Chapter 12 - "The Cat Corners The Mouse"
*Note: I'm sure about the exact times they were in Hawaii, so I'm guessing. This chapter is dedicated to my masteress who hooked me up with some Mississippi lovin' in the last chapter of her story. Hope you like it…
(December 27, 1999)
Annie walked into her apartment and threw her bags down. She plopped down on her couch and sighed. She was glad to be home. Those last two days of her vacation with Chris...She shook her head to release herself of everything and attempted to think clearly.
He had acted so differently. There was nothing outwardly different; it wasn't anything she could pinpoint exactly. But the way he looked at her, the way he was always standing that extra inch closer, the mischievous look in his eye any time his hand accidentally touched hers sending tingles through her body. They were all nearly intangible things, but they had caused a stir in her regardless.
She shut her eyes and remembered…
~*~Flashback~*~
(a day earlier - December26, 1999 - at the dinner table)
She sat opposite of him…her own doing. There were two seats open; one next to him and one across from him. He saw her coming and motioned to the one next to him. The fact that she wanted to sit next to him made her decide on the other chair. She had really wanted to sit by him.
It was unnerving.
She scurried along the around the table and sat between Taylor and Molly, another one of his sisters that was over for dinner. He shrugged his shoulders and began pouring gravy over his dumplings. Annie was a little upset that he didn't put up a fight.
She ate diligently, forcing her eyes on her plate because she knew if she didn't they would focus directly on Chris.
"Mary?"
Damn.
Perhaps if she ignored him one of his sisters would help. There was silence as she cut her meat and chewed purposefully. When she swallowed, there was a masculine chuckle.
"Mary?"
Would someone help him!
Molly nudged her in the side and Annie had the urge to tell her to mind her own business.
"Uhh…Mary?"
She sighed almost imperceptibly but he caught it. She looked up and was immediately met with his sparkling eyes. "What do you need, Chris?"
"You…uh…you have a spot of gravy on your shirt," he said.
She looked down to see a brown blob on the otherwise white fabric of her shirt right above her chest. Her cheeks brightened and she snatched up the napkin that Chris offered her from across the table.
"Yeah, thanks," she mumbled. Dabbing the napkin on the blouse, she was happy when the spot all but disappeared off of it. Satisfied, she smiled and looked up. "There."
Chris' interest was still on the place her hands had been cleaning. He allowed his eyes to linger there a moment longer before he dragged them up to meet hers. When he saw that he had her full attention, he grinned wickedly and murmured, "Looks good to me."
Her eyes widened at the implications made by him staring at her chest and saying that. After a second he licked his lips in a seemingly nonchalant manner and returned his gaze to his food.
Annie felt her breath catch in her throat. The way his tongue slid across mouth, it was a completely innocent action in itself, but something about it didn't seem right. Maybe it was the way his eyes bore into her when he did it, or the slight upturn of his lips... an expression that seemed almost seductive.
Whatever it was, Annie was suddenly incapable of pulling her eyes off of them. She stared silent and still as he worked his food with his strong jaw.
"Something wrong Mary?"
His voice brought her back to reality and she met his eyes. One look in them told her he knew EXACTLY what she had been looking at.
"No, I'm fine," she tore her gaze away from him and ignored the amused and knowing looks Chris and his whole family were giving her. However, her deep crimson cheeks weren't lost on them.
Something was definitely going on.
~*~End Flashback~*~
Annie groaned and covered her eyes. She had always had a thing for lips. They were the first feature she looked for. Could he somehow have known that? Was he using it against her? Trying to get a reaction?
She mentally chided herself. Why would he do that? What motive could he possibly have? She was obviously blowing things out of proportion and trying to find meaning in nothing; something she seemed to be doing that a lot where Chris was concerned.
He had just been…perfect the four days she was with him. The way he looked out for his little sisters and the special smile he always gave his mother. His sincerity was his best quality, and never was it shown more brilliantly than when he was with his family.
And the way his hands glided over her taunt muscles, testing, teasing and relaxing them. Just thinking about it sent chills up her spine. She groaned again and bit her lip.
I need to get laid in the worst way. I'm thinking extremely beyond friendly thoughts about my best friend.
Her thoughts immediately moved from what bordered on lust to gentle admiration and her eyes misted over when she remembered the cherry pie. It was like Chris to do something so completely sweet and thoughtful. The fact that he was listening that closely to what she was saying and actually took the time to do that for her was what she adored about him the most.
