Archive of Our Own

“And then Tiff was telling me she had to clean up rainbow puke,” Yolanda air-quotes, “because someone told Jackson they didn’t think he could do twenty Jell-O shots in a row, but here’s the thing-” 

Something taps Frank lightly on the back. “Um, excuse me?” 

Frank looks away from a still-rambling Yoyo and over his shoulder, where the small, barely audible voice came from. 

There’s a girl standing behind him, her hands clasped in front of her, wide eyes peering up at him through thick-framed glasses. She’s looking at him expectantly, and the up-tick in her eyebrows makes him feel worried. 

He turns to face her fully and Yolanda grabs his arm. “Langdon, are you even- oh,” she pauses, shifting off the wall to get a better look over Frank’s shoulder. “Who are you?” 

“Hi, um, I’m really sorry to interrupt but I don’t really know anyone here, and I just so happened to run into my ex and he, uh, he’s kind of bothering me? I tried telling him I have a boyfriend but he- well, he sort of asked me to prove it and I um, saw you over here and you look, I don’t know, trustworthy-” 

“He is,” Yoyo says behind him, lightly bumping his shoulder. He can hear the amused smirk in her voice. 

“Oh,” the girl glances at her then back to Frank. “Well, I was wondering if you could maybe, um, pretend to be my boyfriend? Please? Just until he backs off a bit. You don’t have to, I might be able to find someone else and I’m sorry for even asking but-” 

“It’s okay,” Frank says, softer than he means to. “I’ll do it.” 

The girl's shoulders drop and her eyes briefly flutter closed. “Thank you. So much. You have no idea.” 

She looks over her shoulder then quickly back to Frank, stepping further into his space. “He’s looking. Could you maybe, I don’t know, um, put your arm around me or something? I don’t know, I’ve never- I’m not sure-” 

“Why don’t you guys just kiss?” Yolanda pipes up behind him. Both their heads snap to look at her. 

“What?” She shrugs, looking between them. “That would get the point across pretty easily.” 

Frank looks back to the girl – he still doesn’t even know her name, for Christ’s sake – and instinctively his eyes fall to her lips. They’re slightly parted, and a very soft, pretty pink colour. Is it lipstick? It doesn’t look like it, from what he can see in the dim light. They’re very pretty. 

Yoyo nudges her elbow into his ribcage. 

“I, uh, I mean- do you- would that help?” He asks. 

The girl stares up at him, and he can just barely make out the flush in her cheeks. She nods, tightly. 

Frank’s heart is pounding. He swallows around his suddenly dry throat and raises his hand to the girl’s waist, pulling her to him. She stumbles slightly, catching herself with her hands against his chest. Frank gazes down at her, then leans in and brushes his lips against hers before catching them in a kiss. 

Maybe he’s just drunk (is he, though? He’s only on his second drink) but an electric buzz sparks at the top of his scalp and fizzles down into his chest the moment their lips meet. He draws her in closer by the waist until they’re almost fully pressed together, his other hand coming up to cup the back of her neck, thumb pressed under her chin to tilt her head back further. 

The girl’s hands fist his shirt and she lets out an almost inaudible whimper before sliding one hand up his neck and into his hair. Every new point of contact makes Frank’s head feel like static. Somewhere in the back of his mind he’s aware he has no idea who this girl is, but the rest of him is in active surrender – melting into her, wanting more.

When he pulls away her lips remain parted and she looks up at him like she’s forgotten why she’s even here. He almost does, too.  

“Sorry to interrupt, but I think he’s on his way over,” Yolanda says. 

That snaps them both out of whatever private reverie they’d found. The girl’s face twists into something uncomfortable and slightly panicked. 

“I’m Mel, by the way. Short for Melissa,” she rushes out. Then she shifts their position so they’re pressed side to side, and it’s only natural for Frank to wrap his arm around her, his hand nestled easily in the dip of her waist. 

Frank looks up and watches as the living embodiment of frat boy walks up to them. The guy is a few inches shorter than Frank, with swooping blonde hair like a young Justin Bieber, clutching a half-empty, dented beer can and sporting a Penn State hoodie with the sleeves cut off. 

