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a roadhouse girl. (kaymitchell) wrote in cali_sl_rp,
@ 2008-10-06 21:11:00

Who: Eddie & Kaylee
Where: local cantina; Los Angeles
Open: No Aidans Allowed

The night didn't start out bad, it really didn't. In a rare moment of couple "synchronization" --we'll call it -- the two were not picking or fighting with each other, and without a crowded group of onlookers (Bella & Luka), Kay could relax and just be her goddamn self with Cash. If she leaned up to brush a kiss near his mouth, a chorus of giggles and snickers didn't erupt behind her like a bad soundtrack right outta junior high. Kay was supposed to go back to Vegas oh, yesterday, but Cash managed to persuade her to stay en extra day; which undoubtedly filled Luka with glee. A whole night without being thrown into the well of shame? No southern, jarring, accent ordering her around? No spelling out of such words as "heart" and "damaged?" -- all her Luka Dreams. She and Cash had been at a local outdoor cantina for an hour or so. Long enough to have a few margaritas, long enough for Kay to become relaxed enough to let down her guard completely. On the way back, she paused by the bar, ordering another round for Cash. "Yeah, another round for me and the boyfriend", a pause, and she smirked to herself, the last word still feeling, at times foreign and clumsy on her tongue, before continuing. "And keep 'em coming, alright?" As the bartender hurried off to make her drinks, she twisted around to glance over a bare shoulder, eyes searching through the haze of cigarette smoke and dim lighting for Cash. As usual, there was a girl buzzing around him, flipping her blonde hair, and even with the din of music and conversation, Kay could hear her laughing along with Cash. It was high-pitched, fake, and cut into her nerves like shards of glass. Rolling her eyes, she tossed down a twenty to the bartender, leaning up to grab their drinks before heading back to their table in the corner. She didn't really acknowledge the girl, didn't look her up and down like a dog marking its territory, merely slid onto Cash's lap, one arm wrapping around his neck, the other one clutching the chilled stem of the margarita class.

"So, Cash. sweetheart " -- funny how that sounded exactly like dickhead -- "why don't you introduce me to your new friend?" Kay's own voice was overly loud, the sugar purposely dripped on a bit too strongly, until she finally DID look the woman up and down. It was the "up" part that made her almost choke on the cigarette, gripped between her teeth, caused the smoke to sputter up from her lips in tiny, shaking clouds. The woman looked a bit different, but she'd recognize that face in any sort of line-up. Clearing her throat, she slid off of his lap, glancing between the two. "Tell her to leave." Her voice was calm and collected, raising just enough for her boyfriend to catch thedemand, but low enough for T&A to think she mumbled. So she waited, feeling a bit smug, glaring at Cash's ex-conquest, waiting. Except -- um, awkward. The dismissal never came, and when she looked up, Cash merely shrugged at her and took a slow swallow of his drink, though his eyes jumped a bit in obvious discomfort. Kay could almost feel the shine of the woman's victorious smile and with a growl she leaned over Cash, grabbing her cigarettes, and wristlet and this time both of them could her what she said into his ear. "ASSHOLE."

She spun on her heels, downing the rest of the margarita way too fast; hoping it'd soothe the embarrassment and the anger spreading across her face and through her body like wildfire. The bartender called out her name (regular, much?) as he slid another drink her way, and though she didn't even order it, Kay paused by the bar long enough to down that one as well. On the way out, the frozen drink hit her, and in a cruel twist of irony, it wasn't the liquor that made her run face first into someone entering the bar, but the excrutiating brain freeze that got a chokehold on her head. She tripped and latched onto the person's sleeve out of instinct.

"Fuuuuck. Sorry, sorry. Brainfreeze. Fucking brainfeeze."

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_grifter
2008-10-06 10:14 pm UTC (link)

There was something fundamentally wrong with Los Angeles, but then again, Eddie was prepared to hate it with every Yankee bone in his body. It was by fluke that he’d even left New York in the first place – the first time around. The getaway that had resulted in his temporary residence in Las Vegas, Nevada, of all places. “Temporary” wasn’t a definitive amount of time, but when he said it, he meant it; one day it would come to an end, and New York would still be there, waiting for him on the other side of the country. Always. No chance that it might break off and drift away on an ocean current like this particular land mass. This would be temporary too, he told himself. And getting more temporary by the minute.

