Elle
Human
Architect, Author & Presenter
Suddenly my eyes are open, everything comes into focus.
Posts: 119
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Post by Elle on Oct 2, 2012 0:20:41 GMT
It was funny how similar their lives were considering how different their jobs were. A cop and a television personality, two people who had to keep up a professional front when they were working, people who couldn't express themselves as candidly as they might like in order to remain that professional. It was so much easier when it was just them, really. Elle felt both safe and comfortable around Chris, when it was just the two of them. She felt like she was truly herself, the most her she could be. It was nice. It was special. Sacred in a way.
"Well, yes," she said, hedging. "It won't be the nicest suite in the hotel. That'll be the honeymoon and I'll be staying there."
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Chris
Human
LAPD Sergeant: Narcotics
And I won't let you drown when the water's pulling you in; I'll keep fighting, I'll keep fighting.
Posts: 407
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Post by Chris on Nov 28, 2012 0:27:04 GMT
Very funny indeed, really. By all rights they should have been two very different contrasting individuals but they really did share a lot of similarities. Not many that others could spot easily but that didn't matter. Chris could see it, and presumably so could Elle. He liked that they got along so well, that they could be so comfortable and natural with one another, that was a rarity and something that shouldn't be taken for granted. Chris would never take his relationship with Elle for granted, he certainly wouldn't dream of doing that to Elle herself. She didn't deserve that, especially not after everything she had already been through.
"Oh, is that right?" Chris couldn't help but smile at that, though it was a little more like a smirk than anything else. "That doesn't strike me as fair," he went on, turning to her properly, his head tilted at an angle as if he was looking for something in her face. "Taking the best room for yourself." With a shake of his head Chris turned his gaze out of the hole beside which they were standing. His attention didn't stay diverted for long though, it was back on her face soon enough. "And here I was thinking I was going to get special treatment."
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Elle
Human
Architect, Author & Presenter
Suddenly my eyes are open, everything comes into focus.
Posts: 119
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Post by Elle on Nov 28, 2012 0:37:14 GMT
As a rule Elle tried not to take anything for granted, not her health, not her happiness and certainly not people she cared about, with Chris being a predominant force in that category. In a way as a result of how horrible things had been she was more determined than ever to just live now, in the moment, to do crazy things like buy hotels to renovate, things that she could look back on proudly and say she had been present, truly there when se had done them, that she had felt them with every inch of her being.
"What?" She gasped a little, her eyes wide and dramatic. "This is special treatment, are you telling me you're not enjoying all of this?" Elle gestured in grandiose fashion to the gutted room around them, peeling wallpaper, semi-rotted carpet and collapsed wall and everything. "This is V.I.P. level special treatment, I'll have you know. Just don't get used to it."
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Chris
Human
LAPD Sergeant: Narcotics
And I won't let you drown when the water's pulling you in; I'll keep fighting, I'll keep fighting.
Posts: 407
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Post by Chris on Nov 28, 2012 0:58:45 GMT
Chris knew all about not taking those you cared about for granted. He'd lost his father so young that he hadn't really gotten the chance to know the man, not on a deep and personal level. Duncan Tyler had been a wonderful father, but he'd been killed before Chris could really learn who he was beyond that. So now he knew better than to waste time and chances, or so he liked to think. The people he was close with were important, he made sure he got to know them and did what he could for them while he had the chance. It wasn't even that he felt obligated to do so either, it took a fair amount of work to get close to Chris and he had what some might call pretty high standards when it came to his social circle. Elle certainly qualified though, she'd worked her way in early and that was where she had stayed. Where she would always stay, as far as he was concerned.
"The hole in the wall?" Chris returned with his brows raised and his eyes slightly widened for emphasis, turning his gaze on the hole in question for just a moment. "Oh, yes, that much I'm enjoying. Very much. Very V.I.P.," he went on with laughter in his voice and amusement clear in his eyes. "Don't get me started on the chunks of rubble either. I'm too excited about those."
