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Post by Eddie * on May 2, 2017 11:41:17 GMT
i'll keep you safe if you keep me strong After. The single word caused a crease between her eyebrows in obvious confusion. It didn't make sense to her then, and Callie took a breath accordingly. Now things were really getting messy. It didn't help that she stood in this room, away from the door and the safety of its overall position.
It shot her again to be told so openly that she had been a singular want. That cemented the prior notions she'd never been so sure of. She genuinely believed her, then, but she chose to address the latter instead.
"I know. You didn't come back for me, I understand that." She admitted, honestly. She highly doubted anyone would travel all the way back here just to be around her. There wasn't an ounce of misunderstanding about her reasons for being here. In that, she'd been right; it was assuming too highly of herself to think she warranted such behaviour.
What made it better - or perhaps worse, depending on the perspective - was the way she reached out towards her. It was a deadly kind of thought, but she followed it anyway as she allowed her hands to press against either side of her counterpart's face. Any kind of physical connection was guaranteed to be an overcharge; "Trust me, I know." Callie added in earnest, keeping her voice low, "I should've gone after you." |
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Post by Eos * on May 2, 2017 11:47:55 GMT
{ } She didn't move away as the blonde drew closer. Her eyes grew suspicious, but she didn't make a motion to pull away. As the blonde's fingers trailed the lines of her face, Penelope felt herself draw a quick breath.
She couldn't have pulled away even if she'd wanted to. Despite it all, she had to at least admit to herself the power the blonde held over her still. Closing her eyes, she felt herself lean in against the touch.
The words that were uttered had been everything Penelope had ever wanted to hear. And yet, was it really that simple? Could the past really be left in the past? "Callie..." she breathed, almost pleasing as she was fighting whether to pull away or give in. "I was a flight risk with the fear of falling. Wondering why we bother with love if it never lasts." ulla |
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Post by Eddie * on May 2, 2017 12:00:11 GMT
i'll keep you safe if you keep me strong Callie knew she'd find at least a little bit of resistance from the move she made. Penelope had been so quick to shift away from her at every occasion, but now that she'd managed a connection, things felt completely different. It was the very magnetic energy she had been so intent to avoid in the first place. It was bad, right?
Hindsight reminded her of all the things she probably should have said, if ever given the chance. She felt her own eyes close as she leaned in that extra fraction, each shortened breath dusting that familiar face she shouldn't have been so close to. Not again. Especially not in a conversation like this.
"I'm really sorry." She finally offered, letting the words barely brush the lips she doubted she had the authority to completely steal, "You deserved so much better." |
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Post by Eos * on May 2, 2017 12:05:10 GMT
{ } She was a fool; she knew that much. She'd come back, bracing herself and reminding herself she was strong enough to endure this. As irony would have it, it turns out she wasn't strong enough. Not by a mile.
"Please don't," she whispered, her voice hushed. It was all the power she had left in her. She didn't want to go down this path again, but oh, how weak her resolute felt. How ridiculous her previous anger had felt only moments before.
Feeling weak and vulnerable didn't suit her. It made her feel sixteen all over again. Had she not grown past the teenage angst? "I was a flight risk with the fear of falling. Wondering why we bother with love if it never lasts." ulla |
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Post by Eddie * on May 2, 2017 12:13:10 GMT
i'll keep you safe if you keep me strong Those little words were enough to force the blonde to reconsider her actions. They sucked the air from her lungs in a slow exhale, and no matter how she tried, she couldn't find enough oxygen to sustain her. Not when she was this close. She felt the heightened nature of her heartbeat in her throat, too.
What was worse, was that seconds dragged like hours. She genuinely thought to step away, but that required strength. Probably more than what it took to make that request in the first place.
"I'll do whatever you want." She repeated, honestly. Softly, like she was trying to reassure her of the power she had here. She deserved that much, after all. |
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Post by Eos * on May 2, 2017 12:19:32 GMT
{ } Grasping at straws, Penelope exhaled and lifted her head to create some semblance of space without actually moving. She didn't open her eyes. That would only make things much, much harder for her and she didn't really need things to be harder right now.
