Post by Lindsey on Jun 8, 2007 14:47:22 GMT -5
Here it is! Chapter Four... I've already gotten started on Ch. 5, but I had to cut it off at some reasonable point.
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Grace waited patiently for Apolo to speak. The look he’d given her was one of distrust, and although she didn’t like it, she’d seen it countless times during her interviews. Only a little experience had taught her just to give someone a little time. The pressure to respond would most likely dissipate in a few seconds and they’d open up anyway.
“Coming home to Seattle is always the same,” he finally said.
Vague, Grace thought. She wanted to prompt for more, but she didn’t want him to think he was being interviewed. To her surprise, Apolo continued on his own.
“You know, I’m treated like a hero here for a couple of days, but then it goes back to normal. I guess I like getting lost in a big city like this.”
“I don’t like big cities.” Grace admitted. That was something she’d really never do in an interview—talk about herself.
“Why not?” He seemed genuinely interested what she had to say.
“I’m from a small town up North,” she said. “It’s just different. And better. You know how it is. You’ve lived in remote parts of the country, too.”
“And how do you know that?”
Think fast, Grace. You don’t want him thinking you’re a stalker. “I’m a reporter. It’s my business to know things,” she said quickly, mentally patting herself on the back for coming up with a snappy response.
“Most people I run into just know the basics—I’ve been in two Olympics and Dancing with the Stars,” Apolo returned.
Drat. He didn’t fall for it. To her relief, Apolo didn’t say anything more than that. He just looked at her with an amused expression on his face, which was worse.
“Does it make you feel weird, though?” Grace wanted to know. “Like—people know who you are and where you’ve been?”
“I’ve gotten way over it,” Apolo said. Their food arrived and he turned to her. “Where up North are you from?”
“Massachusetts.”
“It must be beautiful up there.”
“It is.”
“I’d love to visit sometime.”
“You should.”
“Do you miss it?”
“Yeah.” Grace looked down at her plate, homesickness welling up inside of her. She hadn’t talked about home with anybody here. Not only did no one seem to care about her life before Seattle, but she also hadn’t had this long of a conversation with anyone except for Lisa.
“Sorry—” He noticed her discomfort.
“No, it’s okay. I guess I just missed it a little more than I thought. Home is so different from here. It’s quiet there, peaceful and relaxed. There’s nobody around, ever,” she laughed. “Life is so much more hectic here, and there’s always people around, but in a way, a city is more empty than the most empty little town you’d ever find in Massachusetts. There may not be many people in the town, but they all know your name,” Grace said. She paused momentarily and then looked up, meeting his eyes. Why was she telling him all this, anyway? “Don’t you think it’s a little lonely here ever?”
Apolo nodded and took a bite of food before responding. “For sure. I’ve had to deal with this for a while, though, so I guess I’m used to that, too. I don’t have a lot of friends here anymore. In fact, I don’t have a lot of real close friends besides my short track buddies.”
“Why is that? You’re a likable guy.”
He smiled and something inside of Grace twinged. She didn’t know what. “Well, what can I say?” he laughed. “No, seriously. I don’t have a lot of time to hang out and get to know people. I mean, people ask me out to do stuff and I always have to say ‘no.’ Gotta train, gotta sleep, gotta stay healthy. It’s insane.”
He set down his fork and looked suddenly pensive. “It’s weird, you know. I feel like some of that has changed since Dancing with the Stars, and now something inside of me feels different.” He glanced up at her and his face suddenly brightened. “But you don’t want to hear all this.”
Yes, I do. Grace shook her head. How odd that neither of us want to say what we’re thinking. “It’s okay.”
“Naw,” he said. “Let’s eat.”
Apolo ate quickly, Grace realized. Probably because he’s always in a hurry, she surmised. But even while he devoured his meal, he kept her entertained with stories from Dancing with the Stars, which she finally confessed to have watched. She found herself actually enjoying watching him talk. He was animated and funny, and when he smiled, his eyes crinkled up in typical Asian fashion.
“Well, I’m done, are you?” he said as he scraped up the last of the curry he’d ordered.
Grace looked down at her plate. She had only nibbled at her appetizer, having been too caught up in the conversation to notice her food, which was very unlike her.
“I guess I’ll just bring this home,” she said, looking up for the waiter. She was a little sorry the meal was over. It had been nice visiting with someone for a change.
The waiter brought the check to Apolo, and he insisted on paying. Grace’s appetizer was packaged up and handed to her, and as they stood up to go, she felt nervous, unsure of what else to say.
