Please Don't Make Me Beg

*Andi's POV*

I'm so glad to be here with Evan. Being away from the house helps me think things through more clearly, and having him to protect me and support me is just the best. I hope it's not a pain for his family to have me here, because I'd really like to stay until we leave for Cali on Tuesday.

It'll probably be easier to wait until we're there to call my mom. I don't want her to try to talk me out of leaving, and she'd probably throw a fit anyway since I never got a chance to tell her about it.

Could what happened last night be the chance I've been wanting to get out of here and be on my own? Or maybe it's just that everything about it sucks except the timing...

**************

Saturday afternoon passed slowly, crawling tortoise-like into Saturday night. Andi settled into a recliner for a while, absently watching music videos while Evan quietly finalized plans for the trip with the other guys in the band. She was almost asleep again when she heard the beep of the phone settling into the base.

He made no noise at all, padding back into the living room in his sock feet, and his tall, lanky body slid easily into the chair beside her. Pulling her legs over his lap, he folded her body against his chest and rocked her slowly.

"Are you nervous?" he asked, breath warm against her hair. "About the trip, I mean."

"I guess so, a little. It's kind of a big deal. Are you?"

"Not really nervous, just excited. I can't wait for us to get out there, away from our families, and be free to live the way we want."

"Won't you miss them?" There was more meaning in the question than she intended.

"A little," he shrugged.

"Even Stevie? I really think she's great." Stevie was like the big sister she'd always wished she'd had.

"She's okay. Bossy." Of course he would think that.

"Well, she is nineteen."

"And bossy."

"Okay, I get the idea. But I bet you'll think about her a lot when you don't see her every day."

"Bullshit. We'll be so busy trying to find gigs we won't have time to think about home."

An uneasy coldness rolled lazily over in Andi's belly. All the comfortable furnishings in Evan's house, the stone fireplace between the living and dining rooms, the overstuffed leather couch, the beautiful stained glass panel in the front door, looked alien and cold, because they weren't her home. In her mind's eye, she could her mother's face, smiling at her as she came to wake her for school, mugging madly at her as she and Evan talked on the phone...

Then she remembered the long night just past, waiting for the car to pull up in the driveway until past dawn, wondering if her mother was safe or not. She felt the disgust that had soured in her stomach when she realized why her mom had not come home, and how she had made a mockery of all the high ideals she made such a big deal about.

What she felt was homesickness, but home wasn't home anymore.

Stretching her arms over her head, she yawned hugely. "I think I'm gonna go ahead and get a full night's sleep. The nap was great, but I could stand to catch up a bit more."

"You could come sleep in my room for a while, if you want."

"Uh, no, thanks. I don't think I'd get to do much sleeping in there, do you?" she scolded, one eyebrow raised. "Besides, you were up pretty late, too. We can have breakfast tomorrow morning before we leave for practice, okay?"

"Only if you're on the menu," he smirked. He bucked his hips lightly against her butt, grunting and moaning, with a sleazy grin on his face.

It was something he did a lot lately, and she found that tonight she had less patience than usual with it.

"Cut it out, Evan. I really don't like it when you hump me like a dog. It's a total turnoff."

"Geez, chill! I was just playing with you!"

"I know, but it's not funny. It's childish."

His face darkened for just a moment, and in a voice that carried a more serious tone, he said flatly, "There's nothing childish about what I'd like to do with you, Andi. Don't make fun of me. No woman should ever do that to a man. You have no idea how much that hurts."

Her irritation retreated like a beaten dog, leaving her feeling guilty for insulting his pride. After all, wasn't it a compliment for him to tell her he found her sexy?

"Baby, I'm so sorry. I'm just tired and cranky. I know you were just fooling around. Forgive me?" she pouted, taking his face in her hands and kissing him sweetly.

"I'll forgive you, but you have to sleep in my room."

"Wait a minute, we're going around in circles here!"

"No, we're going around in circles in my room--and up and down, and in and--"

She jumped up off his lap, flipping her long hair back over her shoulder, and stood in front of him, hands on her hips. "You're hopeless, and you need to quit!" she teased.

He rose to his feet, towering a full head over her, and stood barely an inch away from her. "And what will you do, wench, if I decide to have my way with you anyway?" He was leering down at her the way a starving man stares at a ribeye.

"You'll find out!" she said, and playfully slapped his cheek.

"Don't ever do that again!" he shouted between gritted teeth, catching her wrist and gripping it tightly. "Don't ever slap me!"

Her eyes were huge, and she tried to twist away from him, but his large hand wrapped all the way around her slender wrist and his strength was twice hers. She looked into his face, hoping to see some hint that he was joking with her, but there was a coldness in his eyes that surprised her.

"What's wrong with you, Evan?" she cried, jerking her arm and breaking his grip at last.

"Me? What's wrong with you? After everything I've done to help you, you have the nerve to hit me just because I want to be close to you?"

"Close isn't exactly what you had in mind, is it?" she said, her anger beginning to rise.

"You might keep in mind you're in my house, now."

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

"It means you don't call all the shots here."

"As long as we're talking about my body, I most certainly do!"

He stared at her for a moment, and turned to go to his room. Over his shoulder he called, almost as an afterthought, "You have a good night, now. Don't you go sleepwalking, okay?" The singsong sweetness in his voice made her uneasy.

As she closed the bedroom door slowly behind her, she stood leaning against it for a moment, thinking. Then she did something she hoped was ridiculous and unnecessary.

She turned the lock.