"I need time," she then said. She clearly wasn't the only one either. "And I think you do too. I think you need to figure out what you really want before you..." she trailed off. Before she what? Before she took on yet another race she couldn't quite finish? "I was a flight risk with the fear of falling. Wondering why we bother with love if it never lasts." ulla |
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Post by Eddie * on May 2, 2017 12:30:47 GMT
i'll keep you safe if you keep me strong The smallest space that filtered between them felt like being denied. For someone so affectionate - for someone so prone to offering everything in every moment when it seemed right - Callie couldn't help the way things had shifted. She took a breath inward slowly and swallowed hard. Those words filtered through her mind. She thought about time, and how she'd always considered it to be a waste. That was how she got herself in every mess in the first place.
She moved to slowly let her go; to drop her hands from either side of her face. She hugged herself again as she stood back; evidently, she could only do wrong with her hands now, so they were better left tied to herself completely. She nodded her head a few times, agreeing finally.
"Okay, I'll go." Callie offered finally, providing the kind of resolution she was sure Penelope was searching for here. |
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Post by Eos * on May 12, 2017 11:24:48 GMT
{ } A deep breath fell from the brunette's lips. To think she had once considered herself so strong, so fierce and here she was crumpling at the feet of the blonde. It wasn't really fair, but perhaps, with time, she'd be able to clear her mind.
The offered space gave Penelope some peace at mind. And yet, she couldn't chase the disappointment from her mind. A little farther and this situation might have ended differently.
Chewing on the bottom of her lip, all Penelope could do was stare. As much as she wanted this - as much as she had always wanted this, she didn't want to end up like before. She needed time to mentally prepare herself. "Thank you," she whispered hoarsely. "I was a flight risk with the fear of falling. Wondering why we bother with love if it never lasts." ulla |
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Post by Eddie * on May 12, 2017 12:18:50 GMT
i'll keep you safe if you keep me strong It was a definitive way to finish whatever it was Callie was trying to start, that was for sure. She let go and she made distance, well aware that she'd overstepped something in a hurry without thinking. That was the downside of her, it seemed; that lack of real thought before she took action. She was relatively certain she wasn't wanted, but she would find a way through that feeling. Until her own offer to leave was answered, of course.
In that moment, Callie wished she was good enough to not feel the stint of hurt from being thanked for leaving. Unfortunately for the both of them, she'd never been great at not taking things personally. She took it to heart, just like everything else. Worse, she knew it showed on her face. So she used the momentum of not wanting to be caught with a remotely destroyed look on her face to turn around again. The door was still ajar; she'd been smart not to shut that when she invaded the space she was in.
Swinging it open, Callie held the door wide enough to step through again. Pausing, she took a breath on a spare beat and shrugged her shoulders. It wasn't exactly going for broke, but it could have been the start of something new. "Can I at least-" Grasping at straws,
she feigned confidence in her eyes as she looked back for a final time, "Can I have your number, if you've changed it?" She had no idea,
and maybe that was a bad thing too. Just more proof that she'd never tried to reach out. Or rather, that she'd never let herself get that far.
"Or you can have mine. It's the same, but if you got rid of it, you can have it again. The ball'd be in your court though... But if you give me your number, then I'm the one who has to go through all the painful unsureness before I finally send you something." And then, she offered a lighter smile. That was a nervous kind of feeling she'd gladly wear for her. "And I will send you something. I promise." |
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Post by Eos * on May 12, 2017 23:37:59 GMT
{ } The question was such a simple and innocent, it almost had Penelope gawking. Instead, her brows furrowed lightly; processing the question and the risks that might have come with it. A shrug quickly followed.
Flicking her phone up from her back pocket, Penelope waved it in the air: she'd gotten a new phone and a new number. Another pathetic attempt to rid herself of her past, which, ironically had only come back to bite her in the ass once she'd returned from the place she'd sworn she'd never come back to.
