Dusk was beginning to creep up on them in the manner of the encroaching autumn nights as they made their escape from the theater, despite it being only late afternoon. Vicki was still chuckling softly to herself at the memory of the look on the coat-check usher's face when she'd asked for her coat to be returned less than half an hour before the interval. Apparently people didn't usually leave the ballet this early.
Jon had helped her on with her coat, as it was the gentlemanly thing to do. He'd offered her his arm on the way out, noticing the approaching dusk with a small worried frown, dampening his mood a little. He opened the door for her when the valet brought the Bentley up to the door and waited for her to get inside before closing the door and going around to the driver's side. Once inside, he turned to her, suddenly unsure where she might want to go.
"Where to?" Her place" His place" A bit to eat' A drive somewhere" He knew what he wanted to do and where he wanted to go, but he wasn't sure it was such a good idea with evening approaching.
With her coat curled on her lap, Vicki twisted to smile at Jon, sensing the tension that was returning in him even as she leaned over to trail a teasing line of kisses to his ear. "I think it's time we got to know each other better, don't you?" she murmured impishly.
Her kisses both relaxed him and at the same time caused him to tense up, his body betraying him and conflicting with his worries and concerns. There was no denying that he wanted her, wanted to be with her, wanted to get to know her better, but something tugged at the back of his mind, making him hesitate now that they were no longer safely hidden from the world in the darkness of the theater. Despite his worries, he ran a single fingertip down her neck, sliding her dress back just slightly to reveal a bare shoulder. "How well do you want to get to know me?"
"Oh, much better," she chuckled, not even attempting to stifle the shiver that rippled down her spine in answer to the gentle brush of his fingertip over her skin. "The kind of better that doesn't happen in a car unless you're sixteen." She grinned, her hand rising to catch his, drawing the shoulder of her dress back up as she pressed a kiss to his palm. "I'd say my place, but, uh ....it's a room rented from a nosy old woman."
He smiled when she gently and presumably temporarily rebuffed him, not missing her reaction to his caress. "My place, then?" he asked, allowing her to take the lead, following her cues.
She smiled fondly, brushing the tip of her nose to his before leaning back. "What a wonderful idea, Mr Granger," she teased, agreeing in her own unique way. "I do believe you may have earned yourself a reward for thinking of it."
He chuckled as he pulled the car out onto the road. "Oh, yeah' What kind of reward" I'm not really into sponge baths."
"Oh, no, we'll save that for when you're arthritic and grouchy," she assured him laughingly, buckling herself into her seatbelt. "Just be thankful I'm not expecting to be carried anywhere - light I may be, but I corner the market in boniness."
"Arthritic and grouchy," he repeated with a scowl. He hoped he never got arthritic and grouchy, and yet, he'd been offered immortal youth and had rejected it. "You really think we'll still be together when we're old and gray, Miss Marshall?"
"Well, it's better to go into something expecting it to last than just waiting for it to go wrong, isn't it?" she asked gently, tilting her head toward him. "I'm not asking for a lifetime commitment here and now, Jon, don't panic." Her hand patted his knee gently, somehow refraining from doing more while he was driving. Movie star crashes car while being fondled was not a headline anyone would appreciate.
"I'm not panicking, just ....nevermind." He blew out a slow breath, the excitement he'd felt in the theater mingled with nervous jitters and just a little fear, but it wasn't her he was afraid of and it wasn't a fear of committment either. "You know why I came back to Rhydin?"
"Family?" It was a guess, entirely based on the fact that there were a lot of Grangers in Rhy'Din, and she figured he wanted to be around his blood kin again after a long haul on Earth. Another faintly cheeky smile made itself known. "You don't need to be nervous around me, Jon."
"I'm not nervous..." Okay, maybe he was, just a little. He looked over at her, his gaze quickly moving over her, enjoying the view. "I don't remember anything before the....All I know about myself is what I read about myself or what people tell me. So, I can tell you why I think I came back, but I don't really remember it."
Vicki's smile softened again. "Like I said before, you don't need to tell me anything until you're comfortable to," she reminded him quietly. "I solemnly swear not to hold you to ransom for all your skeletons."
"I'm sure you've heard the rumors, read the gossip columns. The funny thing is ....the more I read about myself, the less it seems to be about me. It's like ....it's someone else, not me. I don't know. Maybe I've changed."
"If a person is the sum of their memories and experiences, then yes, you are a different person now," the redhead mused thoughtfully, her eyes on the road ahead. "And if you're happy with the person you are now, then why try to conform to what people expect of the old you? It's none of their business anyway."
"Because they won't let the past go, Vicki. Not the press, not the public, not even my own family. I've forgotten, but they haven't. There's no forgive and forget, but I can't undo what?s already been done. I just want to move forward, you know?"
