Runaway Bride, chapter 8
Tre and I got dressed and rejoined Dave and Lola in the living room. As soon as Lola saw me, she clicked her tongue and shook her head sadly.
"What?" I asked, confused.
"Oh, honey, why didn't I notice it before?" She gave me a look that seemed almost like pity.
"Didn't notice what?" I really had no idea what she was talking about.
"Those clothes... " I looked down at my horribly mismatched outfit, and realized she was right. "Whose are they?" she asked me.
I smiled. "Tre's."
Lola looked at him. "Don't you know, when you have a woman, you are supposed to buy them nice, expensive clothes, not give them your old shitty ones?"
Tre looked defensive. "But I... "
Lola held up a hand. "No, no." She motioned to me. "Come along, sweetheart, and we will get you something proper to wear to dinner." She looked at Dave. "Babe, get Tre to the other bathroom, and give him something to wear." She hurried down the hall, and I followed her into what I guess was her and Dave's bedroom. Like the rest of the house, it was done in all one color: green. Lola shoved me through a small door on the left side of the room into a pink bathroom.
"You shower, and I'll find you a nice pretty outfit. Okay?"
All I could do was nod. Lola was being sort of bossy, but I kind of liked the way she was taking charge, acting like the big sister I had never had.
The shower I took was quick, but it still felt fantastic to wash off the grime of the past few days and finally look and smell like a normal human being. I emerged fresh back into the bedroom, a towel wrapped around me.
"Here, you are, darlin'." Lola shoved some clothes at me. I put on the black halter top and denim skirt, and Lola gave me some purple high-heeled sandals to complete the outfit.
She smiled at me. "Perfect. Now, let's do something about that hair."
I gave her a startled look. "What's wrong with my hair?"
She laughed. "Well, nothing. But it's wet. We can't have it like that, now can we?" She sat me in a chair, and took a few minutes to rub some cream stuff in my hair and blow it dry. I surveyed myself in the mirror. I really did look amazing, or at least better than I had when I had greasy hair and was wearing my boyfriend's clothes.
We rejoined the boys in the living room. Tre was wearing a white T-shirt with a blue button-down shirt over it and jeans. It was obvious he had just showered as well, as his hair was wet and spiky. It was all I could do to hold myself back and not start making out with him right there in front of Dave and Lola. We both stood there, kind of staring at each other for a few seconds before Lola finally laughed, and she and Dave said that they would wait outside for us.
Tre waited until they had gone, then quickly stepped over to me. He wrapped his arms around my waist and tongued my neck. I giggled. "You look so damn hot," he whispered in my ear. "I don't think I can wait until later to do what I want to do to you."
I pressed my lips against his and pushed my tongue into his mouth. I ran my tongue over his teeth, which tasted good, clean, like he had just brushed them. "Well, I guess you'll just have to wait." I whispered back, and walked out the door.
"Dammit, you drive me crazy," I heard him mutter behind me. I smiled. I liked using my sexiness to tease Tre, something I had never really done with a guy before.
Dave and Lola were waiting when we stepped out onto the street.
"Ready?" Dave grinned at us, and started down the street. We followed.
"Where are we going, anyway?" I asked.
"Just a small Italian restaurant on the next block that Dave and I just adore." Lola replied. For the first time I noticed a faint southern accent in her voice. I made a mental note to ask her about it later.
"Yeah, they got the best pepperoni pizza you'll ever taste in your damn life," Dave chimed in. I smiled at him, but still thought he was kind of odd.
Tre took my hand as we followed them down the street. I smiled at him, and he smiled back. I felt a weird, mushy feeling in my stomach, something I never remembered feeling before, and I realized that not for an instant did I regret running away with Tre.
We finally arrived at the restaurant, sat down, and gave our order. Dave insisted we get the pepperoni pizza, and I didn't care, as long as it was food. I was starving. There was a lull, then Lola spoke.
"So are ya'll gonna explain to me why Cassandra showed up here wearing your clothes?" She looked at Tre.
He looked anxious. "Well... it's kind of a long story."
"We ain't goin' nowhere. Tell us." She looked at us expectantly.
I looked at Tre, and he nodded. I figured that if he trusted these people, then I could too. "You see, I kind of met Tre at... ..my wedding." I gulped.
Lola's eyebrows rose, but she merely nodded at me to continue.
"And Tre was there, and he convinced me to run away, and... ." Once I started my story, I couldn't stop. I recounted our tale of running away, and with Tre adding a detail or two occasionally, I told them about the hotel that went up in flames, the car crash, the money at the bus station, our long bus ride to California, and finally our arrival at their house.
When I was done, I realized that we had already eaten all the pizza and that the check had been paid.
Dave let out a low whistle. "Well... " he looked at Lola. "That's some story."
I nodded and sighed. "Yeah, I guess it is."
