Labor of My Love

Ten

"Sorry," he chuckled softly. Something scraped as it slid across the wooden table in front of him. "Here, sit down. I made you a mug of tea."

She shot him a sly look as she rose to her feet and set the bowl by the sink. "You knew I'd come down here."

He shrugged nonchalantly. "If I were you, I'd come down here too."

Rae reluctantly slid into the barstool across from him, wrapping her cold fingers around the warm glass mug.

Daniel flicked the flashlight off so she could barely tell his face apart from the background, except for the help of the moonlight streaming in through a nearby window. The mood suddenly turned serious.

"First of all, I uh, I'd like to apologize for earlier today," he said solemnly, "We really got off to a rough start-"

"You think?" Rae cut him off with a hint of bitterness, absentmindedly rubbing the back of her head where she'd hit the tree trunk.

Daniel looked caught off guard by her comment, but he just kept stammering, "What I'm trying to say is... I'm sorry. I hope one day I can show you I'm not usually like that. I was just really overwhelmed and stressed, and..."

Rae wanted to answer him, but she wasn't quite sure she was ready to forgive him, so she just quietly muttered, "Yeah, okay."

"And I understand if you can't ever trust me. What I did was wrong."

"Yeah."

He almost smiled, then realized it was the wrong time for it and masked it by taking a sip of tea. When he at last set the mug down, he launched himself into a new topic. "I suppose you'll be wanting answers sooner or later, you know, about all this."

She shot him a look of confusion. "Hell yeah. It's all I've asked for this entire time."

"Well, I've arranged a way for you to get answers, but it's kind of complicated," he stated slowly.

"Yeah, so is everything else right now."

"You're right. So you'll go along with it?"

"Tell me what it is, then I'll make up my mind."

"It's a party. A big uppity fancy one. And I may be able to meet with allies of mine who can fill you in on a few things."

"Can't you just tell me yourself?"

"No," he restated with absolute certainty. "I've been sworn to secrecy. But no one ever said I couldn't... Help you make some new friends who just happen to know what I know."

"You're crazy."

"Maybe I am. But maybe that's not a bad thing."

She blew a stray strand out of her face. "When is this party?"

"Four days. Saturday. You'll need a dress."

She set her tea down and glanced at him to see if he was serious. "Let me remind you that I own two sets of clothes at the moment after being abducted inside my own apartment. Of course I have a perfect dress lined up for this."

"I'll buy you one," came his solution, and it was obvious he was unamused with her endless arguments and protests at every chance she got.

She decided, "I'd sooner wear a grocery bag than wear something you bought me. You'll put a tracking chip in the sleeves or something."

"Fine, I'll send you out with Evelyn then," he snapped, but somehow she could tell he wasn't really angry with her. "You two seem to have formed a mutual tolerance. Apparently I can't say that about the two of us."

She tilted her head to the side. "It's about time that someone told you that threatening a girl is a surefire way for her to fall head over heels for you."

"You're sarcastic. I like that."

"No, I'm completely serious. Chicks dig murderous glares and an apparent lack of manners."

"Who spat in your cereal this morning?" He asked incredulously, chuckling a bit. "I'm sorry, okay?"

"Good."

"Good."

There was a small pause before Rae stood up, announcing, "Well, this was fun. Thanks for the tea, but I think I'll go back to bed now."

She turned on her heel and hopped up the first three steps before Daniel called her back.

"Rae."

She glanced over her shoulder. "Yeah?"

His eyes shone in the small thread of silvery moonlight. "Good night."

She grinned.

"G'night."