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Post by Nathalia Webb on Jan 16, 2009 13:54:33 GMT -5
Nathalia was standing in front of her mother's door on the third floor. She could hear the new TV on... or maybe Anna was in there talking. It was hard to tell, but either way, she wasn't in the mood to explain to her mother why she was crying.
She didn't even know why she was crying. Dimitri had been flattering and all of that, so she should have felt beautiful right now. Instead, she felt empty and like she was allowing herself to constantly be used. When it came down to it, she was.
She leaned against the wall, letting her head fall back, and an idea hit her. It was stupid and she didn't know what she was going to do when she got there, but she turned and took the stairs up one more flight.
She hesitated only a second in front of Roland's door, knowing she looked miserable, and had no idea what she was even going to do. She knocked, praying he didn't have another woman over.
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Jan 16, 2009 14:02:13 GMT -5
Roland didn't have anyone over that night. In fact, he was, at that moment, sitting down to dinner, despite the late hour. Of course, his dinner was takeout pizza and a bottle of wine, but at least he was eating something.
When he heard the knock on the door, he had a slice of pizza in his hand and was just about to take a bite. He paused, glancing over at the door, then put the slice back on the plate and walked over to the door. Ever cautious, he looked out the peephole and was surprised to see Nathalia standing there, looking very upset. Immediately, he threw open the door.
"Nathalia?" he said. "What's wrong?"
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Post by Nathalia Webb on Jan 16, 2009 14:12:40 GMT -5
She felt like such a fool when he opened the door, and she suddenly had no idea why she thought she should come to him. She didn't even know what to say, and she almost laughed at the situation she found herself in.
Instead, she shook her head. "I'm so sorry... I don't know what I was thinking. I... I'm not here for anything, I just didn't want to go home, and I didn't know where else to go."
Her fear was that he was going to turn her away... and if she were him, she might have done it, so she could hardly blame him if he did, but it would be too much for her to handle.
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Jan 16, 2009 14:37:57 GMT -5
Roland could see her confusion and pain, and his first instinct was to help. Ever the protector, he immediately assumed she'd been hurt and he wanted to be sure that she was safe.
"No, it's OK," he said quickly. "What happened? Are you hurt? Did someone hurt you, or..." He trailed off. Girls who worked in bars and went home with strange men sometimes ended up going home with the wrong types. He knew full well that he was a rare type--there were not many good guys who went for one night stands.
"Come inside and tell me what happened."
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Post by Nathalia Webb on Jan 16, 2009 15:44:12 GMT -5
Nat shook her head, but came inside all the same. She stayed by the door, though, still uncertain. "No, I'm not hurt. Nothing happened to me... see?" She smiled a little feebly. "I don't know why I came. I just... needed to talk to someone, and as it turns out, I don't really have anyone to talk to. I just remembered you. If you're busy... I'll go."
He made a correct assumption that not all guys who picked up girls in bars were like him, and she'd seen her share of them, but Dimitri was not one of them. He... he was just another one night stand, another person she had connected with that she would never see again.
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Jan 16, 2009 15:56:25 GMT -5
Roland closed the door and looked at her appraisingly for a moment, trying to determine whether she was really OK. She was definitely upset about something, that was for sure. It would have been a little easier for him to deal with if she had actually been hurt, but there was still something in him that simply could not turn away a damsel in distress, whatever the reason.
"No, I'm not busy. In fact, I was just sitting down to some pizza... would you like some? I actually have food to offer you this time." He flashed his crooked grin at her.
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Post by Nathalia Webb on Jan 16, 2009 19:54:57 GMT -5
Nathalia returned his smile, and she was about to turn him down. She didn't need to be stealing any of his food, but against her politer judgement, she nodded. "Yeah... that would be nice. Thank you."
She seemed to relax a little, now that she knew he wasn't going to turn her away. She would apologize again later for coming to him like this, but for now, she wanted to just enjoy the fact that she was here.
"Do you always eat this late?" She asked.
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Jan 16, 2009 20:36:34 GMT -5
Roland shrugged. "When I eat at all," he said. "I'm afraid I've never been a very big eater, much to my mother's dismay. I always have other things on my mind... and I'm a positively dreadful cook. So usually, by the time I get around to finding something for dinner, it's pretty late."
He looked a little embarrassed at the admission as he sat back down on the couch. "Have a seat and help yourself. Would you like some wine? All I have left is the white."
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Post by Nathalia Webb on Jan 17, 2009 21:25:32 GMT -5
Nathalia nodded and smiled again. "We're exactly opposite. I eat all the time."
She came in further and sat down on his sofa, pulling her long legs up under her and resting her back against the arm.
"White is fine," she told him, watching him and thinking to herself how kind he was to do this, basically no questions asked. Then, she shook her head. "Wait, no. I shouldn't." She was still tipsy from the wine and firewhiskey with Dimitri, and she wanted out of the feeling.
