Phillip Wolfe | Phobos (inclinedfear) wrote in paxletalelogs, @ 2011-07-01 21:29:00 |
|
|||
Entry tags: | eris, phobos |
Overly Familiar
Who: Rylee & Charlie
What: Sometimes you try to keep things from people, but they end up finding out anyway.
Where: Fashion Island Shopping Center
When: 11:49 a.m., 6/7/2011
Warnings: None.
The Fashion Island was one of Charlie’s less favored assignments, and as she took a moment to lounge against a wall, she was greeted with the sight of all the reasons why she disliked the location. Hordes of women, tanned and thin as rails from whatever dieting fad was currently popular, dressed in the latest fashions and adorned with enough sparkling rocks to sink a ship; mixed in were the occasional business men, some in just business casual while the rest traded in for a full on suit, all on cellphones and blabbering on about this or that deal.
A small city full of self-important people, and Charlie found herself bored to tears. It wasn’t explicitly different from other shopping malls in the area, what with a prevailing need to be considered high-end sweeping over most retail establishments, but with the open air shopping center it promised less chance of theft and other problems despite the well-to-do names that populated the storefronts. Crossing her arms, Charlie gave a sigh, eyes sweeping over the crowd with disapproval as she waited for something to distract her from the monotony of the day.
Things had been awkward, to say the least, between Rylee and Charlie but Rylee was determined not to let that scare him away. He had gone to The Fashion Island Shopping Center simply because it was one close to his apartment but Rylee found himself feeling somewhat like a fish out of water. In his jeans and navy blue t-shirt he didn’t look very fancy compared to the other shoppers so Rylee intended on making his shopping trip a quick one. Go in, get what he needed, get out. Sort of like when he would do drills with the Corps.
Rylee gripped his small shopping list in his hand and weaved his way through the crowd of rich looking customers. He had wanted to pick up a nice picture frame so that he could frame some Civil War documents and hang them in the spare room of his apartment. He also had dog treats on the list, which he had already purchased and were in a small shopping bag that he swung carelessly with his other hand. The dog treats were for the creature with fangs that Charlie seemed to care for so much. In Rylee’s mind, if he was prepared to entertain this dog, maybe Charlie would be more comfortable in coming around. Or maybe it would just prevent the dog from biting Rylee’s face off.
He came around a corner and the last person he had expected to see was Charlie. They really needed to stop meeting like this. But aside from that surprise, it was the fact that she was in a security uniform that really stumped Rylee. He stopped walking and stared at her, causing a business man to walk directly into his back and grumble loudly. “Oh, I’m sorry,” Rylee quickly apologized before looking back at Charlie, then quickly hiding the bag with dog treats behind his back. Another secret that Charlie had kept from him, that she was working as a security guard, could be added to the list of things she hadn’t shared with Rylee. Once, years ago, they shared everything. Rylee’s jaw clenched as he realized that their relationship had really changed and yet, despite his hurt feelings, he approached her slowly while keeping the bag behind his back.
A sigh passed though her lips as her vision scanned the crowds once more - nothing of note appeared, and she kicked off of the wall to begin making her rounds again. And for some reason, that was right when two people dispersed, revealing a blond figure walking in her direction. For a moment, she didn’t place who it was, but the sunlight lit up those wild blond locks and it was unmistakably Rylee. The events of a few nights previous had left them in a standstill, and maybe even caused Charlie to go out of her way (just a little) to avoid him.
Her blank face grimaced into a panicked look before she managed to school it again, eyes going a bit wide as her mind whirled through options. He’d already seen her, so pretending that he didn’t exist probably wouldn’t work; and now she’d lingered too long, making it obvious that she’d seen him. Her only real course of action was to stand her ground and take whatever it was that was headed in her direction.
Casually lapping her arms over her chest, she fixed a slightly annoyed expression to her face as he came within speaking distance. “Doing some shopping?”
