|
Post by Layne Hudson on Nov 21, 2006 23:43:32 GMT -5
Suddenly, not kissing him couldn't have been a better thing to do; or not to do, for that matter. He had a girl. He had someone to flirt with, someone to stay up late watching movies with, someone to love. If she could have, Layne would've sank into the depths to a watery grave, but no, she couldn't. Swimming back to shore felt like walking the plank to Layne, but at least being in the water disguised painless tears that fell from her face. She stood over the boy, his eyes closed. "Look," she said thoughtfully, her eyes fixated on anything that wasn't Cole. "I'f I'd have known..." she trailed off, feeling a lump in her throat that made talking impossible. Instead of running off sobbing, however, Layne sat in the sand a few feet behind him and to the left, hiding her face from both the sun and everyone's stares. Not because she was crying; because she wasn't, it was more because she felt like an ass. She should have known. ooc: Mmkay, I left what's to happen up to you, since you're the one juggling two ladies. I don't want Madz mad at me. (: Not saying she'll be mad at you, it just might make more sense if Cole decides for himself.
|
|
|
Post by Colby Hill on Nov 23, 2006 9:48:23 GMT -5
Feeling a form above him blocking out his sun, Cole partially opened one eye, noting Layne. His brows knitted at her words, and vaguely he caught her going to sit down behind him out the corner of his eye. Wait, hold up. I wasn't just leading someone on was I? he thought, racking back to his conversation with her. Nothing he did or said could be classified as advances, but more as friendly gestures than anything else. Sure he was attracted to the girl, but his subconscious knew he was a taken guy, and that was the reason he hadn't tried anything with her. Additionally, he couldn't just drop Liz. They had history. They were a couple. And she'd done something for him no one else in their right mind would have -- paid off his debts when she'd barely even knew him. How was that for showing someone you cared? But then there was energetic, fun Layne, who seemed to be pulling out hidden parts of his personality. Ones he'd left dormant for so long. He couldn't have the best of both worlds though, and having two ladies was not in his personal 'statute'.
Lifting up from his position on the beach, Cole wandered over to where Layne was, sitting down next to her. Scooping up a handful of sand, he allowed the grains to slip through his fingers, and thought it quite symbolic of how easily his life was slipping away. Not because of this dilemna, but rather because of what he was doing with his life since Elizabeth had been absent. She kept him grounded, on the straight and narrow. Would Layne ever be able to do that? He wasn't so sure...
"Did I lead you on or something?" he asked, finally voicing a bit of his thoughts. In his mind, he hadn't though, and she'd read way far into it. To him, he'd managed to disguise the feelings quite well. Didn't he? But he hadn't cheated on Liz though. He hadn't. And that in itself should count as something... And mean something. So maybe the answer to all his questions was staring him right in the face all along... [/color][/font][/center]
|
|
|
Post by Layne Hudson on Nov 23, 2006 13:53:19 GMT -5
Feeling the disruption in the sand next to her, Layne removed her hands from her face, which were spared of tears. Now she felt like an idiot, and she hadn't even over-reacted all too much. She was in a lose lose situation as of now. Running away would be completely uncalled for and would prove most likely to turn Cole away, and moving onward, ignoring the fact that he was taken, would mean cheating and she was completely against that. Remembering the boy's question, her eyes darted over to him for a quick second. He didn't sound sad, happy, or sympothetic. It was the first time she couldn't read him. "No," she replied rather quickly, letting her eyes fall on him once more. "I, I don't know. I guess I just... felt guilty and wrong because you have a girl, Cole." she stopped, sitting up and facing him. "Trust me, today was really fun, and I know you had to tell me. I just feel like there's nothing I can do to move things forward with us if there's another girl. And I totally understand if you stand up and walk away right now because you love her, and can't possibly ever leave her, but im just telling you where I stand.. and now i'm rambling.." Layne replayed her words like an answering machine in her mind. If she could, she would've hit pause on the word 'us'. She hadn't stressed it when saying it, but felt as though it should have been there. "I'm sorry," she added, waiting for the tears to fall from her eyes. They never did.
|
|
|
Post by Colby Hill on Nov 26, 2006 16:13:44 GMT -5
A deep crease formed in the middle of Cole's forehead as his brows furrowed, her words being the cause. "How can you feel guilty? Its not like we did anything," he stated, which was indeed the truth. All they'd done was talk, share facts about each other, and went for a swim. The way she was speaking, one would think they'd shared a kiss, a one night stand, or something else along those lines. And they hadn't, so this shouldn't be the big deal it was being made out to be.