Frank doesn’t dislike people very easily, but he hates the guy in front of him before he even opens his mouth.

“So this is him, then?” the guy says, eyeing Frank for barely a second. “I don’t know, Mel. Kinda looks like you walked up to the first guy you saw and asked him to kiss you just to prove a point.” 

“I- uh-” Mel starts. 

“Excuse me?” Frank says, incredulously. “Who the fuck are you?” 

The guy jerks his head back and looks at him. “Alex,” he says, dumbly. “Mel and I dated last year.”

“Only for a couple of months," Mel says quietly. She’s curled her torso further into his, and Frank barely registers his thumb rubbing against her hip to soothe her. 

Alex ignores her. “And so, what, you’re doing her a favour? Did she come over and pout at you with those big eyes and ask you to protect her from me or something?” 

Frank’s hand curls into a tight fist at his side. “I’m her boyfriend.” A lie, he knows, but it feels surprisingly natural to state out loud.

Alex throws his head back and laughs, obnoxiously loud and sharp. “Yeah, sure man.” When he sees the unyielding expression on Frank’s face, his smile falters. “Fine, I’ll bite. How’d you two meet?” 

“My cousin,” Mel supplies. “She, um- well, I don’t go here, obviously, but I visited her a few months ago and we, uh, we-” 

“We had a group study sesh and Mel tagged along. She…” Frank pauses and looks down at Mel, who’s already staring up at him. “I mean, she’s beautiful. I made a point to ask her questions I already knew the answers to, just so I could talk to her. I couldn’t believe my luck when she agreed to go on a date with me before she headed back home.” 

Alex’s smile has shrunk into a defensive, cocky smirk. “Where’d you take her? She’s picky, y’know – not very easy to please.” 

“The Arboretum. I packed us a picnic and we sat and talked for hours. I asked her to be my girlfriend before she left town, we’ve been dating ever since.” 

Mel makes a soft sound in her throat, almost too quiet for him to catch. He glances down at her with a reassuring smile, only to find her looking up at him like he’s just said something profound.

“So you’re doing long-distance? That it?” Alex presses.

Frank shrugs and pulls Mel closer to his side. “It’s tough, but we make it work.” 

Alex eyes him, then looks at Mel. “Guess that works in your favour, huh?” 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Frank asks. 

Alex smirks at him, like Frank’s just taken the bait. “Oh, you haven’t noticed yet?” Alex bends at the waist so he’s face to face with Mel. “This little lady doesn’t like to put out. She’s just a fucking tease.” 

Frank’s blood is boiling. Yolanda (he jolts – in the heat of the moment, he'd forgotten she was even there) must notice because she interjects.

“Alright dude, time to go.” 

“Hey man,” Alex says, hands up in mock-surrender, “don’t shoot the messenger. Just wanted to give my buddy here the heads up – this chick is gonna string you along for months then won’t even let you get your dick wet.” 

Frank is barely holding himself back from lunging at the guy when Yoyo puts a hand on his arm and steps between them. “Unless you want to get your shit rocked, I suggest you leave. Now.” 

Alex looks between the three of them and scoffs, already turning away. “Whatever man, just don’t come crying to me once you realize I’m right.” Then he’s gone, swallowed by the sea of bodies as he enters the next room. 

“I’m so sorry,” Mel gushes as soon as he’s out of earshot, stepping away from Frank to stand in front of him. His arm falls limply at his side and he has to fight the strange impulse to pull her back in. “I’m really- I’m sorry. Thank you so much for doing that, both of you. I knew he went to Penn but I didn’t think he’d be here and he just wouldn’t leave me alone and I couldn’t find Amy anywhere- and it was just- it was stupid of me to come at all, I’m sorry I put you guys through that, really, I’m-” 

“Mel, it’s fine,” Frank says, resting a hand on her upper arm and squeezing. “Are you okay?” 

Mel looks surprised. “I, uh- yeah, I just- I’m very sorry.”

“It’s okay. I’m glad I was here to help. I think we both are,” he says, looking to Yolanda. 