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Elle
Human
Architect, Author & Presenter
Suddenly my eyes are open, everything comes into focus.
Posts: 119
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Post by Elle on Nov 28, 2012 1:14:18 GMT
There was nothing wrong with having high standards for those soeone spent time with, at least Elle didn't really think so. It wasn't about social standing like it was with her awful mother, it was about the integrity of a person, the bravery of them and Chris had plenty of those things, in spade in fact. Maybe too much of the latter actually, always getting himself into dangerous situations at work. But that was his job, who he was. Elle respected him. Actually she didn't respect anyone more than she respected Chris.
Elle tilted her head, toying with a short strand of blonde hair as she looked at him, squinting slightly. "Oh those, yes," she said, making a thoughtful sound in the back of her throat as she turned to look at a misshaped heap of rubble in the corner of the gloomy room that smelled more like sea water and less like a house than more seaside shacks. "I had those commissioned especially." She turned her eyes back to him, smiling. "They're French."
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Chris
Human
LAPD Sergeant: Narcotics
And I won't let you drown when the water's pulling you in; I'll keep fighting, I'll keep fighting.
Posts: 407
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Post by Chris on Nov 28, 2012 1:31:32 GMT
Over the course of his life Chris had spent his fair share of time with people who were just taking up space or taking advantage of him and he had little to no patient -- let alone tolerance -- for that. Those people had been quickly and efficiently cut out of his life after he'd come to realise their true intentions, that they were just wasting his time, and nowadays he was much more particular about such things. Some said he was closed off, some said he was elitist, even, but they didn't know him, certainly not why he was the way he was with the people in his life. Elle, though, would understand, or so he thought. She couldn't afford to waste her time on people who just weren't worth the effort, after all.
Chris pulled a face, only briefly but still long enough for Elle to catch sight of it, especially given how close they were standing to one another now. "French rubble?" Sceptical was a good word for the expression he wore then, eyes narrowed and mouth drawn in a thin line as he studied her face. "Did they bring them in by sea or by air?"
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Elle
Human
Architect, Author & Presenter
Suddenly my eyes are open, everything comes into focus.
Posts: 119
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Post by Elle on Nov 28, 2012 1:42:07 GMT
People and activities and places and things, there were a lot of ways to waste time, a lot of things that weren't worth the stress or the effort when there were so many better things that she could be doing, frankly. At the end of the day, ruthless as it perhaps made her, Elle was spending her time in the best way that she could. It wasn't as though she was going to drop dead any time soon, but she was a high risk patient, someone with her eye on the clock even if it wasn't about to up and stop on her without warning. Chris was worth every second.
Elle was silent a moment, trying to think of a sufficient comeback but in the end she just laughed, placing her hand on his arm as she shook her head. "On second thought I'll put you in the presidential suite. How does that sound?"
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Chris
Human
LAPD Sergeant: Narcotics
And I won't let you drown when the water's pulling you in; I'll keep fighting, I'll keep fighting.
Posts: 407
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Post by Chris on Nov 28, 2012 1:58:13 GMT
This was a good way to spend time, at least in Chris' book. To many it would probably seem strange, a little surreal even, but to him it was perfectly natural, two friends taking the time to visit one's passion and current focus, the other appreciating it for what it was without any kind of judgement. Spending time with Elle was always time well spent where Chris was concerned and he enjoyed every moment, so long as it wasn't in any way work-related. These were the times he really enjoyed and appreciated, the ones that would leave him with lasting memories.
His eyes dropped to her hand after the initial chuckle of a response and nod of what might have been satisfaction or triumph and his expression softened as he took in the way her fingers rested against his jacket, the light way they had settled without being timid or fragile. There was a quiet kind of certainty there, like her hand belonged where it had landed. "I think that sounds reasonable," he said, lifting his gaze to hers again, taking a step closer. There wasn't much space between them at all, very little distance to close, but right in that moment it felt imperative to make it even smaller. "More than reasonable."
