Fic: RPF: Say Goodbye (19/26).
Feb. 24th, 2009 08:49 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
x_moonshine_xApologies in advance for spamming peoples flists, I need to catch up on posting or I never will!
Title: Say Goodbye (19/26).
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
x_moonshine_x
Pairing: Rupert/Emma with slight Dan/Bonnie.
Rating: R (for later chapters).
Warnings: Real person fiction.
Word count: 1,456.
Summary: For some, coming to the end means having to say goodbye. For others, the end is only just the beginning.
Previous Chapters: Here.
Say Goodbye
Chapter 19 – A Step in the Right Direction
Date: Thursday 13th July 2011
Location: Somewhere on the outskirts of London, England
‘Here you go...’
Rupert placed the steaming mug of coffee down on the table in front of Emma before taking a seat opposite her, hands wrapped firmly around his own. She looked how he felt – completely and utterly dog-tired. But then again, he probably looked that way too; he’d simply avoided mirrors all morning and at all costs.
She glanced up briefly and offered him an extremely feeble smile, murmuring, ‘Thank you.’
Silence fell over them shortly after that, broken only by the sound of cutlery against china as people around them tucked into breakfast. He couldn’t eat, he felt sick to the stomach. The smell of bacon was nice though, that kept him going, for now at least.
‘You said you wanted to talk about something?’ Emma asked eventually, placing her coffee back down on the table and beginning to play with an empty packet of sugar, shredding it to pieces.
‘Oh – yeah, right.’ He nodded, putting his own mug down with a heavy clunk and inhaling slowly, his eyes closing a moment as he figured out what to tell her. ‘Aimée and I, we broke up last night,’ he announced. ‘And, umm, well… that’s it really. We broke up at last; I finally stopped pissing about and did it.’
He was sure if what he was telling her wasn’t a horrible thing for the other woman involved, she would have smiled, yet Emma bit down on her lip instead and asked, ‘How did she take it?’
One thing Rupert would never understand about women was how, even when they didn’t like each other that much, they could still be concerned for one another’s welfare. I don’t like her in the slightest, but you didn’t hurt her, did you? It made no sense to him whatsoever. He wouldn’t care as long as he’d got what he wanted, something he’d probably never want to admit to in company.
‘She was a bit upset, you know, but it probably could have been worse,’ he responded absently, rubbing the pad of his thumb up and down the handle of his mug.
‘Are you OK?’
The question startled him somewhat and when she slid her hand over his, her fingertips gently stroking his skin, he exhaled loudly, the touch making him feel better instantly. She did that for him, she always had done. Emma Watson was like his medicine. He turned his hand over, a small smile now gracing his features, and then pressed their palms together, lacing his fingers through hers.
‘Yeah, you know me, tough cookie.’ He nodded his head and as he looked up, caught sight of her perking an eyebrow, a sure-fire sign that she didn’t believe a single word he was spouting. ‘I’m fine,’ he added for emphasis, ‘really.’
Emma smiled, accepting it, and loosed his hand, picking up her coffee once again and taking a sip. He wanted to ask her the reason for her own insomnia, yet at the same time, he didn’t really want to pry. She’d tell him in her own time, she always did, if there was one thing he could count on, it was Emma being honest with him.
After a few minutes, Rupert became acutely aware of a small group of teenage girls huddled at a table not far from theirs, talking in hushed tones and gazing over in their direction. The school rush was about to begin so they could hardly avoid it any longer, but somehow, people staring still managed to make him uncomfortable, even after ten years of putting up with it. He supposed some things you never could get used to.
He stared back and seconds later, they pushed their chairs out, leaving the café with as much noise as was humanly possible.
‘They don’t mean any harm,’ said Emma, stifling a small laugh.
‘It gets on my nerves, that’s all,’ he responded, turning his attention back to her as soon as the girls were out of sight. ‘Sometimes you feel a bit like a caged animal in the zoo, know what I mean? The way people stare at you, watching your every move.’
‘Well, this was hardly going to be a very private conversation, was it, considering where we are?’
Shrugging his shoulders, Rupert finished off the rest of his coffee, and then shoved his chair out from under the table, getting to his feet. ‘Want to go somewhere else then?’ he asked her, knowing that he probably should tell her about the other not so small matter he had on his mind before he chickened out.
With a smile, she followed suit and stood up, slipping her jacket back on as they made their way through the door.
Once outside, she threaded her arm through his and he steered her in the direction of the park they’d passed on their way there.
The coffee had done its job and Rupert was feeling more and more alert as time ticked on, although he did wonder if that was partly down to having Emma walking alongside him, her head resting comfortably on his shoulder. He was always happiest when in her company.
For the first time in the last ten hours, he was beginning to feel normal again.
‘Thank you for meeting me this morning, I spent the whole night tossing and turning, it was beginning to drive me mad,’ she laughed softly. ‘Stupid really, I don’t know why.’