She nods, hands on her waist. “I won’t lie, I thought this was all just a ploy for you to flirt with Langdon. But Jesus fuck, that guy was like, the biggest douchebag I’ve ever had the displeasure of meeting.” 

“Seriously, Mel,” Frank says, sliding his hand down to her elbow. “That guy is a fucking prick.” 

Mel stares between them for a moment, not fully convinced but still appreciative of their efforts. “Well, um. Thank you, both of you. So so much. I’ll just, um, I’ll leave you guys alone now. Thank you.” 

Mel turns on her heels to leave, but Frank halts her by her elbow. “Are you sure? Do you know anyone here? You said you don’t go to school here.” 

“Oh, it’s okay, my cousin brought me. I haven’t been able to find her since we got here, but, um, y’know. She’s around.” 

“I don’t know, blondie,” Yolanda chimes in. “I think you might be better off sticking with Langdon for the rest of the night.” She looks at Frank with a raised eyebrow, a silent conversation passing between them. “Don’t you agree?” 

“Yeah,” Frank says, a bit too quickly. “Yeah, why don’t you hang out with us? Until you find your cousin, at least. And in case that asshole tries to bother you again.” 

“Not me,” Yoyo says, downing the rest of her drink and slamming it on the ledge next to them. “I’m gonna see if Tiff is around. Have fun, you two.” She gives Frank a firm clap on the back, then slides past both of them. 

He looks back down at Mel and smiles at her with a playful shrug. “Just us, then.” 

“You’re- are you sure? You, um- you really don’t mind? I’m sure you have better people to spend time with, I don’t want to… hold you back or anything.” 

“Yoyo is the only person I know here, so you and I are in the same boat. Plus, I uh, I really don’t want to leave you alone knowing that asshole is still around here somewhere.” 

Mel stares up at him, searching for something and finding it. “Okay,” she says. “Thank you. I actually don’t think I even caught your name – was it… Langdon?” 

Frank cocks a smirk. “That’s what Yoyo calls me, it’s my last name. You can call me Frank. Or- uh, whatever you’d like.” 

“It’s nice to make your acquaintance, Frank Langdon,” she smiles. 

“Ditto, Mel…” 

“King.”

“Ditto, Mel King.”

There’s a loud cheer and suddenly a large group of people are flooding past them. Mel’s shoulders rise up to her ears, face scrunched, and she’s shoved roughly in the back, stumbling into Frank, who catches her by the arms. He glances around the room, spotting the door to the kitchen. 

“Hey,” he shouts over the noise. “Wanna go grab a drink?” 

— — — 

It’s quieter in the kitchen, but the overwhelming din of the party still clouds the room, despite only a few people lingering inside. Frank heads to the fridge with Mel in tow, and bends to look inside. 

“Looks like we’ve got shitty beer, some liquor, and a bunch of mixers.” He stands straight and turns to her. “What’re you feeling?” 

“Is there ginger ale?” She asks, peeking over from behind the fridge door.

Frank bends back down to look and nods his head. 

“I’ll have one of those.” 

He grabs a can and cracks it open, handing it to her. “What do you want to mix it with? Vodka?” 

Mel shakes her head and holds the can to her chest. ”No, I don’t drink.” 

Frank pauses his trajectory of grabbing a beer and grabs a can of ginger ale to match hers instead. “I can’t imagine it’s fun being at a house party, then.” 

Mel glances at his drink and tilts her head. “You’re not drinking either?” 

He shrugs. “Two drinks is enough for me tonight.” 

“Oh.” 

Frank shuts the fridge door and faces her as he leans against the counter. Mel shifts so her back is against the side of the fridge and takes a sip from her can. 

“So why did you come tonight? I mean, if you don’t know anyone here and you don’t drink, what was the appeal?” 

“Amy, my cousin, she wanted me to come. We don’t get to see each other very often and I don’t know, I guess she thought I’d have fun? I don’t think she knows me all that well.” 

“Where is she now?” 

“Oh, she ran off with a friend as soon as we got here and said she’d be right back, but I um, I haven’t seen her since. I feel so stupid,” she mutters, looking down at her drink. “I knew she was going to do this, and then Alex was here and that was just the last person I wanted to see and I- well, I wish I stayed home with my aunt and Becca.” 

