Have and Hold
Jun. 20th, 2019 05:34 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
intheheart=Title: Have and Hold
Rating: PG-13
Summary: "Neb. Darling. Isn't there something in our wedding vows that forbids cockblocking each other?"
Warnings: none.
Notes: Hey, Kelly, remember how I showed you this dialogue like a year and a half ago...?
"Neb," Lauren said when she answered, her voice clear and sweet as honey over the background noise of the club. Oh, he was in trouble. "Darling. Isn't there something in our wedding vows that forbids cockblocking each other?"
"No," Lewis said positively, because he'd have remembered putting that in. "I think the justice of the peace would have had a heart attack if there was. Anyway, this won't take long."
She snorted. "It better not, I've got a good one on the hook. What's up?"
He pressed his cell phone between his ear and shoulder, the better to go on searching. "I've got to go north for a few days. I thought you'd rather I told you instead of just disappearing."
"Hold on a second." There was a pause, then the thumping bass and higher-pitched chatter of voices cut abruptly to nothing and Lauren said, "Good call on the telling me. What's up north? And don't say business."
"If only it was business," he said. A hundred and fifty dollars for a train to the Back Bay? Who the hell set these prices? "No, it's Mam. She's not doing very well, apparently, and she wants to see me. I just got the call."
"Oh," Lauren said, suddenly subdued. "Oh, Lewis, I'm sorry."
"No call for that," he said, uneasy—Lauren never used his actual first name unless something had gone very wrong. "It's not anything like that. She's old, that's all. She'll live a hundred years yet."
"If you say so." She sighed noisily into the phone. "Dammit, and he was really hot, too. Okay. When are we leaving?"
Lewis paused, and pulled the phone away from his head, stared at it for a moment, and only put it back to his ear when he heard Lauren saying his name. "Come again?"
"I said," she repeated, sounding amused, "when are we leaving? Have I got time to come home and pack, or am I going to have to meet you at the station and hope you've developed a smidge of fashion sense since this morning? Which, by the way, don't wear a red and yellow striped tie with a blue suit, you look ridiculous."
"Thank you for your input, darling," he said. "You don't have to come with me."
"Taxi!" she yelled, nearly deafening him, then added, "Why the hell wouldn't I?"
So very many reasons. "Well, she's my mother. And she hates you."
She snickered. "She does not, she just doesn't think I'm good enough for you. Isn't that the funniest fucking thing you've ever heard? Lower East Side, sixth and C," she told the driver, and he heard the clunk of the door as it shut.
"As if you're not good enough for anyone you please," he said absently, dithering over train tickets. If Lauren was coming with him, there was no need to take the express—he'd have her to help him pass the time, and that would knock at least fifty dollars off the price.
"My point exactly," she said, sounding rather smug, but then he liked her that way. "Seriously, Neb, I'm your wife. I wasn't just bullshitting the sickness and health thing."
His mouth twitched, the beginnings of an involuntary smile—not that he would ever admit it. "Well, then, we won't be leaving until tomorrow, so you have plenty of time to come home and pack. I'm sorry about the attractive young man you were going to ravage."
Lauren sighed noisily into the speaker. "You're just going to have to make it up to me," she said.
He could picture her sitting in the backseat of the cab, her legs crossed at the knee, studying her manicured nails with elaborate unconcern. He couldn't remember what she was wearing, which was a little ridiculous since he'd seen her getting ready, and even kissed her goodbye on her way out, but he liked to imagine her in the purple dress with the deep neckline, the one she wore with long gold necklaces, the one that showed off acres of smooth creamy skin.
Lewis cleared his throat. "I'll do my best," he said. "What did you have in mind?"
"Well," Lauren said, her voice dropping smoothly, "I assume we're taking the regional, which if I remember correctly takes about four hours."
"Something like that," he said, clicking through to the payment screen.
"Four hours," she said, and she sounded... seductive, certainly, but not the overt 'come and fuck me' tone she used on her one-night stands. This was warmer, more playful, and Lewis was the only one who got to hear it. "They've got bathrooms on the train, right? I'm sure you could think of a creative way to grovel."
"I have a few ideas," he said. There, Amtrak had his credit card and they were going to Boston tomorrow. He wasn't thrilled about the destination, but the trip... "Were you expecting this groveling to take the whole four hours?"
"I should hope so," she said, sounding almost offended. "He was very attractive."
Lewis laughed. "I'll think of something," he said. "Jezebel."
