Post by Jen on Apr 26, 2009 21:41:57 GMT -5
Gus finally put his chopsticks down and fell back against the couch, groaning. “I should have listened when my stomach protested that third egg roll. I’m so full,” he complained.
“Wow. And here, I didn’t think that was possible, but the entire chicken column of Charlie Chiang’s menu has proved us both wrong,” Harley teased as she closed the magazine she had been reading since she stopped eating twenty minutes earlier.
“No sympathy, huh?” he asked and she shook her head but gave him a quick kiss before she picked up the remote and started flipping through the channels.
“There’s nothing on,” she informed him and tossed the remote away.
“We could go rent a movie,” he suggested.
“Maybe in a little bit, when you can move again,” she smirked and went back to her magazine.
Gus pushed himself off the couch and walked over to the mantle above Harley’s fireplace where she had the flag from Mallet’s funeral and some pictures. He had only glanced at them before, but looking closer now, he noticed Harley’s hair was shorter and curly in the pictures with her family and Mallet, than it was now.
“You grew your hair out,” he said and she got up and stood next to him.
“Oh yeah. And I lost the perm and got a dye job,” she added. “You know, when I was on the force, it was just easier. And Mallet liked it short. I guess the change was part of the healing process,” she shrugged.
“I like the change, I like it long,” he said as he ran his fingers through her blonde hair then nuzzled her neck. “I like playing with it. You know when we’re just sitting around or when we make…I like it long,” he covered with a smile and kissed her before he pulled her into a hug.
Harley relaxed against him, shaking off the sudden tension that overtook her when he almost said ‘make love’. They stood in silence a few moments before she pulled away. “I’m gonna clean up,” she said and he reluctantly let go of her with a sigh.
“I’m gonna run down to the store and get cigarettes, grab a movie. You need anything?” he asked her.
“Um, toothpaste, if you’re going,” she replied as she put what little food was leftover away.
“What flavor?” he asked, pulling her keys off the hook by her door.
“Striped,” she answered from the kitchen.
“Striped is not a flavor,” he rolled his eyes.
“Anything but cinnamon,” she clarified.
“Nothing wrong with cinnamon!” he called back before he disappeared out the door.
She was halfway done with the dishes when the phone rang and she dried her hands before she grabbed the receiver. “Hello,” she answered.
“Hey sis,” Frank greeted on the other end of the line.
“Oh hey. What’s up?” she asked.
“Not a whole lot, just haven’t talked to you in a few weeks, I wanted to catch up,” he answered.
“Oh, I know. Things have been busy.”
“Did you have a good birthday?” he asked.
“Uh yeah, it was good. Kind of a low-key day you know. Dinner, that’s pretty much it. How’s everyone there doing? I’m waiting for new pictures of my niece, you know,” she reminded him, trying to change the subject.
“Yeah, I know, she starts pre-school next week, so I’m sure Eleni will go crazy with the camera,” Frank replied. “So uh…we were talking and we were hoping you’d come out and visit next month,” he began cautiously.
“Oh, well…” she started to respond, leaning against the counter with her back to the door.
“Harley, it’s less than a month away. And your wedding anniversary and the anniversary of Mallet’s death are only a few days apart. Come out here, be with your family, you shouldn’t be alone.”
“Frank, I’m not alone, here, you know. I mean, I have Shannon…and friends,” she protested as Gus came back into the apartment without her hearing him.
“If it’s about money, don’t worry about it, we’ll take care of your ticket.”
“It’s not the money, Frank. I just…I can’t. I’ll be fine here, don’t worry,” she assured him as Gus made his presence known and walked past her into the bathroom to put her toothpaste away.
“Alright,” he replied, reluctantly. “You’ll let me know if you change your mind?”
“Absolutely I will. Listen, I’ll call you tomorrow and talk to everyone.”
“Okay, Sis. I love you,” Frank said.
“I love you too. Bye,” she replied before they hung up and she went back to the dishes, ignoring Gus who was leaning against the refrigerator.
She worked in silence for a few minutes until Gus spoke up, “Harley…” he began.
“Hey how much do I owe you?” she interrupted and went to find her purse to pay him back.
“Don’t worry about it,” he said, but she ignored him and shoved a couple of bucks into his hand. “Hey, what’s up?” he asked, grabbing her wrist and forcing her to look at him.