With an intake of breath Rylee shifted on his feet, standing at ease as he usually did when finding himself in an uncomfortable situation. The surprise that he and Charlie were living in the same apartment building was still there and every time he saw her his heart made a little jump. But with the added oddities of the past few weeks, the awkwardness between them, and the realization that she had kept her PTSD from him, he wasn’t entirely sure where their relationship stood.
But Rylee wasn’t going to give up that easily, as was obvious with his bag of dog treats and the fact that he didn’t turn and run the moment Charlie looked at him with that expression of annoyance. Clutching the bag behind his back he looked to the ground briefly to gather his courage then back at his friend. “Yeah, just pickin’ up some stuff,” he replied quietly, letting loose a small twinge of his Missouri accent that only made appearances once in awhile. He had been living in the North East for too long and the majority of his twang had disappeared.
Biting his lip he frowned slightly before cautiously bringing up the obvious topic at hand. “I didn’t know you worked here, Charlie.” Her mouth settled into a hard line, eyes narrowing.
“Yeah, well, there it is.” A silence settled between them, turning the meeting into a small stand-off in the middle of an outdoor shopping center. After a moment, Charlie sighed, dropping her hands to her sides; she felt as though she were being examined and judged, though she knew Rylee would never do that to her.
“I just...I didn’t want you to know, all right? It’s fuckin’ embarassing.” She loathed her job, but it was better than working herself to death at some retail establishment, trying to not go crazy sitting behind a desk, or just flat out being homeless. But the real issue, for her at least, was all of the hoopla she’d made about him leaving the Marines, and now here she was, out of the USMC and working as a mall cop.
“Why is it embarrassing?” Rylee blurted out with complete honesty. “It’s just a job, it doesn’t say anything about you.” He looked at Charlie and frowned, not enjoying that she seemed already to be worked up over this. He hadn’t meant to make her feel uncomfortable and yet here they were again, facing one another, having another awkward moment.
He shifted on his feet and continued to keep the bag hidden behind his back while he stared at the floor. Glancing back up at Charlie he tried to make her feel a little better but was sure he would be unsuccessful. “At least it’s not a gas station or serving ice cream? And you get to get obnoxious teenagers in trouble for pulling dumb shit in the mall. That’s always a plus.”
A timid, crooked smile brightened up Rylee’s face with hope that she would find the humor in this. The line of her mouth turned downward, disapproval reading through her features; not at him, but reconsidering her embarrassment and actually wondering if she’d had the wrong reaction. Anyone else would’ve laughed at her, said she’d gotten her just desserts, but here he was, cracking jokes.
“Putting obnoxious teenagers in their place is the highlight of my day,” she agreed, her tone of voice contrasting her expression - it was light, somewhat sarcastic, but her face maintained its mask of annoyance as a warning that she’d slip back into the anger if she felt it necessary. Glancing to one side, she rubbed her neck with a hand.
“Someone’s job does say shit about them,” she muttered after the fact, unable to let her dissatisfaction go.
Rylee’s crooked smile vanished as he frowned. Reaching out he tapped Charlie on the side of her arm with the bag he was holding. “Hey, in this economy people are lucky if they even have a job. I really don’t think anyone is going to judge.” He realized he was exposing the bag and quickly dropped his hand back behind his back, shifting on his feet once more. Her eyes followed the movement, but she was distracted from asking questions by his next words. “Anyway, even if they do have a problem with your job, fuck ‘em, right? You always told me that when people would tease me. Fuck ‘em.”
He tried to smile again but not fully, never fully. All of his moves were calculated with her as he felt out her reactions, judged what she was thinking or what she was considering to do next. While standing there he brought fourth his empty hand and nervously scratched at his blond hair. Charlie still had a ‘fuck you’ attitude, but what showed on the exterior didn’t always match what was going on in her mind. She did her best making it from day to day, but it didn’t stop the feeling in her gut, the small voice that was slowly eating away at her, that she was wasting her life. But now wasn’t the time to be sentimental. Instead, she waved a hand in the air.