“Becca?” 

“My twin sister. She’s my best friend.”  

Frank hums and dips his head. “Is it selfish if I say I’m glad you came, even if you’re not having a good time?” 

Mel smiles shyly and looks down at her can, swirling it in her hand. “No. I don’t think so. And I’m, um, enjoying myself a lot more, in your company.” 

Frank grins, clinking his soda to hers. “Me too.” 

They sit in amicable silence for a moment. Someone comes up behind Frank to use the sink and he takes the excuse to step closer to Mel. 

“How did you do that, back there? Come up with a whole story on the fly like that?” She asks, gazing up at him.

Frank laughs. “I grew up with two older sisters, so I got pretty good at making shit up in a pinch. I only use it when I have to, though. I don’t go around lying to people for fun. Plus,” he says, leaning in like he’s sharing a secret. “It’s easier to lie when there’s some truth to it.” 

Mel furrows her eyebrows and tilts her head. “What was true about it?” 

“Well,” he shrugs with a soft smile, “you are beautiful. And if we had met under different circumstances, I would have made up any excuse just to talk to you.” 

Mel’s face flushes pink, all the way up to her ears. Frank’s smile blooms into a satisfied grin. 

She opens her mouth to say something, but her eyes catch on something behind him and the words audibly catch in her throat. She swallows and her shoulders bend inward. The metal of her soda can pops where she squeezes it. 

Her eyes cut back to Frank’s, the same look in them he saw when she first approached him. 

“Don’t look, but Alex just walked in. I don’t- I’m worried he’ll come over and start something.” 

Frank works his jaw and holds himself back from turning around and shoving the guy out of the room. 

“It’s okay,” he says gently. “Just keep looking at me.” 

But Mel flicks her eyes back over his shoulder, then back to him. “No, I- can you, um- can you kiss me again?” 

He can tell it embarrasses her to ask. He wishes it didn’t. He wishes she were asking simply because she wants him to. 

“Yeah,” he says quietly, already stepping in closer, a hand on her hip. “Yeah, of course. Just- tell me to stop, if I make you uncomfortable.” 

Mel nods anxiously, tilting her head back to meet him, her hand coming up to rest on the side of his neck, fingers pressing below his skull to draw him to her faster. 

Their mouths are parted when their lips connect, and Mel slides her tongue against his like she’s too distracted to think better of it. It’s so unexpected, so beyond pretense that Frank moans helplessly in the back of his throat, digging his fingers into her waist, pulling her to him and tilting his head to get a better angle, his nose pressed into her cheek as their tongues intertwine. 

Mel kisses him like she wants something but is too afraid to ask. Frank gives her everything he can – reassurance, an answer, a question in return. Their mouths move together easily, as if the newness of this experience also lends a deep familiarity, like they’re continuing a conversation they had never spoken aloud. 

The fridge rattles as he pushes her up against the side of it fully, skimming his hand down to the underside of her thigh and hefting it up, slotting their hips together. The fingers of Frank’s other hand rub against the hem of her shirt, riding it up just a sliver so he can touch her bare skin. Mel shivers and sighs into his mouth, arching her chest against him, fingers tugging lightly at the hair at the nape of his neck. 

He pulls away from her lips, trailing wet kisses down her jaw, her neck, licking the skin into his mouth hungrily, biting and sucking lightly – not enough to leave a mark but enough to make her moan, her hips stuttering against his. His hand lifts beneath her shirt until it’s splayed against her ribcage, cupping the curve of her breast through her bra. He dips his thumb beneath the edge, barely skimming against the skin as he traces the shape of it, Mel’s breath heavy in his ear. 

Someone opens the fridge door, startling them both. Frank pulls his face from the warmth of Mel’s neck and looks up to see a girl, not even aware of their presence, grabbing a beer and slamming the door shut. 

Frank looks back down at Mel. Both of their chests rise and fall rapidly as he takes full stock of their position – his hand hidden under her shirt, her skin warm beneath his palm, his other hand holding a firm grip of her thigh, her leg lifted against his hip, keeping them firmly pressed together. 

