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Post by Gary Goodwin on Oct 20, 2011 0:01:02 GMT -5
"Never cared for tea, myself," Gary replied. "I like a good, strong cup of coffee... the kind that puts hair on your chest. Believe me, I needed it." He laughed at that, realizing with surprise that it was the first time he'd laughed since he left the club with June. Maybe they were both getting back to normal.
Rolling his eyes, he grinned. "Oh, please. I don't need to find a woman. At least, not tonight. I'm with you because I want to be."
He was still trying to figure out what to do with her. He didn't care what she said; he was not bringing her back to Claw. But he wasn't exactly thrilled about having her stay with him, either. He didn't think she'd agree to that, and it was certainly make for some awkward moments between them. Besides, if the wanker found out about it, he might come after Gary. If she had a girl friend, he could take her there... or he could take her to a hotel for the night and leave her there. After that, it would be her choice what to do. He hoped she wouldn't go back to her boyfriend, but somehow he knew she would. But she was an adult, and he couldn't stop her. He just wasn't going to deliver her back to the guy.
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Post by June Bankman on Nov 13, 2011 1:57:07 GMT -5
June gave him a look, knowing fully well that there had to have been a thousand places he would rather be right now. "Well, thanks for telling me sweet lies, at least," she said with a smile to show that he did not have to convince her that he wasn't lying. She knew this couldn't be that much fun, and he really should be back there dancing with all the pretty girls.
"Can I tell you another secret?" The question was candid, and she wasn't even sure why she was about to share this with him. "I mean, it doesn't matter, and it doesn't mean anything, because I really love Talon. But I was kind of jealous of that girl with Brady tonight."
She decided in that instant that Gary was trustworthy, and she felt bad for him for that.
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Post by Gary Goodwin on Jan 15, 2012 0:25:12 GMT -5
Maybe this wasn't his idea of a perfect night, but he didn't regret it, either. Gary realized in that moment, that if he ever had a problem or a secret, he had no idea who he would go to for help. He had friends, of course... June and Brady and others that he worked with at the Ministry. But he had always kept an emotional distance from them, using humor and sarcasm as shields to keep people from getting too close. He was the guy who made jokes when he was uncomfortable, so the irony of his current situation was not lost on him.
Still, for whatever reason, she had decided to trust in him and confide in him, and he was not going to let her down. For once, he was going to be the shoulder to lean on.
He was honestly not surprised by June's latest confession. He had always thought that Brady and June would make a good couple. There was a little bit of a spark between them, whether they realized it or not. And Merlin knew Brady would be better for her than the jerk she was seeing now. But Gary was not a matchmaker, and he didn't think it was his place to step in there.
"Brady's a good guy," he said simply. "Knowing him, he'll probably just escort the girl home with a peck on the cheek."
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Post by June Bankman on Jan 20, 2012 15:47:11 GMT -5
"Yeah, I'm sure." June wouldn't meet his eyes. It wasn't like she was having romantic notions about Brady. It wasn't even Brady that she was envying. It was that her boyfriend wasn't here. And Merlin knew, if he was, he'd be jealous of everyone that June talked to. Their night would not end with a kiss on the cheek, but rather a loud argument. Or much more intimacy than a kiss. Or both.
She rubbed her nose and sighed. "You know, things always seem so much more dramatic when the sun goes down. I'm sure when I wake up tomorrow, nothing will even be wrong. But this is really embarrassing, you know. The last thing I wanted you to remember me for was.... This. Anyway..."
She trailed off, her fingertips tracing the rim of her coffee mug. "You're a sweet guy, you know? Thanks for being here.
"
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Post by Gary Goodwin on Jan 22, 2012 1:27:37 GMT -5
Almost involuntarily, Gary made a face. "Sweet?" he repeated in a slightly exaggerated tone. "Ow... Don't go telling everyone that; it'll totally ruin my reputation."
It might, in fact, have been the very first time anyone had every referred to him as sweet. Brady was sweet; Gary was the clown. It didn't sting nearly as much as he would have thought it would, actually. In fact, this whole evening had turned out very different than Gary could have ever guessed. He'd expected to get smashed and go home with some girl whose name he wouldn't remember in the morning. Instead, he was completely sober and sitting in a coffee shop with June, letting her cry on his shoulder.
Maybe he was finally starting to mellow out. It was a scary thought.
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Post by June Bankman on Jan 23, 2012 1:57:46 GMT -5
June laughed, and it made her feel a thousand times better. "Yeah... you're a sweetheart, it turns. Who knew? Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."