“Nothing. Just Frank, being…Frank,” she sighed.
“So…does your family even know about me?” he finally asked.
“Why do you ask?” she replied after a beat of hesitance.
“Well, you were trying to convince your brother that you’re not alone out here and you mention Shannon, but you didn’t mention me at all.”
“Frank knows Shannon, I thought it would help to mention her.”
“But he doesn’t know me. He doesn’t even know I exist, right?” Gus asked and she stared back at him in silence. “You know, I guess I just thought after dating for months and sleeping together, our relationship might be worth mentioning to your family,” he ranted.
“Gus, come on, it’s not a big deal,” she tried to calm him down.
“I’m not asking to be invited to family dinners or anything, Harley. But have you once even mentioned that you’re seeing someone?”
“No,” she answered quietly.
“Why not?”
“Gus, it’s complicated…” she began but was interrupted by his pager going off.
“I don’t understand what’s so complicated about saying ‘hey Frank, I’ll call you tomorrow, I’m about to watch a movie with Gus’ and for him to know who I am!” he argued, ignoring the beeping.
“You don’t understand, it’s…Oh my god, would you please answer that?” she yelled, annoyed at the interruption and he ripped the pager off his belt and looked at it.
He sighed as he picked up the phone and called the number on his pager. He said a few words then angrily hung up. “I have to go,” he said.
“Go,” she replied, crossing her arms in front of her.
He took a long look at her defiant stance then grabbed his cigarettes and left the apartment with a slam of the door.
“Hello,” Harley said into her intercom when it buzzed a few hours later.
“It’s me,” she heard Gus’s voice come through and paused for a minute, trying to decide if she wanted to see him. It didn’t hurt that hesitation would remind him that she was mad at him. She finally buzzed him and opened the door to wait for him. She stepped into the doorway and leaned against the doorframe, determined to not let him into the apartment unless he was in a better mood.
She looked up when she heard the elevator arrive and he stepped out, but stopped when he saw her in the hallway. He took a deep breath and steeled himself for another battle before he started down the hall toward her. He paused at her door, then tried to step inside, but she blocked his way.
“Come on, Harley, can we not do this in your hallway?” he protested and she moved just enough so he could slip past her, then followed him inside. “I can’t stay, I have to go back to work, but I didn’t want to end the night like we did,” he began. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be questioning what you do or don’t tell people. You’re right, I don’t understand what you’ve been going through, so I don’t know how to deal with all of this. I just have to trust that you are doing the best you can and you’ll tell your family about us when you’re ready. I’m sorry I made it into such a big deal. I just…,” he took a deep breath. “I’m sorry. Do you forgive me?” he asked, contrite.
“Gus,” Harley sighed. “Of course, but…”
“It doesn’t matter,” he interrupted. “No pressure okay?”
“Yeah, okay,” she nodded and he reached out to grab her hand and she wrapped her arms around his waist and kissed him.
“Our first fight,” he said and she nodded against his shoulder. “I didn’t like it,” he added.
“Me neither. I’m glad you came back,” she said, looking up at him. “I’m sorry too.”
“Nothing to be sorry about,” he replied. “I wish I could stay, but…”
“You have go, I know,” she nodded and loosened her arms around him.
“I’ll try to come in for lunch tomorrow,” he said and kissed her one last time before he left again.
Harley followed him to the door and locked it behind him, then leaned against the closed door and sighed. She knew in some ways Gus was right. She should have told her family about him by now, and she wasn’t sure why she didn’t. Mallet had been dead almost two years, but she still felt like she was cheating on him sometimes with Gus. Though she knew Buzz would encourage her relationship with Gus, part of her thought Frank would feel differently, since every time Buzz brought up Harley moving on, he insisted she needed more time on her own. She had to admit to herself that one of the reasons she didn’t tell her family about Gus was because it would mean they were getting serious, and she liked to believe they were still pretty casual, having fun, enjoying each other’s company. She knew he was on a different wavelength when it came to the seriousness of their relationship, but he had been patient and let her take the lead when they moved to the next step. She knew that tonight’s blow up was just about him being frustrated about her ambivalence, and even though they talked, they didn’t resolve anything. She had wanted to explain her position more, but was glad when he waved it off and claimed everything was fine, because honestly, she didn’t even know how she would begin to describe her feelings. She had put it off long enough, sooner or later, she'd have to face her feelings about Gus. And the longer she waited, the more likely she was to lose Gus altogether.
