Work Text:
Sarah was ready to celebrate the weekend, and the party her neighbor Anthony was hosting sounded like it was going to be beyond belief. She made her way across the hall, texting her boyfriend Charles to let him know she'd be looking for him when he arrived. She walked in her mood instantly lifting as Anthony rushed over to give her a warm hug.
"There you are sunshine. I haven't seen you since you and Chuck got all cozy. Get in here and have a drink." Sarah smiled as she found herself a drink, mingling away while she waited for Charles. After an hour she found herself seated at the piano, playing something that sounded a little bluesy while people talked around her. She stopped, figuring no one was really caring if she was playing or not when a familiar voice said her name.
"Why'd you stop Sarah?" She looked up and saw him, her next door neighbor and Anthony's best friend Chris. He was leaning on the upright piano, smiling at her with his baby blue eyes.
"I didn't think anyone wanted to hear me play whilst drunk." He sat his drink down, unable to take his eyes away from her. "So, where did you disappear off to?" She let her eyes wander over him, standing there in his red shirt that had her mind dreaming of taking it off of him.
"I had a family emergency to take care of." Her eyes met his again, knowing it was about his brother.
"Scott I take it?" He gave her a sad smirk, of course she would know who it was, she had gone through the same thing.
"Yea. Sorry I never got to say goodbye before leaving." He watched her mouth as she took a drink of her beer before playing again.
"Just don't let it happen again. Nice threads, did you get all dolled up for me?" He looked down at his outfit, an amused frown on his lips.
"Hey I make this work." The both laughed for a moment and he looked down at her, brilliant smile bewitching her.
"You do. So, have you heard about what we got Anthony to do while you were away?" He started laughing just by her tone and he knew that it had to be good for her to bring it up.
"Tell me what the idiot did." She got a fit of the giggles as she thought about it so instead she showed him a video on her phone. It involved Anthony in a dress and wig trying to ask for help bra shopping. Chris handed Sarah back her phone as he howled with laughter and it was the best sound she had heard in weeks.
The laughter died down but his smile never faded as they sat there looking at each other.
"I've missed not seeing you though." Her smile faded for a moment before it came back again, although a little fake. A man came over and sat next to her on the piano bench, his arm sliding around her as he turned her chin, kissing her softly. She pulled away, looking down at the keys before back up at him.
"Chris, this is Charles," she hesitated saying it, knowing it was going to hurt him, "my boyfriend." Chris offered Charles his best fake smile as he shook his hand. "Charles dear this is Chris, my neighbor who's been gone the past two months."
"Chris, so nice to meet you. Glad to see you've returned, I know Sarah was getting worried that something had happened to you." Chris' eyes met her as he spoke, and she could see he was upset with her.
"Well she's just an angel like that, cares for everyone. She could be a saint." Charles let out an ugly chuckle, the type of chuckle that invokes strangers to punch you.
"Oh, I can attest that she is far from a saint. That's ideal though isn't it. Lady on the streets, freak in the sheets." Chris could see the embarrassment in her eyes as she looked down, ashamed of what Charles had said.
"I don't know, I though ideal was someone you loved more than yourself and someone who felt the same about you." Sarah kept her head down as Charles stood up, holding his hand out to her.
"That too. Come on Sarah, let's go be seen." She stood up, pain written all over her face but she refused to face Chris. He waited, urging her in his mind to face him, give him a sign to punch her so-called boyfriend in the jaw but she didn't and he let them walk away.
An hour later she was standing on Charles arm talking to some people she didn't know and when she glanced up she saw Chris standing there by the piano talking to Anthony. She watched him, wishing she was still sitting there talking to him. He looked up and saw her watching him, but she turned away quickly. He kept his eyes on her as he spoke to Anthony, who could tell what was going on.
"Chris man, you left without a word for two months, you can't blame her for moving on." Chris looked back at Anthony, scowling as he let his eyes wander back to Sarah.
"You know why I had to leave, and she does too. And that guy, Charles? Have you met him? He's a complete douche bag. Just look at how he treats her Anthony, and I'm supposed to just sit back while that happens?" Anthony looked back at Sarah and Charles, knowing Chris was right.
"Yea, he's a dick. Wasn't like that when I first met him, but now. Look I've tried to keep an eye on her, but I just can't be there all the time." Chris watched the way Charles slid his arm around her waist, pulling her body flush with his as he eyeballed Chris. Once their eyes met Charles smirked, leaning down and kissing her neck softly. Her reaction was off, she pulled away like she was uncomfortable and Chris didn't like the look of it.
