CatBee

SinfullSkills & CatBee

"Actually, I've got a key," Austin held the small thing up with a small smile. Monica was still a little puzzled by his sudden appearance and was just about to turn and try and explain to Gray. The man had already handed her a business card and was gone before she could say another word. She hadn't wanted him to leave; in fact, she'd rather have sent Austin off and spent more time with Gray. She tucked the business card into her pocket, and

As much as she liked Austin, his whole air and mannerisms just reminded her of a time she'd much rather forget. In her minds' eye she saw him as he had been once, with dirt and dust and blood all over his face, and small cuts that looked just deep enough to be painful. Her own face probably hadn't looked much nicer, and she found herself subconsciously checking to make sure she wasn't bleeding or dirty. She pulled her fingers away from her face and was relieved to see they were clean.

"What're you doing here, lieutenant?" She turned her attention back to his face.

"Please, Monica. Austin," he took a step closer to her, a smile on his face, "And I'm here to watch out for you. I've got an apartment just across the street, and the doctors gave me permission to get the extra key to your apartment," he grinned.

Monica furrowed her brow, "I'm fine, Austin. I can take care of myself," she almost sounded disgusted. "Besides, if I need help, I've got Gray," she motioned to the door where he had been standing.

Austin shook his head with a smile, almost as if he found her funny, "Oh Monica, Monica, Monica," he continued, eyes locked with hers, "He doesn't know what you need like I do. I'm going to leave you for tonight, but I'm going to be checking up on you often. Make sure you're ready for me all the time," he laughed, "Keep some clothes on. Or not," he winked, and with another chuckle left.

Monica was left dazed. It wasn't usually something the military did that she knew of; sending a supervisor for an injured soldier. Perhaps she had just never been in the situation before, so she wouldn't have known. She glanced at the business card she was holding onto. She'd have to go visit Gray right in the morning; she couldn't help but want to see him right away.

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Luckily for Monica, the address on the business card wasn't too difficult to find. All she'd had to do was hop on the bus, then search a couple blocks. It wasn't awful, even on her crutches. She made her way into the building, but once she was in she had no idea where to go.

She grabbed her phone from her pocket, and for the first time in quite awhile decided to actually call someone on it. She plugged in the number, and when Gray picked up she couldn't help but smile at his voice.

"Surprise! I'm here, at your office. But I have no idea where to go!" She chuckled, "Care to give me the grand tour, nerd?"

SinfullSkills & CatBee

Hmm.. Do you think after Monica talks to Austin for a bit I should skip to her going over to see Gray at work? ^^

SinfullSkills & CatBee

Sounds great! ^^

SinfullSkills & CatBee

I feel like he probably will be a bit of a jerk to Gray in private, and try and act like an angel in front of Monica! And also try to keep her dependent on him.

SinfullSkills & CatBee

Monica laughed, "I'm very grateful for you, Mr. Best Friend," she elbowed him back, just for kicks. She had always teased her friend about everything; from the color of shoes he was wearing with those pants to the girls who were crushing on him. Monica had always had a bit of a crush on her friend herself, and it was only in their senior year when she finally realized that her crush had lasted far longer than something she could truly call just a "crush".

Their prom had been wonderful; the night before, her memory reminded her, had been something of a dream for her. She had been asked, albeit quietly to the dance before Gray had asked her, but in the hope that her friend would indeed ask her she had turned the other guy down. Nicely, to the best of her ability. She had kept it a secret from Gray, as she felt that if she told him he'd feel pressured to ask her. He had asked her of his own free will though, in the end.

His sudden change of position caused her to look at him, and she found her eyes locked with his. Their faces were rather close, and she couldn't help but wonder if he had felt the same way she did. She fought her urge to lean in and meet his lips, and when she turned her head to the side she was surprised to feel the sensation of his mouth against her ear.

She didn't know what she was expecting from her prankster friend, and playfully pushed him away with a chuckle when he asked her about the flowers in her hair. She felt the back and sides of her head, and sure enough he had snuck some of the flowers into her hair.

"Cut it out," Monica smiled before brushing her hair back over her shoulder, "Of course I'd look great," she joked, and ever so slowly reached for the mass of flowers.

