Title: Finale- Part 2
Author: phobosgirl (phobosgirl@hotmail.com)
Date: 7/6/05
Rating: R
Authors notes: Un-beta’d. Feedback is more than welcome and can be sent to phobosgirl@hotmail.com
Disclaimer: This is only for fun. None of this is real nor should any implication be made based on this manuscript that I have any insider info on either of these two incredibly deliciously fine men.
Warnings: Gale/Randy RPS
Complete: no

Finale- Part 1 here

Finale- Part 2

Smiling stiffly and nodding to my slightly puzzled girlfriend, I indicated to her that I needed a smoke, pushed past the reporters camped with their cameras at the front door, and stepped out into the cold, wet night. I yanked my collar up around my neck and stalked off, confused, angry and wishing for a fifth of whiskey in my coat pocket.

I slipped around the corner without being noticed and leaned my back against the chilled brick, staring down at the filth at my feet. The alleyway was mercifully dark and afforded me the privacy I suddenly needed, but the fucking rain dripping on my head would drive me back inside soon.

I yanked a crumpled pack of cigarettes from my coat pocket, shook one out and lit it, shielding it from the wet.

"Fuck," I muttered to myself. "Fuckfuckfuck, what was that all about?"

I shook my head at no one in particular, trying to figure out why the hell I'd just pushed my tongue into my best friend's mouth. I ignored the twitch in my dick at the thought of how soft and willing his lips had been. It was nothing new for us, kissing, and even though we'd never done it outside the context of work, it wasn't like I didn't already know what it felt like to have his breath rush down my throat. Kissing has always been a direct line to my libido, it's no big deal, I'm used to it by now.

But this was a big deal, I knew it, could feel it in the way the tips of my fingers tingled as if the blood supply to them was slowly being cut off.

"It's the cold," I tried to convince myself. "They'll probably freeze and fall off before I can finish this fucking cancer stick."

"Talking to yourself, now?"

A jolt of fear shot through me and I yelped in alarm, dropping my cigarette in the slushy mess at my feet.

"Fuck, don't sneak up on me, you asshole!" I was shouting again, twice in one night, and I realized that I was probably a lot more exhausted than I'd even realized. My heart thumped crazily in my chest, and the bitter taste of adrenaline filled my mouth.

He smirked at the butt soaking up water on the ground and then arched his eyebrow at me.

"Why don't you just dump them all out on the ground and do everyone a favor?"

"Fuck you!" I jammed my hands in my pockets, my teeth chattering from the cold.

"Isn't that kinda what we were talking about?" His amused expression never faltered and it pissed me off.

"Is it?" I sneered back, "I coulda sworn you said it was about love."

"Yeah, I did, didn't I?" How could he be smiling when I was so pissed off at him?

He reached a hand up to touch my face, but I jerked away from him. I was being childish, I knew, and I could have ended this whole conversation just by going back to the party, but I couldn't make myself move.

He whistled softly between his teeth.

"You're really angry, aren't you?"

"Yes! I'm... I don't know, but it feels a lot like anger, and why the fuck did you wait until now to say this to me?"

His face grew serious, but before he could answer, I rushed on.

"There's things now, fucker, things in the way. That's why you said it now, isn't it?" Where was all this coming from? I wasn't sure, but I couldn't seem to stem the tide, it just came pouring out over both of us. "You're safe now, aren't you? When it's too late, when nothing can be done, because It's. Too. Late! You have the editor, the nice, tidy, brilliant little editor who looks remarkably like me, by the fucking way, and I have... I'm with... and you could have fucking said something before now!"

"So could you have," he said quietly.

Yeah, there was that.

"How could I know, Gale?" His voice was soft, pained. "You never gave any indication of interest; you never... there was never anything. How could I know?"

There was that, too. I felt my anger draining away.

We stood in silence for many minutes while the rain pattered down around us. A chill had already crept into my coat and was trying to settle itself under my skin, but there was a weirdly warming fire burning there, too, that seemed determined to cancel out the cold and damp.

Finally, raising my eyes to meet his steady stare, I was about to tell him my belief that we were in a hopeless situation and should just fucking well get used to it and move on, when she appeared over his shoulder, tall and lean and shivering in a stylish but too-light jacket.

"Il est tard, tu es prêt à partir ?" Her voice was melodic.

"Je le suis," I said. "J'étais juste en train de umm... discuter avec Randy. Rentre, tu vas prendre froid."

"Cela va nous prendre la moitié de la nuit pour dire au revoir à tout le monde." She was beaming love and understanding in my direction and I felt like a complete shit for it.

She nodded and smiled at Ran, then turned and disappeared back around the corner.

"Gale-" But my exhaustion took over all at once and I couldn't hear another word.

"I have to go."

"Wait, please."

"Later. Another time, ok?" I rubbed my eyes. "Look, I'm not upset, I'm just tired. I feel like I could sleep a week. We'll talk in a few days."

He looked doubtful and as I turned away from him to go inside, I saw vague resentment creep into his eyes.

End of Part 2