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Elle
Human
Architect, Author & Presenter
Suddenly my eyes are open, everything comes into focus.
Posts: 119
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Post by Elle on Nov 29, 2012 0:14:45 GMT
They could both use the break from work. Their jobs were intense in very different ways but it had a similar effect, they were draining jobs that were difficult -- if not impossible -- to clock out of, to leave at the door when they went home for the evening. Elle consistently went home and spent a few hours doodling in her office or on her couch if she was really trying to kick work for the night. It was never quite so simple as all that.
Elle hadn't even thought about it, really, the placement of her hand. As Chris took a step closer to her she still wasn't thinking about it, the natural placement of her palm against his arm where it lingered even now. There seemed to be a shift in the air, though, a change in the atmosphere as he moved a step closer. It wasn't that large a motion in all honesty, just a step, measured in inches, but to Élodie it felt more significant than that. "I do try," she said, surprised by how suddenly difficult words seemed, "to be reasonable."
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Chris
Human
LAPD Sergeant: Narcotics
And I won't let you drown when the water's pulling you in; I'll keep fighting, I'll keep fighting.
Posts: 407
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Post by Chris on Nov 29, 2012 0:39:54 GMT
Chris was the sort of person -- the sort of cop -- who didn't sleep as much as he ought to because it was difficult for him to switch off, he thought and rethought things related to cases he was working on, he was constantly going back to the station to put to use whatever new concept or solution he had come up with in his own time. Chris brought his work home with him, often without meaning to, and even when he was with friends in a situation completely separate from it all he found it difficult to pull away from it completely. He could be sitting around a table playing poker with his friends and still thinking about a case or a suspect. Not here and now though. Here and now he was cut off from that, it was a separate world, a different life that he didn't have to be living at the moment. It was strange, but in the best possible way.
There was something about the catch in her words, the slightest strain in her voice, that made him draw even closer. There was practically no distance between them now and at first he said and did nothing else, there was no follow-up, his eyes were on hers and he was still so very aware of the way her hand felt on his arm. Without even realising it he had removed the hard hat she had given him to wear on the site, it hung in one hand with the other coming up to touch lightly at the underside of her bent arm. And then, just like that, he was bowing to kiss her, not abruptly or swiftly but steadily, giving her every chance to pull back and away.
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Elle
Human
Architect, Author & Presenter
Suddenly my eyes are open, everything comes into focus.
Posts: 119
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Post by Elle on Nov 29, 2012 1:12:12 GMT
At first the moment didn't seem real. One moment they were standing there talking about the hotel and rooms and laughing about French rubble and the next Chris was very close to her, touching her arm in reciprocation and leaning in to kiss her. Elle watched him as he eclipsed the space between them completely, taking in his eyes, the tousled rake of his dark hair, almost as if she din't quite believe what was happening. Then his lips actually met hers and she was really there, in the dark and quiet abandoned hotel, with the lights of Los Angeles beyond them. Leaning back would have been easy, stepping back would have been simple, but she did neither. Instead Élodie responded by letting her weight lean into him, her hand slid up his arm a little more, holding him gently around his bicep.
Strangely it didn't feel strange, it didn't feel like it was something they shouldn't be doing, a taboo or a mistake, it felt natural, smooth. It was nice. It had been such a long time since she'd kissed anyone or been kissed and she felt her cheeks flush as they parted again.
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Chris
Human
LAPD Sergeant: Narcotics
And I won't let you drown when the water's pulling you in; I'll keep fighting, I'll keep fighting.
Posts: 407
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Post by Chris on Nov 29, 2012 1:22:51 GMT
It wasn't actually until Chris was kissing Elle that he'd realised that was what he was going to do. There had been no great mental or emotional build-up to it on his part, it wasn't something he had been planning for any particular length of time. It was just one of those things that had simply happened and while it was happening it was surprising but not in an unpleasant way. Chris had shocked himself, yes, but it only would have been if Elle had retreated that he would have regretted the whole thing. Now that he was doing it the simple fact of the matter was that it felt good. Right.