"Well," Lola took over again. "You two have had quite a day, then. Let's get outta here and let ya'll get some rest, hmm?" She smiled at us, and somehow I was reassured and grateful for her smile.
On our walk back, Tre and Dave started a conversation about drums, and Lola and I lagged behind.
For lack of anything better to ask her about, I asked Lola, "So... are you from... the south?"
She smiled. "Yes, actually. You noticed my accent?" I nodded. "Yeah... not that many people do anymore." She sighed and brought her eyes up to the sky. "I moved here from Georgia about... six years ago, I guess it is now. Met Dave, married him." She smiled at Dave's back.
I couldn't help but ask, "You really love him?" I realized, too late, that it was a stupid question, and I tried quickly to recover. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean... ."
"No, you're right. I do. He ain't the sharpest tool in the shed, but he's my Dave, and I love him."
Dave turned. "Hey, you two girls talkin' 'bout me?"
Lola gave him a look. "No, you big brute, go back to your man conversation, and stay out of ours." Dave shook his head at her, and gave her a smile that was full of affection. For all of their dysfunction, I envied Dave and Lola. They were married, and according to her, had been so for a few years. They didn't have anything to worry about, people that were looking for them, the way Tre and I did. I vowed to have a relationship somewhat like theirs in the future.
We arrived back at the apartment, said good night, and each of the couples retired to our respective bedrooms. Tre quietly shut the door to the guest bedroom behind us.
"So what were you and Lola talking about?" he asked me.
"Oh, you know, her and Dave, when she moved here, stuff like that."
Tre sat down on the bed, and pulled me into his lap. He kissed my neck. "So, what are we going to do?" he asked.
I looked at him. "I'M supposed to know? You're the one with all the plans."
"I know, I just thought you might have liked some input."
I shrugged. "Whatever you want to do."
He rubbed at his eyes. "I'm too tired to think. Can I come up with my brilliant plan tomorrow?"
I laughed. "Yeah, I guess. But are you too tired for this?" I leaned forward and kissed him.
Tre grinned. "You know I'm never too tired for that." He leaned back on the bed and pulled me on top of him. We continued to kiss, and removed each other's shirts, our exhaustion magically evaporating. Everything started to move faster and faster, the articles of clothing seeming to fall off. All of a sudden I didn't care that we were in someone else's house, I didn't care that I hadn't had a proper night's sleep in three days, I didn't really care about anything, but I knew that I wanted Tre, he wanted me, and we wanted each other now. He pressed his hands into my back, and I squeezed my eyes shut with anticipation.
"What?" I asked, confused.
"Oh, honey, why didn't I notice it before?" She gave me a look that seemed almost like pity.
"Didn't notice what?" I really had no idea what she was talking about.
"Those clothes... " I looked down at my horribly mismatched outfit, and realized she was right. "Whose are they?" she asked me.
I smiled. "Tre's."
Lola looked at him. "Don't you know, when you have a woman, you are supposed to buy them nice, expensive clothes, not give them your old shitty ones?"
Tre looked defensive. "But I... "
Lola held up a hand. "No, no." She motioned to me. "Come along, sweetheart, and we will get you something proper to wear to dinner." She looked at Dave. "Babe, get Tre to the other bathroom, and give him something to wear." She hurried down the hall, and I followed her into what I guess was her and Dave's bedroom. Like the rest of the house, it was done in all one color: green. Lola shoved me through a small door on the left side of the room into a pink bathroom.
"You shower, and I'll find you a nice pretty outfit. Okay?"
All I could do was nod. Lola was being sort of bossy, but I kind of liked the way she was taking charge, acting like the big sister I had never had.
The shower I took was quick, but it still felt fantastic to wash off the grime of the past few days and finally look and smell like a normal human being. I emerged fresh back into the bedroom, a towel wrapped around me.
"Here, you are, darlin'." Lola shoved some clothes at me. I put on the black halter top and denim skirt, and Lola gave me some purple high-heeled sandals to complete the outfit.
She smiled at me. "Perfect. Now, let's do something about that hair."
I gave her a startled look. "What's wrong with my hair?"
She laughed. "Well, nothing. But it's wet. We can't have it like that, now can we?" She sat me in a chair, and took a few minutes to rub some cream stuff in my hair and blow it dry. I surveyed myself in the mirror. I really did look amazing, or at least better than I had when I had greasy hair and was wearing my boyfriend's clothes.
We rejoined the boys in the living room. Tre was wearing a white T-shirt with a blue button-down shirt over it and jeans. It was obvious he had just showered as well, as his hair was wet and spiky. It was all I could do to hold myself back and not start making out with him right there in front of Dave and Lola. We both stood there, kind of staring at each other for a few seconds before Lola finally laughed, and she and Dave said that they would wait outside for us.
