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And Heaven Too

Chapter Sixteen

Charlie finds Dell in a right mess of a state. She’s still wearing her work clothes but she’s desperate throwing the remnants of her roommate’s (EX-roommate) shit into a trash bag when she calls out softly from the door, “Dell?”

Dell honestly hadn’t heard Charlie come in. She’d been arguing, loudly and violently, in her head with Andrew for the last half hour, since she’d gotten off the phone with Mike. She’d railed at him and called him all sorts of terrible names, and accused him of having less than sanitary personal habits, all totally true.

She’s got angry tear tracks running down her face when she turns to find her best friend, looking at her with pity and sadness, and Dell just falls apart. She doesn’t cry a whole lot. She spends a lot of energy letting shit roll off her back and keeping herself even-keeled. The last hour, though, has wrecked her.

Charlie leads her out into the living room, sits her down, and lets her cry it out. She thinks about Andrew, being a shit head for ditching her like this. She’d really gone out on a limb for that dick and he’s just screwed her. When her eyes catch sight of the empty place where her Xbox used to be, she starts hiccupping through the tears.

And Mike. Gorgeous, sweet, stupidly rich and presumptuous Mike. No, she thinks, she doesn’t want him to pay for her housing and buy her expensive things. She doesn’t want to be kept. This might not be a normal American female’s usual reaction to attractive men offing monetary relief but fuck.

She’s twenty seven. She’s an accomplished archaeologist working at the fucking Smithsonian. She doesn’t need another guy trying to force her into a life style that she doesn’t want. She has a life and she can’t be this party girl that he’s suddenly asking her to be.

Dell isn’t sure what hurts worse because this is the moment that Dell realizes that she and Mike aren’t going to work. She can’t be that beautiful woman on his arm, wearing designer clothes and always perfectly coifed. She’s already stressed herself to the brink trying to find descent clothes in her collection. She can’t keep up with him. She can’t do the party-every-night lifestyle he seems to be falling in to, now that the season is back.

Dell’s brain is careening out of control, exploding left and right. It’s leading into a spectacular crash and Dell doesn’t even realize she’s rocking back and forth until Charlie gets both arms around her and pulls her to her chest. Dell lets the other woman cradle her and tries to calm the fuck down.

“Shhh. It’s okay love.”

Dell shakes her head and manages the first words out of her mouth since she hung up on Mike. “It’s not. Everything is ruined forever. I’m gonna be homeless and alone in a week.”

Charlie chuckles at her for being overdramatic and Dell can actually laugh a little at that too. Her breathing is calming and her head isn’t spinning quite so fast anymore. “There’s a lot that’s wrong, Charlie. I don’t know what to do.”

The redhead clucks her tongue and gives Dell’s body a shake. “What’s wrong?”

So Dell tells her all about Andrew, which she’d glossed over on the phone earlier, and then starts to explain Mike. When she gets to the part where she’s just not going to fit into Mike’s life, not like this, Charlie pushes her back and stares at her with wide eyes.

“How the hell could you think he won’t make room in his life for you? That man is half in love with you already.”

Dell frowns because, really, no. That’s not them. There’s no love, no deep emotion. At least nothing serious. She doesn’t think so, not really. They are casual. They are- “Whatever. You’re silly. We’re not dating.”

Now Charlie really looks at her like she’s crazy. “How many nights have you spent with him in the last three weeks?”

Dell thinks about this really hard because this is a really valid question. She counts up. “Eleven? Thirteen max, depending on whether you count arrivals after midnight as staying the night since technically it’s the morning-“

Charlie waves her hand, dismissing her over-analysis. “Aaaaaand did he or did he not drive you out to Annapolis for a romantic dinner?”

Dell huffs, “That doesn’t mean anything-“

“Dell, sweetie, he offered to let you drive his Lamborghini.” Charlie’s eyebrows hit her hairline, giving Dell the best ‘Are you picking up what I’m dropping?’ look ever. Dell feels her stomach clench.

“Shit. We are dating.”

