The Little Things Give You Away (open by invite)

[Annabelle Hennessy]

"I wanted to escape reality and have fun, but there aren't any new books in," Anna said. She felt cold when Michael's hand left her and scooted closer to the edge of her bar stool, trying not to fall off this time. She had a sudden thought and her eyes rounded again and her eyebrows drew together as she looked up at Michael. "Why do you hate me?" she asked softly. She didn't mean the question to accuse him or make him feel bad, but he had to hate her, didn't he?

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael's hand settled at her waist again and his eyebrows came together, "I don't hate you." He had never hated her. Yes, he had been aggravated, but that was it. He lowered his eyes and pulled his hand back to pick up his water again. He was going to have to order another before Dare even got back. "Do you hate me?"

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Tears welled up in Anna's eyes. "I wish I could sometimes. It would be easier," she said. She didn't say she still loved him, but she knew she did, even with everything he'd done. "You never came to see how I was doing after, Michael! It was like you forgot all about me." She looked down at the bar's counter, afraid of what she'd see in Michael's eyes. She could still see the confusion that had been in his eyes that day.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

"So are you saying Chase wasn't enough?" Michael asked bitterly. Yes, he had been happy with Dare, but that didn't mean he wasn't bitter for Chase being with another of his ex girlfriends. He finished out his bottle of water. "Come on, Anna, it's not my place to go and check up on you." no, he wasn't being the most polite he could, but their relationship hadn't ended on good terms.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Anna's hands flew to cover her face at the mention of Chase, and she immediately burst into tears. "He's... getting... maaaaarrieeed!" she cried, the words smothered against her palms. "You left me... for a... boy and he... left me for... a stranger!" she said between choked breaths. "Even my friend left me for someone else!" Markise hadn't come back after a song or two like she'd expected. She wasn't sure how much she'd had to drink while he was gone, but she wouldn't have felt right sitting without buying something and she would have felt silly being the only one with water.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael's eyes widened and he pulled her close, unsure what else to do, even if it made him uncomfortable to do so. "I'm...sorry..." he said, though he wasn't sure how much of that was his fault. He hated Chase, but it didn't look like she needed to hear anything about how much he hated Chase. His hands moved up her back to try to comfort her.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

When Anna had cried herself out, she sniffled softly as she rested against Michael's chest. He felt just like he used to, and she wished she was bold enough to steal him back from Dare. She cuddled against him, listening to his steady heartbeat. "Would you dance with me?" she asked softly. "My date disappeared and I don't want to drink anymore." She also wanted to keep his arms around her as long as she could.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael hesitated and looked out over the crowd for Dare. When he didn't see the familiar multicolored hair bobbing slightly above everyone else's head, he sighed softly and nodded. "Yes, I'll give you a dance." Just one dance, he could explain to Dare later, but between the lack of physical contact he had had with Dare over the week and the return of old emotions.... One dance couldn't hurt.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Anna looked up at Michael, her eyelashes glittering softly from the tears she had shed. "Thank you," she said gratefully. She was so glad that Michael had shown up, as weird as it was. She was hurt, but she knew that it was because such a strong part of her still missed him. She stumbled as she got to her feet and fell into Michael's chest again, suddenly very aware of him. If her mind hadn't been so fuzzy she might have thought this was a bad idea, but she'd gotten what she wanted and her thoughts had been tamed.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael held her tightly in his arms and led her out. He kept an eye out for Dare, but as the minutes passed he started to be much more aware of the girl in his arms. His eyes flickered back to the open bottles of water and he wondered, but didn't let the thought bother him as he looked back at Anna.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Anna had closed her eyes as she danced to block out the club, but it didn't block out Michael. She could still feel him and smell him, and though she still felt that distance between them, it didn't seem as thick as it had been. She thought back to the time she and Michael had been to the Bloody Mary and hot badly that had turned out. She hadn't realized how far she'd come until then. She was still shy a lot of the time and she still doubted herself, but she'd stopped being afraid to live and take chances once in a while. She let herself enjoy dancing, and when she opened her chocolate eyes again, they were smiling.

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Dare had his reasons for having taken so long in the bathroom. His physical condition hadn't made it very easy to accomplish his goal, so he'd been there a while to begin with. Then, on his way out, his eyes had caught on a shiny silver box attached to the wall with little pictures on it. He'd gone to investigate only to realize that it was more than one box and they had things in them. He was interested in those, too, but they wanted some kind of Muggle money to come out.

As much as Dare wanted to get back to Michael, his mind couldn't let go of one of those little boxes, and he'd sifted through the little bits of metal money trying to find the right ones. Whenever someone had walked in, he'd taken a step back, but the moment they left, he tried again. Eventually he was rewarded with a little cherry-colored packet that he tucked almost guiltily into his pocket. He didn't think Michael would mind. In fact, considering how things had gone lately he'd probably be as interested as Dare, but it still felt odd to buy it in a bathroom.

When he headed for the nearest bar, he didn't see Michael there. He couldn't imagine that Michael would have gone to dance with someone, so his mind made what seemed like a more logical jump. He must be at a different bar. Dare gave a sigh, then skirted around the edge of the dance floor, heading for another one.

[Markise Sterling]

Somewhere between the dances and the next however many drinks, Anna had slipped Markise's mind. He was a little drunk now and his laughter was a little louder, his teases a little less subtle, and his mind put on hold for his body. So it shouldn't have been any surprise that when Markise saw Dare, especially dressed as he was, he nearly gave himself whiplash following those long strides past. Dare certainly wasn't the gangly boy he'd been a year or two ago.

[Ariel Logan Callahan]

Ariel normally wouldn't have given the guy a second look, but his eyes followed Markise and widened slightly, though it took him a second longer than usual to refocus his eyes. "Was that Dare?" he asked, eyes moving over the other guy. Dare wasn't really his favorite person in the world, but it was hard to resist the thoughts that burst into his head after seeing him dressed like he was.

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Dare had stopped nearby, in view of another bar which had no red-haired Michael waiting for him. He cocked his hip and tossed his head slightly, moving his fringe just a bit, but it wasn't his vision. Michael just wasn't here. Where was he? Dare didn't like the thought of spending the rest of the night searching, but Michael was probably sitting somewhere waiting for him. He gave himself a minute or two to debate his next move.