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Jan 17, 2009 22:22:12 GMT -5
Roland nodded, understanding. Whatever she had been doing, she had already been drinking. "I can get you something else... water? I just went shopping, so I think I have some milk." He laughed, realizing how ridiculous that must sound. "I'm sorry, I'm not a very good host. As I said, I'm not in the habit of keeping a lot of food in the apartment. And I really don't have a lot of guests."
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Post by Nathalia Webb on Jan 17, 2009 22:48:22 GMT -5
"You weren't exactly planning on having guests tonight, either." She gave him a look that was apologetic, if not a little sad.
"Some water would be wonderful, if you don't mind." She wanted tea, something warm, but was already imposing so much that she couldn't bring herself to ask if he had any.
"And for the record, I think you're quite a cordial host."
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Jan 18, 2009 0:06:23 GMT -5
"Water it is." Roland stood up and gestured again to the pizza box. "Please, help yourself," he said again. "I'll get you a plate."
He walked into the kitchen, his long legs moving with easy grace. While he was getting her drink, he allowed himself to wonder why she had come. He didn't think she was expecting a repeat performance of their night together. It seemed more to him that she was troubled by something and was looking for a friend. It made him a little sad that she felt she had to turn to him instead of someone that she had known longer.
He returned a moment later, carrying a glass of water in one hand and a plate in the other. He hoped she had taken a slice of the pizza while he was gone; common courtesy dictated that it would be impolite to eat in front of her. And he was really hungry.
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Post by Nathalia Webb on Jan 18, 2009 0:55:18 GMT -5
Nathalia had not taken a slice of pizza yet, though as soon as she took the plate from Roland, she opened the box. She was glad to see it was new, and not leftovers so that she wasn't stealing his second to last piece.
She took one and set the plate in her lap. "Thank you," she said, then looked up and met his eyes. "I mean it. Thank you."
He knew next to nothing about her... she didn't want to dwell on why he had let her in at all.
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Jan 18, 2009 1:18:33 GMT -5
He relaxed a little more when she took a slice of pizza. Sitting down on the sofa, he picked up his plate and took a few bites before responding, "It's no trouble, really. I was just going to... well, eat and read." He nodded toward a book sitting on the table next to him, a half-grin on his face.
"So why don't you tell me why you came here tonight?" he asked gently.
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Post by Nathalia Webb on Jan 18, 2009 1:33:18 GMT -5
Nathalia dropped her gaze to her plate and set her pizza down, though she didn't know what to do with her hands once they were free, so she just held the edge of the plate.
"I don't really know why. I was in the neighborhood," she said, a small grin creeping onto her lips even as she looked down. In the neighborhood and went one flight of stairs too many. He wouldn't buy that as an answer, and she wondered how hard he was going to push her for it.
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Jan 18, 2009 2:29:02 GMT -5
"Aren't you pretty much always in the neighborhood?" he cracked.
He set his plate down and leaned forward to look at her seriously. "What was different about tonight? You came up here for a reason... and unless you're hoping for a repeat performance of our last meeting--which I don't think is the case--then it seems to me you were in need of a friend, and for some reason, you thought of me. I should warn you I'm lousy at giving advice, but I am a good listener."
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Post by Nathalia Webb on Jan 18, 2009 2:35:01 GMT -5
"What if I was looking for a repeat of last time?" Nat asked, slowly letting her eyes meet his. His gaze was intense, even when he was kind, and she was, at this point, a walking time-bomb. Being under that gaze made her feel like she would come undone. To hide the fact that she looked away, she reached for her water.
A moment later, she feigned a smile. "I mean, it was good, wasn't it? And you did let me in tonight."
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Jan 18, 2009 2:51:12 GMT -5
His lip quirked up in the corner. "Well, I wouldn't say no..." he said, almost ashamed to admit it. But again, he was a man, and she was a beautiful woman.
"And yes, it was good. But isn't why I let you in. I let you in because you looked lost. And you don't have to tell me why... You're welcome here. We haven't known each other long, but I consider you a friend."
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Post by Nathalia Webb on Jan 18, 2009 2:56:17 GMT -5
Nathalia sighed. She could play it up, keep up the pretense of coming her for a booty call. But where would that get her? She already felt a connection with Roland, and that would just deepen it. And wasn't that he problem anyway? And now that he admitted to seeing her as a friend... which she did too... well, it would complicate things.
She picked at the cheese on her pizza. "I like you, Roland. I feel like I connect with people sometimes... and I hate to admit it, but I would have been... had you turned me away tonight."
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Jan 18, 2009 3:08:17 GMT -5
"I like you, too. I very rarely connect with people as well as I did with you," he admitted. "Oh, I can flirt when I want to, but I don't usually connect. I'm better at holding myself back, staying aloof. But you got to me. I like women with brains and spirit and strength. That's what I saw in you."
He finished his first slice of pizza and went for a second, but didn't eat yet.
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