Memory Lane [Open]

[Taitum Marshall]

Taitum snapped his hand up against his forehead like a toy soldier when he came to a halt before his father and his father saluted back before sitting down. Taitum then moved to his mother and kissed her cheek then took his own seat across from them. His mother had mentioned having something for him and since they were spending a few weeks in Vermont they'd come down to Pilot Ridge for the day to enjoy themselves and spend some time with their son... well... his mother had anyway.

His father was too stiff to enjoy himself and practically for the first sunday in months, Taitum was perfectly sober. The conversation soon fell into his mother's lap and she started talking about her friends who'd recieved their soldier sons and daughters back from the war and those who would and regrettably, those who wouldn't. His father was devoid of attention to the conversation... which was more of a monologue then a dialogue. Instead, his father was looking around, searching for a waiter.

"No Service here. None at all."
His father grumbled and finally Taitum crumbled, giving his father a innocent look then glanced to the entry way before returning his eyes to his father.
"Sir. I think this is self service and the order must be placed inside, Sir."
"Why didn't you tell me that, Soldier?"
Taitum shrugged his shoulders and frowned in concern.

"I forgot I guess Sir. My humblest apologies Sir."
Taitum smirked the moment his father walked away from them earning him that look from his mother.
"Before you say it... He deserves a hard time if he makes Levi go do battle."
"Livius... I so hate that nickname Taitum. Oh before I forget."
His mom slided out a velvet encased box and slide it across the table to him.
"Private Terrence Fisher came back last week. He said he wanted you to have it. Even came to drop it off with a fresh batch of his love little lady's blue berry muffins..."

~~~

Since the very moment that medal in the velvet case had fallen into his hands, he'd not been able to function on much else, mentally of course. Currently, he sat in the park staring at the way the light caught it. Aparently Private Tish had sent this to Taitum because Taitum had been inspirational. The medal was for heroism. That day on the battle field when Taitum lost his carreer due to an accident, that day they had become heroes.

What were the words that changed the world?
"Let's do something to make them proud of us. Let's be heroes."
Taitum said softly to the golden bravery medal tracing his hand across the engraving.
"Too bad heroes die young..."
Taitum said again, not realizing that the bench he'd been sitting on was now very much being occupied.

[Aracelli de Rosales Salamanca]

In the almost week since Reece had stormed from her apartment, Aracelli had been slammed with exams. She’d only made it to the dance studio to help teach, and hadn’t stayed a moment longer than necessary. She was avoiding Reece as much as possible. The current excuse of studying and finals was only going to work until Friday, and then she’d need some new reason for staying away. Not that she had one. He’d already invited her, as he did every holiday, to spend Christmas with his family and Celli wasn’t entirely certain she wanted to go. She loved his family a great deal, but dealing with Reece and the temptation that he offered was going to be a lot to handle. The task might prove more than the Spanish girl could handle.

Frustrated with the turn her thoughts were taking, she threw on a coat against the weather and braved the outside. With no particular destination in mind, the girl walked aimlessly, wandering through the tiny town of Park Ridge and trying to decide what she was going to do, and how she was going to deal with any decision she happened to make. No matter what choice was made, someone was going to wind up hurting at the end of it. That was how it always worked.

She wandered into the downtown area, pulling her grey wool coat a bit closer to her slender form. The air was quite chilly, and the heavy clouds overhead threatened snow. Dark eyes gazed over the newly put up decorations and a smile touched pink lips. Christmas had always been a happy time for her and her family, and seeing the decorations always reminded her of home. Although she missed her family a great deal, it was far cheaper for her to stay in the states over the holidays than to fly home. She still went home for a couple of weeks over the summer, but that was all the time she got with her parents now. At least until school was done for her.

Her eyes landed on a boy on one of the benches and slowly, she walked over. He looked familiar and she could use someone to talk to and keep her mind off of Reece. As she neared, she saw it was Taitum, and yet another smile graced her face. He seemed to be somewhat lost in thought, so she quietly took a seat next to him and waited. He spoke of heroes, and she looked over at him puzzled, watching his finger trace over a medal in his hand. She didn’t know much about Taitum, they’d only recently met. Met, in fact, on the night Reece had stormed from her apartment. She’d gone out drinking in her rebellious mindset, and well, Taitum had been her hero that night.