"I love you too, Neb," she said, sweetly, and hung up.
Rating: PG-13
Summary: "Neb. Darling. Isn't there something in our wedding vows that forbids cockblocking each other?"
Warnings: none.
Notes: Hey, Kelly, remember how I showed you this dialogue like a year and a half ago...?
"Neb," Lauren said when she answered, her voice clear and sweet as honey over the background noise of the club. Oh, he was in trouble. "Darling. Isn't there something in our wedding vows that forbids cockblocking each other?"
"No," Lewis said positively, because he'd have remembered putting that in. "I think the justice of the peace would have had a heart attack if there was. Anyway, this won't take long."
She snorted. "It better not, I've got a good one on the hook. What's up?"
He pressed his cell phone between his ear and shoulder, the better to go on searching. "I've got to go north for a few days. I thought you'd rather I told you instead of just disappearing."
"Hold on a second." There was a pause, then the thumping bass and higher-pitched chatter of voices cut abruptly to nothing and Lauren said, "Good call on the telling me. What's up north? And don't say business."
"If only it was business," he said. A hundred and fifty dollars for a train to the Back Bay? Who the hell set these prices? "No, it's Mam. She's not doing very well, apparently, and she wants to see me. I just got the call."
"Oh," Lauren said, suddenly subdued. "Oh, Lewis, I'm sorry."
"No call for that," he said, uneasy—Lauren never used his actual first name unless something had gone very wrong. "It's not anything like that. She's old, that's all. She'll live a hundred years yet."
"If you say so." She sighed noisily into the phone. "Dammit, and he was really hot, too. Okay. When are we leaving?"
Lewis paused, and pulled the phone away from his head, stared at it for a moment, and only put it back to his ear when he heard Lauren saying his name. "Come again?"
"I said," she repeated, sounding amused, "when are we leaving? Have I got time to come home and pack, or am I going to have to meet you at the station and hope you've developed a smidge of fashion sense since this morning? Which, by the way, don't wear a red and yellow striped tie with a blue suit, you look ridiculous."
"Thank you for your input, darling," he said. "You don't have to come with me."
"Taxi!" she yelled, nearly deafening him, then added, "Why the hell wouldn't I?"
So very many reasons. "Well, she's my mother. And she hates you."
She snickered. "She does not, she just doesn't think I'm good enough for you. Isn't that the funniest fucking thing you've ever heard? Lower East Side, sixth and C," she told the driver, and he heard the clunk of the door as it shut.
"As if you're not good enough for anyone you please," he said absently, dithering over train tickets. If Lauren was coming with him, there was no need to take the express—he'd have her to help him pass the time, and that would knock at least fifty dollars off the price.
"My point exactly," she said, sounding rather smug, but then he liked her that way. "Seriously, Neb, I'm your wife. I wasn't just bullshitting the sickness and health thing."
His mouth twitched, the beginnings of an involuntary smile—not that he would ever admit it. "Well, then, we won't be leaving until tomorrow, so you have plenty of time to come home and pack. I'm sorry about the attractive young man you were going to ravage."
Lauren sighed noisily into the speaker. "You're just going to have to make it up to me," she said.
He could picture her sitting in the backseat of the cab, her legs crossed at the knee, studying her manicured nails with elaborate unconcern. He couldn't remember what she was wearing, which was a little ridiculous since he'd seen her getting ready, and even kissed her goodbye on her way out, but he liked to imagine her in the purple dress with the deep neckline, the one she wore with long gold necklaces, the one that showed off acres of smooth creamy skin.
Lewis cleared his throat. "I'll do my best," he said. "What did you have in mind?"
"Well," Lauren said, her voice dropping smoothly, "I assume we're taking the regional, which if I remember correctly takes about four hours."
"Something like that," he said, clicking through to the payment screen.
"Four hours," she said, and she sounded... seductive, certainly, but not the overt 'come and fuck me' tone she used on her one-night stands. This was warmer, more playful, and Lewis was the only one who got to hear it. "They've got bathrooms on the train, right? I'm sure you could think of a creative way to grovel."
"I have a few ideas," he said. There, Amtrak had his credit card and they were going to Boston tomorrow. He wasn't thrilled about the destination, but the trip... "Were you expecting this groveling to take the whole four hours?"
"I should hope so," she said, sounding almost offended. "He was very attractive."
Lewis laughed. "I'll think of something," he said. "Jezebel."
"I love you too, Neb," she said, sweetly, and hung up.
