Athena. Why do you have a problem now?” Jordan is trying to sound tough and mean, but he only sounds more melancholy. “When am I gonna see you?”
Athena shrugs obnoxiously, rolling onto her back. “Whenever you make time to see me, I guess. Gosh, how much have you had to drink?”
“I haven’t drunk tonight.”
A violent snort leaves Athena before she can stop it, “you’re such a liar, Jordan Lee Staal.”
Jordan’s breathing is still evident in his silence and the background noise is easier to make out – people talking. Not many, maybe one or two. And maybe a television.
“I’m serious, Athena.”
“I am, too, Jordan.”
Jordan inhales deeply, making Athena have a similar reaction, but slurs his words when he begins to speak quietly, “you know that I only came to Vegas to see you, Athena. The least you can do is come and see me.”
Staring at the pitch black ceiling of her bedroom, Athena blinks. Guilt lingers over her, longer than the usual momentary shards of guilt she gets when she talks to Jordan when he is somewhere else. Her fingers play with the soft duvet blanket covering her small frame.
“Right now?”
Jordan’s smile is audible in his voice. “Of course.”
“It sounds like you have people in your room, though.”
“We got a suite. It’s just me and a couple of the guys. They’re blaring the TV right now.”
Athena slowly pulls herself up and moves to the edge of her bed. Her feet hang over, but do not graze the cold tile floor. “Are you sure it’s okay for me to just show up?”
“Just shut the hell up and get over here.”
Smiling, she slips off of her bed. Her body tightens at the dramatic coldness of the wood floors. “Text me your room number, hot stuff. I’ll be there in less than twenty minutes to take care of your drunken ass.”
“Did I ever tell you how much I love you, sweetheart?”
Rolling her eyes, Athena shakes her head. “Stop pushing your luck, Staal… I’ll see you soon.”
After hanging up, Athena pulls on a pair of black yoga pants and a matching hoodie. Jordan would not give a damn what she showed up in, anyway.
An incoming call; it has to be, because the phone is still vibrating. Athena does not look at the screen, but accepts the call and puts the phone to her ear. Immediately, she is met with a good deal of noise – too many for her tired ears and mind to identify.
“Hello?” Her voice is abnormally raspy and deep. The thought that it could be her grandmother calling made Athena want to hang up, simply because she could, and would, ask if Athena had shacked up with some guy and tried to hide it.
“Athena,” his voice is deep and scratchy, laced with sadness and alcohol, “when am I gonna see you?”
“Jord,” she whispers, daring to open her eyes and catch a glimpse of the red numbers on her alarm clock. They deliver news that she could have gone without – it is nearly four in the morning. “Why are you calling me at four in the morning?”
“You never have a problem with me calling you, Athena. Why do you have a problem now?” Jordan is trying to sound tough and mean, but he only sounds more melancholy. “When am I gonna see you?”
Athena shrugs obnoxiously, rolling onto her back. “Whenever you make time to see me, I guess. Gosh, how much have you had to drink?”
“I haven’t drunk tonight.”
A violent snort leaves Athena before she can stop it, “you’re such a liar, Jordan Lee Staal.”
Jordan’s breathing is still evident in his silence and the background noise is easier to make out – people talking. Not many, maybe one or two. And maybe a television.
“I’m serious, Athena.”
“I am, too, Jordan.”
Jordan inhales deeply, making Athena have a similar reaction, but slurs his words when he begins to speak quietly, “you know that I only came to Vegas to see you, Athena. The least you can do is come and see me.”
Staring at the pitch black ceiling of her bedroom, Athena blinks. Guilt lingers over her, longer than the usual momentary shards of guilt she gets when she talks to Jordan when he is somewhere else. Her fingers play with the soft duvet blanket covering her small frame.
“Right now?”
Jordan’s smile is audible in his voice. “Of course.”
“It sounds like you have people in your room, though.”
“We got a suite. It’s just me and a couple of the guys. They’re blaring the TV right now.”
Athena slowly pulls herself up and moves to the edge of her bed. Her feet hang over, but do not graze the cold tile floor. “Are you sure it’s okay for me to just show up?”
“Just shut the hell up and get over here.”
Smiling, she slips off of her bed. Her body tightens at the dramatic coldness of the wood floors. “Text me your room number, hot stuff. I’ll be there in less than twenty minutes to take care of your drunken ass.”
“Did I ever tell you how much I love you, sweetheart?”
Rolling her eyes, Athena shakes her head. “Stop pushing your luck, Staal… I’ll see you soon.”
After hanging up, Athena pulls on a pair of black yoga pants and a matching hoodie. Jordan would not give a damn what she showed up in, anyway.
A subtle knocking somehow makes its way through all of the noise coming from the television. Sidney slowly picks his head up off of the back of the couch and looks toward the suite’s foyer upon hearing the noise.
“You hear that?” He is not sure if it is coming from the television or not.
Max shakes his head, half passed out. He had not even been watching the movie that he put on for the both of them to watch.
