Mending Fences That Were Never There

[Taylor McCarthy]

Over the last few months Taylor had gotten to know the blue eyed girl fairly well.  Or, at least, he'd started to learn where her few isolated spots that were best for keeping a stash of alcohol or whatever else she may have a desire for close at hand.  He'd kept his distance since the date auction debacle had gotten out of hand, though it wouldn't last forever, something he was sure probably wouldn't go over very well with Lucy James but Taylor had already proven to be nothing if not stubborn.

Making his way into the boathouse, a well known location for certain shenanigans of he type he knew Lucy to commonly partake in, Taylor recognized the telltale signs of a presence sitting on the worn, weathered couch that some kids had moved in a while back.  The few wisps of potent smoke that wafted up from the girl sitting upon it told Taylor everything he needed to know about the current state Lucy was in.  Or, at least, it assured him she was probably less than sober, though that was hardly a surprise.

With nary a word, Taylor moved to take a seat at the opposite end of the couch.  His eyes peered out the window to the small piece of the lake that could be seen outside and the moon glinting off the lazily rolling water.  His brow furrowed as he glanced to Lucy.  Even with his power now in full effect he couldn't read a single sign on the girl's face in the dim light.  The words he wanted to say mingled dangerously with the words he should be saying and sent both tumbling off into the ether, leaving The young man with precious little he could say.  "So."  He said finally, breaking the silence.  He glanced down, chose his words carefully, and lifted his gaze back to Lucy.  "I'm a dick."  He said with a dry, a-matter-of-fact tone.

[Lucy James]

She didn't move or even react to the familiar presence and feel of the overly familiar power as Taylor approached. Not even when he sat down did she look at him. Her blue eyes were fixed on something in front of her, appearing slightly distant - which honestly had more to do with the weed she'd been smoking rather than an lack of interest in the boy. They'd gotten far too far for her to even pretend there was nothing there anymore. Of course, she'd still deny it if anyone asked, but that was a whole different story altogether.

However, as the Irish boy spoke, Lucy turned her head towards him. Her eyes narrowed slightly and she tilted her head. She bit down on her tongue to prevent any snarky remarks to come rolling off her tongue. Instead, she simply nodded, took a deep breath and sighed. "You are," she agreed. "But that's hardly something new, now is it?" Hey, at least she wasn't trying to kill him. That was a start.

[Taylor McCarthy]

Taylor almost bristled every time he drew closer to the girl. Even though they'd gone to hell and back in more ways than one, he still never knew what to expect whenever he came around. Lately things had seemed more subdued between them, as things settled and the awkwardness following their prom night months ago had began to settle. He wasn't sure if this was because they were progressing as... whatever they were or if it was merely the calm before another storm would hit.

He nodded in response to Lucy's reply and reached up to run a hand through his hair before letting the hand fall into his lap. Lucy wasn't wrong. He'd been called much worse and had probably deserved it on at least a few occasions. After getting into a scuffle and not one but two different auctions he felt this was more than likely one of those scenarios. Still, apologies didn't come easy for the prideful young man. "No, I guess not." He did have a track record that was quite dickish, after all. Of course, that had been one of the main factors the two of them were sitting there right then as whatever it was they were.

"Look, I'm not going to make excuses and I can't justify it." Taylor knew the brief altercation at Lucy's auction had brought with it the worst punishment for the girl he could imagine: Attention. Students had been talking about him as of late and, since the two of them were connected and the stand off at her auction made for some juicy gossip. "But you know I..." Love you. The words themselves didn't come out as much as they wanted to. Taylor could lay no claim to Lucy's attention or what little affection she had ever opted offer. Attempting to tie her down with labels or roles would negate everything they'd gone through.

Taylor let out a low chuckle and shook his head. He had only the vaguest idea of what he wanted to say without any clue of how to say it. Everything with Lucy from before coupled with the white noise that had been hissing through his head since he'd left the States to visit Ireland again felt as though it was all fading. He had no idea if it was a sign of things to come or just merely a break in the weather. "You know they make this apologizing thing look a lot easier in the movies."

[Lucy James]

With a sigh, Lucy put the joint in her hand down, making sure that the flame was crushed against the glass before letting it drop to the bottom of the empty glass with a low hiss. She stared ahead, not issuing a word as she simply listened, nodding distantly at his words. Now, Lucy was hardly one who could claim to be overly forgiving or understanding, but she did know that he was sorry. After all, their time together had proven that he truly did care - despite her best efforts to turn him away from that idea.

She would also be lying if she said that she didn't care for him in turn. Now, she wanted nothing more than to yell at him and tell him all the ways he could go to hell, but she knew that there was little point. It wouldn't change anything. They'd end up right back here again and all the energy would have been wasted.