They’re dating. She’s dating Mike Green. She thinks back to the beginning of all this. She’d been ready for the whole idea then. How is she panicking now? “What the fuck is wrong with me? Ten years of college and I’m still a fucking idiot.”

Charlie looks relieved that Dell has reached this revelation. “You’re not an idiot. You’re just wrapped up in your life.” Dell starts to protest because, really, she’s spent more time with Mike than she has with anyone else lately. Charlie holds up a hand, making her pause. “Think about it. This is it; this should be the last semester for you. If you keep everything on task and get through your dissertation defense, you’re a doctor. Four months max.” Charlie lets that sink in for a bit.

“You’re a doctor. But-, “ now she forces Dell to look at her, really look at her, with a steadying hand on her shoulder. “But now, now you’ve got this guy who you know is amazing right there. And you know what? This is it for him too. He’s a hockey player and hockey is finally back. This is his life. You, as usual, are only considering the impact he has on your life and not the impact you have on his.”

Charlie falls silent and Dell actually closes her eyes, trying to mull through all of this. Charlie has accused her, dozens of times over the years, of never lifting her head up from her studies. But . . . really? This time? She’s done everything Mike’s wanted to do that she’s had time for but he’s been on her constantly about hanging out for almost a week and then, then she gets swallowed up by a crowd when she does agree to go out.

She might not look up from school a lot but he’s fallen back into what she imagines is his regular fame without ever stopping to think that this isn’t what she wants.

Dell isn’t saying that she’s in love with Mike because she’s almost completely sure she’s not. But she could be. With the Mike she knows. The one that’s gotten into tickling wrestling matches in the middle of his living room because she stole his last Gatorade. The one who looks at her like she’s the air he needs to breathe when he’s moving over her. The one that . . . that offers his fucking half a million dollar (or something) car to teach her how to drive stick.

This new one she doesn’t know.

The question now is whether she wants to.

“Now that your major revelation for the night is over, how about we clean up your shitty roommate’s crap and get drunk on wine? I don’t even have to drive home.” Her friend’s smile is mischievous when she retrieves a bottle of merlot from the kitchen. “Got a free pass for the night from the husband.”

Dell is glad she’s got that one friend who always knows what to say.

She calls Mike during her lunch break the next morning. Of course he’s busy, probably at practice. She leaves him a message, asking him to call her back. It’s only Wednesday. She puts his silence out of her mind while she cleans Andrew’s room up. She might have to find a new place if she can’t get a new roommate. Thursday she spends at the computer, half of her attention focused on Craig’s List for the roommate, the other half working on Chapter Three for her book.

Mike sends her a short text Thursday night, asking if she wants to come out the next night for a get-together. Dell looks at her phone for a long time, thinking about it.

Seriously, if she wants to do this she needs to make an effort too. She needs to put in the time; Mike is worth it. She answers with an affirmative and manages to finish up her entire outline for the next two chapters before she goes to bed that night.

Dell doesn’t think about dressing up for work since she’s back in the NatHis, again, for the second time in a week. When Mike texts her around noon, simply asking lunch? she has a moment of girl panic. She’s back in her excavation shorts. At least she’s got one of his Caps shirts she’s requisitioned.

She brushes off as much African dust as she can and tries to finger comb her hair, willing it into some semblance of order. She really looks a fright. Oh well. This is one part of her life that’s a constant sometimes; her being covered in nature. She’s ten times worse in the field and perhaps it’ll help Mike out to see her like this again.

He doesn’t respond to her affirmative and she makes her way back up to the lobby. She really isn’t watching where she’s going, unsurprisingly, and she collides with a hard body. Only some fancy footwork on her part and a steadying hand at her back keep her upright.

Dell is about to thank the person but when she glances up the words are lost on her tongue. Mike is grinning down at her, His hair hiding being a toque and his eyes crinkling with unshed laughter. She regains her bearings enough to open her mouth, ask him how he knew she was here, tell him how much she fucking missed him (and how did she not even realize that empty feeling in the pit of her stomach for days was because he hadn’t been there?) but Mike beats her to the punch line.