"Are you sure it's not you trying to be who they remember that's keeping the past in the forefront of their minds?" she asked with deceptive mildness. "You can't please everyone, Jon. Looking after Number One might sound selfish, but selfish is the only way to protect your sanity sometimes."
Jon had helped her on with her coat, as it was the gentlemanly thing to do. He'd offered her his arm on the way out, noticing the approaching dusk with a small worried frown, dampening his mood a little. He opened the door for her when the valet brought the Bentley up to the door and waited for her to get inside before closing the door and going around to the driver's side. Once inside, he turned to her, suddenly unsure where she might want to go.
"Where to?" Her place" His place" A bit to eat' A drive somewhere" He knew what he wanted to do and where he wanted to go, but he wasn't sure it was such a good idea with evening approaching.
With her coat curled on her lap, Vicki twisted to smile at Jon, sensing the tension that was returning in him even as she leaned over to trail a teasing line of kisses to his ear. "I think it's time we got to know each other better, don't you?" she murmured impishly.
Her kisses both relaxed him and at the same time caused him to tense up, his body betraying him and conflicting with his worries and concerns. There was no denying that he wanted her, wanted to be with her, wanted to get to know her better, but something tugged at the back of his mind, making him hesitate now that they were no longer safely hidden from the world in the darkness of the theater. Despite his worries, he ran a single fingertip down her neck, sliding her dress back just slightly to reveal a bare shoulder. "How well do you want to get to know me?"
"Oh, much better," she chuckled, not even attempting to stifle the shiver that rippled down her spine in answer to the gentle brush of his fingertip over her skin. "The kind of better that doesn't happen in a car unless you're sixteen." She grinned, her hand rising to catch his, drawing the shoulder of her dress back up as she pressed a kiss to his palm. "I'd say my place, but, uh ....it's a room rented from a nosy old woman."
He smiled when she gently and presumably temporarily rebuffed him, not missing her reaction to his caress. "My place, then?" he asked, allowing her to take the lead, following her cues.
She smiled fondly, brushing the tip of her nose to his before leaning back. "What a wonderful idea, Mr Granger," she teased, agreeing in her own unique way. "I do believe you may have earned yourself a reward for thinking of it."
He chuckled as he pulled the car out onto the road. "Oh, yeah' What kind of reward" I'm not really into sponge baths."
"Oh, no, we'll save that for when you're arthritic and grouchy," she assured him laughingly, buckling herself into her seatbelt. "Just be thankful I'm not expecting to be carried anywhere - light I may be, but I corner the market in boniness."
"Arthritic and grouchy," he repeated with a scowl. He hoped he never got arthritic and grouchy, and yet, he'd been offered immortal youth and had rejected it. "You really think we'll still be together when we're old and gray, Miss Marshall?"
"Well, it's better to go into something expecting it to last than just waiting for it to go wrong, isn't it?" she asked gently, tilting her head toward him. "I'm not asking for a lifetime commitment here and now, Jon, don't panic." Her hand patted his knee gently, somehow refraining from doing more while he was driving. Movie star crashes car while being fondled was not a headline anyone would appreciate.
"I'm not panicking, just ....nevermind." He blew out a slow breath, the excitement he'd felt in the theater mingled with nervous jitters and just a little fear, but it wasn't her he was afraid of and it wasn't a fear of committment either. "You know why I came back to Rhydin?"
"Family?" It was a guess, entirely based on the fact that there were a lot of Grangers in Rhy'Din, and she figured he wanted to be around his blood kin again after a long haul on Earth. Another faintly cheeky smile made itself known. "You don't need to be nervous around me, Jon."
"I'm not nervous..." Okay, maybe he was, just a little. He looked over at her, his gaze quickly moving over her, enjoying the view. "I don't remember anything before the....All I know about myself is what I read about myself or what people tell me. So, I can tell you why I think I came back, but I don't really remember it."
Vicki's smile softened again. "Like I said before, you don't need to tell me anything until you're comfortable to," she reminded him quietly. "I solemnly swear not to hold you to ransom for all your skeletons."
"I'm sure you've heard the rumors, read the gossip columns. The funny thing is ....the more I read about myself, the less it seems to be about me. It's like ....it's someone else, not me. I don't know. Maybe I've changed."
"If a person is the sum of their memories and experiences, then yes, you are a different person now," the redhead mused thoughtfully, her eyes on the road ahead. "And if you're happy with the person you are now, then why try to conform to what people expect of the old you? It's none of their business anyway."
"Because they won't let the past go, Vicki. Not the press, not the public, not even my own family. I've forgotten, but they haven't. There's no forgive and forget, but I can't undo what?s already been done. I just want to move forward, you know?"
"Are you sure it's not you trying to be who they remember that's keeping the past in the forefront of their minds?" she asked with deceptive mildness. "You can't please everyone, Jon. Looking after Number One might sound selfish, but selfish is the only way to protect your sanity sometimes."