“Yeah, wish I could say that to the asshole who’s my boss, but that’s not really how the saying works, huh?” Her face relaxed a little, moving away from the annoyance and her head swiveled to look out over the crowd. “What’re you doin’ here, of all places? There are less snobby shitholes to spend your money in.”
Rylee’s face quickly went blank and his cheeks began to color slightly. He was never capable of lying and it was completely lost on two people in his life: Charlie and his mother. He could never lie to his father either. But it wasn’t so much that he was lying right now, just leaving out crucial information that would make Charlie roll her eyes or jab him in the ribs.
“I was hoping to pick up a nice frame for a Civil War document but I haven’t gotten to the store yet. I was sort of just wanderin’ around and looking at the stores. I’ve never been to this mall before and... I don’t think I really fit in,” he said with a frown, turning his blue eyes away from Charlie and scanning over the people around him while he still kept the bag hidden. He rubbed the top of his head, messing up the start of curls that were there in his lengthening hair. He didn’t wear it long, exactly, but he did enjoy not having to have a high and tight. It was more natural for Rylee to have his curls showing slightly, including the cow lick at the back of his head.
Her eyes caught the subtle movements of his face, and unconsciously it perked the corners of her mouth upward, into what could almost be called a faint smile. “No, I don’t think you do, either. But then I don’t, neither, and frankly, I’d glad. Fuckin’...weird people live here,” she muttered, turning her head to imply the masses that were congregating throughout the space. Of course, it was also commentary on, possibly, the whole of California, though she hadn’t been to much more than her current location. But having little information was never something to stop Charlie from being hypocritical and passing judgement on someone.
Her eyes came to rest on the ground; her mouth opened, less than an inch, then shut before finally speaking. “Have you...eaten? I’m...comin’ up on a break.” She glanced at his face, looking almost hesitant about the simple thing she’d asked.
Rylee quickly grinned at Charlie then scrambled to cover up his glee; he didn’t want her to see he was that excited because surely it would scare her off. They were still so awkward and far from the friendship that they once had. If Rylee pushed too hard, Charlie would only drift further away. “Naw, I haven’t eaten yet,” Rylee attempted to say calmly. “Is there a food court here? Or are there only fancy restaurants that are overpriced?”
He slipped his free hand into his pants pocket and managed to make a small smile, rather than the excited grin he was fighting to keep hidden.
“There’s a Subway, but don’t get too crazy now,” she retorted, a full on smile coming across her face. It struck her as slightly amazing that he’d grow so enthusiastic about getting fast food, though the thought that it was more about her than the restaurant crossed her mind. Charlie wasn’t really the type to entertain illusions of grandeur when it came to other’s thoughts about her - generally, it was exactly the opposite of that, and with good reason. Turning her body in the direction of the eatery, she nodded for him to follow. Much like when they’d been children.
Before giving further time to that particular train of thought, she swiped the walkie-talkie from her waist and mumbled into it that she was taking a break, then switched it off against the protest that immediately appeared from its speaker. She didn’t honestly care if they had a problem about when she took her breaks, and right now she had other matters to concern her. Relaxed steps attempted to match his pace, though she’d never had issue keeping up with his long-legged stride.
For a moment they walked in silence, surrounded by the petty noise of other people’s conversations and footsteps; Charlie had found silence to be abrasive when she was younger, and had grown to appreciate it in time. But now, now she found it disconcerting to be alone with her thoughts. “So what’s this document you’ve got? Another old piece’a paper to add to the collection?”
Rylee struggled to keep his smile from growing too large and he only blushed more as she smiled back at him. He walked beside her with a slower pace than he was used to but kept her to his right while the bag of dog treats were in his left hand. He kept his arm at his side and hooked his thumb into the picket of his jeans while he walked, keeping the bag from swinging back and forth too much. He wanted to grab her, hold her, see if she was all right after all the oddities that had happened since they bumped into one another in the lobby, but he knew that would be cause for a severe beating.
