She can’t tell me that all of
the love songs have been written,
‘cause she’s never been in
love with you before.
Your skin smells lovely like sandalwood.
Your hair falls soft like animals.
I’m tryin’ to keep cool, but everyone likes you.
I want to kiss the back of your neck,
the top of your spine where your hair hits,
and gnaw on your fingertips and fall asleep,
I’ll talk you to sleep.
But I’ll be the one, I will have chosen.
I’m tryin’ to keep cool, but
everyone here likes you
I’m not the only one.
Your skin smells lovely like sandalwood.
Your hair falls soft like animals,
and nothing else matters to me.
She can’t tell me that all of the love songs have been
written,
‘cause she’s never been in love with you before.
Your hand,
so hot,
burns a hole in
my hand.
I wanted to show you.
-“Sandalwood” is written and owned by Lisa Loeb and is from the CD “Tails”
“Two dollars.”
“I’ll see that.”
“Me too.”
“I’ll see that and raise you five.”
“Oh, aren’t we the confident bluffer
tonight, blue boy?”
“Put your money where your mouth is Drake.”
“Alright.
And just to make it interesting, I’ll raise you three more for an even
ten.”
“Bobby, do remember you still owe me ten
dollars from the other night.”
“Where
do ya think I’m gonna get it from?” He said to Storm out of the side of his
mouth. She rolled her eyes.
In the seven weeks since the “crying”
incident, Ororo and Bobby had been spending an increasing amount of time
together. As far as she knew, Bobby had
the discretion not to mention the incident to anyone else. Likewise, he had never mentioned the “F”
word in her presence.
She enjoyed his company. For some reason, Ororo felt more at ease
when she was around Bobby. She did not
feel the need to perpetuate the “stone goddess” persona she so often felt she
needed to play.
As evidence of this new found relaxation,
Bobby reached over and pulled a tiny green bear from the hair just above
Ororo’s shoulder—a casualty of the Gummy Bear War the two had gotten into just
before the current poker game.
“Well, Henri?” Gambit asked.
“I’m in.”
“Moi aussi.”
“And me.” Kitty said.
“Ororo…” Scott said sticking his head into
the rec room. “There’s a phone call for
you. It’s Forge.”
Ororo tensed and she seemed to be
thinking. Bobby ran his eyes back and
forth between Storm and Cyclops.
After a moment, Ororo’s eyes slowly moved
down to her cards. She placed them on
the table face down.
“I fold.” She said quietly as she pushed
her chair back and stood up.
Bobby opened his mouth to say something as
she left the room, but nothing came out.
* * * * *
Twenty minutes later and thirty dollars
lighter, Bobby walked into the kitchen.
Ororo was sitting on the floor with her legs drawn up, the phone to her
ear. She didn’t seem to notice Bobby.
‘No
tears.’ He thought. ‘So far, anyway.’
He got a beer from the refrigerator then
leaned back against the counter to drink it.
Ororo was getting to her feet.
“Alright.
I shall see you then. …Goodbye.”
She placed the phone back onto its cradle
on the wall then turned anxiously.
Bobby was staring directly at her, his eyes half closed and his mouth
drawn into a straight line.
“…What?” Ororo finally asked when he said
nothing.
“You’re going to go out with him again…
Aren’t you?”
“…Yes.
This Friday.”
There was another silence. Bobby took another drink but this time
finished by staring at the floor.
“I take it he apologized then.”
“…Y—yes.
He did.” ‘In a way.’ She
remembered his words.
(“I’m
sorry we keep coming to this, Windrider…”)
“And you accepted it?”
“Of course. Bobby it was only a simple fight. An argument, I do not even remember the cause of… It did not mean
anything…”
“Yeah.” Bobby finished the beer and threw
the can into the recycler. “You keep
telling yourself that, Ororo.”
He stormed out of the kitchen leaving a
slightly stunned Ororo staring after him.
* * * * *
Late Friday evening.
Bobby sat on the bottom steps of the main
staircase, sternly concentration on the front doors. His hands folded, he leaned forward with his elbows resting on
his knees. He tried not to think.
A few minutes later the doorbell rang and
he stood up to answer it.
“Hey Bobby.” Forge said when he opened the
door. He tried to step up into the
mansion, but Bobby had one hand resting on the doorknob and the other firmly
planted on the doorframe, effectively blocking his entrance.