“Taitum, are you alright?” She asked quietly, not wanting to disturb him to much. She didn’t know if he was dreaming or lost in memories, and jarring him out of them might be dangerous. One never knew how people were going to react when you shook them loose of the place their mind had taken them.

[Taitum Marshall]

Taitum flicked his eyes to the girl beside him when he heard her voice. The night he'd met Aracelli was the night he'd nearly gotten himself into another bar fight. He remembered clearly how she's tried to shake the drunken man off but he wouldn't leave her alone. Taitum had politely requested that the man leave the lady in peace and that she wasn't interested and if he spilled one single drink more on the bar so it splashed on Taitum he'd have a few gaps in his teeth accompanying him home. After some choice words a short brawl had broken out and by the end of it Taitum had the man pinned by the throat against the bad, a broke bottle in his hand ready to slice the man to pieces.

'Don't' Aracelli said and Taitum had paused for the first time ever. Her hand had touched his holding the bottle and it had clattered to the floor sending Taitum storming out. For the remainder of that night, Aracelli had been ever so determind to cling to him and Taitum had made little conversation but it was the fact that he didn't shove her away from him that counted right? Now she was there again and he quirked an eyebrow at her snapping the medal case shut.

"You care?"
Taitum asked in mock surprise before glancing around the park hunched over the medal case.
"Gonna be all cling again cause I could use a drink again? It's sunday after all."
Taitum mused softly keeping his eyes away from her pretty face before he let out a shrug.
"Aren't you supposed to be somewhere warm cuddling into some handsome prince charming type who doesn't know you go to sleezy bars when you're bored making the desprate men there fight for your honor?"

[Aracelli de Rosales Salamanca]

Aracelli looked at him with dismay. Of course she cared. She was far from heartless, and although he was apparently determined to be cruel, that wasn’t something to be repaid in kind. No, she would treat him with kid gloves, and see what happened. If he got to outrageous, she could always just leave. But for the moment, she would attempt to see if even his gruff self could do something for her somber thoughts.

“Of course I care, Taitum. We may not be the best of friends, but I still care.” She was going to make a comment about being clingy, but decided against it. She’d been scared that first night, and likely had clung to him a bit more than was, perhaps, wise. A wry smile accompanied her next words. “I wish there was a prince charming out there for me to cuddle with, sadly, there isn’t, currently. My Prince Charming decided that he wanted his space.”

She gave a shrug, and then a sigh. This wasn’t helping her thoughts or her mood, but she hoped things would take a turn for the better. There was something strangely mysterious about the man next to her on the bench. Perhaps it was the fact that she barely knew him, and yet, he’d come to her defense and rescue. Perhaps it was his looks, the pale skin coupled with the deep, dark hair, gave him an out of this world quality that could either be angelic or demonic. Aracelli hadn’t decided which was which with Taitum yet. She was leaning towards angelic based on how they met.

“Do you want to talk about it?” The line was trite, but Aracelli meant it. Helping out Taitum was the very least she could do in an attempt to repay what he’d done for her.

[Taitum Marshall]

Taitum frowned at the ground for a moment at the mention of her caring. This was fantastic. A Total stranger... cared for him. How adorably sweet of her. Taitum gave a sigh and flashed his eyes in her direction for a split second before his eyes sought the floor again. Wow. He was a total fail at human interaction but then again, he believed in the theory that when they said they cared they were trying to be polite because that was expected of them. He didn't expect her to be polite and he'd offered her the chance to be blunt yet she still stayed.

She mentioned her prince charming needed space and he gave a shrugged laugh.
"I don't blame the man. You cling, you cling."
The corners of his lips twitched into a smirk, now leaning back into the bench to watch her.
"Then again... he's the idiot, I guess. Maybe you should have mentioned how many guys are willing to bash each other to pieces for you. Maybe he would have forgotten the need for space. "
Taitum's way of a compliment. Maybe she'd pick it up.