And as predicted, she brought it up herself.
He looked down at her, concern written all over his face. ‘Is there something bothering you?’
‘Oh, no, no need to worry about me, Rupes… really.’ Emma nudged him playfully in the ribs and he took the hint, not daring to ask again and continuing to walk through the park with her in silence.
Twenty minutes later he’d come to the conclusion that he had no idea what to tell her concerning the whole baby issue, so decided to wait until he could figure out how to break the news properly before even mentioning it. The incentive was there, but he had no clue how he’d say that without breaking her heart.
‘Dan’s having a get-together at his place tomorrow night, did he tell you?’
A change of subject was essential now as they were teetering on the verge of awkward silence and that was the last thing either of them wanted.
Shaking her head, Emma brought her gaze back to his and he couldn’t help the smile that crept over his features the moment she did. ‘No,’ she responded incredulously. ‘Are you sure I’m supposed to know about it? Maybe it’s a bloke’s only kind of thing. No girls allowed.’
‘Well… Bonnie’s going to be there and I’m pretty sure that she’s a girl.’ He chuckled and she rolled her eyes. ‘And if she isn’t, she’s done a good job of fooling me for the past ten years.’
‘Oh, shut up!’ She shoved him again and took a step away, twirling idly on the spot and gazing up at the blue sky above them.
He grinned down at her, fully aware how manic he probably looked, but right now he didn’t have the heart to care. It took Emma only a few seconds to figure out his game and before he’d even made a move to grab hold of her, she let out a shriek and started running across the field.
Giving chase shortly afterwards, he caught up to her quickly (even though he’d given her a pretty decent head start) and within a minute or so had thrown his arms around her from behind, picked her up from the ground and swung her around. Her shrieks soon turned to laughter and when he dropped her back to the ground, she span to face him, grasping hold of his shirt and pulling him tight against her.
Rupert paused, thrown by the suddenly closeness, but then threw caution to the wind and leant down to capture her lips in a deep kiss, his hands coming up to hold her face tenderly.
‘Is this allowed?’ the whisper slipped from her slightly parted lips as he pulled away several moments later.
It seemed a strange question to ask, but for the first time they were faced with the dilemma. Never before had they been in a situation where kissing in public was an option. They’d always had to stop themselves in case someone saw and Aimée found out – well, everyone found out really.
‘Oh, umm, I gue--’
Emma’s eyes lit up as soon as he started to speak and then, not giving him chance to say anymore, she tangled her hands into his hair and brought his mouth back to her own.
Yeah, it was definitely allowed.
.x.
Title: Say Goodbye (19/26).
Author:
x_moonshine_xPairing: Rupert/Emma with slight Dan/Bonnie.
Rating: R (for later chapters).
Warnings: Real person fiction.
Word count: 1,456.
Summary: For some, coming to the end means having to say goodbye. For others, the end is only just the beginning.
Previous Chapters: Here.
Chapter 19 – A Step in the Right Direction
Date: Thursday 13th July 2011
Location: Somewhere on the outskirts of London, England
‘Here you go...’
Rupert placed the steaming mug of coffee down on the table in front of Emma before taking a seat opposite her, hands wrapped firmly around his own. She looked how he felt – completely and utterly dog-tired. But then again, he probably looked that way too; he’d simply avoided mirrors all morning and at all costs.
She glanced up briefly and offered him an extremely feeble smile, murmuring, ‘Thank you.’
Silence fell over them shortly after that, broken only by the sound of cutlery against china as people around them tucked into breakfast. He couldn’t eat, he felt sick to the stomach. The smell of bacon was nice though, that kept him going, for now at least.
‘You said you wanted to talk about something?’ Emma asked eventually, placing her coffee back down on the table and beginning to play with an empty packet of sugar, shredding it to pieces.
‘Oh – yeah, right.’ He nodded, putting his own mug down with a heavy clunk and inhaling slowly, his eyes closing a moment as he figured out what to tell her. ‘Aimée and I, we broke up last night,’ he announced. ‘And, umm, well… that’s it really. We broke up at last; I finally stopped pissing about and did it.’
He was sure if what he was telling her wasn’t a horrible thing for the other woman involved, she would have smiled, yet Emma bit down on her lip instead and asked, ‘How did she take it?’
One thing Rupert would never understand about women was how, even when they didn’t like each other that much, they could still be concerned for one another’s welfare. I don’t like her in the slightest, but you didn’t hurt her, did you? It made no sense to him whatsoever. He wouldn’t care as long as he’d got what he wanted, something he’d probably never want to admit to in company.
‘She was a bit upset, you know, but it probably could have been worse,’ he responded absently, rubbing the pad of his thumb up and down the handle of his mug.
‘Are you OK?’
The question startled him somewhat and when she slid her hand over his, her fingertips gently stroking his skin, he exhaled loudly, the touch making him feel better instantly. She did that for him, she always had done. Emma Watson was like his medicine. He turned his hand over, a small smile now gracing his features, and then pressed their palms together, lacing his fingers through hers.