Smiling lightly, the brunette leaned her head against his shoulder and nodded. "I know," she spoke softly, eyes closing.

[Taylor McCarthy]

Taylor had steadied himself in preparation for any of the typical responses that could reasonably be expected from Lucy. He'd been ready for all manor of replies. Anything from dead silence to irate violence. Nothing, however, could have prepared Taylor for the tepid, almost affectionate response he actually received from the girl.

Carefully, almost with hesitation Taylor slipped his arm around Lucy's shoulders. It was a painfully simple show of affection and one that he didn't know how well she would take it. Taylor even went so far as to turn so he could give the girl a kiss atop her head after it came to rest against his shoulder. Part of Taylor was still suspicious and wary of Lucy. She didn't often (or ever) so willingly offer her affection. He remained on guard, his body remaining tense as if he expected her to suddenly shift gears and attack him. Again.

Still, there was no denying the allure of a quiet, almost affectionate moment with Lucy. The comfort he gleaned from her presence showed itself in a smile that tugged at the corner of his lips in the dim light of the boathouse. The almost peaceful moment brought out a very real, and increasingly important question: Just exactly what was he to Lucy? For a brief moment he considered asking just that. The words, however, simply wouldn't form in his mind well enough. Taylor leaned into Lucy some and followed suit in closing his eyes. He didn't care what they really were to each other. The turmoil and chaos they'd endured had given way to the occasional moment like the one they were sharing and, at least in Taylor's eyes, it was all worth it. "I loved your look for the auction." He said suddenly with a chuckle. "You really put a lot of thought into it."

[Lucy James]

Lucy would probably never admit that she actually sort of liked these moments where the two of them could sit like this in silence, without her throwing a temper tantrum and him trying to force her to feel things she didn't want to feel. This was nice. This was simple. This came with no expectations, even if the meaning was far from lost on her. In fact, it made her realize just how deep she'd gotten in over her head. She blamed the fact that she couldn't care less on her being high right now. Yep. That was totally the story she was sticking with.

Laughing at his words, Lucy dipped her head back so she could look at him and stuck her tongue out. "Ah yes, I spent hours in front of the mirror getting myself ready to be whored out. I think it paid off quite nicely," she said, rolling her eyes. God, that auction likely couldn't have gone much worse. She was glad that the twins and Taylor had backed down when they did though.

[Taylor McCarthy]

A thin smile played on Taylor's lips. His head tilted slightly so he could return her gaze and shrugged faintly. He gave Lucy a little squeeze as she stuck her tongue out at him and gave her response. He hadn't put much stock in Lucy's outward appearance. He'd learned long ago that she was going to do whatever the hell she wanted and, at least as far as Taylor understood it, if he wanted to go along for the ride he had to simply shut up and hold on.

"Of course it did." In hindsight Taylor found the whole thing amusing. He had an idea what had gone through the blue eyed girl's mind when she was announced to be one of the students put up for auction and her attire for the event had only cemented his suspicion. "It could have been worse, yeah? At least you managed to talk at least a little sense into the knuckle dragger looking to get into it." He could admit to his faults, though usually not until after the fact.

Taylor fell silent for a moment as he lost himself in thought. He had to constantly remind himself that he held no claim or expectations when it came to Lucy. She was far to independent to put any sort of label or assign any roles to whatever it was they had. Even if she was the type, Taylor wasn't so sure he would have been comfortable with either himself. Though a little clarity now and again would be nice. "The guy that did win the auction." Taylor started cautiously. It was a slippery slope he was beginning to navigate here. "Do I... need to worry about him, or anything?" Which sounded far worse being spoken than it did in his head.

[Lucy James]

"That's true," she agreed. After all, things could have gotten way more out of hand. She was actually slightly surprised that the boys had actually listened to her. That didn't happen often from her experience. She wondered briefly what had changed, then realized she didn't really care to begin with. Shrugging, the brunette leaned her head back against the couch and shut her eyes. "Next time you decide to have a pissing contest, please do so without an audience." And preferably without her being around. She had no interest in that shit.

Then Taylor spoke again; Lucy's eyes remained closed, but she raised her eyebrows slightly. Remaining silent as she processed his question, the brunette couldn't help but to let a slightly amused smile form on her lips. "Taylor, are you being insecure?" she asked as she looked at him, eyes gleaming with what could only be taken for amusement. "Ah yes. You should be afraid. If you didn't notice at the auction, my heart was about to flutter out of my chest."

Falling into a more serious tone, the brunette shook her head. "No, you don't have to worry." She had no interest in Casper or his brother. She'd made that very clear from the beginning.