Maybe she'd gathered that he was trying to say that she was beautiful. That might have been why he'd wanted to protect her that night under the guise of being annoyed at the drunken baffoon who'd spilled beer on his trousers. Taitum was half drunk himself so he'd barely cared where the girl dragged them off to upon their escape of the bar. Taitum frowned at her question and slowly shook his head.
"No. I don't. I told you what I want. I want to get drunk."
Taitum got to his feet and headed a few steps away before pausing and glancing over his shoulder.

"You coming? Looks like you could use a drink."
He raised an eyebrow at her.

[Aracelli de Rosales Salamanca]

She caught the backwards compliment and blushed. If she’d seen Reece, she might have mentioned it to him, but likely not. He was jealous enough, adding to it didn’t seem all that wise. She would keep it in her memory though, just in case he needed a push during their dancing. Emotions flashed across her face as the thoughts slipped through her mind, but as much as she wanted to say something, she stayed silent. Aracelli had a feeling that saying anything might be construed wrongly, and that wasn’t a situation she wanted to be in with Taitum. For some reason, he struck her as dangerous, and she attempted to be careful with him, at least until she was more familiar with him.

He mentioned wanting a drink and a dark eyebrow rose. Drinking was how they’d met, and she wasn’t entirely certain that it was a good idea. ”Where are we going drinking?” She asked as she rose and walked over to him, tucking her hands into the pockets of the coat. Stopping him from doing as he wanted seemed like a bad idea, but she could at least know where they were going to get nice and smashed and potentially get into another fight. If It was Reece’s bar, she’d hightail it home, but anywhere else, she was likely to stay. Another night of drinking didn’t sound like a terrible idea right now, although that might change come the morning. Right now, anything to escape the memories and thoughts of Reece would be welcome. She was sick to death of mooning over him when he didn’t care about her a whit.

”As long as we avoid the salsa place, I’m all for getting nice and drunk. I need to get away after the week I’ve had.” Aracelli would normally want to know more about anyone that she was going to drink around, after all, people sometimes did become violent, but Taitum’s violence had only served to protect her, so safety wasn’t the uppermost thought in her mind as they trudged across the downtown area. Getting rid of the pervasive thoughts of her ex boyfriend were. Quit thinking about him! Stop! She told herself.

[Taitum Marshall]

Yes. Taitum had noticed the soft blush but was choosing to ignore it. Just like he was also choosing to ignore the compliment he’d just given her. He simply brushed it off as something that had needed to be said. Something he felt, needed to be said. He was used to people being afraid of him. He preferred it that way anyway. It mean that people would stay away from him.

If people respected him, stayed away from him, there was no reason to care of have a chance of getting hurt by anyone so he considered himself as safe. Taitum smirked when she caught up and asked where they were going to get drunk. She was promising. She was definitely promising. He shrugged, not really caring where they got drunk as long as drunk was what they got.

Taitum raised his eyebrows as she mentioned they avoid the salsa place.
”No. Really? You’re dating one of those douches? There are two types of men working there. The gays and the closeted gays. ”
He couldn’t believe this. Thyme wasn’t enough. This girl two was fond of someone at the Salsa place. Boy, it would be funny if it was that preppy teacher there

Taitum even gave a little laugh as they started walking but then he flashed his eyes to her and raised both his eyebrows at her.
”It’s not the preppy teacher with the blue blue eyes is it? Dear God. Why do you think he’s dancing so well? He’s trying to make up for his lack in the sexual area or maybe confidence or maybe he’s not that smart or maybe he’s… well… I dunno… Gay maybe. You ever thought about that?”
Taitum tilted his head at her as they entered the street.

The air was crisp, the sun was warm and they were about to get drunk. It sounded like the most fantastic Sunday in the world.
”Firstly, you need to twitch at that gaydar of yours and secondly, you need to start looking for a man. Possibly someone with two left feet since that would been that they have two killer right arm hooks.”
To explain further he threw a punch through the air smirking at her.

[Aracelli de Rosales Salamanca]

Aracelli was used to aspersions being cast on Reece, his character and his chosen profession. Men always found some reason to make him out to be less than he was, and at first, she'd been very defensive and protective, but she'd finally learned that it simply didn't matter. Others would think what they wanted, and she would know the truth. In the end, that's what was important, knowing the truth. Reece might be bisexual, but as long as he was honest with her about who he was sleeping with, she'd likely allow him to do whomever whenever. Not that she'd ever told him that.