"Layne, I'm sorry if there was anything I did that led you to believe I didn't have a girlfriend," he said after a few moments, running a hand over his head as he did so. "I do though, and despite all her faults, she's a really nice girl. She does mean a lot to me," he murmured, not even sure why he was explaining all this to her. "And you. You're nice, sweet, fun. You sort of balance me, but...this can't be anything else but a friendship. That is, if you want to be friends with me." If he didn't have Elizabeth, this whole situation would have had a completely different outcome, but he didn't feel right about stepping out on his girlfriend. Of course Layne didn't seem the type of person who'd allow something like that though. All he could offer her at the moment, was friendship. There couldn't be a Layne and Cole in the romantic sense... [/color][/center]
|
|
|
Post by Layne Hudson on Nov 26, 2006 16:27:17 GMT -5
As for those tears? Ah, they were coming. "I know Cole, would you rather I keep advancing and not care that you have a girlfriend? God Cole, no. I'd never do that. And feeling guilty is all I can do. You've got me stuck between a rock and a hard place," she stopped, noticing that her tone had grown in intensity. She took a few silent breaths, her eyes purely on the sun. Sure, she was squinting her eyes, but it little mattered. "A friendship." she murmered, the ends of her lips curling slightly. This wasn't exactly considered a smile, but more of a smirk or grin. "I suppose that would be nice. Though I am aware it is all we can be." she stopped, "For now." She knew he was dedicated, and Layne wasn't one to hate someone for that. It almost made her respect him more. She couldn't imagine what it would be like if he had not told her and something neither of them wanted to happen could've occured. But, not all friends remained friends forever, and she still felt like something could happen between them. For now, however, friends it was. And Layne was okay with that. Shifting her weight in the sand, Layne laid back on the warm sand, allowing her shoulderblades to sink into it. Her eyes fluttered closed, finally sheilding themselves from the sun. She replayed the last few moments, fairly satisfied with them. It was the first in a long time that Layne hadn't allowed herself to over-react as she normally would. Cole had already changed her for the better. She let the moment go without words, and merely waited for a response from the boy.
|
|
|
Post by Colby Hill on Nov 28, 2006 3:18:36 GMT -5
"Of course not. And I know you aren't that type of chick. Even though I haven't known you that long," Colby muttered, leaning back on his palms, staring out at the ocean. The sun's rays glittered over the water's surface, and gleamed off the bodies of those strolling along the sand. There were a few surfers out there, enjoying the waves as they rolled towards shore. From everything she'd told him, it was easy to deduce that she liked him, and it seemed even more so than he was attracted to her. He hadn't planned to hurt her in whichever way he had, but he couldn't do anything about it. Period.
For now.
Glancing towards her at those final two words, he gave her an absent gaze, thinking she believed that Elizabeth and he wouldn't last. He slightly wet drying lips, looking away. Or did she mean something else by it? He wasn't certain. "Um, so..." he began then trailed off, not too sure what to say. Here was the dreaded awkward moment. After everything that had been talked about just now, he just didn't know how to journey on with conversation... [/color][/center]
|
|
|
Post by Layne Hudson on Nov 28, 2006 16:40:13 GMT -5
Layne simply nodded, glad that they were on the same page. She wasn't ready for a relationship anyways. I mean, things like /this/ happened in a relationship, who was ready for that? Her thoughts chimed in with Things like what? provoking her to explain. Things like tough conversations, good conversations, akward moments, and commitment issues all happened eventually. Not all of them were bad, but like she'd said; no one could ever be ready for them. Most people think relationships are all kissy kissy and spending every waking moment together, but love's only half the battle, hun. Half the battle.