He swallows and slowly lets her leg drop back to the floor, his hand retreating from under her shirt, but he doesn’t step away – just gazes down at her with her kiss-bitten lips and big eyes staring back at him. 

“Sorry,” he breathes. 

She shakes her head. He notices then that her hand is still gripping his shirt over his waist, the other resting on his shoulder where it’d fallen from his hair. 

Frank turns his head to examine the kitchen – Alex is gone. He probably has been for a while. 

When he looks back to Mel, she’s peering around the kitchen too, though it seems more an effort to avoid looking at him than it is checking the coast is clear. 

“Can we, um-” she swallows, “can we get some air?” 

“Yeah,” he says, but doesn’t move. When her eyes find his again, tentative and shy, he grabs her hand on his waist, mumbles “c’mon,” and turns to pull her from the room. 

— — — 

Frank takes them outside to the back deck. It’s especially quiet out here. Crickets chirp in the bushes nearby and a cool spring breeze rustles through the trees above them. The sky is clear, and Frank can spot Jupiter twinkling in the distance. 

Beside him, Mel takes a deep breath of the night air. “Thank you,” she says on the exhale. 

Frank’s not sure if she’s thanking him for their escape outside, or for kissing her a second time. He nods anyway. 

“It’s a nice night,” he says. 

She hums in agreement. 

Frank swallows, looking at her with her head tipped back towards the sky, her eyes watching the rustling branches above them. 

“Are you okay?” He asks.

“Hm?” She turns her head to look at him. “Oh. Yes. I’m just… thinking.” 

Frank releases a shallow breath. “About what?” He prompts, walking to the porch railing and leaning his back against it, facing her head on with his arms crossed. 

Mel steps closer to him, eyes downcast, the fingers of both her hands curled and twisting together as she ponders her own thoughts. 

“You’re a very considerate person, Frank. I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone like you.” 

Frank chuckles and shrugs. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me. I’m worse than you think.” 

Mel shakes her head and takes another step closer to him. “I know enough.” 

Her expression is so genuine and open it’s disarming. He clears his throat and looks away. “Thanks. I mean- thank you.” 

“You don’t believe me,” she says, matter of fact. 

He chuckles again. “Mel, we just met.” 

“Exactly,” she challenges. “We just met, and look at all you’ve done for me tonight. That’s kind of incredible.” Her voice softens. “Don’t you think?” 

His eyes flick back up to hers, observing her. “Maybe you’re just special.” 

Mel jerks her head back and blinks up at him like he’s spoken in a foreign language. 

Smirking, he drops his head to the side. “You don’t believe me.” 

That gets a shy smile from her, her teeth showing even as she tries to hide her spreading grin. 

“Maybe we just make a good pair,” she says quietly. 

“Yeah,” he smiles at her, lifting his hand to her cheek, brushing his thumb along her jaw. “Maybe.” 

He wants to see if he can kiss her again, without artifice or charade, but his bladder has other plans. He grimaces and drops his hand. 

“I have to use the bathroom, sorry. Will you be okay alone for a minute?” 

Mel smiles warmly at him and nods. “Mhm.” 

“Okay,” he says softly. He doesn’t move – just swallows, eyes glancing over her face. Then he leans in and kisses her gently on the forehead, muttering be right back, and heads back inside. 

— — — 

Frank dries his hands with the hand towel and tosses it onto the sink counter, sighing and staring at himself in the mirror. Then he shakes his head, laughing silently, and walks out of the bathroom. 

There’s a fluttering in his stomach as he makes his way back to her, and he weaves between bodies, pushing through them with an almost giddy excitement. 

When he reaches the back door he pauses at the sound of another voice outside. 

“I saw you with him in the kitchen. Never did anything like that with me. How come? Huh? Am I not good enough or something? What’s he got that I don’t Mel. Tell me.” 

“Alex, please-” 

“No. You gave me fuck all while we were dating, no matter what I did. You fucking owe me. You like being a little slut now? Fucking prove it.” 

Frank shoves the screen door open so hard it smacks against the side of the house with a loud bang. 

Alex has Mel cornered against the railing, leering over her, one of her wrists trapped in his hand. 