Pulling himself off of the couch, Sidney slowly walks across the room and into the foyer. Indeed, the knocking is real. He looks into the peephole to see a shorter, blonde woman standing in front of the door. Pulling away from the door, he looks down at his wrist watch, which reads 4:36. Again, he looks into the peephole.
The woman cannot be older than twenty and she looks slightly disheveled, but in an adorable, damsel-in-distress way. Her slightly curled blonde hair is long and pulled back into a messy ponytail. Her jacket is black and halfway unzipped to show her white tank top and a decent amount of cleavage, but it does not look to be done on purpose.
Sidney nearly jumps back from the door when she begins knocking again. Quickly, and without thinking of who she could possibly be, he unlocks and opens the door.
The young woman looks taken aback and quickly pulls her arm in to her small frame, like Sidney opening the door burned her hand. “I didn’t mean to wake you…”
“I was awake. What can I do for you?” He finally realizes that he has no idea who this woman is. She could be some crazed fan, or puck bunny. But something about her face and eyes stop Sidney from thinking that – her features are soft and gentle, just like her big, blue eyes which are no longer darting around like they had been before the door opened.
She straightens up slightly, squaring off her thin shoulders. “I’m here to see Jordan.”
“He’s… passed out,” Sidney glances over his shoulder to see a drunken Max leaning over the couch, trying to see what is going on. Instinctively, he turns back to the woman. Sidney cannot read the look that plays on the woman's features.
Pursing her lips, the woman adjusts her rather large purse on her shoulder. “He called me earlier. Asked me to come here and see him. He and I… we go back.”
Sidney tilts his head and squints. This could not be Jordan’s old friend. Jordan could not have grown up with a woman so attractive and never have talked about her before. She could not have possibly be another face, forgotten from back home.
“Maybe if you could just wake him up for me--"
At that moment, Sidney feels himself being pushed back into the hotel room. Before he can register what is happening, he is staring at the back of a shirtless, drunken Max.
“Bonjour, ma belle.”
Sidney watches the girl step back slightly and blink at Max. Max’s words are slurred and seem to be in a foreign language to the petite blonde. Her gaze goes from Max, back to him and back to Max.
“I’m just here to see Jordan.” She says, looking past Max and staring right into Sidney’s eyes.
“Let me go get him.” Sidney turns and walks off toward Jordan’s room.
“You hear that?” He is not sure if it is coming from the television or not.
Max shakes his head, half passed out. He had not even been watching the movie that he put on for the both of them to watch.
Pulling himself off of the couch, Sidney slowly walks across the room and into the foyer. Indeed, the knocking is real. He looks into the peephole to see a shorter, blonde woman standing in front of the door. Pulling away from the door, he looks down at his wrist watch, which reads 4:36. Again, he looks into the peephole.
The woman cannot be older than twenty and she looks slightly disheveled, but in an adorable, damsel-in-distress way. Her slightly curled blonde hair is long and pulled back into a messy ponytail. Her jacket is black and halfway unzipped to show her white tank top and a decent amount of cleavage, but it does not look to be done on purpose.
Sidney nearly jumps back from the door when she begins knocking again. Quickly, and without thinking of who she could possibly be, he unlocks and opens the door.
The young woman looks taken aback and quickly pulls her arm in to her small frame, like Sidney opening the door burned her hand. “I didn’t mean to wake you…”
“I was awake. What can I do for you?” He finally realizes that he has no idea who this woman is. She could be some crazed fan, or puck bunny. But something about her face and eyes stop Sidney from thinking that – her features are soft and gentle, just like her big, blue eyes which are no longer darting around like they had been before the door opened.
She straightens up slightly, squaring off her thin shoulders. “I’m here to see Jordan.”
“He’s… passed out,” Sidney glances over his shoulder to see a drunken Max leaning over the couch, trying to see what is going on. Instinctively, he turns back to the woman. Sidney cannot read the look that plays on the woman's features.
Pursing her lips, the woman adjusts her rather large purse on her shoulder. “He called me earlier. Asked me to come here and see him. He and I… we go back.”
Sidney tilts his head and squints. This could not be Jordan’s old friend. Jordan could not have grown up with a woman so attractive and never have talked about her before. She could not have possibly be another face, forgotten from back home.
“Maybe if you could just wake him up for me--"
At that moment, Sidney feels himself being pushed back into the hotel room. Before he can register what is happening, he is staring at the back of a shirtless, drunken Max.
“Bonjour, ma belle.”
Sidney watches the girl step back slightly and blink at Max. Max’s words are slurred and seem to be in a foreign language to the petite blonde. Her gaze goes from Max, back to him and back to Max.
“I’m just here to see Jordan.” She says, looking past Max and staring right into Sidney’s eyes.
“Let me go get him.” Sidney turns and walks off toward Jordan’s room.
♠ ♠ ♠
Longer, like I promised. :)There are two point-of-views in this one. Sorry if that confused anyone.
Also, I apologize if it seems like this is starting off rather slow. I'm hoping it won't seem like this for much longer.