“You wouldn’t happen to have business with
the Professor or Hank today would ya?”
“No,” he said with a smile. “I’m here to pick Ororo up. We have a date.”
“…No you don’t.”
“Yes, I do.” He protested with slight
chuckle.
“No.
You misunderstand me. You had a date with Ororo. You don’t now. Not today, not ever again.”
“…What the hell are you talking about
Drake?” Forge had no idea what to make
of this confrontation.
“You blew it Forge. Three strikes and you’re out. It’s over! …You are not allowed to see Ororo anymore.
Not unless it’s for official team business.”
“…And just who is going to stop me?”
“…I am.”
Neither man was aware that the object of this
conversation was standing in the shadows at the top of the stairs, listening to
every word.
“This isn’t funny anymore, Drake.”
Forge tried to get past Bobby again, but
the X-Man strengthened his position in the doorframe.
“Do you see anything I me that would even hint
that this is a joke?”
For the first time since he’d known the
man, Forge could honestly find no sense of jest in Iceman.
“Did Ororo send you to say this? Are these her words? If they are, why
isn’t she telling me all of this?”
“She’s already
told you. Hundreds of times. Thousands
of times. You were just too stupid to
hear her. She doesn’t like being treated like shit, Forge! How may times do you gotta send her home in
tears before you get that?!”
Forge took a step back.
“I want to talk to Ororo.” He said calmly.
“What part of “no” don’t you understand?”
“Get out of my way, Drake?” He said in a more threatening tone.
Bobby caused his arms to turn to ice. That ice continued through his hands, up his
fingers and along the doorframe on one side and the door handle on the
other. You couldn’t tell where Bobby’s
hands ended and the parts of the doorway began. He did the same with his legs and the floor.
For the first time since he’d opened the
door, Bobby smiled. “You want to make me, you’ll have to break me.”
After a moment, Forge took a step back,
eyeing the X-Man angrily. He pointed a
metallic finger at him.
“This isn’t over Drake.”
He turned and walked back down the steps.
“Next time tell Ororo to deliver her own
messages.”
Only when he got in his car and drove away
did Bobby retract the ice and go back inside.
He hopped up the stairs.
“You should not have done that.”
Bobby jumped. Ororo was sitting in the shadows around the corner at the top of
the stairs. Her sandals were beside her,
her bare feet peeking out from underneath her long flowing dress. She was not looking at him, rather staring
off into space.
“You had no right to do that.”
“H-how long have you been up here?”
“Long enough. You should not have done that Bobby.”
Bobby dropped his head and sighed.
“I’m sorry, Ororo. It’s just that… No. You know what? I’m not sorry! If you’re not going to stand up for
yourself, then someone else has to do it!” He squatted down in front of
her. “Ororo… You are a kind, beautiful,
intelligent woman… I can’t for the life of me understand why you keep putting
up with his crap! He treats you like
garbage, dumps you and after a few weeks he calls back cause he know you’ll
come running. He’s taking advantage of
you Ro!”
She shook her head. “You do not understand…”
“What’s there to understand??? As bright as you are, for some reason-- you
can’t see that you deserve better.”
She looked up at him.
“I love Forge. …And he loves me.”
Bobby gently put his hand on the side of
Ororo’s face, and sadly shook his head.
“That’s not love, Ororo.” He said
softly. “Maybe it was once, but…” He
sighed. “Love’s supposed to lift you up Ro, not bring you down. It’s supposed to make you feel like a better
person.” He rested his hand on her arm. “Do you actually like
yourself when you’re with Forge? That
you have to walk on eggshells to avoid a fight that’s inevitable? Do you like trying to change yourself to be
what he wants you to be, just to keep the peace?”
He cupped her chin with his finger.
“You deserve better, Ororo. Only you
can’t see that. Do you know how many
guys would give their right arm just to be seen
with you? What has Forge given? Has he given anything at all? I can’t bear to come home and find you like
I did those weeks ago. It’d break my
heart.”
He sat next to her against the wall.
“He isn’t worthy of you.”
“…You still should not have done what you
did.”
“…If you really didn’t like what I was
doing, then why didn’t you stop me?”
“…”
“…”
Storm sighed.
“Get dressed.”
“Huh?”