“Get the fuck off her,” he nearly growls, shoving Alex by the shoulders. He stumbles backward and Frank steps between him and Mel, fists clenching at his sides. 

“The fuck is your problem, man?” Alex scoffs. 

“Are you fucking kidding me? What's your fucking problem?” Frank asks back, jabbing his fingers into Alex's chest, causing him to stumble again. “She doesn't want you.” 

“Oh, and she wants you?” Alex sneers. 

Frank swallows, squeezing his fist until his nails dig into his palm. He doesn’t have an answer.

“Face it, dude,” Alex says, “she's using you just like she used me.” 

Frank almost laughs as he rears his arm back. Mel, using him. Isn't that a thought. 

The punch lands squarely on Alex’s jaw, his teeth audibly clacking together. He flies backward, off the porch steps and lands in the grass below, the breath knocked out of him with a wheeze. 

Alex scrambles up on his elbows, wiping the blood from his lips, staring down at it then up at Frank, dumbstruck. 

“She doesn't owe you jack shit,” Frank says through clenched teeth. “If I ever see you near her again you're fucking dead. Do you hear me?” 

Alex nods, mouth open, blood dribbling down his chin. 

Frank turns to Mel, who stands frozen in place against the railing, staring at him. 

“C’mon, sweetheart,” Frank mutters, taking hold of her hand and lacing their fingers together. He pulls them inside, glancing around until he spots the staircase. He draws Mel in front of him and guides her by the waist, through the crowd and up the stairs. 

— — — 

The door softly clicks shut behind him. They're barely a foot inside the empty bedroom. Frank slides one of his hands from her waist to the small of her back, using the other to turn her toward him. 

“Are you okay?” He breathes. 

She nods her head and grabs him by the elbows, walking herself backward to the bed, pulling him with her. She sits him down by the shoulders, looking down at him like she's trying to make sense of him. Then she climbs into his lap, knees bracketing his legs. 

Frank inhales sharply and wraps one arm around her as Mel takes his right hand in hers.

“Mel,” he exhales.

“You're shaking,” she whispers, looking down at his hand where she cradles it in both of hers, skimming her thumb softly across the back of it. 

“Adrenaline,” he says quietly. He can feel it now, the dull ache in his knuckles. He's sure if he looked he'd see them turning pink, but he can't take his eyes off her. 

“Are you hurt?” She asks, looking at him through her lashes. 

He licks his lips and shakes his head. “I'll be fine.” 

Mel nods and continues petting his hand with her thumb, then pulls it up to her mouth and presses a kiss to his red knuckles. 

“Mel,” he breathes, and then she's kissing him. 

She drops his hand in favour of holding his face, thumbs pressing lightly where his jaw meets his neck, tipping his head back. 

He moans, wrapping his arm tighter around her, settling her further into his lap, squeezing her to him. Mel exhales into his mouth, scraping her nails against his scalp as she slips her tongue against his.

She pushes him back on the bed, breaths loud and hungry as she follows his mouth. He meets her with equal fervor, his hand sliding up her back and tugging, tentatively, at the elastic tying her braid. 

Mel sits up and pulls off her shirt in one swift movement, then twists her arm behind her and frees her braid, shaking her hair loose before collapsing back on top of him. He groans, letting his hand slide up the bare skin of her back and into the soft, wavy strands as she grinds her hips against his. 

“Mel,” he breathes between kisses, “Mel, we don’t- it’s okay, we don’t have to-” 

“Want to,” she mumbles against his jaw with another roll of her hips, “want you,” she says, almost whining. 

Frank’s eyes roll back, groaning, and he loses himself in her, in the feeling of being surrounded by her, of being pinned beneath her, heady and overwhelming. 

Frank rolls them over and uses the new position to his advantage, pulling back to look at her. His elbow is propped next to her head, holding him up, his other hand skimming up her waist, her ribcage. She looks up at him, eyes half-lidded, lips pink and wet and swollen from kissing.

“You’re so beautiful,” he whispers. 