"Was is the key word here. Dancers tend to date dancers, a man with two left feet is less likely to understand why I need to spend 20 hours a week dancing with another man." 'Celli gave a small laugh as she answered him. She'd tried dating a guy that wasn't a dancer once, that had been a royal disaster. He'd been jealous and completely lacking in understanding of her passion.

Although Taitum was clearly fishing for an answer in regards to who at the Salsa place she was dancing, Aracelli didn't answer. There was no reason for her to feed him any more ammunition, and she wanted to quit thinking about Reece for a while as well. As they continued down the street, she shook her head slightly and continued talking.

"Would you understand your girlfriend spending a large amount of her free time in the arms of another man, pressed close, making moves that could be considered sex?" She was pretty sure that he was going to say no. He seemed like the sort of man that would be possessive and very controlling, without that being a bad thing.

She opened the door to a bar and waited to follow him into the darker interior. She'd picked this place because it was where they were, and she wanted to get started on the drinking sooner rather than later. A good night lay ahead if she could get drunk enough.

[Taitum Marshall]

Taitum rolled his eyes at the two left feet thing and slowly shook his head in disagreement.
"Not if said man had important hobbies of his own that he spent 20 hours a week doing as well."
God, was he being dissed or shot down when he hadn't even started at all? Wow. This other guy she'd been dating had really done a number on her. She seemed quite hooked on him to say the least. How interesting? And what Taitum saw then, was a challenge. He wanted to partake in this challenge just like he did with every other challenge he saw.

He'd seen a challenge in the eyes of the man who'd bugged Celli that night and he'd been willing to take up the battle. Taitum was asked a question he didn't possibly know how to answer and he gave a wince at the thought of his answer. Hmmm... They reached the bar and Taitum stepped inside heading for the bar to order what he'd seen Aracelli drink the night they met and glass of red for him. He pulled out a note and put it down on the bar before turning to Aracelli.

"Sex is done with clothes off. As long as you keep your clothes on, I won't mind you dancing with the pansy boys. If one of them does try and take your clothes off you, I'll be giving him a nice broken nose or bruised eye for his efforts. "
Taitum said smoothly as he picked up her drink from the bar and held it out to her before taking his own and nodding to a dark corner of the bar.

[Aracelli de Rosales Salamanca]

What the....Were they flirting? Oh hell, this could prove to be interesting. Aracelli could flirt, but she wasn't all that good at it. She'd never practiced or perfected as the girls around her had done when they were younger. No, she'd been far to busy learning how to dance. Flirting and dating were all things she'd done just a bit later than her age group. And once she'd moved to the States and began dating Reece, well, there'd been no reason to learn those things. She only had to focus on him and not worry about anyone else.

They walked into the bar, Taitum seeming to avoid the question she asked. He walked over to the bar and got her a drink, and his answer. To hide her surprise, she took a drink. Having had sex several times with clothes on, she could debate his answer, but it seemed that he was at least trying to be fair. It was more than some of her boyfriends had done. She followed his lead to the dark corner, settling herself on a stool at a bar table. When he joined her, she put the glass down and tapped her fingers lightly on the tabletop.

"So what hobby of yours would keep you occupied while I dance?" She wasn't going to touch the last part of his statement. It was her fault for asking such a question, but it'd been out almost before she'd know it. This topic should keep them occupied for a while at least. Assuming his hobby was something he'd talk about.

"How do you feel about frogs?" Had she really just asked that? Apparently so. Yes, she was having a bit of a problem finding things to talk about. All she really knew was school and dancing. God, she needed a life.

[Taitum Marshall]

Taitum smirked about the hobby part when he was settled at the table flicking his lazy dark bedroom eyes at her for a moment as he thought of a hobby. An appropriate hobby. Hmmm...
"I beat up drunk men in bars when I'm just as drunk. That keeps me plenty busy."
Taitum said in a serious, calm way like he meant it. Well, it could most definitely be considered as a hobby. He did it often enough.