She gathered up the little wrappers to and whatever trash the two of the had since sitting at the table, the rather OCD side of her needing to at least put them in a neat pile before she left.
"Well... thank you for this, and I really hope this doesn't make things awkward on Monday. Anyway, I'm a little more straight now, and I should probably get going."
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Post by Gary Goodwin on Mar 1, 2012 1:53:20 GMT -5
Gary wasn't sure he wanted her to leave. He knew June well enough now to know that she wasn't always going to tell him the truth. The fact that she was sobering up meant that now she was better able to cover her feelings and hide her pain.
"Where are you going to go?" he asked. "Please tell me you're not going back to him. Not tonight."
He was aware that he couldn't really stop her, if that was what she intended to do. But he hoped to be able to talk her out of it, at least. He was involved in this now, and he couldn't just turn his back on her and let her walk back into that house with a man who would hit her. At least for tonight, he wanted to know that she was safe.
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Post by June Bankman on Sept 7, 2012 1:41:00 GMT -5
June sighed, shrugging. Maybe she shouldn't go home tonight. It was already late, and paired with the alcohol and coffee on her breath, she knew Talon would accuse her of being out with a man. Which she was... but not in the way he seemed to insecure about.
"I don't know where I'm going yet. Maybe a friend's house, if she's awake." Yes, Virginia was an option, but then, she didn't really want her old best friend knowing what was going on. It was bad enough she just shared it all with Gary. It would be better, of course, if she'd just kept her mouth shut.
"Gary, I'm really sorry I did this to you. I swear, tonight was supposed to be fun and this definitely wasn't it."
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Post by Gary Goodwin on Mar 20, 2013 0:25:24 GMT -5
"Oh, stop," Gary said, shaking his head. "Stop apologizing. I can go out and get wasted and go home with a blonde whose name I won't remember in the morning any night. I can have fun any time, I promise. But tonight you needed someone, and I'm here for you. How often do I get to play the hero to a beautiful woman?"
He was teasing, mostly, but he wanted her to understand that he had no regrets about tonight. She was his friend, and he wanted to be there for her. Yes, if he had known what was going on sooner, he probably wouldn't have let Brady get so drunk, because then they both could have helped June. But what was done couldn't be undone, so there was no point in apologies. Not about this, anyway. Claw or whatever his name was... he had a few things to apologize for... but that was another story.
"Where does your friend live? I'll take you there. If you want, you can pretend to be too drunk to talk when we get there, so you don't have to answer any questions. I just want to make sure you're safe tonight and that you get some sleep."
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Post by June Bankman on Jan 19, 2016 22:38:48 GMT -5
June sighed a little, thinking of whether or not she should go to Virginia's. She wouldn't need to pretend to be drunk- one, Ginny would see right through it, and two... well. Ginny would see right through it.
Running a hand through her hair, she smiled gently. "I think she already suspects something's going on, anyway. I doubt she'll be surprised if I show up on her doorstep."
She needed to make a decision. She was aware of that, now. Now that Gary was in on this, and Virginia at least had her suspicions, June had people around her that would help. So she could either ignore that and reject their help, and eventually lose it, or she could start breaking away from Talon now. But if she stayed, eventually the two people in her corner would stop trying to help, and if things with Talon didn't get better, she would be on her own to get out of it.
"Am I an idiot for wanting to give him a second chance, Gary?"
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Post by Gary Goodwin on Apr 6, 2016 10:38:31 GMT -5
Gary had never really been in love, so how could he really judge what June was going through. But he couldn't help but think that love should be about mutual respect and trust, and that when one person hurt another, the trust was broken. It sounded like the sort of thing Brady would say, anyway, so it must be true.
But he also understood that when emotions were involved, things got more complicated than that. Life wasn't all black and white, and love was even less so. Maybe that was why he had avoided it for so long, or maybe it was because he'd unconsciously looking for the right woman to make him change his mind. A more naive man than Gary might have thought that this night, the connection between them and his chance to play her knight in shining armor, might be the beginning of something, but Gary knew better. June was not in love with him and he was not in love with her. They were friends, though, and that might have been been more important. Friends supported one another, and helped to pick them up when they were down. That was what he was trying to do for her. He would be her voice of reason, her shoulder to cry on, and, for tonight at least, he would protect her from herself.
And Talon.
"Now, don't say that. You're not an idiot. He's an idiot, but you? Never. You love the guy. Of course you want to make it work. But you do need to think about how much he could really love you if he could hurt you like that."
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