Changing planes in Charlotte and had to walk a mile from one end of a terminal to another. Literally. So here's a touch more of A65 to give me a breather. This is after the premier's let out and Adam is looking for Casey, when...
-------
"Why you out here?"
Adam jumped around to find Casey beside him, her mask gone and irritation in her eyes.
She continued with, "The movie was half over before I realized you weren't coming."
"I had no money for food," he said, "and needed to use the phone and couldn't get back in."
Casey looked at that usher, and the irritation vanished into weariness. "He the one who stopped you?" Adam nodded. She all but growled, "You should've just waited in the limo. Plenty of food and water in there."
"Where is it?"
She looked around to find a dozen limos now on the street, none of them theirs. Others were parked in a nearby lot while a few were obviously on standby in front of a higher-end hotel.
"I'll send him a text," she said. "He'll be right up."
She took back her purse and pulled out her phone ... and frowned. "Adam, there's money in here; why didn't you just use this?"
"It's not mine."
She looked at him as if seeing him for the first time. "Lando would've taken a fifty and kept the change."
"Your Lando is definitely quite odd," Adam said, glancing over at him still holding court in the lobby. "You sure you want to leave? Seems the patrons are not done patronizing."
"I just spent two hours in a freezing theater watching a man I used to love pretend he loved me. I need a double-dose of Midol. Triple." The tight face-mask was back on.
"Head?" Adam asked. She merely nodded. He slipped behind her and set his fingers on her shoulders with his thumbs pressing against her spine. "Here."
She tried to pull away, saying, "Baby, no -- "
"Just relax," he said as he began to run his thumbs up her neck, light and easy. Her skin was the softest he had ever felt ... and her shoulders were the tightest. "God, my mother would give you the stick for letting yourself become so tense."
A moment later she was murmuring, "Oh, Adam. Baby. Magic fingers."
He had to chuckle at that. "Told you, mum's a physical therapist. She knows how to make pain vanish."
She gave a soft laugh and leaned back into the massage.
He let his voice soften. "Skin the result of Orisi's cleansing?"
"That or I'll never get styled in this town, again."
"Was reaction good for the film, at least?"
It took her a moment to answer. "Who knows? Sorry you didn't see it."
"I will when it hits the local cinema."
"Thanks." Her voice grew soft. "Adam ... about the cookies and juice ... "
"No worries."
"That's how my mother makes pain vanish," she said, her voice trying to be funny but not quite making it. Then she sighed, "More and more, lately."
"Have you any idea why?"
"Lonely, I guess. It's just been her and me since daddy left."
"I find that hard to believe. She's an attractive woman."
"With bad taste in men. She thought Lando was cool, until he proved he wasn't. I think she just ... she liked him."
"Hasn't she any friends?"
"You know what a friend is, in this town? Somebody you see once a year. Maybe twice. Three times? You're besties, for life. I bet you have lots of friends."
"I don't know about lots," he said, still rubbing. "People from the university. Mates on the team. Neighbors. The spouses and families of my oldest brother, David, and sister, Beryl. We get along well. Connor and his wife, not so much. In fact, I don't think I've met any of her family. It's like she was raised by feral cats, to feed or be fed upon."
"Like Veronica," Casey sighed. A moment later, the limo arrived and she asked, "Feel like more champagne?"
"Um, no, doesn't mix with Guinness." He gave her shoulders one last squeeze, sending tingles into his heart. "All better?"
"Baby, I feel beautiful."
"You? Imagine."
She swatted at him, laughing. Then as they got in the limo --
"There he goes! There's our Adam!"
He popped up to look across the limo and see almost the entire bar outside watching him. He waved at them, got in, and appeared through its sun roof, laughing. Casey joined him.
"Is that where you were?" she asked, motioning to the patrons.
"I couldn't exactly wait on those bloody benches; they were covered in bird feces."
Casey laughed, pulled him close and waved at the group as they started to pull away. The group cheered and chanted, "Casey! Adam! Casey! Adam!"
Lando was still thronged with people, just outside the theater, but heard them and looked around.
Casey noticed, laughed and flipped him off, as the limo eased around the traffic.
All Adam could think to say, in a veddy Vincent tone was, "Casey! How positively horrid of you."
Still laughing, she opened the video app on her phone and showed him the Paparazzi twins were back on their motorbike, saying, "Wanna bet they got a good shot?"
He could just make out that were telling each other, "Blow up should be happening soon." "Then it's gonna be High Noon."
Adam looked at her. "Are we planning something to fulfill this dream of theirs?"
She gave him an odd look of appraisal, mixed with a wide grin, then she said, "Not anymore, baby. It just seems stupid, doing something like that. And I'm tired of feeling stupid."
She rubbed her arms so he removed his jacket and put it over her shoulders. She was surprised. "Adam, you don't have to -- "
"I'm from London," he said. "This is like a fine summer's night there. I'm quite comfortable."
She pulled it tight. "Thanks. Y'know, I do have to make an appearance at Lando's, then we'll head back to my place. Light a fire. Order in Chinese or Indian. Get you a good night's sleep. That okay?"
He let a long sigh out. "Sounds like heaven."
