Well, he certainly hadnât expected that. In all the time heâd known Yale, which in retrospect, wasnât that long, heâd never known her to be the emotional type. Frankly, he didnât expect her to be. But perhaps this little something between them had been on her mind just as much as it had been on his.
Truly, what heâd expected, was that sheâd had run away and shut it all behind locked doors. But then again, she had, more or less, been the one to initiate it. She had dragged him out onto the dance floor. She had pulled him close.Â
âYou think?â He says rather bluntly to her acknowledgement that she freaked out. Vic was well versed in the whole âleaving when things got complicatedâ bit, but he was more of the leave in the middle of the night and donât look back type. He pulled the second glass towards him, taking a sip as she goes on and not interrupting. He had a feeling she just needed to get it all out.Â
âWell,â he finally says when she quiets, eyeing her over the rim of his glass. âI donât have any expectations here. But Iâve known you for what, four or so months now and itâs been all without sex - so donât get me wrong, Iâm sure youâre fantastic, but forgive me for thinking youâve got a little more to you than that.â
He swallows another mouthful of the vodka, letting it burn down his throat. They werenât that different, not really; Vic hadnât had any real relationships since his teenage years, either. Nothing heâd consider relevant, anyway. Nothing since then that had actually made him feel like he does with Yale. âSounds like you think I have some idea of how relationships are supposed to work. Sorry to disappoint on that front. And,â he slides around the counter, closing the space between them just a bit - but not enough, hopefully, to scare her away again. âI donât hurt easy.â
âGuys have said that to me before,â she warned, placing her glass down and allowing him to encroach - however slightly - into her space. They always claimed they never got hurt, that she wouldnât do anything to break their hears, but then they found her in bed with someone else - monogamy was not a rule sheâd ever understood, quite frankly - and theyâd have the audacity to accuse her of hurting them like she hadnât warned them ahead of time.Â
âEveryone always claims they donât get hurt, but I donât do things like commitment and relationships. And when I did them, it was always with an ulterior motive. Cash, usually - housing, a job promotion - things like that. Actually liking someone - âÂ
ugh, it felt so....incomplete. âLikingâ someone, like they were in 7th grade and she was passing him a note - do you like me, check yes or no. âItâs the end of the world, Vic. And youâve already been shot once.âÂ
She rests her hand on his shoulder - the same one heâd been healing for over a month now, the one heâd used to spare Colette from the bullet that had almost taken them out. Her fingers were hesitant, but her eyes were focused on it for a moment, her mind lost with trying to figure out how she would cope if she truly lost Victor.Â
It would suck. It would hurt. And Yale didnât like being hurt.Â
âIâm not saying ânoâ,â she continued, taking a cautious step closer - sheâd never been so hesitant about taking what she wanted. With Noel, with the others, sheâd made the first move without hesitation, making sure they knew her intentions. With Vic...
âIâm just saying Iâm a disaster, and Iâm not exactly someone who can change easily. I donât do commitment. I donât believe in âforeverâ with one person. I donât even know if weâd even like each other the next morning if we did this.â A wry smile, though she was sure that was the least of either of their concerns. âWhat I do know is that Iâm tired of pretending itâs not there. That I donât have an attachment, an attraction to you. What you want to do with it - thatâs on you.âÂ