“Change your clothes. I was really looking forward to going to
that new restaurant tonight. I am not
going to miss out simply because you chased my date away.”
“Who’s buying?”
“You are, of course. This is your fault.”
“But I…”
“They take credit cards?”
“They might burn mine.”
“No excuses.” Storm stood and extended her hand. “Up.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He took her hand and allowed
her to help him up.
“Just don’t blame me if we end up having to
wash dishes tonight.”
* * * * *
“Here.”
“What’s this?”
“Jenna’s phone number.”
“Our waitress?!?”
“The same.”
“How…? Why…?”
“You wanted it, did you not?”
“Well… yeah, but… how did you pull this
off?”
“I asked her.”
“You asked her?!”
“Is that now what I just said?” Storm
joked. “Really Bobby, you have to learn
to keep up.”
“Hardy, harr.”
The two had managed to avoid kitchen duty
after their extravagant meal. The fact
that Bobby could not keep his eyes off of their waitress Jenna did not go
unnoticed.
When she had a moment, Ororo had asked
Jenna for her number on behalf of her friend.
They left the restaurant not long afterwards and the two X-Men were
currently taking a stroll through the moonlit Central Park.
“So… it’s alright if I call her. I mean… she’s okay with it?”
“I doubt she would have given me the number
otherwise.”
Bobby, phone number scrunched up in one
hand, lightly pounded both fists into his forehead.
“Ga… Yes! Storm, you—are the greatest!” he
said with a peck on her cheek.
“So, I’ve been told.” She said, with a
wicked smile.
“Not even gonna ask about that one.” He said
grinning.
Bobby hopped up onto the ledge of a water
fountain and held his arms out.
“I’M KING OF THE—no, let’s not go there.”
Storm laughed.
“…Now that’s a sound I like to hear. A rare one, but a nice one.”
”What is?”
“Your laughter. It’s something we don’t hear often enough.”
Ororo smiled awkwardly and looked down.
There was a comfortable pause. Bobby stuck his hands into his pockets. He tilted his head back and smiled.
“You know, I was talking to Gambit a couple
of days ago. He said that you’re a lot
wilder than this.” He looked back at her.
“He says this is all an act and that he’s seen the real you.”
“Everyone has many faces, Robert. Some we are just forced to wear a little
more often than others.”
“Yeah, but, how come he gets to see
all the good stuff?”
“I have not the slightest idea of what you
are talking about.” She said mock innocently.
“My Aunt Linda, you don’t! Come on!
Where’s the wild Storm, the freaky Storm, the spontaneous Storm?! I
would love to see you do just one completely spontaneous thing.”
“I do spontaneous things all the time.”
“I’m not talking about in battle. I mean in regular life, the real world. Like right now. I want you to do whatever pops into your head right now. Don’t think. Just do it.”
A half second later, Bobby found himself
sitting in the water fountain.
Storm was holding her stomach laughing.
“That… was what your mind told you to do?”
Bobby asked {ahem} ‘dryly’. He blew
some dripping water from his upper lip.
“You told me to be spontaneous; to do
whatever was on my mind. I have never
in my life passed a water fountain that I did not wish to push someone into!”
“Sigh.” He said, rolling his eyes. He lifted his arm, a stream of water pouring
from it back into the fountain.
“So are you gone help me outta this thing
or what?”
Ororo extended her hand and stood on the
ledge for leverage. She promptly found
herself sitting in the water right along side Bobby. She had expected him to try and pull her in and had braced
herself against it. What she had not
expected was for Bobby to turn the surface of the ledge into Black Ice, causing
her to slip and end up in her current position.
“You—wicked—little—”
“Hey, you started this!” he said in between
laughs.
“No, you did.”
“You did.”
“You did.” {SPLASH}
And so began a water slapping fight that
lasted nearly a half hour.
* * * * *
“Bobby.”
Bobby fumbled the box of cereal he had just
taken out of the cupboard.
“Jeez, Logan! You gotta start wearin’ some bells or somethin’. You’re gonna give somebody a heart attack
one of these days!”
“Learn ta listen.” Logan said plainly.
“I’ll try to remember that.”
“You seen Ororo this mornin’?”
“Yeah, she’s out at the boathouse.”
Logan nodded to himself and started to
leave the kitchen. He stopped in the
doorway.
“Heard about what you said to Forge.” He started.