"Hobbies never really had a place in my life. I suppose you can say my hobbies are to keep my senses sharp enough to kill when the need arises. "
This was more the truth and when he said it to her he glanced around the bar bringing his drink to his lips and taking a sip of it. Taitum shot his eyes at her and stared for a moment after the second question then gave a soft chuckle for the first time in what seemed like years. She'd actually managed to brighten his mood just a little.

"Frogs? How do I feel about frogs?"
Taitum repeated before reaching out and tucking her thick hair behind her hear so the shadow didn't gloom her face as much as it had before he'd done so. Her dark eyes seemed always to need the light shining in them or they seemed dark and ominous. Why hadn't someone paid attention to put light in those eyes before now? It was all faded.

"If Frogs hold interest for you then we can talk about frogs. We can talk about anything you want. Hmmm let's see..."
Frogs.
"I feel that you need a better interest then frogs. That's what how I feel about frogs. How do you feel about frogs?"
He took another sip, this time devoting his attention to her.

[Aracelli de Rosales Salamanca]

God he had beautiful eyes. Aracelli's train of thought completely derailed as he looked at her. His answer, though it seemed serious enough, had to be sarcastic, so she gave him a smile and took a sip of her drink. She could stare into the those dark eyes all night long and never want for anything else. They were the kind of eyes that romance novels described as "dark pools of desire", and "eyes you wanted to fall into." Aracelli hadn't ever understood that until now. Now, it made sense. Taitum was one of those people who was innately sensual, and Aracelli could feel the pull without even trying. She wondered that she didn't want to resist, but at the same time, it made a lot of sense.

No hobbies, other than drinking and beating folks up. That didn't seem like much of a life, and she wondered how long he'd been lonely. But that was an odd thought. Taitum was likely never lonely unless he wanted to be. He seemed like the type of person that could have anyone anytime, and why would someone like that ever be lonely?

She beamed a smile at him and then blushed softly as he tucked hair behind her ear. It was an intimate act, one that casual acquiatances such as they were didn't do. But he just had. What did that mean? Curiously, Aracelli wasn't going to explore what it meant, she was going to let it go and enjoy the curl of warmth that appeared in her stomach. His next words brought a smile and a slight laugh to red lips.

"I don't even know why I said that to be honest." She took another sip of her drink, wondering if it was him or the alcohol going to her head that made this all seem so special and wonderful. He seemed to be totally focused on her, and wasn't that a great feeling after so long without? "I don't do much besides dance and school, I should get out more." She said and looked down. She didn't know why she was ashamed suddenly, but she almost felt like somehow, to keep Taitum's attention she needed to be smarter or more active or ...well just more. "You have such beautiful eyes."

Yet another slip of her tongue. She'd been thinking it for too long and it had slipped out. Red flamed in her cheeks and she took a large drink of the liquid in her glass to cover her embarrassment.

[Taitum Marshall]

Taitum smirked smoothly when she mentioned that she only had school and dancing in her life. That she needed to get out more. He could say the same for himself. He'd never really been one to go out or ... even see a woman, speak to one. The fear of loss kept him distant, cold and unattatched and yet, so very attatched it was scary. He'd haunt those people who meant something in his life. Like Lani, like the Erisilias and now... The thought filled Taitum with excitement.

Stalking Aracelli. Watching her. Learning about her. The things she hid. The silly things she did. It would keep him entertained, hooked on her to know every single secret she hid when people were not looking. She'd feel his eyes on her. She'd turn around and seek him. Find nothing. His eyes darkened at the thought. His breathing became quicker. He licked his lips slowly.

"You're a beautiful dancer and a smart woman. The University is lucky to have you, Miss De Rosales Salamanca."
Taitum was back to purring like a cat. New ventures and targets always did this to him. Made him purr in pleasure. She didn't know what kind of pony she was saddling up. She didn't realize just what Taitum was really capable of. He'd find out everything about her. He'd make sure he knew it all.

Where she drank her coffee, where she daydreamed about fairy tales and most importantly, where she cried. What made her cry would be in for one hell of a hard life. She mentioned his eyes and his train of thought stopped right there. He was uncertain of what to say. He wasn't really good with compliments. 'You're good at that' was putting in his best effort. Her cheeks flamed and he stared in fascination for a moment before nodding and lowering his eyes.