Tre waited until they had gone, then quickly stepped over to me. He wrapped his arms around my waist and tongued my neck. I giggled. "You look so damn hot," he whispered in my ear. "I don't think I can wait until later to do what I want to do to you."
I pressed my lips against his and pushed my tongue into his mouth. I ran my tongue over his teeth, which tasted good, clean, like he had just brushed them. "Well, I guess you'll just have to wait." I whispered back, and walked out the door.
"Dammit, you drive me crazy," I heard him mutter behind me. I smiled. I liked using my sexiness to tease Tre, something I had never really done with a guy before.
Dave and Lola were waiting when we stepped out onto the street.
"Ready?" Dave grinned at us, and started down the street. We followed.
"Where are we going, anyway?" I asked.
"Just a small Italian restaurant on the next block that Dave and I just adore." Lola replied. For the first time I noticed a faint southern accent in her voice. I made a mental note to ask her about it later.
"Yeah, they got the best pepperoni pizza you'll ever taste in your damn life," Dave chimed in. I smiled at him, but still thought he was kind of odd.
Tre took my hand as we followed them down the street. I smiled at him, and he smiled back. I felt a weird, mushy feeling in my stomach, something I never remembered feeling before, and I realized that not for an instant did I regret running away with Tre.
We finally arrived at the restaurant, sat down, and gave our order. Dave insisted we get the pepperoni pizza, and I didn't care, as long as it was food. I was starving. There was a lull, then Lola spoke.
"So are ya'll gonna explain to me why Cassandra showed up here wearing your clothes?" She looked at Tre.
He looked anxious. "Well... it's kind of a long story."
"We ain't goin' nowhere. Tell us." She looked at us expectantly.
I looked at Tre, and he nodded. I figured that if he trusted these people, then I could too. "You see, I kind of met Tre at... ..my wedding." I gulped.
Lola's eyebrows rose, but she merely nodded at me to continue.
"And Tre was there, and he convinced me to run away, and... ." Once I started my story, I couldn't stop. I recounted our tale of running away, and with Tre adding a detail or two occasionally, I told them about the hotel that went up in flames, the car crash, the money at the bus station, our long bus ride to California, and finally our arrival at their house.
When I was done, I realized that we had already eaten all the pizza and that the check had been paid.
Dave let out a low whistle. "Well... " he looked at Lola. "That's some story."
I nodded and sighed. "Yeah, I guess it is."
"Well," Lola took over again. "You two have had quite a day, then. Let's get outta here and let ya'll get some rest, hmm?" She smiled at us, and somehow I was reassured and grateful for her smile.
On our walk back, Tre and Dave started a conversation about drums, and Lola and I lagged behind.
For lack of anything better to ask her about, I asked Lola, "So... are you from... the south?"
She smiled. "Yes, actually. You noticed my accent?" I nodded. "Yeah... not that many people do anymore." She sighed and brought her eyes up to the sky. "I moved here from Georgia about... six years ago, I guess it is now. Met Dave, married him." She smiled at Dave's back.
I couldn't help but ask, "You really love him?" I realized, too late, that it was a stupid question, and I tried quickly to recover. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean... ."
"No, you're right. I do. He ain't the sharpest tool in the shed, but he's my Dave, and I love him."
Dave turned. "Hey, you two girls talkin' 'bout me?"
Lola gave him a look. "No, you big brute, go back to your man conversation, and stay out of ours." Dave shook his head at her, and gave her a smile that was full of affection. For all of their dysfunction, I envied Dave and Lola. They were married, and according to her, had been so for a few years. They didn't have anything to worry about, people that were looking for them, the way Tre and I did. I vowed to have a relationship somewhat like theirs in the future.
We arrived back at the apartment, said good night, and each of the couples retired to our respective bedrooms. Tre quietly shut the door to the guest bedroom behind us.
"So what were you and Lola talking about?" he asked me.
"Oh, you know, her and Dave, when she moved here, stuff like that."
Tre sat down on the bed, and pulled me into his lap. He kissed my neck. "So, what are we going to do?" he asked.
I looked at him. "I'M supposed to know? You're the one with all the plans."
"I know, I just thought you might have liked some input."
I shrugged. "Whatever you want to do."
He rubbed at his eyes. "I'm too tired to think. Can I come up with my brilliant plan tomorrow?"
I laughed. "Yeah, I guess. But are you too tired for this?" I leaned forward and kissed him.
Tre grinned. "You know I'm never too tired for that." He leaned back on the bed and pulled me on top of him. We continued to kiss, and removed each other's shirts, our exhaustion magically evaporating. Everything started to move faster and faster, the articles of clothing seeming to fall off. All of a sudden I didn't care that we were in someone else's house, I didn't care that I hadn't had a proper night's sleep in three days, I didn't really care about anything, but I knew that I wanted Tre, he wanted me, and we wanted each other now. He pressed his hands into my back, and I squeezed my eyes shut with anticipation.
