Who Names The Colors

Les Liaisons Dangereuses

Jo didn't stop to let Harry catch up. She had  to relieve Audrey or at least have a conversation with her about whether she could stay the night. If she stopped for Harry, well, if she stopped, they were going to have it out or make love in the parking lot of the university and nobody had time for that.

Harry caught her once she was in her car, and rapped at her window hard. Jo rolled it down for him and winced at the anger on his face.

"What the fuck was that?" he asked and breathed through his nose, a bull in their china closet relationship.

"What? What was 'what' Harry?" Why was he out here yelling at her? She had done nothing wrong. If anything, he should be in there yelling at Colin. Oh, that was it!

"He had his fucking hands all over you and you stood there." He clutched the side of the door, "And I had to stand there to and watch it, all of it." He hung his head.

"Harry, I told him off." She measured her voice, tried to calm him down. "And I didn't let him do anything, I didn't want to make a scene. And you coming over would have been just that. It would give us away. Don't be stupid!" She nearly bit her tongue off then, that was not a way to stop a brewing fight.

"I'm not stupid, I'm fucking pissed off Jo!"

She dared to put her hand over his on the window frame and he flinched a bit before letting her touch him. "You have no reason to be mad! Ok? Nothing happened, and I told him no, not ever. Now, I have to go. I'll try to come over tomorrow—"

"Tonight." Harry shook his head.

"I'm not sure that I can come tonight, lover. Zoe-"

"Ask Audrey to stay." Harry's eyes singed her skin and she knew it was anger, mostly, but he was simmering like a pot on a stove and it caused a companion low boil in her.

"Ok, I'll try. But if not now, I'll come by tomorrow, we need to talk-"

"Yeah, about your twat of an ex! And why he's fucking allowed to touch you in public and I'm not even allowed to look at you too long!"

"Stop yelling!" she seethed. "Yes, about that twat! But also about your mother," she chided.

"My mum! What about her?" He looked genuinely bewildered, but it was much better than the green-eyed devil who was taking him and her senses over a moment ago.

"I think she knows, or at least suspects! You slipped Harry, go, say your goodbyes, don't drink any more and let me try to come over." She really wanted to kiss him, kiss it better, but that was not going to help their snowballing chances of exposure. "I gotta go."

He leaned into her and she clutched his cheek, to keep him away. Harry's eyes squeezed closed and when he opened them they were that emerald they went when he was incensed. " I love you." Jo tried to comfort them.

Harry did that thing he did, that made her livid sometimes, where he nodded, fucking nodded when she told him how she felt. He backed off the car and stood against the one opposite with his arms crossed.

His whole stance was surly and frustrated and she wanted to smack him. The she wanted to kiss him and draw out his loving words. A nod?

Jo spent the entire drive home thinking about when he nodded at her declarations. It had been a good long while since he had pulled that on her. At least since his birthday. Her grand gesture had convinced him better, and her willingness to stay after the uncomfortable weekend with her son. When he saw what she risked. And all it took was a jackass move from her jackass ex to go back to him nodding at her I love you's. What the fuck was that?