The energy coming off the crowds was like artificial sweetener, a poor and obvious substitute for reality. Some people preferred it and made up reasons why they should. Before Eddie realized his own methods, he was already pulling the greatest con ever; conning himself into buying it. No questions asked. Just be the perfect mark. It was a hot, fervent greed he’d never known to exist within him, foreign and malignant like a tumor. He ignored the sweat, the way it slid in slow rivers like raindrops on glass, his t-shirt clinging to his back in a spot between his shoulder blades and at the small of his back. The heat was primitive enough, and he blamed it for scrambling his thoughts. When he turned into the doorway of the open cantina, his hands shot out to absorb the shock of the body on collision course with his own. Autopilot reaction; he’d seen her coming out of the corner of his eye, grunted when she slammed into him and held her steady as if he might prevent further damage. “Brainfreeze? What are you, four?” Somewhere behind the ash-blonde scruff he’d quit shaving lately, there was a smirk, and he patted her arm and moved to step around her, send her on her way... Until she looked up at him. She finished rubbing the frozen headache out of her skull and looked right up at him, and suddenly he felt his own brain on ice-cold lockdown.

Didn’t even speak her name. Couldn’t. Just stared at her as if waiting for the right detail to click into place, the one thing that didn’t fit and made her a stranger, someone he’d only mistaken for Kaylee. But those green eyes stared back at him right out of a memory – the kind with old Vegas neon and echoes of casino life in the background.

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kaymitchell
2008-10-06 10:47 pm UTC (link)

The music was at the perfect volume to drown out the inflections of a voice, that would have normally caused Kaylee to whip her head up, blink, and glance around; confused for just a few short heartbeats she was back home at the Bellagio waiting for Eddie. To the stranger's smartass remark, she merely snored. It crept under her skin more than she should have allowed, added to the sting of rejection Cash had served up and shoved down her throat. Kay didn't need to look back, she didn't want to, afraid of what she'd see. Cash running after her, irate, assuming she was playing just another mind game. Or worst of all: nothing. No one to chase after her as she scampered off to lick her bruised ego. So when she did finally look up, it was to snap at him, berate this poor soul who had the unfortunate mistake of being the unmarked target Kay ran head first into.

But when she spoke, the words lodged in the back of her throat like a bullet stuck in its chamber. They must have looked ridiculous, two people just standing there, openly staring and gaping at one another. But Kay didn't know how to recover from seeing Eddie, was the furthest thing from being prepared for a situation she never thought would happen. But here it was, in her fucking face. She'd ran away from one situation and head first into another one. A more dangerous one. She managed to recover first, letting go of his arm as if he were really a stranger -- but then again, wasn't he? -- and backed up. "Eddie." Pressing her lips together she tried again. "Eddie, hey." Glancing around, it was obvious Kay was uncomfortable, and even the dutch courage barreling through veins was enough to save her.

She managed to finally look up into his blue eyes, and out of nowhere unwelcome images of the last time they were together flickered erratically through her head like a slideshow, and no amount of chilled alcohol could freeze 'em out. He wouldn't move back. He was trying with Sarah. He didn't want her, she was just drunk and rambling. To Kay it all mounted up to a list of reasons why once again, she wasn't good enough. The slideshow halted and was cut off abruptly. Stepping out of the way for another customer to walk through her green eyes narrowed, zeroing in on his ring finger. His naked ring finger.

"Fitzpatrick. No really, why are you here? You're a long way from home. You lost?"

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_grifter
2008-10-06 11:22 pm UTC (link)

It was awkward to be touching her now, the way strangers handled each other -- with care. Trying to act comfortable and familiar in a situation that was anything but. In the days when they were roomies and the label suited them to a T, they wouldn't touch each other with a ten-foot pole. Working together on a con, though; the affection was natural and effortless when they were both committed to a common lie. He didn't withhold much when he smiled again, in that awkward way which reminded her that he didn't like to be taken by surprise, but for her, he'd make an exception.