She ran a hand over her face and willed herself to stop thinking about it so much. She needed to relax and take the time she had away from him to sort everything out. He was in Hawaii and she was going back to Pennsylvania for New Years.
She planned on taking that time to slow down and get him out of her mind. She only hoped it worked.
(December 28, 1999 - her mother's home)
"WHY are you pushing this mother?" Annie asked angrily as she burst into the house she'd grown up in. Not even 15 minutes had she been with her mom and already they were fighting. That was not a good sign.
"I'm not forcing anything daughter," she argued.
"Like hell! You're practically suggesting I jump him! A man you consider a son, by the way. Isn't that like incest?"
"Annabel, I've always thought you two would end up together," Tina admitted with a sigh.
Annie whipped around to look at her. "What? Always? What does always mean?"
"Since he took you to the Sadie Hawkins dance back when you were in middle school. Do you remember that?"
"Of course I remember that Mother, it was MY life," she snapped, "And if you were so adamant about it for so long, why are you only mentioning it NOW?"
They made their way to the kitchen table and sat across from one another. Leveling her with a stare that only a mother could give, Tina Benton answered, "Because you're only starting to have feelings for him NOW."
"Where on earth did you get that idea?" She demanded, though she felt her stomach flip-flop. Was she that transparent? She contemplated for a moment explaining her 'I need to get laid' theory, but quickly decided against it. There were just some things you didn't say to your mother, and that was one of them.
"Can you look me in the eyes and honestly tell me you don't have feelings for him?" She asked quietly.
"Now…now, that's not the point," Annie stuttered.
Her mother's face showed her satisfaction, "So you admit it."
"What I'll admit is that my feelings for Chris have become…muddled. That doesn't mean I have any kind of…FEELINGS feelings for him. There is a difference."
"Yes, but that is a step in the right direction," she comforted.
Moaning, Annie dropped her head into her hands, "It doesn't feel like the right direction. It feels like I'm spiraling out of control. I can't do it Mom. I can't let myself just give in to…whatever the hell this is," she paused a moment, "No, you know what? Why am I freaking out? There is nothing. We mean nothing romantically to one another, and that's the way it's going to stay. I need to use this time to clear my head."
Her mother took hold of her hands tenderly, "But falling in love IS like spiraling out of control. The great part is when you finally reach your destination. You shouldn't be afraid honey, you should welcome it with open arms."
"Oh Mom, do you have any idea how corny that sounded? I mean seriously, that was right out of an episode of the Brady Bunch. 'Marsha has her first crush.'" Annie cracked, breaking the emotional moment, "I want to NOT think about Chris this whole week. I think that will do the trick."
Just then, her cell phone rang and she groaned. "You've GOT to be kidding me!" Her mother hid her grin behind her hand.
Tina knew from watching him pursue his singing career and create FuMan Skeeto, as well as all his other endeavors, that when that man got it into his head that he wanted something, he did everything in his power to get it. And right then she knew he had his sights set on her daughter, and Tina hoped that eventually that would be another victory for him. If anyone could get under her skin, it was Christopher Kirkpatrick. She just wished Annie would realize how much better it would be that way and let me in.
"Hello?" She asked in aggravation.
"Hey you!"
She couldn't help it, as much as she tried to block it out, his voice sent a tremor of happiness through her. Damn him.
"Hey yourself," she answered, keeping her voice neutral.
"I'm in Hawaii."
"And I'm in Pennsylvania."
"Aww Mary, I'm sorry. I promise the next time we get some time off; you and me are coming down here. It's beautiful! Palm trees absolutely everywhere. And it's all green. It's hot, but there's a nice breeze. You would love it."
Her thoughts immediately flew to her and Chris lying on a beach in Maui. Drinking canopy drinks, the hot sand singing their backs, the tide rushing up every once in a while to tickle their ankles with cool water…
"Hello?" Chris called.
"Hello?" She responded.
"Didn't we already do this part?" He asked sarcastically.
"Oh right, sorry," she said, shaking herself out of her daze.
"Where were you Mary? You sounded a million miles away," he told her.
No, only a couple of thousand. "Sorry, I was…uhh…thinking about New Years. Do you know what you guys are doing?"
"Who cares? We're in HAWAII! What do you and Mom have planned?" He asked, turning the question back to her.
