Capturing Connie

Connie 3.5

"Ugh, I think I'm gonna be sick." I turn away from them and rush away. I don't know where I'm headed, I just know I'm going to actually get sick if I don't leave this instant.

I can't handle this mental stress. It's pushing at me from all sides and I can feel the suffocating bile rising in my throat. I need to escape. I need to hide from all of this.

"Connie, wait." I know I'm being pursued by the Big Bad Wolf, and I quicken my pace, weaving through the crowd towards the exit as fast as I can. I don't hesitate when my heel wobbles and my ankle sprains I just increase my speed until I'm close to speed walking. I hear voices saying my name, but I can't place them in or out of my head. All I know is if I stop to try to acknowledge them, he will catch me.

I push through the revolving doors out into the bush city street and shove my head into a garbage can just in the nick of time.

I groan as a small amount of wine and bile pushes it's way out of my stomach and into the outside world. Despite the circumstances, I'm pleased I've thrown up even a little, but I know it was not enough to be sobered up. I mentally berate myself for drinking so much, for losing control.

I grab a complimentary bottle of water from inside the door and swish it around my mouth until I'm sure I no longer can taste the wine anymore.

"Connie." I nearly jump out of my skin as I feel a warm hand clamp my shoulder. A thick, sure thumb traces the strap of my dress comfortingly, then in an instant, slips beneath it for the briefest moment. My breathing becomes shallow and wanting as he slows down the pace of tracing. My body warms and aches for more, but then his hand drops away and I'm left feeling more alone and disgusted with myself than I have in a long time.

"Please leave me alone," I whisper harshly, not caring in the least if I'm offending him. I blame the remaining amount of alcohol.

"I've upset you." Steven's deep voice washes over me and I brace myself, not wanting to feel a thing except for fury or indifference. But instead, I feel just the opposite. Never, ever before has a man's voice made me want to fall into his arms and beg for him. Not even Kevin's. "I didn't mean to do that. I'm just..."

"You just what?" I can't face him so I look down at the concrete beside his feet. I'm afraid I'll stare into his eyes and drink in that gorgeous face, those dark and sexy eyes, that cologne that makes me crazy and I'll do something unladylike. Like throw myself at him. Beg him to take me and make me forget.

Yes, that's just what I need. To beg him to take the pain away and have him reject me. Or worse, have someone witnessing the whole encounter. The CEO's daughter begging handsome Steven Universe to ravage her in a one night stand would spread like wildfire.

Despite the unpleasant image, my body heats up and I clench my thighs. Oh yes, I am very inebriated.

"Jealous. Worried." Another pause, this one heavy with unspoken tension. "Lapis and I ... we have an especially unusual relationship."

"Really." A snort escapes me and I slap my hand over my mouth, embarrassed. The unbridled sarcasm in my voice could easily be mistaken as jealousy. And Father told me jealousy makes a beautiful woman ugly. Luckily, Steven doesn't seem to notice.

"It seems stupid, I know. I sound like a jealous teen but..." He shifts nervously. "Lapis and I have known each other for years. She's helped me out of some impossible situations. We became close. And she, of all people, know how I feel about Johnson."

The way he says Kevin's last name has me reeling with fury. At who? Im not quite certain. "And how do you feel about Kevin?"

His lips thin and his nostrils flare the slightest bit. Those dark eyes close for a moment, and when he opens them, they glow pink, and I gasp quietly. He blinks again, and they turn back to the endless dark chocolate they've always been. Must have been a trick of the light. "Isn't it obvious?"