Convenience

Part 116

Looked like David really had met his match and his smile vanished when she shrugged.

David said, "Stop hiding!" Sherolled her eyes at him. "It is really time for us to talk" Hetipped his head back and their gazes collided. "Properly. Now!" He studied her reaction. 

Beatrice's eyebrowsrose. The man was disconcerting. Again. David shruggedand grinned at her. He saw from her body language that she had taken umbrage.

She ignored his grin when he acknowledged her pout of irritation. "About what?" Beatrice replied, knowing full well what he was talking about. She pretended to study her nails and kept her eyes down. He could see from the sudden rigidity in her spine and her expression that cloaked her face, that Beatrice might sound matter of fact, but that was just a front.

"You know what!" He laughed. "Us. No running. No hiding. No pretending." He pointed out with a lift of an eyebrow. "Like now! Pretending."

 Anotherfew seconds of silence passed.    

Keep it simple and straightforward, Beatrice thought. "Fine. Talk." Beatrice retorted without any hesitation. "Then leave."

With barely contained exasperation he said, "Good. Yes! Talk!" He narrowed his eyes. "But leave? No!" The exasperation was more obvious.

"Yes." Her lips formed a stern line as she berated sternly, "You are leaving."

"Maybe on another planet!" He laughed with frustration. "I am staying."

"Wrong." She replied calmly ignoring his exasperation.

"You are so stubborn!" He grumbled. David knew she was stubborn, but he was only just starting to realize just how stubborn. "I can't believe how stubborn you are!"

"And you have stubborn as your middle name." She snapped.

"Yes" He grouched with an equal dose of irritation and annoyance. "Probably why, we are in this situation!" He banked his knowing smile.

They huffed but said nothing. They glanced across at each other. She shook her head again somewhat bemused, and made a decision.

Eventually Beatrice got to her feet. David got to his feet. He asked, "Where are you going?" Now what? He thought as he watched her leave.

"To put on the kettle on." She mumbled.

He blinked. Then she was gone. He muttered an obscenity. He rubbed his chin and jaw. Was she running? Again?

"Sugar and milk?" She called out from the corridor.

"No milk or sugar." He said. Relief. He found himself wanting to smile. She was so annoyingly self-reliant and yet so endearingly strong.

He threw himself back into the seat he'd vacated. Relief. He settled back into his seat, tipped his head up, looked at the ceiling. He took a breath and released it. Phase one ready? He waited patiently for her return.

In the other room, with the kettle switch on, she braced her arms on the bench top, and lowered her head. She knew in her heart, that the fact that he had come after her, made her happy. But in her mind, she was still vulnerable. It was as if he was just playing with her. No running? No hiding? No pretending? Could she do that? Problematic. He was not likely to accept half measures or half-truths. He'd want everything. She felt her neck suffuse with colour. Everything?

A few minutes later, she returned to her office with two mugs.

"I thought you were supposed to be there for the weekend?" He accepted the mug.

Beatrice did her best not to sigh. She didn't want to sound defensive. "I changed my mind." She returned to her chair.

"Ok." A smile ghosted his lips.

Beatrice said, "You said, no running. No hiding. No pretending." She shrugged.

"Yes." David said.

Beatrice said when she caught the hint of the smile on his lips, "Include honest." She mulled aloud and automatically, "Fine!" Before she took a sip of her hot coffee.

David blinked. His smile vanished. Phase one was not going to plan! Time for plan b.

"Just to make sure you know, I knew I really screwed up five years ago." David flicked a look at Beatrice. Put his mug on the table.

His actions were chipping away at the wall she'd built to keep herself from getting hurt. Her eyes trapped his gaze as she said, "Me too."

"Screwed up? You?"

"Both of us." She concurred.

That had David smiling to himself. Maybe plan b is the better plan. "Ok."

They looked at each other. Beatrice gulped. Her heart raced. She rarely dated. She did not want to get serious, her head reminded. She did not want to get hurt, her heart reminded.

David said quietly, "I want my dreams to become reality. That is why I am here. Better to do something about it, now, today. Not wait for another five years." He sighed. "I know that we have to take a step. It seems like a huge step, in fact, it doesn't have to be a big step. We just have to do something about it. Us. Where we are. Our relationship."