“Good goin’.”
Bobby shook his head. “Somebody had to step in.”
“Somebody.
Why’d it have to be you?”
“What do you mean?”
“Why did’ja do it?”
“Couldn’t let him keep messin’ with her
like that.”
“Yeah, but why did you do it?”
“You care about Ororo… Why didn’t you?”
Logan snorted and continued out the
kitchen. “The answer to that’s the same
as the answer ta my question.” He said over his shoulder.
Bobby, clutching his box of Fruit Loops,
looked on, utterly perplexed.
* * * * *
“Oh, and Ororo, I want to implement that
new battle strategy you came up with into the next full session. I think it’s going to give us a real
advantage.”
“Bobby’s.”
“What?”
“It is Bobby’s strategy, not mine. He came up with it.”
Scott sat down at the breakfast table of
the boathouse. Jean finished her sip of
coffee and then put the cup down.
“Really?” She asked. “Bobby came up with that? It’s brilliant.”
“You sound surprised.”
“Well, it’s just that… I mean…” Scott stammered for a delicate way to put
it.
Ororo smiled over her cup of tea. “It is alright Scott. I understand… and so does Bobby.”
“Bobby’s a great guy and an excellent
X-Man, but…”
“But… he feels that he is looked at as the
clown of the group and therefore feels the need to live up to that role.”
“I suppose that’s true.” Jean said.
“Scott, maybe we should be giving Bobby more responsibility. That is if he wants it. We should make an effort to see him in a
different light.”
“Perhaps we all should.” Ororo said, more
to herself.
* * * * *
It had been a week since Bobby had kicked
Forge to the curb. He was anxiously
getting ready for his date with Jenna.
Hank and Ororo had been watching Iceman
come out of his closet for the past hour, each time with a different
outfit. He emerged a final time and
held out his hands.
“Well?
What do you think?” Ororo and Hank were wearily leaning on each other.
“Bobby.
You look fine. You looked fine
in the last outfit. You looked fine in
the outfit before that.”
“And the one before that. And the one before that…” Ororo continued
for Hank.
“You guys are a lot of help, you know
that.” He said looking at himself in the full-length mirror.
“And they claim women spend a long time getting dressed.” Ororo said.
Bobby sighed. “I don’t know why this date is freakin’ me out so much, it
just is. All I ask is a little
help. A little honest criticism.”
“You really are uptight about this.”
Hank said. “Perhaps the lady means more
to you than you think?”
“I just met her last week!” Bobby frowned at himself in the mirror. “Maybe I should just cancel.”
Ororo got up and stood behind Bobby. She adjusted the brown leather jacket he was
wearing.
“Seriously Bobby. You should go on the date. You look wonderful. Jenna should not be denied such a treat.”
They caught each other’s eyes in the
reflection just then. After a moment
Bobby turned around.
“Thanks, Ororo.” He said.
Ororo fixed his collar. “Just remember to open the door and pull out
her chair. Just because women are
independent does not mean we do not like being pampered every now and
again. And a first date is the perfect
time to do so.”
Bobby nodded.
“Okay, I’m off.”
“Way off… Sorry it slipped out!” Hank said.
Bobby walked to the room door but stopped
when Ororo spoke again.
“Oh, and Bobby…” Ororo added. “Sometime during the evening, compliment her
shoes.”
“Her shoes?”
“We like that. Believe me, it will go a long way. You would be surprised how much effort goes into our footwear.”
Bobby grinned.
“Then why do you walk around barefoot so
much?”
“Because I’m me.” She said with a smile.
“An’ that’s fine by me.”
“Oh, my stars and garters… Will you get
going already! Or would you rather just
stay here and the two of you chit chat all night?”
“…I’m goin’, I’m goin!”
* * * * *
Bobby got moving but could not help the passing thought that Hank’s suggestion, wasn’t all that bad of an idea.
As he was pulling out of the car hold, Bobby could see Logan smoking on the front steps. The strange conversation he’d had with the man came back to him.
Bobby scratched his head.
“Why did I do it?
* * * * *
It was just after midnight when there was a
knock at Ororo’s bedroom door.
“Come in.” She said as she uncurled herself
from her chair and placed her book on the table beside her.
Bobby walked in and gave her a warm smile.
“Robert?
H-how did the—your date go?” She
stood up.
