Indecision

[holiday_pirner]

There was a light positioned over the Kay's office that illuminated a square of orange. Holly was standing in that square, examining the vending machine's offerings. She had gone down to the ice machine with her little plastic bucket. It sat on the ground next to her feet as she sorted through the small pile of change in her palm.

The brunette found two quarters, deposited them, and pressed the rectangular button for an orange. She heard the machine come to life, but then it stalled. Holly bent to check for the soda. "Again?"

She banged her hand against the machine in a halfhearted attempt to get the thing moving again.

Since her memorable night out at the club, Holly hadn't strayed far from her motel room. She flipped through the few television channels, paged idly through some magazines, and re-painted her toenails about 5 times.

Holly had settled on emerald green.

Now she stood there, not wanting to go back to her room, and not wanting to venture out into Searchlight. She stared at the taunting, magnified picture of a Coke, beads of condensation sweating down the can.

"I hate you."

Comments

[daniel_stacy]

He scowled. “You are evil! You could give lessons.” An unwanted mental picture of the Prime Minister in a Cross Your Heart bra and enormous panties popped into his head. The more colorful part of his imagination supplied the seductive consumption of a tea biscuit, crumbs sticking to her mouth.

He blinked and gave Holly the once-over, attempting to substitute her in the same outfit.

“Rule Brittania.”

[holiday_pirner]

"I'm sorry." She attempted a serious face, then immediately started laughing again. "No, I'm not."

Holly leaned back, the pillow sliding down. "What if I had met you eleven months ago? What was that Daniel like?"

It surprised her, the thought that maybe she didn't mind he was a vampire. Was she insane? Stupid? Colossally tunnel-visioned? At various points of her life, all of the above could have applied to her.

[daniel_stacy]

“Uhhh…” Daniel squinted and rubbed his forehead. “Kind of a jerk?” There was no question about it. He remembered how he spent his time in high school: hanging out with jocks and preps, chasing girls who played hard to get, sleeping with their friends, crashing his graduation car accidentally-on-purpose. Later, in college, mellowing out with too much pot and the sudden, remarkably shallow realization that everybody was his friend and deserved an equal amount of using. Not long after flunking out as a sixth year senior, he met his maker, so to speak. Karma was a vampire. It hadn’t escaped Daniel’s notice that he went out in a shockingly justified way.

Was it possible that dying made him a murderer who was also nicer to people?

“You would’ve gotten a whole lot more of this.” Daniel put his fingers on either side of her face. He gently combed a lock of hair behind her ear and murmured, “Hey baby… Do you believe in love at first sight, or do I have to walk by you again?”

[holiday_pirner]

"People actually say things like that? In real life?" Holly's foot kicked the television remote off the bed. It landed with a soft flump on the faded carpeting.

"I prefer honesty. If a guy is fit, and we understand we're just having fun, then it's fine. But the ones who lie, who think they should tell you what you want to hear." She shook her head gently.

Impulsively, she kissed him again.

[daniel_stacy]

He cradled her head and kissed her back. He had no clue what Holly found attractive after that admission, but he wasn’t going to question it, not with ‘zig-zag mouth’ open for business. Daniel tried not to listen for her heartbeat, even though he liked getting the inside track on what made it thump faster.

‘Future reference: Always stuff your face before dropping in on her, and brush your teeth.’

“How about this?” He bumped his nose against hers. “I’ll tell you the truth, even if the truth is that your veins look very appealing tonight.” He smiled. “You had to be a pale girl.”

[holiday_pirner]

She licked her lower lip, eyes cast downward. She could see his mouth, the way the corners curved up when he smiled. Dimples.

"On one hand, points for originality. I don't think I've ever heard that one before." A tuft of his hair was still messed up from before. She tried to fix it.

"The truth, for me, is that I'm only here because this lady made of darkness came through the walls of my hotel and told me to. In exchange for a lock of my hair."

Holly touched the spot from where she had cut.

[daniel_stacy]

Daniel watched her mouth. Ah, dangerous. Tongues made him think of teeth. Teeth made him think of fangs. He longed for the days when tongues just made him think of sex. Simpler times.

“Don’t take this the wrong way. Were you tripping when you saw this lady?” He snagged the blunted lock of hair and inspected it. Definitely shorter than the rest. “I don’t think it’s a good thing when people ask for your hair.”

[holiday_pirner]

"No, I wasn't tripping. Not then, anyway." Holly signed, glanced up at the popcorn ceiling.

"I had only just found out about vampires, and that my dead father was part of this...group of people who, somehow, recruit certain people to fight them. It all sounds very sketchy."

The brunette took a deep breath, and continued. "Anyway, I came to Las Vegas because this woman he worked with is part of that same group and agreed to talk to me."

And then she laughed, because it hit her what a big pile of ridiculous it all was.

[daniel_stacy]

“Slayers, right?” He narrowed his eyes. “You’re saying your dead father recruited girls to hunt vampires and now you’re holed up in a motel room with one.” His voice was bland. “Interesting.” Daniel nodded. He turned to look at the box spring and mattress, the sheets and covers spread up crookedly.

“I uh… I think the pieces are coming together.” He tapped his head.

[holiday_pirner]

She watched him curiously, hands at her sides. "What do you mean? What pieces?"

Holly's mouth twitched a little.

[daniel_stacy]

Daniel pinched the bridge of his nose.

What difference does it make why? Just shut up and stare. Isn’t she pretty?

He groaned.

Stuff a sock in it, man!

“You know those girls who act out to get Dad’s attention? Are you trying to make your dad mad?” he asked. “I am definitely not the guy you wanna bring home. Don’t get me wrong, I would happily take part. But – and I’m just guessing – he’s probably past that now.”

[holiday_pirner]

"What? No!" Holly fidgeted nervously.

"It wouldn't matter anyway, would it? He got himself killed. Nothing bothers him now." She tucked her hair behind her ear.

"You make things interesting. Most guys, like I said, just say things you want to hear. Or they're dumb as stumps. Or stare at your friend's tits and lie about it."

She smiled, playing with her shoelace. "You'd probably stare at my friend's tits and proudly admit it."

[daniel_stacy]

“I…” Daniel winced. “I have done that. Not that I’m likely to, because you are very hot. Her rack would have to be—-"

He expanded his hands and juggled an invisible set of cantaloupes.

“It would have to boggle the mind. You know, when you’re looking, but it’s because you can’t look away?”

[holiday_pirner]

"You are so sweet." She grinned, tugging on the hem of his shirt.

She froze, rewinding their conversation. Shit. "Wait, you know about slayers? I guess you would, because...but what do you know about them?"

Holly still held his shirt. "Julianna won't tell me anything. I think she's afraid to. Like it's the mob and she'll get whacked by a scone-eating Don Corleone."