She kept her eyes on him for a moment longer, nodding. "Yes, it does. It does."
-------
"Why you out here?"
Adam jumped around to find Casey beside him, her mask gone and irritation in her eyes.
She continued with, "The movie was half over before I realized you weren't coming."
"I had no money for food," he said, "and needed to use the phone and couldn't get back in."
Casey looked at that usher, and the irritation vanished into weariness. "He the one who stopped you?" Adam nodded. She all but growled, "You should've just waited in the limo. Plenty of food and water in there."
"Where is it?"
She looked around to find a dozen limos now on the street, none of them theirs. Others were parked in a nearby lot while a few were obviously on standby in front of a higher-end hotel.
"I'll send him a text," she said. "He'll be right up."
She took back her purse and pulled out her phone ... and frowned. "Adam, there's money in here; why didn't you just use this?"
"It's not mine."
She looked at him as if seeing him for the first time. "Lando would've taken a fifty and kept the change."
"Your Lando is definitely quite odd," Adam said, glancing over at him still holding court in the lobby. "You sure you want to leave? Seems the patrons are not done patronizing."
"I just spent two hours in a freezing theater watching a man I used to love pretend he loved me. I need a double-dose of Midol. Triple." The tight face-mask was back on.
"Head?" Adam asked. She merely nodded. He slipped behind her and set his fingers on her shoulders with his thumbs pressing against her spine. "Here."
She tried to pull away, saying, "Baby, no -- "
"Just relax," he said as he began to run his thumbs up her neck, light and easy. Her skin was the softest he had ever felt ... and her shoulders were the tightest. "God, my mother would give you the stick for letting yourself become so tense."
A moment later she was murmuring, "Oh, Adam. Baby. Magic fingers."
He had to chuckle at that. "Told you, mum's a physical therapist. She knows how to make pain vanish."
She gave a soft laugh and leaned back into the massage.
He let his voice soften. "Skin the result of Orisi's cleansing?"
"That or I'll never get styled in this town, again."
"Was reaction good for the film, at least?"
It took her a moment to answer. "Who knows? Sorry you didn't see it."
"I will when it hits the local cinema."
"Thanks." Her voice grew soft. "Adam ... about the cookies and juice ... "
"No worries."
"That's how my mother makes pain vanish," she said, her voice trying to be funny but not quite making it. Then she sighed, "More and more, lately."
"Have you any idea why?"
"Lonely, I guess. It's just been her and me since daddy left."
"I find that hard to believe. She's an attractive woman."
"With bad taste in men. She thought Lando was cool, until he proved he wasn't. I think she just ... she liked him."
"Hasn't she any friends?"
"You know what a friend is, in this town? Somebody you see once a year. Maybe twice. Three times? You're besties, for life. I bet you have lots of friends."
"I don't know about lots," he said, still rubbing. "People from the university. Mates on the team. Neighbors. The spouses and families of my oldest brother, David, and sister, Beryl. We get along well. Connor and his wife, not so much. In fact, I don't think I've met any of her family. It's like she was raised by feral cats, to feed or be fed upon."
"Like Veronica," Casey sighed. A moment later, the limo arrived and she asked, "Feel like more champagne?"
"Um, no, doesn't mix with Guinness." He gave her shoulders one last squeeze, sending tingles into his heart. "All better?"
"Baby, I feel beautiful."
"You? Imagine."
She swatted at him, laughing. Then as they got in the limo --
"There he goes! There's our Adam!"
He popped up to look across the limo and see almost the entire bar outside watching him. He waved at them, got in, and appeared through its sun roof, laughing. Casey joined him.
"Is that where you were?" she asked, motioning to the patrons.
"I couldn't exactly wait on those bloody benches; they were covered in bird feces."
Casey laughed, pulled him close and waved at the group as they started to pull away. The group cheered and chanted, "Casey! Adam! Casey! Adam!"
Lando was still thronged with people, just outside the theater, but heard them and looked around.
Casey noticed, laughed and flipped him off, as the limo eased around the traffic.
All Adam could think to say, in a veddy Vincent tone was, "Casey! How positively horrid of you."
Still laughing, she opened the video app on her phone and showed him the Paparazzi twins were back on their motorbike, saying, "Wanna bet they got a good shot?"
He could just make out that were telling each other, "Blow up should be happening soon." "Then it's gonna be High Noon."
Adam looked at her. "Are we planning something to fulfill this dream of theirs?"
She gave him an odd look of appraisal, mixed with a wide grin, then she said, "Not anymore, baby. It just seems stupid, doing something like that. And I'm tired of feeling stupid."
She rubbed her arms so he removed his jacket and put it over her shoulders. She was surprised. "Adam, you don't have to -- "
"I'm from London," he said. "This is like a fine summer's night there. I'm quite comfortable."
She pulled it tight. "Thanks. Y'know, I do have to make an appearance at Lando's, then we'll head back to my place. Light a fire. Order in Chinese or Indian. Get you a good night's sleep. That okay?"
He let a long sigh out. "Sounds like heaven."
She kept her eyes on him for a moment longer, nodding. "Yes, it does. It does."
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