2/2
Lita also remembers getting the good news that James' friend had pulled through just as clearly, but with considerably more fondness.
"So, seeing as your buddy is so much better at this than you, when do I get to do this with him? Not ready to bump up to the advanced class quite yet?"
She's joking...mostly. She's not looking to put labels on things and Lita actually revels in the fact that what she and James' have defies explanation. She likes that it's a secret; not because it's shameful but because it's something to be held close and treasured and protected at all costs. Besides, Lita isn't looking for validation from anyone to confirm what she already knows is special. However, she'd be lying to herself if she didn't sometimes let herself wonder. A time or two she'd conjured up some far off fantasy future where Lita meets his buddies like normal people do. She and James could just be, whenever and wherever they wanted, without having to jump through hoop after fucking hoop. But, at the end of the day, it was just that: a total fantasy.
Lita relaxes her stance, wiping her brow while she catches her breath, but only for a moment. She knows James won't let her rest for long, a fact to which she is infinitely glad. There's not one ounce of her that would stand for coddling, especially from him. He pushes her to her limits, spurns her on because he knows she can take it and be made stronger by the effort.
"I'm glad I stayed," Lita says, reasserting her stance. "At the hospital. It was important; it meant something that I stood my ground. But I just wanted you to know that I thought really hard about having that sleepover with you at the LBJ. Still think about it. You think Savannah will let us reschedule now that they've got someone behind bars?"
Lita's voice is light, her eyes are on the glove on James' hand but her mind is back in the library again. Not just the hot and heavy activities but the sweet stuff, too. Waking up next to James was something Lita wouldn't exactly mind replicating.