"Normally I get the whole 'stop staring at me with those eyes' thing so this is... refreshingly different. Um... Awkward though. For both of us it seems so let's not do that again shall we?"
He wasn't good at taking these intimate personal comments either. He rather seemed ungrateful when he did, like right then but who could blame him. He was an army man. Romance to him meant a gesture of control, dark, intimate and when you looked at the true nature if the gesture in detail... even scary.

Taitum was a claimer. He claimed and collected people. They were his the moment they washed across his radar screen and then he'd own them, whether they wanted it or not. Sooner or later they would come round and accept him anyway, love him even. This sick relationship he had...

[Aracelli de Rosales Salamanca]

His gaze was intense, and when he spoke he purred. Actually purred. She wondered if that was the sound a really content cat would make if it talked, or if the sound that was sending delicious shivers down her spine was more akin to a tribble soothing Klingon. The thought amused her and she smothered a small giggle. There was something about Taitum that drew her in and made her forget the outside world, a trait she was grateful for now, but in the future might not be. There was really no telling. His compliment made her feel warm inside, that someone besides Reece recognized her talent. It was an interesting feeling for the Spanish girl.

He seemed discomfited by her statement about his eyes and dropped them swiftly. Aracelli felt the loss keenly. It was almost as if he’d removed himself. It was Taitum’s soul that stared at you through those dark portals, she thought fancifully, and the loss of the connection shook her. Without thinking about what she was doing, or the consequences of her actions, Aracelli reached out, placing fingers beneath his chin and urging him upwards, only to touch their lips together in the briefest of kisses. A second kiss followed, this one longer, but still fleeting.

It wasn’t enough, and it was too much. Red lips ached from the loss of contact, and when the dark lashes lifted, there was a trace of something undefinable in the orbs of the dancer. Something akin to lust, but both more and less than that. She stared at him through her lashes and then spoke, quietly.

“I don’t think that’s possible, Taitum. Around you my brain to mouth filter seems to fail.” She gave him a small grin, then took another sip of her drink. Aracelli had no idea what she was in for, and it would be something she was grateful for, looking back, but for the moment, she was hypnotized by this man, and didn’t mind one bit.

“Can I kiss you again?”

[Taitum Marshall]

Her touch at his chin made him want to pull back and shy away from the intimacy that was developing but he found it impossible to do such. Her warmth was invitingly delightful. He felt his breath catch in his throat as he lifted his eyes to meet hers. No... no... no. This could NOT be happening. He didn't want her to be at all this close to him. His heart was racing. She'd found a crack and she was wiggling her way through it. He wasn't even drunk yet though. That was by far the worst part.

Taitum was gripping at the table. Taitum gulped when he recieved the kiss from her. Her lips were soft. She was suddenly breakable. Like she would shatter if he gripped her too hard or was too rough. The kiss was fleeting, almost accidental he thought. Taitum had kept his eyes locked on her. His body had stiffed, unsure about this. He'd never been close to anyone in years. Sure, the odd one night stands in the army before he got shot but other then that, he refused any part of it.

Taitum gulped again at the second kiss still resisting it. In public too. It made him feel both sickly and show-offy. He wanted this to happen but at the same time he didn't. Taitum heard her words almost whispered against his lips and his lips quirked into a slightly smirk as he etched her face into his memory. Taitum watched her pull back and take a sip of her drink. This came easy to her. This affection stuff. He felt like running and claiming her at the same time so she could never be free of her.

This was so easy for... He'd been a good lover once. He was a good lover. She asked if she could kiss him again and he shook his head leaning in and cupping her face gently. Instead of kissing her lips, he kissed the soft skin of her neck before biting lightly into it. He then slowly pulled back and moved his lips to brush across hers, reveling in that anticipation before the kiss, hovering there with his heart beating wildly now and his lips yearning just as much for her as hers did for him.

His hand dug quickly into her hair and he pulled her into harder, more hungry kiss. There was only her and him and they weren't in a stingy bar.