For another forty-five minutes Chris kept an eye on her, following her and Charles around the party, staying out of view. She looked more and more uncomfortable as Charles drank more and Chris could only assume he was abusive towards her. He watched as Charles pulled her along to Anthony, telling him thanks for he evening and that they'd be going out for the night. Chris watched as they left down the hall, so he followed behind.
He slowed his steps in the parking lot, seeing the way Charles had a hold of Sarah's arm and he walked quickly as she was pushed against the car.
"Owe Charles, you're hurting me." Chris was fuming now as Charles grabbed Sarah's hair, pulling her face close to his.
"Do you think I didn't see the way you were looking at Chris. He left you here without warning and you still want him. You're to stay away from him.
"HEY, LET HER GO." Charles turned around and scowled in Chris' direction as he pushed Sarah to the ground. He smiled as he looked Chris over, ready for a fight. He charged at Chris, catching him around the waist and knocking him to the ground. He swung on Chris, landing two of his five punches but Chris managed to push him over and get to his feet. Charles started laughing as he stood up, seeing Chris helping Sarah.
"You think after just up and leaving that you can walk back into her life. You had your chance, she's mine now." He charged at Chris again, but this time Chris side-stepped out of the way, letting Charles past him. Chris turned, dropping a foot back and stabilizing himself so he could defend himself if necessary. Charles started pacing around Chris as he spat out his words. "You'd only been gone four days when I met her out at the bar, shirt skirt and dark lips. Oh she was a sight, I had her that night. And the next morning. Oh and where were you? You left her here alone, she thought you cared about her but you weren't here so she found someone who was."
Chris glanced back at her Sarah, but she refused to look at him as she leaned back on the car, tears on her cheeks as she was full of her shame. Chris heard steps rush towards him so he turned, throwing a punch in Charles stomach as he caught him. He knocked Charles to the ground with a stiff right hook, leaving him with a bloody nose then he took a few steps back helping Sarah to her feet. He turned and looked at Charles, his anger seething through his words.
"You come near her again and I will hunt you down." He held Sarah close to him as they walked back to the building and once he got her inside he looked her over. Her eyes met his with concern glossing them over. He had a busted lip and a cut in his brow line above his right eye and she felt so guilty. She reached up, gently touching his cheek.
"Chris you're bleeding. Let's get upstairs." He stood there with his hand over hers, holding her to the spot with him. He kissed her palm as she stood there looking up at him, unsure what to do or say.
"You got picked up by a guy who drives a pink car?" She started laughing and his smile came back, the one she'd been missing all night.
"It's not pink, it's raspberry." He took her free hand, holding it to his chest as the seriousness washed back over him.
"I won't ever leave like that again. I'm sorry that I did. Look, I meant what I said before I left, I want you and I to give this a shot. Let me see if I can't make you happy."
"Let's go get cleaned up Romeo." He took her hand as they walked to her apartment. There she cleaned his lip and brow before cleaning the blood from his knuckles.
"Tell me. Why him?" She walked over to the fridge, pulling out a cold bottle of beer for him before sitting down next to him on the sofa.
"Because you left with no warning and I felt so empty, like I was worthless. So I went out looking for attention, I got the wrong kind but that night he was charming. Asshole knew what to say, acting like a true gentleman, but that was just for show. I guess for a minute I wanted to believe he was like you but soon that started to fade. By the time I figured out what kind of guy he really was, I was scared of him. He played me and I fell for it."
"Sarah, look at me. You are not worthless. You're smart, beautiful, funny and you have some great taste in guys, with the exception of the last one. All I could think about while I was with Scott was you. You were the thought that got me through, what pushed me everyday so that I could get back here as soon as possible. I know I missed our date, so, how about tomorrow? I'll pick up at six and then we go out to dinner?"
"I can't wait. But you don't have to go now if you don't want." Chris smiled as he sat back, turning on the television as he slid his arm around her. She curled into his side and his fingers traveled up and down her arms. "Thank you." He pulled her chin so that she was looking at him.
"You don't need to thank me. Just promise me you won't date any other jerks before you give me a chance." She grinned as she looked into his blue eyes.
"That is one promise I can make." She then ran her finger down his jaw, drawing him closer so that she could kiss him.
That night they watched television until they both fell asleep on the sofa, Sarah waking up at the first light of dawn and she made them a pot of coffee as well as pancakes. Chris woke up as she said his name softly, happy that none of the previous nights events were a dream as he saw her smiling eyes looking at him. He knew Scott would need him from time to time, but as long as he had Sarah to come home to he'd be happy.