"We're going to hang out here, do all the stuff we missed for Christmas. Watch movies, eat lasagna…" she began.
"Cherry pie before bed," he murmured, his voice a low hum in her ear.
"Yeah," she confirmed, her own voice dropping to match his.
"I just realized that its going to be the year 2000 and I won't be able to celebrate it with you," he said, a note of sadness in his voice.
"Ahh Chris, the world isn't going to end. When I see you again, it will be still be 2000, just a few days into it," she rationalized.
"That's true…I guess. Hey, you meet the Richard Gere look-alike yet?" He asked, changing the subject.
"Not yet," she stopped to check her watch, "But he should be getting here any…" she was cut off by the door bell, "…right now. I've gotta go Chris."
"Okay!" He chirped, "I'll talk to you tomorrow then!"
"No, no, Chris, you don't have to call me…" but the line was dead. Damn him.
Tina smiled as she stood up to answer the door. "Relentless, isn't he?"
Annie only grunted in reply as she followed her mother.
She opened the door to reveal a man standing some six feet tall, his hair was black with slivers of silver peaking through. He wore an easy grin and walked confidently to her mother and pecked her on the cheek.
"Hello Tina."
"Robert, I want you to meet my daughter. Annie, this is Robert Yearwood," she introduced.
Annie shook the man's hand and thought about the backwards nature of the meeting. She felt like she was the parent and her mother was the child, anxiously waiting for approval of her first boyfriend.
"Robert, it's nice to meet you," she smiled.
"As it is you. Tina has told me so much about you," he assured. Slipping his hand out of hers, he turned around to remove his coat.
Annie took this time to raise her eyebrows at her mother in an expression of approval before mouthing 'Richard Gere.' Her mother nodded her head enthusiastically and grinned widely.
Robert turned and gave each woman a suspicious look. "We're you two talking about me?"
"No," they both chorused.
He smiled, "Yes, you were. I saw you through the glass of the window." Both woman blushed and he laughed heartily, "Like mother like daughter."
"Come on, come on. Let's go into the den and talk. I'll make some coffee," Tina insisted. Both guests complied and followed her into the furthest most room in the house. Annie sat on the Lazy Boy chair she used to live on as a child while Robert chose the couch across from her.
A moment later, Tina returned, having started the coffeemaker. She sat down next to Robert who then placed her hand in his. Annie watched a content smile spread over her mother's face and she grinned herself. She looked so happy.
"So Annie, you live in New York, right?" Robert began.
She smiled at his effort to make conversation, "Yeah, I moved there a few years ago. I'm helping a friend with his business."
"Right, Christopher," he replied easily.
Annie's eyes narrowed, "Mother!"
"What? How could I talk about you moving to New York without mentioning him?" She asked.
"We were looking at pictures of you two yesterday as a matter of fact," he said.
Her narrowed eyes widened, "Mother!"
She simply shrugged innocently.
Robert broke in, "Oh, don't blame her. I asked to see some pictures of you and we just got out all the old albums. It seems like everywhere you were, he followed. Almost every picture of you had him in it."
"Well, we were and are, very close," she answered.
"It's fascinating how you were best friends and then that blossomed into a relationship," he said sincerely.
Annie's mouth pursed and she gave her mother a hard stare. Tina cleared her throat. "Uhh…Annie and Chris aren't exactly together…yet."
He looked confused, "Well why not? You look enough in love in some of the pictures I've seen."
"Ahhh!" She threw her hands up in frustration. "Why does it seem like the entire world has a conspiracy against me?" She inquired to no one in particular. Her mother chose to answer her.
"Maybe the conspiracy is FOR you and not AGAINST you?"
(December 30, 1999 - 6:00 PM)
Annie had been at her mother's house for three days. She had gotten to know Robert very well over that time, and she thoroughly "approved" of him. She made her mother happy, and that was all that mattered.
At that moment, she was sitting in the den again talking to her mom and Robert. They had finished dinner and they were biding their time until dessert. Her cell phone was placed on the coffee table and as she was about to say something, it began ringing incessantly.
Rolling her eyes at the two people in front of her, Annie excused herself to answer it. "Hello?"
"Mary! How are you?" Chris asked through the line.
"I'm fine. I was in the middle of a conversation with Mom and Robert as a matter of fact," Annie told him, hoping her would hang up.