“Uh…”
Bobby ran a hand through his hair.
“It was good. …It went good.”
“…You do not sound very convincing.”
He shoved his hands into the pockets of his
leather jacket. He nodded affirmingly
to himself.
“No, really. It was nice. Jenna’s
really nice. I like her. We had a good
time.”
“Really?”
She sat on the bottom of her bed.
“Yeah.” Bobby sat down in one of Ororo’s
chairs. “We went to dinner first, and
then a movie… Movie was pretty bad so we left and went for a walk. Hit a couple of clubs, you know…”
“Well, it sounds as if you truly enjoyed
yourself.” Storm said. And tried to
ignore the sudden pang of sadness that crept up on her.
“Yeah.” He said, stood up again. He slowly paced the room for a minute. “It’s just too bad that I can’t see her
again.”
“What? …Why not?”
“Cause it wouldn’t be fair.”
“Fair?”
He sighed and rubbed his chin.
“Fair to Jenna…Going out with her tonight,
it… it made me realize something. Well
not really realize something, more like confirm what I thought was… I mean, you
know that freaked out feeling I was having earlier… It wasn’t because of
Jenna. I mean… it was… I mean what
I… I just… {SIGH}”
Bobby closed his eyes.
“It wouldn’t be right for me to be going
out with her… when I think I’m falling in love with someone else…”
“W—What…?
…Who?” Ororo said, almost afraid to ask the question.
Bobby literally bit down on his tongue for
a moment.
“… … You…” he finally said, quietly.
Ororo’s breath caught.
“I know this has got to be the weirdest
thing for you to hear, but I gotta say this now or I’ll never have the nerve to
say it again.” He rubbed his eyes with his thumb and finger. “Ororo, you’re the first person I want to
see in the morning and the last I want to see at night. I think about you constantly. Tonight at dinner—I—I was enjoying myself,
but there was something missing—I wanted it to be you sitting across the table
from me. Not Jenna. Not anyone else.”
“Bobby…”
“Please, let me finish this.”
Ororo bit down on her bottom lip. Bobby took a breath and continued.
“First of all, I don’t expect you to feel
the same way. Most of me feels like
kicking myself for telling you this, cause I’m probably screwing up my
friendship with you forever… but I can’t lie to you. Not after I’ve finally stopped lying to myself.
You’re the best thing that’s happened to me
in a long time Ororo. When I’m around
you… I don’t feel like everyone’s laughing at me. You take me seriously and you listen to what I have to say.” He shook his head. “You don’t know how important that is to me. Knowing that you believe in me has given me
a confidence in myself I’ve never had before.
These past few months have been the happiest since… god, I don’t know…
ever! I love the way you make me feel
about myself, I love the way I feel when I’m around you, and I really, really
hate myself right now for telling you all of this…”
“…”
Ororo closed her eyes and dropped her
head. Bobby found himself suddenly
wishing a Sentinel would attack.
She said something very quietly and Bobby
was certain he had misunderstood her.
“What?” He asked quietly as though speaking
any louder would detonate the tenseness in the air.
Ororo looked up.
“I feel the same way.” She repeated softly.
Again, Bobby was certain he hadn’t heard
right.
“Did—did you just… The same way… Do-- Do
you mean you think hate me too or you think you love me too?”
“The latter.” She said with a sweet smile.
“The latter…” He repeated as though he’d
never heard it before; but given who his best friend was, that was highly
unlikely. “…Why?” He finally said.
Ororo began laughing, both at Bobby’s
comment and at the look of complete bewilderment on his face. She stood up.
“You make me happy.” She started, counting
off on her fingers. “When I am with you
I do not feel the need to become something that I am not. You lift my spirit, my soul…”
She placed a gentle hand on the side of his
stunned face.
“I like
myself when I am with you.”
“Y-you do…?”
She nodded again.
“B-but… why did… I mean… you’re the one who
wanted me to go out with Jenna—I mean, you’re the one who encouraged me and got
me her number and everything.”
“Because I thought that was what you
wanted!”
“I thought it was too; but still, I
dmmsslnk… Hmm?”
It took Bobby a second to realize that he
was being kissed and that he should probably shut up.
To Be Continued…
Not exactly who you’d picture together is
it? Regardless, how’s my flyin’? You likes? stormgates@hotmail.com
On To Part Three