“It’s just some papers, nothin’ too fancy,” he replied quietly, holding back from going into an overkill of details about the document. It was a list of soldiers and the supplies they had needed, including prices on each item, and could be seen as pointless to some but for Rylee it was golden. Anything that had a right to be in a museum and was in Rylee’s possession was priceless. The Subway came into sight and felt his stomach rumble. As a teen he could quietly pack away food like it was his job, which was humorous considering his rail thin frame, but now that he was older and had bulked up he seemed to be content with three meals a day...and maybe some liquor or beer in the evening. Right now, though, it was lunchtime and he was already salivating.
He glanced down at Charlie and smiled, tapping her on the shoulder. “At least you look cute in your uniform,” he commented then immediately felt his cheeks grow hot. He hadn’t meant that to sound like a confession or a come on; she did look cute, but he had meant that at least she didn’t look like the typical grumpy security guards they used to tease as children at their local mall (that had been an hour drive from their home). A brow arched, nearly climbing off of her forehead.
“Excuse me? Rylee Ekholm, did you just hit on me?” She stopped dead in the middle of the walkway, uncaring to the complaints of people who were blocked by her sudden lack of movement. Arms went over her chest, the pose one of complete denial - but the smirk that appeared on her face was playful, giving the whole charade a sarcastic tone. Rylee’s face was the picture of terror as he began to blush down to the roots of his hair.
He completely forgot that he was trying to hide the bag of dog treats from Charlie and reached his hands up in surrender; or of innocence, which ever she would accept. “No, I just... I was just saying,” he took in a quick breath, eyes growing wide, making the blue irises more noticeable. “You look very, very nice in your uniform and... and not like... like the security guards from home.” He snapped his mouth shut and swallowed as he waited for her reaction. She gave him a long glare for another few seconds before finally breaking face and laughing; she punched him in the shoulder, somewhat gently, before she continued on her way to the eatery.
“Calm down, I was just teasin’,” she chided, a phrase she’d used often on him. “Besides, security guards from home? Like I’d just carry ‘round a rifle and be missin’ a few teeth, hah, no, I’m not that bad...” She pulled open the glass door of the fast food place and waltzed in, not bothering to keep it open for him - he’d catch up. If she’d stop to think about it for a moment, that scene wasn’t unlike dozens that had occurred when they were kids.
Charlie’s punch did nothing for Rylee which caused his blushing to fade slightly and a small smile of cocky pride to appear. As a teen, Rylee had been so scrawny that even a flick from Charlie would hurt, now she could probably hit his arms, or his chest, without relatively any reaction. He caught the door before it swung into his face and drifted in after Charlie. “I’m glad you have all your teeth,” Rylee said quietly as he took his place next to Charlie on the line. “We make up a small percentage of the town that has a full set. We’re unique.” She shot another curved smirk his way, rolling her eyes before looking back at the menu board. Both had taken a spot in a long line of customers.
He crossed his arms in front of his chest, tucking the bag under one of his arms, and stood a fraction of a hair closer to Charlie than any typical ‘friend’ would. He let out a sigh and the remainder of his blush disappeared from his face as he focused on the list of subs that were offered. His close proximity didn’t go unnoticed, and Charlie repositioned herself a foot away from him; she leaned conspiratorially in his direction, though. “How’s them teef, they’s lookin’ real perdy these days?” Her voice was cartoonish and low, a shared joke they had regarding a few citizens in their home town. Eyes glanced at him mischievously as she stepped forward, moving to give her order to the worker making the sandwiches before following the others in line ahead of her toward the register.