"Hey yourself. Some way to greet a pal. You too good for me now or something?" He stepped closer to clear the doorway as more customers entered from the street, but his hands went straight to his pockets, shoulders hunched, so the slight brush of their bodies wouldn't be a choice so much as an accident. "Yeah, you're telling me. What, last I checked this was a free country... they got some kinda rule in California? No Micks?" He glanced over her head, scanned the bar, felt it closing in around them as the room filled up like an ant farm. "I'm here because you're here, princess. Like always." The music wasn't too loud to mask the irony in his voice, or to soften the impact of the fresh-outta-Brooklyn accent. "Come on," he said, tugging her by the crook of the elbow, "I believe Vegas is... that way."

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kaymitchell
2008-10-07 12:06 am UTC (link)

"Actually, I thought it was the other way around. Or do you not remember?" The thinly veiled accusation flew out of her mouth completely unfiltered before Kay had a chance to clamp down on it and stuff it back in. She actually cringed, tilting her head as a hand rose up and waved, as if physically trying to bat away the cloud of bitterness the acrid comment left in its wake. When she met Eddie's eyes again, as hard as it was for her to sweep their memories back under, as painful as it was to swallow her pride, she did. Because it was Eddie, and because she could tell he was just as uncomfortable as she was. Kay didn't know how to do this with him; felt a streak of resentment rip through her at the very idea of NOT feeling at ease with her former confidence partner. Her former best friend.

But she took his smile for what it was worth, and offered one right back. It was a bit strained, a bit too bright, but it was genuine and the best she had at the moment. She even reeled him in for a hug, stepping forward to wrap her arms around him, eyes fluttering closed for a few seconds as she rose on her feet to murmur quietly in his ear. "Sorry." Her apology however, wasn't genuine, but knowing her the way he did, Eddie would accept it as the only one he'd get. She pulled out of the embrace first, not quite sure how to continue, but the tension visibly drained from her shoulders when he took the reigns, and for a few seconds, it felt like old, old, times. His teasing, that obnoxious accent (cause she had room to talk) wrapping around every sarcastic word. "Grady did mention you've been stalking me." There was a snowball chance in hell she would ever admit it; but Kay had completely forgotten about Cash until Eddie began leading her out of the bar. Even though she was in the midst of stalking out anyway, she sighed, tugging on his hand, stilling his movements. "Give me a second, alright? I need to say good-bye to someone."

"Really? That's interesting. I thought you were on your way out to call Luka and cry to her for four hours. Who's this?"

"Cash! I was juuust about to look for you." And all of a sudden, it seemed her little temper tantrum was over, and he was a prize she couldn't wait to show off, as if to show Eddie that she was alright. She didn't curl up and die, and that hey, someone wanted her. Cash nodded, holding out his hand around the same time Kay introduced them. "Cash, Eddie. Eddie, Cash." And then the hand disappeared back into the pocket of his jeans, and her boyfriend's own blue eyes had narrowed, turning dark in obvious irritation. "The infamous Eddie. Can Do No Wrong Fitzpatrick. Yeah, Kayla here talks about you non-fucking-stop. It's annoying. I thought you lived in Brooklyn?"

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_grifter
2008-10-07 01:12 am UTC (link)

It didn't occur to him that he was sorely out of practice until Kaylee's remark bit through the air, vicious and uncalled-for. Where the fuck did that come from? So things hadn't been quite the same between them since the night of her birthday party. The morning after, actually. His suitcase was parked in the doorway and he opened his arms to command a goodbye hug, since she wouldn't be driving him to the airport -- the gratuitous spill of liquor into her coffee cup hadn't gone unnoticed after all. She held onto him and mumbled words into his shirt until he tilted her face up, narrowed his eyes at her.

"What?"

"I said, don't go."

He missed his flight. And caught the next one.