Mel pulls him down by the neck and kisses him again, tugging at his shirt until he laughs and rids himself of it. Then her hands are on his bare stomach and chest and he moans into her mouth, grinding his hips down to hers. She hooks one of her legs around his and lifts herself to meet him. 

“Do you have a condom?” She mumbles against his mouth. 

He nods and starts reaching for his wallet when the door bursts open. They snap their heads to the side to see a girl, with blonde hair similar to Mel’s.

“There you are! Mel, I’ve been looking everywhere for you. We gotta head out, the cab’s gonna be here in like ten minutes.” 

The girl – Amy, he presumes – seems to register what she’s just interrupted. “Oh, uh. I’ll just meet you outside, yeah?” Then she leaves, closing the door behind her, the room ringing into silence.

Frank looks back down at Mel, who gives him a sheepish, sad smile. His heart aches, suddenly and painfully. How instantly natural it had felt to have her here with him all evening, and now he can barely stand the idea of parting from her.

“I’m sorry,” she says softly, just as he says, “Stay.”

“We don’t have to-” he rushes, then whispers, “just… stay with me.” 

Mel’s eyebrows turn up and she thumbs his bottom lip. She thinks it over like she might say yes, but then she shakes her head softly. 

“I can’t,” she says, “I need to get back tonight. I leave to go home tomorrow.” 

Frank sighs and drops his head between them.

“But…” Mel whispers, fingering the hair at the back of his neck. “She did say ten minutes,” mumbling, bashful, even as she gives his hair a light tug. 

Frank lifts his head back up to look at her, mouth hung slightly open. 

“We can’t- I mean, we don’t have time to- but we could just keep, y’know-”

“Yeah,” Frank breathes, reclaiming her mouth – urgent, but deep and tender. He rolls them back over, one hand tangling in her hair, the other wrapping around her middle, holding her so they’re chest to chest. He sighs into her mouth, arching his back off the mattress just to feel her even closer. 

They kiss like that for a few minutes, drinking in what they can of each other until Mel pulls away. 

She sits up, sliding her hands across his chest. “I should go now, I'm sorry.” 

“It's okay. Thank you for staying. As long as you could, anyway.” 

She smiles and dips down, kissing him once more before she climbs off him. 

Mel passes him his shirt and he tugs it back on, then sits on the edge of the bed and watches her do the same with her own. 

“Let me walk you out,” he says. 

She smiles at him and flicks her hair from beneath the collar of her shirt. “Okay. Thank you. I'm sorry we couldn't… y'know.” 

He shakes his head and stands, leading her to the door with a hand on her back. “It's okay, Mel, really. I wouldn't have wanted you to, uh, regret it or anything.” 

Mel reaches up on her toes to kiss him again, tugging him down by the collar of his shirt. 

“I wish you weren't leaving tomorrow,” he whispers in the space between them once they've pulled away, their foreheads resting together. 

“Me too,” she admits. Then she sighs and twists away from him, opening the door. 

— — — 

The cab is already pulled up outside by the time they get out there. He and Mel pause on the grass next to the curb. 

“This is it then?” He asks, brushing her hair behind her ear. “Will I ever get to see you again?” 

Mel smiles and sways forward, into his touch. “You never know, right? I have a feeling we'll see each other again.” 

“Yeah? How can you tell?” He smirks, tilting his head. 

She shrugs. “I don't know, I just can. Do you trust me?” 

“Yes.” 

“Good. Then I'll see you again, someday.” She leans up and presses her lips to his, soft and airy, like a promise. 

“Mel,” Amy shouts as she rolls down the window, “come on, the meter is running.” 

“Sorry,” Mel says to her. She turns back to Frank and sighs. “Sorry,” she echoes. “I do have to go now.” 

She turns to open the car door, his hands falling from her. “Oh, and Frank?” she says, turning back to him, “I wouldn't have, by the way. Regretted it, I mean.” 

Frank doesn't know what else to say, so he kisses her one last time. “Someday,” he mumbles against her.  

She gives him a bright grin and a small wave of her hand, then ducks herself into the back seat. 

Frank steps back onto the sidewalk and sticks his hands in his pockets as he watches the yellow taxi crawl away from the curb, down the street, turning left and driving out of sight.