"But I bet," she leaned in slowly until her own face was inches from his, "They'd look great on you!" She laughed, throwing the whole lot of them into his hair. Monica was laughing so hard; she couldn't remember the last time she had found something so funny.

"You're so pretty!" she teased him, falling flat onto her back as her whole chest heaved with laughter.

"God, I missed you," she looked up at him for a good long moment before clambering to her feet. She supported herself on the crutches, and sighed a little, "We should probably get back. I'm sure there's some movies on TV or something," she smiled gently. It was getting a little chilly. If she was going to make a move, tonight would have to be her night to do it.

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It wasn't long before the two pulled up at the apartment building, and made there way up to the woman's room. She opened the door, still laughing with Gray, and her mouth dropped open. Sitting on the couch, in a simple black tee and jeans, was Austin O'Connell.

The man turned his head, he had been busy reading and had only just noticed the door open. He smiled, revealing his neat row of teeth that matched just perfectly with his neat crew cut.

Monica stumbled into the room, her eyes locked on the man.

"S-sir? What're you doing here?" She questioned.

"Checking up on you, sergeant," his voice was smooth as stone, and in an instant he was in front of her. He was about to close the door behind her, when he noticed Gray.

"Who's this, Monica?" He raised a skeptical eyebrow. What was she doing bringing men home with her after a day? She was going to get herself into a nasty situation.

"Oh!" Monica had nearly forgotten her friend was still standing behind her, "This is a friend of mine, Gray Yin," she motioned to her best friend, gently touching his arm.

"Gray, this is Lieutenant Austin O'Connell," she introduced him, and he flashed a smile once more.

"Pleasure to meet you, Gray," his smooth voice was notably accented, probably from somewhere in Tennessee.

SinfullSkills & CatBee

Awww he's adorable <3

SinfullSkills & CatBee

Besides her own problems, it seemed like Gray had his own set of struggles to deal with. Sure, the two were struggling with different things, but they both had their downfalls and their hardships. Gray’s just happened to be the pressure that was put on him by his parents and his inability to be seen by may people for more than his money. Monica had never realized how much money he really had until she visited his house one day. He had almost seemed embarrassed by the grandeur of it, but she had been wowed.

“Poor little nerd,” Monica ruffled his hair once moe once he helped her up.The woman couldn’t help but reminisce back to a time when she could’ve dated him She willing took his hand; the sensation of skin on skin had been one she hadn’t felt for a long while, and it was wonderful to have someone kind and not someone who was just there to pity her helping her. Throughout their friendship Gray had always supported her. At the beginning, she would push him away and ‘do it herself’, but as time passed she came to the realization that she wasn’t better off on her own. Her time in the army had come to help her support this conclusion.

Monica followed him out to Lucky, the old beat up car that no one dared to even attempt to steal or break into. It was so ugly, who would want to drive it anyway? Besides quirky Gray. Monica fumbled with the radio once the car started before settling on a station. When there was a break in the music, even the weatherman’s voice or the various car dealership advertisements sounded peaceful and refreshing to Monica. The whole drive was wonderful, the open, old road up to the lake trails and the gentle orange glow cast on it by the setting sun was a sight to see. The moon was almost full, and was almost fully emerged over the horizon when the two reached the lake. Appropriately called “Star Lake”, the beautiful body of water reflected the many stars that twinkled in the deep blue velvety mass of sky above.

“Oh, Gray,” Monica breathed out a sigh as she eased herself down on the bank, “It’s lovely, isn’t it?” It had been a long time since she’d seen a sight so wonderful. She turned to smile at her best friend, “Since I never got to tell you in high school, I’ll tell you now. I was,” she paused, “I am so grateful to you, for being there for me,” she smiled once more before turning out to watch the soft waves once more.

SinfullSkills & CatBee

Name: Austin O'Connell
Age: 28
Appearence:

Austin

SinfullSkills & CatBee

Not quite finished, still have three more days! :( They're so tough, but they'll be done soon! And no problem, take your time! (:

SinfullSkills & CatBee

After my finals are over, I'd be willing to maybe start another one on one up with you! Also, did you get my PM? ^^