‘Yeah, you know me, tough cookie.’ He nodded his head and as he looked up, caught sight of her perking an eyebrow, a sure-fire sign that she didn’t believe a single word he was spouting. ‘I’m fine,’ he added for emphasis, ‘really.’
Emma smiled, accepting it, and loosed his hand, picking up her coffee once again and taking a sip. He wanted to ask her the reason for her own insomnia, yet at the same time, he didn’t really want to pry. She’d tell him in her own time, she always did, if there was one thing he could count on, it was Emma being honest with him.
After a few minutes, Rupert became acutely aware of a small group of teenage girls huddled at a table not far from theirs, talking in hushed tones and gazing over in their direction. The school rush was about to begin so they could hardly avoid it any longer, but somehow, people staring still managed to make him uncomfortable, even after ten years of putting up with it. He supposed some things you never could get used to.
He stared back and seconds later, they pushed their chairs out, leaving the café with as much noise as was humanly possible.
‘They don’t mean any harm,’ said Emma, stifling a small laugh.
‘It gets on my nerves, that’s all,’ he responded, turning his attention back to her as soon as the girls were out of sight. ‘Sometimes you feel a bit like a caged animal in the zoo, know what I mean? The way people stare at you, watching your every move.’
‘Well, this was hardly going to be a very private conversation, was it, considering where we are?’
Shrugging his shoulders, Rupert finished off the rest of his coffee, and then shoved his chair out from under the table, getting to his feet. ‘Want to go somewhere else then?’ he asked her, knowing that he probably should tell her about the other not so small matter he had on his mind before he chickened out.
With a smile, she followed suit and stood up, slipping her jacket back on as they made their way through the door.
Once outside, she threaded her arm through his and he steered her in the direction of the park they’d passed on their way there.
The coffee had done its job and Rupert was feeling more and more alert as time ticked on, although he did wonder if that was partly down to having Emma walking alongside him, her head resting comfortably on his shoulder. He was always happiest when in her company.
For the first time in the last ten hours, he was beginning to feel normal again.
‘Thank you for meeting me this morning, I spent the whole night tossing and turning, it was beginning to drive me mad,’ she laughed softly. ‘Stupid really, I don’t know why.’
And as predicted, she brought it up herself.
He looked down at her, concern written all over his face. ‘Is there something bothering you?’
‘Oh, no, no need to worry about me, Rupes… really.’ Emma nudged him playfully in the ribs and he took the hint, not daring to ask again and continuing to walk through the park with her in silence.
Twenty minutes later he’d come to the conclusion that he had no idea what to tell her concerning the whole baby issue, so decided to wait until he could figure out how to break the news properly before even mentioning it. The incentive was there, but he had no clue how he’d say that without breaking her heart.
‘Dan’s having a get-together at his place tomorrow night, did he tell you?’
A change of subject was essential now as they were teetering on the verge of awkward silence and that was the last thing either of them wanted.
Shaking her head, Emma brought her gaze back to his and he couldn’t help the smile that crept over his features the moment she did. ‘No,’ she responded incredulously. ‘Are you sure I’m supposed to know about it? Maybe it’s a bloke’s only kind of thing. No girls allowed.’
‘Well… Bonnie’s going to be there and I’m pretty sure that she’s a girl.’ He chuckled and she rolled her eyes. ‘And if she isn’t, she’s done a good job of fooling me for the past ten years.’
‘Oh, shut up!’ She shoved him again and took a step away, twirling idly on the spot and gazing up at the blue sky above them.
He grinned down at her, fully aware how manic he probably looked, but right now he didn’t have the heart to care. It took Emma only a few seconds to figure out his game and before he’d even made a move to grab hold of her, she let out a shriek and started running across the field.
Giving chase shortly afterwards, he caught up to her quickly (even though he’d given her a pretty decent head start) and within a minute or so had thrown his arms around her from behind, picked her up from the ground and swung her around. Her shrieks soon turned to laughter and when he dropped her back to the ground, she span to face him, grasping hold of his shirt and pulling him tight against her.
Rupert paused, thrown by the suddenly closeness, but then threw caution to the wind and leant down to capture her lips in a deep kiss, his hands coming up to hold her face tenderly.
‘Is this allowed?’ the whisper slipped from her slightly parted lips as he pulled away several moments later.
It seemed a strange question to ask, but for the first time they were faced with the dilemma. Never before had they been in a situation where kissing in public was an option. They’d always had to stop themselves in case someone saw and Aimée found out – well, everyone found out really.
‘Oh, umm, I gue--’
Emma’s eyes lit up as soon as he started to speak and then, not giving him chance to say anymore, she tangled her hands into his hair and brought his mouth back to her own.
Yeah, it was definitely allowed.
.x.