But here and now, she was apologizing only because she knew he'd disapprove -- not of the words themselves, but the fact that she'd lost control, let her emotions (and alcohol) betray her. He caught her in the hug with one arm and gave a slight squeeze to make it official, then released her. A grimace stole across his features when she brought Grady into the conversation: "Yeah, well Grady did mention that you were a good lay." Wasn't the first time she'd heard that particular greivance. Eddie had been raking her over the coals for THAT one since Grady made the information public. It was getting old by now; he forever expected the next joke, the next snide remark, to be the last one that hurt.

He stopped and turned to watch her weave a path back through the crowd, but she didn't make it more than two steps before her date appeared out of nowhere, as if he'd been waiting all along for his cue. It was out of habit rather than conscious decision that Eddie so effortlessly adopted the role and went through the motions; picking up on Kay's body language, even when his eyes were on Cash. It was just a feeling, a twitch in the air, and he didn't have to guess whether or not Kaylee suffered the same hyper-awareness on her end.

Cash left Eddie's hand suspended in the air between them. Eddie acknowledged the snub and pulled his hand back in no hurry. "So you've heard of me. Funny. Kaylee doesn't talk about you at all. I'm from Brooklyn. Moved here last week. You're a native Californian, I take it." The only word Eddie could probably inject more disdain into was "Boston".

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kaymitchell
2008-10-07 09:46 pm UTC (link)

That first splash of Bailey's into her mug of coffee hadn't been a mistake. But just for good measure, Kay added a second, then a third and a fourth to top it off just right. He didn't want her, she'd try and live with it. He couldn't stay in Los Angeles, well, the man never did look good in shorts anyway. But asking her to drive him to the airport, actually thinking she would help him in his getaway? Fuck, that. Watching him walk out of her life the first time was gut-wrenching, and she wasn't willing to put herself front row this time around. So she slowly drank away her clarity that morning, until she didn't care about how tight she hugged him, or how goddamn pathetic she felt when she looked up at him, eyes bright and earnest, asking him one more time to -- "Don't go. At least delay your flight."

Kay pressed her lips together, and when she cringed, the facial movement echoed through the rest of her body. Her shoulders visibly tensed as she took a step away from Eddie, and the hand around Cash's arm squeezed tighter, not in a show of affection or love, but as a warning. You didn't need to be a professional to pick up on the meaning in the look she shot her boyfriend. It was very clear, very cut and dry. "Shut the fuck up." An awkward, nervous laugh bubbled up from her as she quickly fumbled for a cigarette, only to remember she had told Eddie she quit last time they talked. But it didn't stop her from lighting up, if anything, Kay inhaled the nicotine with more intensity, needing the burn of tobacco to soothe her nerves, the clouds of billowing smoke to distort the faces of the two men she was stuck in between.

The irritated glare Cash sent her coincided with Eddie's own cutting remarks and she wrapped an arm around Cash's waist, leaning up to sip at the rest of his drink, snorting in mock amusement. "Don't be silly, Eddie. I'm sure I've told you about Cash. He's part of the reason I stopped running scams." Was it a lie? Partially, but she hoped it hit him where it hurt, because after all, wasn't Sarah partly to blame for him leaving Vegas? Because of his desire for a wife, kids, and street vendor hot dogs? The smirk that twisted her lips wasn't cruel, but it was direct, and faded only slightly when Cash broke the eye contact between the former partners.

"She probably never mentioned me because her mouth is always full of me."

"Oh for fuck's sake!" Throwing the cigarette down and grinding it out with a heel, she shoved Cash towards the exit. "Go around the corner. We're going to S Bar next." The sound of his laughter made her roll her eyes before turning back to Eddie. "He's...", was there an excuse for Cash? "just a bit uh, well. He's Cash." Shrugging she moved towards the doorway to leave, but as an afterthought, paused to step back. Tugging on his hand, she leaned up again, wrapping him in a hug and pressing a quick, chaste kiss on his cheek before pulling away.

"I've missed you. Call me if you need to learn how to swim."

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