"Richard Gere? He's there now?" He asked instead.
"Yeah, he's here, why?"
"Can I talk to him?" He questioned.
"What? No Chris, you can't talk to him," she declared.
"Oh come on!" He whined, "You're no fun!"
She sighed, "Sorry to rain on your parade, Chris."
"That's alright, I guess," he conceded, "Can I at least talk to your mom?"
"We're kind of busy right now, can't you talk to her later?" She asked.
"It will only take a minute," he begged.
"You're so annoying!" She ignored his laughing and pulled away from the phone to speak to her mother, "Mom! Do you want to talk to Chris?" Annie shook her head, telling her mother to say no.
"Of course honey!" Her mother replied loudly and Annie stuck her tongue at her.
She spoke into the phone, "Here, you pain in the ass."
She heard a distant, "I love you too," as she was handing the phone to her mother.
Tina picked it up, "Hello Christopher. How are you?"
She smiled, "I'm doing well."
There was a pause and Tina shrugged, "Sure honey, if you want to, he's right here." She handed the phone to Robert, "Christopher wants to talk to you."
Annie gasped loudly. "I should have known!"
"Hello?" Robert's deep voice greeted.
Annie crossed her arms over her chest and listened to his side of the conversation. She watched his eyes slide over to her before he spoke. "Yes, as a matter of fact, her arms are crossed…"
She grimaced and unlaced them from across her chest. Robert continued talking, "Actually, we've been talking for awhile now…uh-huh…she seems VERY smart, yes…uh-huh, AND beautiful, I agree…
Annie's eyes widened and she looked down, feeling her face flush.
"Her mother's eyes? Now, that you mention it, she does. I hadn't noticed…" he looked up at the women, "…yes, they're both blushing…" he stopped to laugh and Annie knew Chris was doing the same. "It's been nice talking to you…she's right here. Annie, Chris wants to talk to you."
He gave her the phone and put it up to her ear, "Chris!"
He yawned on the line, "Well I really have to get going Mary, it's getting late. I'll see you see later…"
"It's earlier it Hawaii, not later," she said matter-of-factly.
There was a pause, "Oh. Right. Well, it's so early that it's still the middle of the night! I've got to get to sleep! Talk to you tomorrow!"
She heard the dial tone and shook her head.
(December 31, 1999 - 11:58 PM)
They watched the chaos of New York City from the luxury of their den. All around them were different snack foods; chicken wings, potato chips, those mini hot dogs. Half filled wine glasses littered the table.
"A minute and a half to go…" Robert said, "Do you think the world is going to end?"
"Not likely, though maybe if we're lucky a building will fall on top of Lou Pearlman," Annie grumbled.
The two older people looked at her in shock, "Annabel! Don't say things like that!"
Casting her eyes down, she muttered, "Well, it doesn't have to be a BIG building. I'm not asking for a skyscraper or anything…"
The ringing of her phone stopped any further discussion. She answered it, "Happy New Year!"
"Not for 30 more seconds now Mary…" Chris corrected.
"How do you…"
"I have my ways," he replied vaguely, "20 more seconds…"
They were silent before starting the countdown, "10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…Happy New Year!"
Annie heard a loud smacking sound through the phone, "There's my kiss for you Mary."
She laughed. "Well, the world's still in tact, so that that's good."
"We'll see in a few hours if Hawaii is so lucky," he responded.
She sighed dramatically, "And I suppose you want on the line to help you usher in the New Year, huh?"
"Eh, you can if you want to, but I have Donna here to keep me company," he answered.
"Really?" She ground out.
"Yup! We've been talking for the last few days," he admitted.
"I see, and how exactly did you meet Dana?" She asked, practically spitting out the name.
"Donna," he corrected quickly, "And she's staying in our hotel."
"Oh." The thought of him kissing someone else for the New Year made her stomach churn. "Well tell the other guys I say hi."
"What's the matter Mary?" He asked.
"Nothing," she responded bitterly.
There was a soft snicker from Chris' line, "Wait a second, you wouldn't happen to be…jealous…would you?"
Yes. "No, there's nothing to be jealous of."
"Well, you're right about that, because about Donna…" he trailed off.
"What?" She coaxed anxiously. She has a lazy eye, a wooden leg, a disgusting bulbous growth somewhere on her body…
His voice was low when he continued, "I made her up."
Oh. She felt her entire body flush and immediately got angry, "Why would you say something like that?"