It didn't last long and when they parted his breathing was still level and steady even if his pulse had quickened a little at some point. He only realised that after the fact, his eyes opening again to look at her, still standing close, even closer now that she had leaned into him the way she had. There was nothing he could think of to say that wasn't jarring in some way so instead he did the one thing he knew couldn't be misinterpreted. Chris smiled. It was slight and hesitant in a way but there was a quietly hopeful quality to it at the same time. Elle had leaned into him, she hadn't pulled away, her hand had moved up his arm instead of down. In his mind those were all good signs but he didn't want to make any assumptions. No more than he already had, at least.
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Elle
Human
Architect, Author & Presenter
Suddenly my eyes are open, everything comes into focus.
Posts: 119
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Post by Elle on Nov 29, 2012 22:35:56 GMT
Before she had really been able to take note and respond fully to his kiss it was done. There was a pattern of greenish watery light on the ceiling behind him, the room lit faintly from the water below and beyond and she was struck by how suddenly romantic the whole place seemed. Dark. Private. An old building with a life sprawled behind it, stories hidden in its walls. How many other people had kissed in this rickety place that moaned when the wind gusted through it? Chris smiled. Elle wanted to smile too but she was still mildly surprised enough that she could only look at him. Then she pressed her lips together for a moment and moved her hand again, up again, so that she was resting her hand lightly on his shoulder.
"That was," she breathed gently, shaking her head. "We should," she continued in a whisper, leaning closer again, not able to finish the words which would have been along the lines of 'do that again' because she so too occupied with actually following through on that suggestion. Without thinking too deeply about the why or anything else that might stop her, Élodie initiated another kiss and found that it didn't feel any more wrong the second time either.
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Chris
Human
LAPD Sergeant: Narcotics
And I won't let you drown when the water's pulling you in; I'll keep fighting, I'll keep fighting.
Posts: 407
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Post by Chris on Nov 29, 2012 22:49:50 GMT
At first there was a part of Chris that really wasn't sure, perhaps even apprehensive. The fact that she didn't smile back was what made him wonder, even made him worry, but it was a stillness and absence of reaction contrasted greatly by the movement of her hand, how it crept even higher and came to rest where there could be no misinterpretation. When you laid your hand on someone like that it had meaning of one sort of another, good or bad. Elle's touch was definitely good, it was an unquestionable positive that made Chris suddenly feel ten years younger somehow.
Any apprehension or uncertainty he might have felt was gone in the next instant. One moment she was speaking and then she was kissing him and his free hand moved from beneath her elbow to just above her hip, settling gently at her waist before slowly and steadily moving around to the small of her back. If his other hand had been free that would have been touching her as well, if it wouldn't have been disruptive he would have dropped the hat and given in to what he wanted but this was enough for now. He kissed her back without worry or hesitation, all traces of doubt -- what little there had been to begin with -- gone from his mind now.
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Elle
Human
Architect, Author & Presenter
Suddenly my eyes are open, everything comes into focus.
Posts: 119
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Post by Elle on Nov 29, 2012 23:11:40 GMT
That was fine. Elle was still holding her hard hat as well but she just slid her arm around his shoulders while she was holding it anyway. It was hard not to when his hand was on her hip and then her waist, smoothing around to the well at the small of her back, it was hard to do anything but kiss him then, really.
If she'd been able to think clearly, around the heady sort of excitement she felt electrifying her limbs, she might have wondered what they were doing, exactly, how they had suddenly gotten to this moment and what it might mean for their friendship. Chris was one of the most important people in her life, someone she held very dearly and anything that might ruin that was sure to give her sleepless nights.
Those thoughts were far away, though, they didn't exist in the moment where her hand at his shoulder slid closer to his collar.
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