“Well, thank you for dinner. I had a really nice time,” she managed to say. That sounds like the end of a dinner date, she scolded herself.
Apolo frowned. “You’re going home?”
Grace was puzzled. “I shouldn’t be going home?”
Out of nowhere, she felt Apolo place his hand in the small of her back and gently push her with him towards a door she hadn’t noticed before in the back of the restaurant. Grace was so bewildered that she couldn’t even find words to protest. Apolo escorted her down a short hallway and pushed open another door, which led to the outside.
The light outside was dim, and the rackety noise of industrial fans greeted them. Grace realized they were behind the kitchen. This must be how he avoids getting noticed everywhere he goes, she supposed. He just comes through the back entrances. A black sport-utility vehicle was waiting at the bottom of a few steps.
As they stood on the small landing at the top of the steps, Apolo backed away from her but looked her straight in the eye. “You just said you were lonely,” he said, raising his voice a little to be heard over the sound of fans. “Well, guess what? If I go home right now, I’m gonna be lonely, too. So what’s the point of both of us going home?”
Grace was speechless again. Her forehead wrinkled in confusion. What was he saying? Did he want to go someplace else with her? Why?
He dropped his eyes and swallowed. He looked back up again but avoided her eyes. “I’m sorry. I’m an idiot. I guess I just thought…” He shook his head, and his gaze was back at his feet again.
Grace put her hand on his arm, and he looked back up at her. All of a sudden, another fan kicked in, the noise surrounding them doubling in volume.
“I just want to be able to—”
Grace caught a few words but the rest of his sentence was drowned out. He shook his head again, laughing.
“Forget it!” he shouted. He stepped down onto the first step and offered her his hand in mock chivalry, tilting his head as if to ask, “Please?”
Grace laughed at the sight of him. He looked so charming, just waiting there expectantly. She still didn’t know what he wanted, but she guessed he just didn’t want to spend the evening alone, like she did. Spending a little more time with him wouldn’t be so bad. Grace closed her eyes briefly. No. This is crazy, Grace told herself. You can’t just go off with someone you don’t know. What does he want out of you, anyway?
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I'll try to have another chapter posted up sometime this weekend. I wrote this during dull moments at work today--what do you think? Predictions, anyone?
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Grace waited patiently for Apolo to speak. The look he’d given her was one of distrust, and although she didn’t like it, she’d seen it countless times during her interviews. Only a little experience had taught her just to give someone a little time. The pressure to respond would most likely dissipate in a few seconds and they’d open up anyway.
“Coming home to Seattle is always the same,” he finally said.
Vague, Grace thought. She wanted to prompt for more, but she didn’t want him to think he was being interviewed. To her surprise, Apolo continued on his own.
“You know, I’m treated like a hero here for a couple of days, but then it goes back to normal. I guess I like getting lost in a big city like this.”
“I don’t like big cities.” Grace admitted. That was something she’d really never do in an interview—talk about herself.
“Why not?” He seemed genuinely interested what she had to say.
“I’m from a small town up North,” she said. “It’s just different. And better. You know how it is. You’ve lived in remote parts of the country, too.”
“And how do you know that?”
Think fast, Grace. You don’t want him thinking you’re a stalker. “I’m a reporter. It’s my business to know things,” she said quickly, mentally patting herself on the back for coming up with a snappy response.
“Most people I run into just know the basics—I’ve been in two Olympics and Dancing with the Stars,” Apolo returned.
Drat. He didn’t fall for it. To her relief, Apolo didn’t say anything more than that. He just looked at her with an amused expression on his face, which was worse.
“Does it make you feel weird, though?” Grace wanted to know. “Like—people know who you are and where you’ve been?”
“I’ve gotten way over it,” Apolo said. Their food arrived and he turned to her. “Where up North are you from?”
“Massachusetts.”
“It must be beautiful up there.”
“It is.”
“I’d love to visit sometime.”
“You should.”
“Do you miss it?”
“Yeah.” Grace looked down at her plate, homesickness welling up inside of her. She hadn’t talked about home with anybody here. Not only did no one seem to care about her life before Seattle, but she also hadn’t had this long of a conversation with anyone except for Lisa.
“Sorry—” He noticed her discomfort.