"Uh, yeah, sure," she then replied, unsure whether to take Callie's number - or give her own. After a moment of thought, she settled on the latter. "Give me your phone and I'll add it in." A dark side of her took pleasure in the idea of being the one with all the power. Another part also felt guilty for taking advantage of someone who (usually) had such innocent intentions.
"I was a flight risk with the fear of falling. Wondering why we bother with love if it never lasts." ulla |
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Post by Eddie * on May 13, 2017 0:01:21 GMT
i'll keep you safe if you keep me strong Callie had been sure she would be denied again. In a spare moment, she thought she would find a way to manage that too. There were worse things than rejection. There had to be.
Then there was relief in her eyes at the offer. Sure, she was putting herself in a potentially difficult position, but there was simplicity in speaking with such a break between them.
"Here." She offered finally, hand almost completely extended. In her mind,
the distance was something that was completely necessary for the other party here.
"It's about time I really chased you, huh." Callie added with a moment of thought. |
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Post by Eos * on May 13, 2017 0:05:58 GMT
{ } Accepting the phone that was handed to her, Penelope swiped her finger across the screen. Forcing down the small smile that threatened to creep across her lips, she opened up the contacts and added herself in before handing the phone back to its owner.
An eyebrow crept up at the offered words. In honesty, Penelope didn't expect much to come off of this; Callie had always worn her heart on her sleep and although Penelope adored that about her, it also meant that Callie's attention shifted easily. Instead, Penelope offered a small smile.
She could easily said something that would have put whatever fire the blonde had left in her, but she didn't have the heart to. Despite it all, she still cared.
"Let's start with a text and take it from there, hm?" she offered. "I was a flight risk with the fear of falling. Wondering why we bother with love if it never lasts." ulla |
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Post by Eddie * on May 13, 2017 0:15:42 GMT
i'll keep you safe if you keep me strong With the phone back in her hand, Callie briefly stared at the screen. She looked for a moment to at least make sure that number had the right amount of digits. The corner of her mouth crept up; at least she hadn't failed in getting this.
Truthfully, starting with a text felt like being shot down again. This person in front of her was dreadfully careful against the person who lived so potentially recklessly.
"Yeah, okay. Like friends?" Callie offered then, smiling bright with the light from the sun itself. Not that she had anything wrong with that. Furthermore, she had never been good at culling how she felt about this particular person. "I can do that. I'm an awesome friend." |
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Post by Eos * on May 13, 2017 0:19:29 GMT
{ } "Friends," Penelope repeated. That was all she could offered. All she dared to offer. Then again, perhaps, this was what they should have done from the beginning. They, or rather, Penelope, hadn't given the idea of being friends much thought before she'd let Callie run away with her heart.
She didn't doubt that Callie wanted more. Callie wasn't the kind of person who held back anything. Which recent events had only proved further, but it seemed like she was willing to give the brunette time to lick her still wide open wounds and Penelope had to remind herself to appreciate that.
"I don't doubt that you are," she offered with a smile that was accompanied with a slight shrug; after all, Penelope wouldn't know. They'd more or less skipped that part before. "I was a flight risk with the fear of falling. Wondering why we bother with love if it never lasts." ulla |
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Post by Eddie * on May 13, 2017 0:28:45 GMT
i'll keep you safe if you keep me strong As they spoke of friendship, Callie was clever to hold her cards close to her chest. She was smart enough to know that now wasn't the time to admit that that's exactly how she fell into circumstances with the girl who broke her relationship. A caring friendship was how she started that relationship to. She believed she was a good friend, but that imperative things always grew from such kindness.
No doubt? Sure. That made her keep her smile for just a little longer.
"Okay, cool." She said then, and she felt a little uncertain. Normally she could handle this with much better tact. Normally someone's back would be on a mattress. She stepped back instead, veering for the door before her eyes caused any more trouble. "Then we can hang out. In public. It'll be awesome." She conceded, swinging back long enough to wave a hand in a feeble attempt at a goodbye.
That could have gone better. But then again, it could have been way worse. |
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