Rylee fought the urge to reach out and smack her in the ass. She really did look cute in the uniform. But he hadn’t the confidence and he was up to give his order. Moving after Charlie he paid for his food and waited to receive his sub. “Yer hair is perdy today, too. Did ya wash it dis here week?” Rylee replied lowly to Charlie, leaning closely to her and breathing the words to her ear. Not in any way trying to be sexual - for once - but trying very hard not to have anyone else hear their conversation. A dry laugh escaped from her lips, too loud to be considered private. Grabbing the offered tray with her order, she walked away (again) from him to find a table near the glass windows of the restaurant, looking out into the hubbub of the mall.
“Still a dork,” she muttered, loud enough for him to hear as he took a seat at the table. Rather than undoing the tape holding the sub’s wrapping closed, Charlie simply began to tear it off until there was a hole large enough for her to start taking bites through. Strips of paper littered her tray, and she took a large bite of the meatball sub.
“I’m not a dork,” Rylee replied sadly, pouting his lower lip as he took a seat across from Charlie. He continued his pout as he unwrapped his sub neatly, patting down the paper to make a cover of sorts for the tray before lifting it and taking a bite. “So, since I’ve seen your job, you should see mine one day,” Rylee commented after swallowing the first bite of his Italian BMT. She resisted the urge to give him a kick under the table for the pout, instead concerning herself instead with the sandwich. It still slightly amazed her that he’d taken the knowledge of her current employment with absolutely no issue - of course, in Charlie’s mind, passing up the opportunity to rib someone for just about anything was a cardinal sin.
“Museum’s prolly a lot more interestin’ than what I do,” she agreed, speaking through a mouthful of food. The sandwich was halfway done by this point, Rylee’s BMT nearly being devoured whole as he realized just how hungry he was, but he still paused and waited until he swallowed his food before continuing to talk. “Well, it’s pretty interesting to me,” Rylee said with a smile. He loved that Charlie had still maintained her accent, even if his had somewhat slipped away. Aside from growing more mature (well, mostly) and loosing the tiny bit of baby fat she had when they were kids, Charlie still looked the same to Rylee. Although he thought her hair might be a little bit longer and she had the added issues of her PTSD, she was still his Charlie. Not his, but still he felt slightly possessive over her. She had been his best friend for nearly half of his life. “Maybe one day you can set up a private tour so that I can show you around without having to deal with actual tourists.”
“Private, huh? Just what kinda girl do you think I am?” The quips came to hand easily, probably one of the few things Charlie would admit she did well. Her mouth seemed stuck in a smug pose, and she greedily helped herself to another bite of her sandwich. “Naw, that does sound like a lil bit of fun. See what, yah know, what I’ve been missin’ out on.” It was the closest thing she’d said toward talking about that event, and she quickly passed over it. “Maybe I’ll just show up one day, like you did me. Give yah a nice lil scare.”
A pout formed on his lips once more but only briefly. He hadn’t meant a private tour in that way. Although, since she was bringing it up, he did know that there was a back room just off of the Egyptian display that people rarely went near... If he could ever give her a private tour it would be to that room. “Well, if you were to show up unexpectedly there is a chance I wouldn’t be able to visit with you. It would depend on how busy it was.” His voice was quiet, he didn’t like things just happening, he didn’t like surprises, but he would never deny a chance to see Charlie. Shifting in his seat he heard something thunk to the floor underneath their table. For a moment, he didn’t know what had fallen, then he remembered the damn box of dog treats he got for Charlie’s creature with fangs.
Looking up at Charlie he read her face to see if she had heard the thump as well, and she had; setting the sub down, she leaned over to glance under the table. The thought to pick it up was only natural, and the bag fell away enough for her to see its contents. Her brow furrowed as her jaw worked at the remaining bits of sandwich in her mouth. “Dog treats? Rylee, you don’t even like dogs, what’re these for?” Rather than holding it out for him to take, she dangled it from a hooked finger with a curious expression. Slowly it dawned on her that the treats could be for Jack, unless there was another canine in the building. “Rye, don’t go spoilin’ my dog, he’s a handful as it is...” The nickname rolled off her tongue without a second thought, and the treats were dropped to the table top before being shoved in his direction.