"Why do you suddenly care so much?" He countered.
"I don't."
"Uh-HUH," he said in a voice that told her he didn't believe a word she said.
"What? I don't," she defended herself.
"Yeah, alright. Listen, I've gotta go. We're all going out. I'll give Donna your love."
"Whatever. Good bye," she stated and hung up the phone.
(January 6, 2000 - New York)
She'd finally gotten back from Pennsylvania. That was a good thing and bad thing. She was happy to get away from her mother and Robert and their disgustingly cutsie behavior. She rolled her eyes.
But she was back in New York and she still wasn't any clearer on anything that had to do with Chris. And she was going to have to see him eventually. The buzzer sounded.
Cautiously, she walked to answer it. "Hello?"
"Hey Annie, let me up girl!"
"Alright, hold on," she eagerly pressed the button that unlocked the front door to let SJ up.
When she finally entered, they embraced quickly before going to sit on the couch.
"How was Mississippi?" Annie asked.
A slow grin spread across the younger woman's face, "Amazing. I never knew a hick town could be so romantic."
"Well, I'm sure anywhere that Lance is, you'll be happy with and all that jazz," Annie responded.
"Yeah, that too," she conceded. She changed the subject, "So we're going clubbing tonight."
"I don't really want to," Annie told her.
SJ gave her a challenging look, "Oh, I'm sorry, did my tone of voice give you the false impression that you had a say in the matter? Please, let me try again. We ARE going clubbing tonight."
Annie gave a resigned sigh, "Who's going?"
"All the guys except for JC, the busy little bee. He said he was going in to the studio to work on some new stuff," SJ answered.
Annie knew the real reason he wasn't going. But she didn't know. She knew he was avoiding her, but she didn't know why.
"What time?"
SJ smiled, "That's my girl! Around 9 we're heading out. Be there or be square."
(later that night)
Annie leaned back in her seat. They'd been at the club for what seemed like an eternity, but what in reality was only about an hour.
She was sitting at a table with SJ, Lance and Justin. Joey and Chris had begun mingling the moment they stepped in. She hadn't said two words to him the whole night. He hadn't even greeted her with anything more than a vague, 'hi.'
She didn't understand it, but she figured he was in one of him moods. Chris could be a perfect gentleman one minute and a little toddler the next. He was like pregnant woman with all of his mood swings. She'd find out eventually what was going on.
It was too loud to have an actual conversation so she sat quietly nursing a Coke. A few more minutes of the silence and she knew she would have to get something stronger.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a young woman begin walking over to their table, heading straight for Justin. Oh great, another groupie.
"Justin?" The girl asked timidly.
Annie saw Justin plaster on a fake smile before turning to answer her. When he saw who it was, however, the bullshit grin turned into a real one and he jumped up.
"Steph! Oh my God! I haven't seen you in the longest time!" He shouted before lifting her into a hug, "Come on, pull up a chair."
The girl complied and sat between Justin and Lance.
"You guys should all remember Steph."
Lance and SJ nodded in recognition, but Annie was confused. "Actually, I don't…"
Steph noticed Annie and shot her hand out, "I'm Stephanie Masteress."
"Annie Benton," she responded, returning the handshake.
"Steph and I hook up any time I'm in New York. Speaking of which, I haven't seen you lately. Where you been girl?" Justin questioned.
"College, Justin. I'm in Virginia now," she said.
"What are doing back here then?"
"Winter break," she answered. They all nodded and she continued, "So I heard about the lawsuit. Congrats."
"Thanks," Lance said.
"Well you haven't been studying too much. Look at that body girl," he whistled appreciatively.
Steph smiled and turned her head.
Justin grinned wickedly while craning his neck to see her, "Wait? Is that? Are you blushing? You are! It's the Timberlake charm. Works every time."
She rolled her eyes grabbed his shirt. "Come on TimberGeek, let's dance." She pulled him out of his chair and dragged him on the floor before calling over her shoulder, "Nice meeting you Annie!"
Annie lifted her Coke in recognition, "Yeah, you too," she mumbled.
(two hours later)
Annie was alone at the table. Justin was still off somewhere with that Steph girl and Lance and SJ were off dancing. Joey and Chris were…somewhere. So was sitting alone with her newest drink.
Why in the hell am I here again?
