“Please don’t tell Lucas or Fallon,” she whispered as her couch, the same couch she made beautiful sweet love to Levi on, burned.
“I won’t,” he said softly, “can I ask why?”
“Because they will think I’m psychotic.”
“No they won’t. It’s not like you’re rocking back and forth on the floor, crying. That’s when you have hit rock bottom.”
Audrey looked up into Tate’s soft eyes, “I did that before I started the fire.”
Tate seemed to cringe as he looked away. She watched his profile, the light from the fire bringing out the stubble that lined his jaw. When he turned to look at her, he smiled. “Come here,” he said, and then he took her hand in his, bringing her close to him and he wrapped his arms tightly around her. She went willingly, really needing a hug at that moment. As tears rolled down her cheeks, she took in a shaky breath as she watched the fire burn.
“Are you allowed to burn things in your front lawn?” Tate asked.
Audrey shrugged her shoulders, “I don’t care.”
They stood, wrapped in each other’s arms for a long time. Her body was in overdrive from waking up to Levi’s leaving, to de-Levi-ing her house, to being in someone’s arms again. Tate’s arms tightened around Audrey’s body, his head resting on the top of her head and she knew that Tate didn’t want anything from her. He just wanted to hold her because she was hurting and that alone was refreshing. She was tired of people always wanting things from her, and for once she felt like someone wasn’t only being nice because they wanted something but because they cared and were worried about her.
Tate made her feel like that.
Just like her things, Audrey’s body also was on fire. She wanted Tate. She wanted to stay in his arms forever. She missed him more than she had missed Levi and she had no clue who he was. She didn’t care though. He seemed like a good person. Young as all get out, but a good person. She couldn’t even think twice about being with someone right now after everything with Levi. And also because Tate probably thought she was a psychotic slut. She hadn’t started on a good foot with him, so her hormones were going to need to slow down. She really needed to get it together.
When a fire truck, a fire marshal and four cop cars pulled up, Tate’s body shook with laughter.
“I guess you can’t.”
***
Tate watched as the emergency response teams left. Audrey stood beside him taking in deep breaths as her eyes stayed on the pile of junk that had been drenched with water from the fire trucks. Tate still couldn’t believe the show she had put on for him. It was quite the site: watching her grunt, and cuss as she threw each item out in the lawn. When she got the matches and lighter fluid he wanted to laugh but he could tell she wouldn’t like that much. She was visibly upset, and he wanted to know why.
When she glanced up at him with a sheepish smile, he smiled back. Then they both started to laugh. She held her stomach as she laughed loudly, adding in a little snort here and there. That made him laugh harder and soon he was bent over laughing.
“What a show, huh?”
Tate smiled, “It was interesting.”
Audrey giggled, “You probably think I’m a psychotic slut.”
Tate’s smile fell as his eyebrows drew together, “I don’t think that at all.”
She waved him off, rolling her eyes, “I just set fire to a couch and a mattress, and other things. I’m pretty sure that gets me a one way ticket to Crazyville.”
Tate shook his head, “Obviously, you are upset.”
“Upset is a good word for it, but I think psychotic is better.”
Tate scoffed, “I think you are being too hard on yourself.”
She looked up surprised. They shared a long look before she nodded, “I’m always too hard on myself.”
“See, even you know that you aren’t a psychotic slut.”
“Oh, I don’t think I am. I said you probably think I am.”
Tate shook his head. He was so confused, “I don’t think that at all. Why would I?”
Audrey looked down shyly, “Like I said, I burnt up some furniture but before that I slept with you only knowing you for 5 minutes.”
Ahh, okay. That was where the slut part came from.
“Audrey, I just think that you had the same passion I had, and we acted on it. What’s wrong with that?”
Audrey smiled as she shrugged her shoulders, “I had never done that before.”
Tate grinned as he nodded, “Well, I’m glad I was your first.”
She giggled as she looked away again. “I’m sorry for the way I acted at the wedding, I was a bitch.”
Tate shrugged his shoulders, a small smile pulling at his lips, “Don’t think twice about it.”
She gave him a bright grin before moving her hand through her wet long hair. Tate took in a deep breath as he kicked around at the grass with his bare feet. He had this need to know everything about her. Knowing that it was she who lived next door still made his pulse kick up. He hoped that she would get to know him and maybe something would develop. He was intrigued by her and more than a little attracted to her. He wanted her. Bad.
“You want to tell me what happened to cause you to set your furniture on fire?”
Audrey shrugged her shoulders before looking up at him. Her eyes were cloudy with tears and it tugged at his heart to see her like that. He wanted to gobble her up in his arms again and kiss away the pain but that would be rude. She obviously needed time, so for right now, he would keep his hands to himself.