“Wow. And here, I didn’t think that was possible, but the entire chicken column of Charlie Chiang’s menu has proved us both wrong,” Harley teased as she closed the magazine she had been reading since she stopped eating twenty minutes earlier.
“No sympathy, huh?” he asked and she shook her head but gave him a quick kiss before she picked up the remote and started flipping through the channels.
“There’s nothing on,” she informed him and tossed the remote away.
“We could go rent a movie,” he suggested.
“Maybe in a little bit, when you can move again,” she smirked and went back to her magazine.
Gus pushed himself off the couch and walked over to the mantle above Harley’s fireplace where she had the flag from Mallet’s funeral and some pictures. He had only glanced at them before, but looking closer now, he noticed Harley’s hair was shorter and curly in the pictures with her family and Mallet, than it was now.
“You grew your hair out,” he said and she got up and stood next to him.
“Oh yeah. And I lost the perm and got a dye job,” she added. “You know, when I was on the force, it was just easier. And Mallet liked it short. I guess the change was part of the healing process,” she shrugged.
“I like the change, I like it long,” he said as he ran his fingers through her blonde hair then nuzzled her neck. “I like playing with it. You know when we’re just sitting around or when we make…I like it long,” he covered with a smile and kissed her before he pulled her into a hug.
Harley relaxed against him, shaking off the sudden tension that overtook her when he almost said ‘make love’. They stood in silence a few moments before she pulled away. “I’m gonna clean up,” she said and he reluctantly let go of her with a sigh.
“I’m gonna run down to the store and get cigarettes, grab a movie. You need anything?” he asked her.
“Um, toothpaste, if you’re going,” she replied as she put what little food was leftover away.
“What flavor?” he asked, pulling her keys off the hook by her door.
“Striped,” she answered from the kitchen.
“Striped is not a flavor,” he rolled his eyes.
“Anything but cinnamon,” she clarified.
“Nothing wrong with cinnamon!” he called back before he disappeared out the door.
She was halfway done with the dishes when the phone rang and she dried her hands before she grabbed the receiver. “Hello,” she answered.
“Hey sis,” Frank greeted on the other end of the line.
“Oh hey. What’s up?” she asked.
“Not a whole lot, just haven’t talked to you in a few weeks, I wanted to catch up,” he answered.
“Oh, I know. Things have been busy.”
“Did you have a good birthday?” he asked.
“Uh yeah, it was good. Kind of a low-key day you know. Dinner, that’s pretty much it. How’s everyone there doing? I’m waiting for new pictures of my niece, you know,” she reminded him, trying to change the subject.
“Yeah, I know, she starts pre-school next week, so I’m sure Eleni will go crazy with the camera,” Frank replied. “So uh…we were talking and we were hoping you’d come out and visit next month,” he began cautiously.
“Oh, well…” she started to respond, leaning against the counter with her back to the door.
“Harley, it’s less than a month away. And your wedding anniversary and the anniversary of Mallet’s death are only a few days apart. Come out here, be with your family, you shouldn’t be alone.”
“Frank, I’m not alone, here, you know. I mean, I have Shannon…and friends,” she protested as Gus came back into the apartment without her hearing him.
“If it’s about money, don’t worry about it, we’ll take care of your ticket.”
“It’s not the money, Frank. I just…I can’t. I’ll be fine here, don’t worry,” she assured him as Gus made his presence known and walked past her into the bathroom to put her toothpaste away.
“Alright,” he replied, reluctantly. “You’ll let me know if you change your mind?”
“Absolutely I will. Listen, I’ll call you tomorrow and talk to everyone.”
“Okay, Sis. I love you,” Frank said.
“I love you too. Bye,” she replied before they hung up and she went back to the dishes, ignoring Gus who was leaning against the refrigerator.
She worked in silence for a few minutes until Gus spoke up, “Harley…” he began.
“Hey how much do I owe you?” she interrupted and went to find her purse to pay him back.
“Don’t worry about it,” he said, but she ignored him and shoved a couple of bucks into his hand. “Hey, what’s up?” he asked, grabbing her wrist and forcing her to look at him.
“Nothing. Just Frank, being…Frank,” she sighed.
“So…does your family even know about me?” he finally asked.