Just then, a good-looking man approached. He gave her a small smile. "Hey, I'm Todd. I see you're looking as uncomfortable as I feel here."
She smiled. "I'm Annie."
"What do you say to a dance?" He asked.
"Yeah, okay. That would be great," she said, accepting his hand.
(fifteen minutes later)
Steph had gone home to pack for her trip back to Virginia. He had gotten her number and wishes her well, promising to see her again the next time he was out that way. With nothing else to do, he walked back over to the table they had been sitting at.
Lance and SJ were already seated, holding hands, while Joey was next to them drinking from a bottle of water. Annie was nowhere in sight, nor was Chris, but Justin hadn't seen him the whole night.
He plopped down in his seat and looked around, "Where's Annie?"
"That's what I was wondering," everyone at the table turned to see Chris walking over to them.
"Oh what, you take a break from staring at her from across the room for one second and now she's gone?" Joey asked.
Chris ignored him, "She didn't go home, did she?"
Lance pointed behind Chris' back, "Nah man, she's right there."
He spun around to see Annie dancing with a man, both of them were laughing lightly. "Who the hell is that?"
"A damn hot man," SJ answered and received a glare from Chris, "What? You asked."
"I just…I was going to ask her to dance," he admitted, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.
SJ grinned, "Well go get her, stud."
"Good idea," he muttered as he began pushing through the crowd. The four people sitting at the table watched him walk away and smiled.
"Well hot damn, I think we're in for an interesting show," Joey stated.
He tapped her lightly on the shoulder. She turned around, a smile still on her face from whatever she and HIM were talking about. Upon seeing who it was, her smile disappeared.
"Hey Chris," she said rather timidly, she pointed to HIM, "This is…"
He cut her off, "Uh-huh, nice to meet you. Will you dance with me Mary?"
"Well, actually, I'm…"
His eyelids lowered and he bit his lip, "Dance with me." His voice was almost a whisper, but she heard it.
Oh God. She looked to Todd who was watching the two in confusion, "Umm…do you mind if…"
"No, no…go ahead. Maybe another time, huh?" He asked.
She smiled gently, "Yeah, another time."
She looked at Chris before beginning to dance to the fast song with him. "I haven't talked to you at all."
"I know, I was waiting for us to be alone," he admitted.
"I was alone for the last half an hour, Chris," she said.
"You're right, I'm sorry," he tried feebly.
She sighed, "It's alright."
The song that was playing ended and a mellower one began. Annie took a step away from Chris and four deep breaths were taken some 50 feet away. They were expelled when Chris reached out and put his hands on her hips to stop her.
He pulled her to him and she looked up awkwardly. The song was too fast to be slow and too slow to be fast. She had no idea where to put her hands.
Chris seemed to sense this. He took hold of her wrists and secured them behind his neck. Reaching down, he snaked one arm completely around her waist and the other went to her back, his fingers spreading to span from one shoulder blade to the other.
His hold tightened around her waist and she was brought impossibly closer to him. Every part of her body was pressed up against his…and she didn't mind. Not at all.
He used the arm holding her to him to begin moving her hips in the slow, methodic way that the music dictated and his own soon followed, until they were swaying rhythmically against one another. The hand on her back began tracing lazy circles over the flesh exposed from her dress. A dress he had picked out for her himself all that time ago.
His hand moved forward and he let his fingers dance along her collarbone. She shuddered and he smirked mischievously. "Are you cold?" Chris knew the answer this time.
"I…it's…" she stuttered. She was silenced by a finger on her lips.
He shook his head slowly before leaning down until their noses were touching. Turning his head to the side, he let his stubble graze over her smooth cheek while he brought his lips to her ear.
She stilled immediately and he whispered, "Don't talk, just dance." Again, she couldn't contain the shivers that ran up and down her spine at the feel of his warm breath gliding over her ear.
He then slowly moved to her other ear, letting his mouth barely touch her forehead on his way there. Annie was completely frozen where she stood, her eyes closed.
"Don't think, just feel." It was said as barely a murmur, but it was enough to make her knees weak. She gripped his neck tighter and he responded by pulling her closer to him.
Laying her head on his shoulder, she took a deep breath. Chris traced the skin above back of her dress. "You look so beautiful in this dress Mary. You're so…you're absolutely stunning."
"I don't know what to say to that," she answered into his neck.
"Then don't say anything."
"You look great too," she finally admitted.