And Cole and Layne were just friends. Imagine that. "Yeah," she said softly, her eyes still glued to the water. Hey look, people were actually having fun. "Look at them," she mostly whispered, gesturing with a nod towards some beach-dwellers. "How much fun they're having." She stressed the word 'fun', throwing him a playful smile. If she was correct, he had said that all that went on today was just friendly gestures, and nothing serious; so what could be wrong with that? After all, Layne respected that Cole was taken, and in no way planned to steal his heart. She rarely tried with anyone. Layne looked back to the water, then began to stand. "Well," she started, dusting off the grains of half-wet sand that had stuck to her. "I don't know about you, but it's hot, and I want to swim." Her belongings were still safe, so the girl skipped down to the shoreline and dipped her toes in once more, subjective to the water's temperature. Noting that it was, well, fine, she waded out into it, back to where it reached her collarbone. It was then she looked back to where Cole was, realizing she had failed to wait for an answer from him.
|
|
|
Post by Colby Hill on Dec 1, 2006 11:52:44 GMT -5
Simply quirking an eyebrow at her, Cole nodded. He'd been having fun up until...this. Whatever 'this' was. Really now. He still wasn't sure why they had such an emotional-filled moment, when they hadn't even gone out, shared a kiss or anything. One would think he'd led her on, for sure. And he hadn't. Had he? Threading his fingers through his blonde locks, which were still damp from the swim, he lightly wet his lips, absently watching her move towards the water. She'd said something about being hot, and needing to swim. He would have joined her, had he not heard the familiar ring tone of his phone. Pulling his jeans over, he plucked the gadget from within the right pocket's fold, answering it on the third ring.
It had been Elizabeth. Asking him to meet her at her place. They definitely needed to talk so he truly had to leave. Replacing his phone in his jeans, he stood, shimmying into his pants a moment later. Lifting his shirt from its position on the sand, he looked towards Layne. "I'm sorry, but I have to leave. Elizabeth and I are sort of going through a rough patch in the relationship. She called...wants me to go to her place so we can talk and work things out. I think its best I go so...I'll see you around, alright? It was fun," he nodded, giving her a smile. There was nothing about his demeanor which spoke of him telling a lie -- because he wasn't. Turning away from her, he walked away, moving towards the exit of the beach and completely leaving the area. [/color][/center]
|
|
|
Post by Layne Hudson on Dec 2, 2006 22:51:32 GMT -5
Layne looked back to see Cole standing, no wait, redressing. Great. She really had screwed up. And badly too. But even if Layne could have been the perfect girl, it still couldn't change the fact that Cole had someone. Well, whoever she was, she'd never know how much at least one girl envied her.
Sighing lightly, Layne merely nodded softly at the words he spoke. Though she couldn't hear, it was apparent that he had to leave. Whether he was lying or telling the truth Layne didn't know, and she didn't exactly mind either. They were friends, or so he'd said, so maybe he'd call her or something. That is, if she'd given him her number. God Layne, why didn't you remember to give him your number?
Laying back into the water, Layne attempted floating on her back again. No one would be able to catch her now. 'He didn't lead me on,' she tried to tell herself, closing her blue-grey eyes lightly and letting them flutter for a second. 'I just over reacted. Didn't I?'
Alone, Layne decided to return home. What an eventful day she'd had. Layne let herself trail along the watertop until she'd returned back to the shoreline, eventually standing and rising out of the water. She slid her cami, as well as her shorts back on and stepped into her flip flops. Oddly, she'd avoided anyone near hers' gaze until her doorstep, where Layne laid pressed her forehead to the door. Silent tears peeked out from her closed eyes, longing to be comforted. Ah well, that's what parents were for.
"Daddy," Layne spoke into the phone. "Yes, I'm fine." She lay curled up in a fleece blanket on her couch, with Hope, her dog, close by. "Mhmm. I met a boy today. Nice one too. Cole is his name. Yes, i'm sure you two would get along great." she stopped. "No daddy, we're just friends. Yes. Well, I've gotta go. I love you. Tell mom the same. Bye." With that she hung up the phone. Laying her head on the sofa arm, she smiled. "Yes, I'm fine."
|
|