“Excuse me, you work here, right? Could you tell me how to find the . . . ,“ he holds a worn museum map up to his view. “Find the ‘Horrific Snake Exhibit’. I heard it was absolutely terrible from a friend and would like to check it out. But, I can’t find it on my map.” He waves the paper hopefully in front of her.

Dell’s face softens to a smile and she gives him a long look. Silly. Sweet. Mike. “I’m sorry sir, but that exhibit is closed. It ended last week.”

Mike frowns and rubs his forehead as though he’s vexed before shrugging and giving a thankful smile. “That’s too bad. Thanks for your help.” He gives her a nod and turns to go.

Wait! What! “Hey!” She yells this in surprise and everyone in the foyer looks at her. Everyone. Mike pauses before spinning around to face her slowly. She is at a complete loss of words when he returns and leans in conspiratorially. She breathes in deep because, well, Mike. Duh. But also because she really, really missed him. Just him.

“Okay, so here’s the truth. I don’t give a flying fuck about the snake exhibit. You see, I’m just trying to get this insanely smart girl to come out to lunch with me and I wanted some talking points; see if I couldn’t impress her with my ability to read placards. Do you have any?”

She raises her eyebrows. “Any what? Placards?” What the hell is he even playing at now?

He laughs. She melts. “No . . . talking points? See, she’s super intelligent and amazingly beautiful. Knows more about history and digging stuff up than Indiana Jones. True story. She might even be a better shot with a gun but to this day I’ve never seen her shoot and I’m not going to risk it. So I need something good. Something that’ll knock her socks off.”

Dell blushes all the way through his description of her. She looks him over and decides that the Mike she likes so much, the one that she’s spent the last weeks with, is still here. Still with her. Charlie was right, though. He’s got a life to get back to now too. She needs to find a place to fit within it. “Mike-“

He waves his hand dramatically. “Shhh! Don’t say my name! You might blow my cover.” He glances around, making sure no one has noticed him, before pulling her over by the stairs. He leans in close. “See, I’m kind of a big deal. I’ve got some money.” He scratches the back of his head, looking a little sheepish. “All right. A lot. But, this girl, I don’t think she likes that. I’m pretty sure she thought I just wanted to sleep with her when we first met- which, don’t get me wrong. I totally did. Still do. Pretty much every waking moment.

“The thing is I don’t care about that shit. I just care about her and I want to make room for her in my life. I want- hell I want a lot of things but right now I kind of just want to kiss her then buy her lunch. Or maybe the other way around. I’m not sure yet.”

Dell would have never given him credit for being so perceptive if she wasn’t hearing it right now. Mike’s smile is blinding and apologetic and she thinks it’d be totally legit to throw herself at him, right at this very moment.

But she’s at work.

If there’s one thing she’s never going to do, if she can help it, jeopardizing this job is it.

She examines his face, from the hair that’s brushed back behind his ears and curling softly from underneath his hat, to the scruffy beard he’s been growing out since they met, to the eyes that show his age more than anything yet still look so hopeful and young. Mike Green is a beautiful man and is smart.

Mike Green has her figured out and she breaks into a laugh because there’s nothing like the feeling of being known by such an exceptionally wonderful person. She grabs his hand and squeezes it tight. “No making out. Not here. But . . . I do have time to get lunch off campus. Slow day in the lab.”

His grin shoots even wider and he laughs back at her before leaning his forehead down to rest against hers. “I missed you.”

She squeezes his hand even tighter. “I missed you too.”

Notes

Only a few more to go, in which we find out how Mike got so smart, discover that Dell can handle herself around twenty hockey players and Ruth makes an unsurprising guest appearance.

Comments

I loved this story. I spent a whole rainy afternoon getting to know Mike and Dell. You writing is wonderful!!!
Riley Riley
9/9/13
I really like this story!! : So sad its over now :(
alicatt alicatt
2/16/13
It's totally appropriate and not at all weird that I giggled when I imagined Nicky cleaning, right?
deciding deciding
2/3/13
Awww, Mike is a sweetheart! :) Can't wait for more!
alicatt alicatt
1/30/13
NO! Not good.....She just needs to give in and move in with him!
alicatt alicatt
1/22/13