for isnt_the_same

[chesstotem]

The only good thing about being in Paris, and away from Arthur for a while, was the easy ability Ariadne had to report back to her bosses with what information she had so far.

It was also a bit of a relief to know that they didn't really have any intention of prosecuting Arthur, or anyone else from the Fischer job - at this point, her bosses were sniffing out something much bigger, and just wanted her to use them to get closer to whatever the bigger operation was, to figure out who was behind it.

She suspected it was something much worse than anything Arthur would be willing to do.

Still, aside from the regular calls to her bosses, it was exactly as boring and depressing as she'd known it would be, having to pretend to be a student again, attend classes without even the hope of Arthur on the phone in the evenings. She walked to the college most days, went to a couple of classes, walked back to her messy little apartment in the late afternoon or evening. Ate takeout for dinner, because she could barely cook for herself. At night, she would touch herself, remembering how Arthur felt on top of her, inside her.

The next day, she did it all again.

Comments

[chesstotem]

She wadded up a paper towel and tossed it at his head, laughing.

[isnt_the_same]

"Hey, that was uncalled for!"

[chesstotem]

"No, I really don't think it was," she said, sticking her tongue out at him playfully.

[isnt_the_same]

He laughed and went back to eating.

[chesstotem]

She smiled, digging into her own breakfast. She was really glad he was back - that he'd come straight to her place. That he was staying here with her.

Even though it would only make her life more complicated, casual or not.

[isnt_the_same]

When Arthur finished his breakfast and coffee, he went over to the sink and started on his dishes.

[chesstotem]

"You don't have to do the dishes," she pointed out.

[isnt_the_same]

He turned slightly to glance at her. "I don't mind."

[chesstotem]

"All right," she said with a shrug. She stood and offered up her plate to his scrub brush with a little smile.

[isnt_the_same]

Arthur took her plate with a smile and added it to the sink.

[chesstotem]

She gave Arthur a silly smile, until her phone started ringing. She glanced at the number, then stepped outside on her tiny balcony to answer it.

"Hey. What's up?" She listened for a moment. "Yeah, I've got a friend here right now, though, so I'll have to call you back. Okay?" She paused. "I'll be fine. Promise. Okay. Bye."

[isnt_the_same]

He couldn't help but listen to her on the phone, but when she came back in, he didn't acknowledge it. "I'm gonna take a shower," he said as he wiped his hands on a dish towel.

[chesstotem]

"Okay," she said with a smile. "I'm afraid I just have a vanilla-scented shampoo, if you don't have your own."

[isnt_the_same]

He grinned. "That's fine," he said before walking out of the kitchen.

[chesstotem]

After he left the room, and as soon as Ariadne heard the water running, she stepped back out onto the balcony and made a hurried phone call.

"I can't talk long; he'll be back in a few minutes. Look, I'll report when there's something to report, okay? He said he might have some leads on jobs; we'll probably discuss them later today or tomorrow." She paused, frowning a little. "I can handle myself, Damian. I'm doing my job. Like I said; I'll contact you when I have more information. Bye."

[isnt_the_same]

The water shut off ten minutes later, and after five minutes, Arthur came out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist before going into the bedroom to get changed. He donned a plain white button down and navy slacks.

[chesstotem]

She leaned against the door jamb as he got dressed. "I have a class later today," she said casually. "But, whenever you want to meet and talk about those potential jobs - I'll be done at the campus around four."

[isnt_the_same]

"I'll be there at four, then," he said as he turned around to face her.

[chesstotem]

"Okay. Maybe we can have dinner, or something," she said hopefully.

[isnt_the_same]

He shrugged. "Sure. You can pick the place."

[chesstotem]

"Okay." She paused a moment, thinking. "Do you like Indian food?"

[isnt_the_same]

"Indian food's okay," he said.

[chesstotem]

"Or would Thai be better?" She wasn't really familiar with the good expensive, high-class restaurants in Paris, so she figured she'd take him to a small local place with really good ethnic food.

[isnt_the_same]

"Any's fine, Ariadne. Just pick something," he said with a small smile.

[chesstotem]

"I just want to make sure it's something you'll like," she said, leaning in to give him a kiss. "Gotta get ready for class."