“No, it’s okay. I guess I just missed it a little more than I thought. Home is so different from here. It’s quiet there, peaceful and relaxed. There’s nobody around, ever,” she laughed. “Life is so much more hectic here, and there’s always people around, but in a way, a city is more empty than the most empty little town you’d ever find in Massachusetts. There may not be many people in the town, but they all know your name,” Grace said. She paused momentarily and then looked up, meeting his eyes. Why was she telling him all this, anyway? “Don’t you think it’s a little lonely here ever?”
Apolo nodded and took a bite of food before responding. “For sure. I’ve had to deal with this for a while, though, so I guess I’m used to that, too. I don’t have a lot of friends here anymore. In fact, I don’t have a lot of real close friends besides my short track buddies.”
“Why is that? You’re a likable guy.”
He smiled and something inside of Grace twinged. She didn’t know what. “Well, what can I say?” he laughed. “No, seriously. I don’t have a lot of time to hang out and get to know people. I mean, people ask me out to do stuff and I always have to say ‘no.’ Gotta train, gotta sleep, gotta stay healthy. It’s insane.”
He set down his fork and looked suddenly pensive. “It’s weird, you know. I feel like some of that has changed since Dancing with the Stars, and now something inside of me feels different.” He glanced up at her and his face suddenly brightened. “But you don’t want to hear all this.”
Yes, I do. Grace shook her head. How odd that neither of us want to say what we’re thinking. “It’s okay.”
“Naw,” he said. “Let’s eat.”
Apolo ate quickly, Grace realized. Probably because he’s always in a hurry, she surmised. But even while he devoured his meal, he kept her entertained with stories from Dancing with the Stars, which she finally confessed to have watched. She found herself actually enjoying watching him talk. He was animated and funny, and when he smiled, his eyes crinkled up in typical Asian fashion.
“Well, I’m done, are you?” he said as he scraped up the last of the curry he’d ordered.
Grace looked down at her plate. She had only nibbled at her appetizer, having been too caught up in the conversation to notice her food, which was very unlike her.
“I guess I’ll just bring this home,” she said, looking up for the waiter. She was a little sorry the meal was over. It had been nice visiting with someone for a change.
The waiter brought the check to Apolo, and he insisted on paying. Grace’s appetizer was packaged up and handed to her, and as they stood up to go, she felt nervous, unsure of what else to say.
“Well, thank you for dinner. I had a really nice time,” she managed to say. That sounds like the end of a dinner date, she scolded herself.
Apolo frowned. “You’re going home?”
Grace was puzzled. “I shouldn’t be going home?”
Out of nowhere, she felt Apolo place his hand in the small of her back and gently push her with him towards a door she hadn’t noticed before in the back of the restaurant. Grace was so bewildered that she couldn’t even find words to protest. Apolo escorted her down a short hallway and pushed open another door, which led to the outside.
The light outside was dim, and the rackety noise of industrial fans greeted them. Grace realized they were behind the kitchen. This must be how he avoids getting noticed everywhere he goes, she supposed. He just comes through the back entrances. A black sport-utility vehicle was waiting at the bottom of a few steps.
As they stood on the small landing at the top of the steps, Apolo backed away from her but looked her straight in the eye. “You just said you were lonely,” he said, raising his voice a little to be heard over the sound of fans. “Well, guess what? If I go home right now, I’m gonna be lonely, too. So what’s the point of both of us going home?”
Grace was speechless again. Her forehead wrinkled in confusion. What was he saying? Did he want to go someplace else with her? Why?
He dropped his eyes and swallowed. He looked back up again but avoided her eyes. “I’m sorry. I’m an idiot. I guess I just thought…” He shook his head, and his gaze was back at his feet again.
Grace put her hand on his arm, and he looked back up at her. All of a sudden, another fan kicked in, the noise surrounding them doubling in volume.
“I just want to be able to—”
Grace caught a few words but the rest of his sentence was drowned out. He shook his head again, laughing.
“Forget it!” he shouted. He stepped down onto the first step and offered her his hand in mock chivalry, tilting his head as if to ask, “Please?”
Grace laughed at the sight of him. He looked so charming, just waiting there expectantly. She still didn’t know what he wanted, but she guessed he just didn’t want to spend the evening alone, like she did. Spending a little more time with him wouldn’t be so bad. Grace closed her eyes briefly. No. This is crazy, Grace told herself. You can’t just go off with someone you don’t know. What does he want out of you, anyway?
---------------------
I'll try to have another chapter posted up sometime this weekend. I wrote this during dull moments at work today--what do you think? Predictions, anyone?
...i want to get started in a fic soon...and i will have that in mind thanks! 
Hmmm...my inquiring mind wants to know. 
