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"I'm not a label queen for one thing," she said, flatly. "For another, I wear what I like, not just what's fashionable. Do you not like the way I dress?"
"I think you look fine.I know how this works, though, and they will pick you apart. It's better to just wear the uniform and be done with it. You really want pictures of you with circles and arrows showing all your fashion fouls? I'd think that would be more upsetting than skin!I know it is for me."
Rhiannon huffed, "Not for me. I don't care what people think about what I wear, but I definitely don't want my naked body splashed all over the place. Considering that's already happened, they're out of ammunition."
"You'd be surprised," Kline grumbled, flicking on the television. "Fine. I'll take it all back.But at least keep the underwear."
"I like some of the clothes," she said, pulling out a sweater from one of the bags. "You just outdid yourself. It's too much."
Kline changed the channel trying to find the basketball game, but stopped when he heard his name."Speaking of busy, Jane," the entertainment anchor was saying, "Kline Scott is certainly burning the midnight oil."
Voiced over camera footage of him walking in Central Park with Jill, their fingers twined as she looked up at him with an expression all too easy to read, the anchor said, "Scott was in New York for a few days spending time with an old flame, three-time Tony winner, Jill Parker.They were spotted at some trendy eateries, and she accompanied him to all his interviews." A pixilated version of some of the sex romp photos came up, "She didn't even seem to mind that he'd just been with Rhiannon Charles, a writer for the sitcom 'Simon Says.'"
Footage of Kline kissing Jill's forehead followed with the words, "Parker is in LA now, getting ready to start filming 'Devil's Party' one of her Tony-winning roles. She'll play a jilted lover who remakes herself in the image of an old boyfriend's ideal, only to leave him hanging. Literally."
"Well Kline Scott better watch out!" The co-anchor grinned, filling the screen. "If she dyes her hair red and starts running around naked, he's had it!"
Kline didn't even get the chance to turn around before Rhiannon was walking past him and out of the room, towards the kitchen.
"Rhi? Rhiannon!" he said, getting up to follow her.
"They really need to come up with some new material," she said, searching around the island for her purse. "I'm really getting tired of being the punchline."
"Rhiannon… We just have to ride it out."
"Oh?" She raised an eyebrow, "What else have you been 'riding out', Kline? Are you going to tell me I didn't just see what I saw? You two look beautiful together."
"Fuck all," Kline muttered, running his hands through his hair."You saw what you saw.You didn't see the before or after though.They don't show that. Listen, I told you. If I'd wanted a fuck, I could have had it any time.Jill made that abundantly clear.I didn't take her up on it, though, because of you.Because I wanted to be back here and make a go of what I have with you.Okay?"
She gaped at him, plucking her cell phone from her purse. "So, a nice romantic stroll in Central Park, holding hands and canoodling, was your way of reinforcing the lack of interest? Right. You must think I'm stupid. Really. But then, why wouldn't you? Everyone else does."
"We weren't having a romantic stroll! She was having a romantic stroll," Kline insisted, "but what you missed was me telling her no. Are you not getting that? If I wanted to be with her, I would be.I want to be here with you!Do you get that?!"
"Yes, you keep telling me that, and you also keep telling me that nothing happened between you and Jill, yet it's been one surprise after the next. Is there anything else that I should know about? Anymore charming anecdotes from New York?"
He sighed, "Look, there is nothing going on between me and Jill, okay?I took her out to a club the first night, to get her mind off the divorce thing.She came on to me pretty aggressively and I told her no.That's it.That's that.She was hinting and suggesting the next day, but I still said no."
Rhiannon's expression took on a shade of skepticism. "You mean that Jill was the aggressor in all of this?"
"Yes, that's what I've been trying to tell you."
"That's not like her, Kline."
"I blamed it on the emotional upheaval, myself," Kline said."She was never the aggressor when we were together before. But it's been a long time. And she was hurting.And I was there, and I was safe, and I think she just wanted to get her mind off things. I do love Jill, Rhi. I probably always will. She's the first girl who ever meant anything to me.But that was years ago.It isn't the same."He shrugged and sat down on a barstool."I don't know how many more ways to say it. I want to be with you. I want to see where this is going."
She sighed and shook her head, unsure of what to say. She wasn't used tothis sort of drama in her life. The lack of control of the situation was disarming, but for reasons she couldn't' quite figure out, she wasn't ready to just cut her losses and walk away. "I'm not used to things like this, Kline," she said, after a moment. "This is all completely off the map for me and I'm not sure what to make of it."
"I don't know what else to tell you," he said miserably. "Other than I don't want you to go. Please stay."
Anothermoment’s consideration, then she closed her cell phone and dropped it in her bag. "Alright. I'll stay. We'll see how this goes."
He opened his arms to her, and she stepped into them. When they came up for air, it was only because Rhiannon's phone was ringing. Both of them were giggling as Kline peeled himself off the kitchen floor to grab it for her. She was still laughing when she said hello, still fumbling to get a grip on the thing.
"Hey, Rhi. It's Jill. You sound happy!I was calling to check on you."
"Oh. Hi," Rhiannon said, leaning up to stop Kline from kissing her throat. "I'm doing alright. How are you? You sound cheery, yourself."
"I'm good. I just got back from New York and had a fitting with August, who is dressing me for the Grammys. It’s not one of his dresses, but he’s tailoring to suit. Can’t leave well enough alone, that man. He's nodding.He has pins in his mouth."