“Besides, he’s not mean or anything, it’s not like you gotta win him over.”
More like he wanted to win the owner of the dog over, but Rylee wasn’t about to mention that to Charlie. He felt his cheeks begin to grow warm again and for a moment Rylee busied himself with eating. She knew he wouldn’t talk with his mouth full so he was safe this way while he thought of a reply. “I just figured if you came over again he could eat something better than my left over food. Figured it’d be healthier for him, you know?” Rylee didn’t raise his voice to its normal timbre as he neatly pushed the bits of sandwich that had fallen onto the paper into a little pile. Her eyes glanced down to his nervous motions, then back up to his face. Sometimes it was strange, trying to connect the boy she had grown up with to the man sitting in front of her - the military had been good to him, mentally as well as physically. Yet there were moments like this where she saw that string bean of a blond who was forever nervously trying to put sentences together. She wiped at the side of her mouth with her thumb before reaching for a napkin.
“Yeah, I s’pose it’d be good for him. Though I’m not sure about draggin’ him up in that piece of shit elevator, and walkin’ seven flights of stairs innit my picture of a good time,” she answered, with a partial shrug. Another bite filled her mouth, the sandwich disappearing not quite as quickly as Rylee’s had. “But it’s a thought.”
“Well I hope he likes them,” Rylee grumbled as he pinched at the food droppings and tossed them into his mouth. “I don’t really know what dogs like.” He paused, considering this for a moment. “But y’all ready know that.” He smiled slightly and looked directly at Charlie. She knew a lot about him. He felt one of those urges to reach out for her again, to go and kiss her, maybe grope her a little, but he only reached out and grabbed her hand, quickly giving it a squeeze. So it wasn’t an actual hug, maybe a mini hug, but still he was receiving a small portion of the contact he wanted. He noticed that her hand was small compared to his and the skin on the back of her hand felt soft against his fingers. The sudden contact took her by surprise, and she had the instant reaction of pulling her hand back. She swallowed the food, putting the leftover quarter of her sandwich back on the tray. Rylee felt his stomach twist as Charlie pulled away from him. He quickly dropped his hand to his side and looked down at the remains of his lunch.
“I think I’ll get a bag - I should get back to work,” she muttered, pushing her chair back with a decisive motion. Leaving him at the table, she went to the counter to put distance between herself and what had just happened. After a minute or so, she returned, a tight smile fixed to her lips as she scooped her sandwich into the bag; the entire motion was done while standing. “So should I expect you droppin’ by like this often? I’m not always at this mall,” she started, moving things along as though nothing had happened.
He allowed her to get up, babbling as if nothing had just happened, walk away, come back, continue talking, and still he kept his gaze on the table. This was all stupid, what he had attempted was ridiculous, he knew better than to try and take Charlie’s hand. Why would she allow him to touch her? Even in so small of a manner. He thought of the hug they had shared when they first ran into each other and even that he had forced on her.
He swallowed and licked his lips before looking up at Charlie and faking a smile. “Nah, this was just a surprise. I don’t intend on shopping here again. It’s not my type of place. I’ll leave you to your work then, so,” He got to his feet quickly and grabbed the paper wrap of his eaten sandwich. “So, I’ll let you go now. It was nice seeing you, Charlie.”
He threw the paper wrap away then remembered the dog treats, quickly walking back to the table but avoiding Charlie’s eyes as he grabbed the bag. “Okay... so, bye...”
Despite outward appearances, she did feel like an ass. He was the one person who could honestly make her feel bad about doing something that she generally did to everyone; the paper bag clenched between fingers, she gave a brisk nod. “Yeah. Bye.” And after an awkward moment, she turned and walked out of the subway door, moving like a trapped animal escaping.