“Why do you ask?” she replied after a beat of hesitance.
“Well, you were trying to convince your brother that you’re not alone out here and you mention Shannon, but you didn’t mention me at all.”
“Frank knows Shannon, I thought it would help to mention her.”
“But he doesn’t know me. He doesn’t even know I exist, right?” Gus asked and she stared back at him in silence. “You know, I guess I just thought after dating for months and sleeping together, our relationship might be worth mentioning to your family,” he ranted.
“Gus, come on, it’s not a big deal,” she tried to calm him down.
“I’m not asking to be invited to family dinners or anything, Harley. But have you once even mentioned that you’re seeing someone?”
“No,” she answered quietly.
“Why not?”
“Gus, it’s complicated…” she began but was interrupted by his pager going off.
“I don’t understand what’s so complicated about saying ‘hey Frank, I’ll call you tomorrow, I’m about to watch a movie with Gus’ and for him to know who I am!” he argued, ignoring the beeping.
“You don’t understand, it’s…Oh my god, would you please answer that?” she yelled, annoyed at the interruption and he ripped the pager off his belt and looked at it.
He sighed as he picked up the phone and called the number on his pager. He said a few words then angrily hung up. “I have to go,” he said.
“Go,” she replied, crossing her arms in front of her.
He took a long look at her defiant stance then grabbed his cigarettes and left the apartment with a slam of the door.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
“Hello,” Harley said into her intercom when it buzzed a few hours later.
“It’s me,” she heard Gus’s voice come through and paused for a minute, trying to decide if she wanted to see him. It didn’t hurt that hesitation would remind him that she was mad at him. She finally buzzed him and opened the door to wait for him. She stepped into the doorway and leaned against the doorframe, determined to not let him into the apartment unless he was in a better mood.
She looked up when she heard the elevator arrive and he stepped out, but stopped when he saw her in the hallway. He took a deep breath and steeled himself for another battle before he started down the hall toward her. He paused at her door, then tried to step inside, but she blocked his way.
“Come on, Harley, can we not do this in your hallway?” he protested and she moved just enough so he could slip past her, then followed him inside. “I can’t stay, I have to go back to work, but I didn’t want to end the night like we did,” he began. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be questioning what you do or don’t tell people. You’re right, I don’t understand what you’ve been going through, so I don’t know how to deal with all of this. I just have to trust that you are doing the best you can and you’ll tell your family about us when you’re ready. I’m sorry I made it into such a big deal. I just…,” he took a deep breath. “I’m sorry. Do you forgive me?” he asked, contrite.
“Gus,” Harley sighed. “Of course, but…”
“It doesn’t matter,” he interrupted. “No pressure okay?”
“Yeah, okay,” she nodded and he reached out to grab her hand and she wrapped her arms around his waist and kissed him.
“Our first fight,” he said and she nodded against his shoulder. “I didn’t like it,” he added.
“Me neither. I’m glad you came back,” she said, looking up at him. “I’m sorry too.”
“Nothing to be sorry about,” he replied. “I wish I could stay, but…”
“You have go, I know,” she nodded and loosened her arms around him.
“I’ll try to come in for lunch tomorrow,” he said and kissed her one last time before he left again.
Harley followed him to the door and locked it behind him, then leaned against the closed door and sighed. She knew in some ways Gus was right. She should have told her family about him by now, and she wasn’t sure why she didn’t. Mallet had been dead almost two years, but she still felt like she was cheating on him sometimes with Gus. Though she knew Buzz would encourage her relationship with Gus, part of her thought Frank would feel differently, since every time Buzz brought up Harley moving on, he insisted she needed more time on her own. She had to admit to herself that one of the reasons she didn’t tell her family about Gus was because it would mean they were getting serious, and she liked to believe they were still pretty casual, having fun, enjoying each other’s company. She knew he was on a different wavelength when it came to the seriousness of their relationship, but he had been patient and let her take the lead when they moved to the next step. She knew that tonight’s blow up was just about him being frustrated about her ambivalence, and even though they talked, they didn’t resolve anything. She had wanted to explain her position more, but was glad when he waved it off and claimed everything was fine, because honestly, she didn’t even know how she would begin to describe her feelings. She had put it off long enough, sooner or later, she'd have to face her feelings about Gus. And the longer she waited, the more likely she was to lose Gus altogether.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~