Reaching up, he let his fingers run through her, storing the feeling of each strand into his memory. When he'd had his fill of that, he started on her face. He let the pad of his index finger run over each eyebrow, then each lid, causing her eyes to flutter shut. Sliding slowly down her nose, he traced her jaw and finally allowed himself to touch her lips. Feather light, he ran his finger over her top lip and then the bottom one.
"What are you doing?" She whispered, her eyes still closed, and her mouth brushing his finger when she spoke.
"I'm memorizing you," he answered.
"Oh," was all that her throat allowed her to choke out.
Four sets of eyes watched them. Their expressions a mixture of amusement and shock. "Oh. My. God," Justin said, his eyes fixated on the dancing couple.
"Wow…I mean, I thought he would take our advice, but…wow," Joey breathed.
Lance contributed to the conversation, "And look at her…he's made her…she's completely…"
"Putty," SJ supplied, a grin spreading across her face.
"I thought I was good, but DAMN…Chris is the master of seduction," Justin exclaimed.
Leaning back, SJ's grin widened as she continued watching, "She has no idea what's hitting her."
The song came to an end and Annie moved to back up. Once again, Chris stilled her by not loosening his grip on her back. He removed the hand from her waist and touched her jaw. Gently, he brought it lower, running it across her shoulder and slowly down the inside of her arm. His eyes locked on hers as he reached her hand.
Taking hold of it, he ran his thumb over the back of it before lifting it to his lips. Without losing eye contact with her, he placed a soft kiss on her knuckles. Lowering it, he placed her hand back at her side and moved away from her, allowing her to leave.
He watched her scurry away and a warm, yet incredibly wicked grin spread over his face. Is it hot in here?
He walked back to the table and sat down ignoring the sly and awestruck grins on his friends' faces. Reaching for a glass, he picked it up and pressed it to his forehead, letting the precipitation that had gathered on it cool him.
Justin coughed and he turned his eyes to look at him, "What?"
"You…uhh…you know that's Annie's drink, right?"
The glass almost broke in his rush to put it back on the surface of the table. "Oh holy HELL!"
Annie ran into the bathroom marked with a stick figure wearing a triangle on its waist. Busting through the door, she began pacing back and forth on the tile floor. She scrubbed her hands over her face just as another person entered the room.
"The cold water's right there," she said, pointing to the faucets.
"Thanks," Annie replied and flicked one on. Realizing whom it was, she slowly lifted her head to look in the mirror. "Hi SJ."
"That was an impressive imitation of Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey you two did out there," she remarked.
A look of confusion crossed her face, "What does that mean?"
"You were Dirty Dancing bay-bee!" She wiggled her eyebrows for effect.
"I don't know what you're talking about," she denied, though her instantly flamed cheeks gave her away.
SJ grabbed a handful of paper towels and strode over to the sinks. She turned the water on and let it flow for a moment before sticking the rough towels underneath. When it was good and wet, she handed it to Annie who took it happily and began running it over her face.
"It's warm in there, don't you think?" she asked.
"It felt perfectly fine to me," SJ answered with a shrug, "Of course, maybe you're warm because you had Chris' body pressed against yours, your breath mingling as his eyes bore into yours…"
"Shut up SJ," Annie interrupted.
SJ grinned, "Oh, I'm sorry. Am I getting you all hot and bothered?"
She glared at her, "I am neither hot NOR bothered, thank you."
"Then what's with the paper towel?" She questioned.
Her hand stopped and she brought the towel down, "You know what I mean."
"No, actually I have no idea what you mean Annie. Please, enlighten me."
"I KNOW you know what I'm talking about," she countered.
SJ laughed softly, "Honey, I don't even know if I understood that sentence."
"Whatever," Annie muttered, throwing the towel in the garbage.
"Want to know what I think?" SJ asked, then without waiting for a reply, went on, "I think that he is trying to get under your skin."
Their eye connected through the mirror, "Why would he do that?"
"Because YOU get under HIS skin. He wants you Annie, and he knows you want him to. He's waiting for you to realize it."
Annie didn't think she heard her correctly. "What?" She sputtered.
"That semi-erotic dance out there? It's his way of affecting you, making it impossible for you to forget about his presence. He's trying to get you to admit you want him as badly as he wants you…" she walked toward the door and pushed it open, "And Annie? I'd say that the cat just cornered the mouse."
With that, she was out the door.