039. MIRRORS // ZOMBIES 

If there was anything Rory was good at, it was being an actress.

And right now, she had to act like her bruises didn't tear away her confidence and make her want to hide under the covers.

Sitting up on her knees, she looked at the angered man standing in front of a terrified Kip and asked, "Is everything okay, Dallas?"

"What are you doing?"

"I thought I dropped something," she replied innocently. When she reached out her hand, she assumed one of them would understand she was requesting help with standing. But as they watched her with an unconvinced stare, Rory let out an annoyed sigh and got off the floor herself. "And I was checking to see if I had. Is there a problem with that?"

"Was it your pills? Cause I can see you didn't take those."

Not wanting him to see her sweat, Rory immediately walked forward, choosing Dallas as her target - she had an undisclosed soft spot for Kip and decided not to torture him with her ways.

"I guess Kip forgot to check that I swallowed," she whispered seductively, smirking at the innuendo. She looked at the kid and added, "I heard Harry give you that instruction. Oh, god. I hope he doesn't get mad at you!" Turning her attention back to Dallas, she pouted her bottom lip and asked, "You look so angry. Did I do something wrong, Dallas?"

He cleared his throat. "I don't know. Did you?"

Dallas wasn't quick to break like usual. But the bead of sweat on his forehead signalled that he was close. God, she loved how easy they could be. But of course, Rory couldn't end her fun there.

"I was looking for my bra because I thought I dropped it." Her hand went to the zipper of her sweater. "I would be happy to prove to you I have nothing underneath," she said, tugging the piece of metal down.

"I-I don't think t-that's necessary," he nervously stuttered.

There you go. Break for me, Dallas.

"Are you sure? I would assume you would need to do a check." As the zipper travelled down to her navel, Rory knew the material of her sweater still covered her. However, based on where Dallas's eyes focused and his flushed skin, it appeared not to matter. "You know, I'm sure Harry would love to hear how thorough you were..." she dropped her voice to a whisper. "Checking to make sure I wasn't lying... Running your hands all over my skin... Making me crave you-"

"Dallas!"

His eyes shot up to the ceiling. "Fuck me," he grumbled under his breath. "Harry will kill me if he finds out I wasn't here."

"I won't tell."

Dallas turned his attention back to the vixen in front of him. "You-" He quickly shut his eyes. "Jesus, Rory. Can you put your boobs away now?"

She rolled her eyes and zipped up her sweater all the way to the top. "There - the scary boobs are gone now!"

"Thank you. So, you won't tell?"

"No. As long as you don't tell him I was searching for my bra."

Dallas knew there was no chance she was looking for the garment, so he asked, "Any luck finding what you were searching for?"

"No. I found nothing."

"Nothing?" he repeated.

"Nothing."

"Then we have a deal."

"Great. Now, can you bandage up my arm again?" She turned to the side, showing off the blood-soaked material that stained the back of her arm. "I think I ripped it open."

"Holy shit!" His eyes went wide at the sight. "Are you trying to have me fucking killed, Rory? Seriously, are you?"

"Would you calm down?"

"No! I won't! When Colson sees that, he's going to kill me!"

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, boo-fucking-hoo. You're not the one who wants to rip their arm off right now. I am!"

Dallas turned to Kip, who stood quietly in the corner. "Watch her while I go get the medical kit," he instructed before storming out of the room.

Sitting down on the edge of her bed and letting out an annoyed sigh, her eyes went to Kip. "Wanna sit?" she asked, patting the spot next to her. "Don't worry. I won't try anything - I just do that with Dallas."

"Uh, sure." Kip made his way over with hesitant steps and sat down.

"Sorry if I got you into trouble." Again.

"You didn't, don't worry. Dallas went to the store for some smokes, and he's in charge, so he's the one who would get in shit."

"Who knew a bra would cause this much controversy."

Kip laughed, adjusting his glasses. "Dallas has a crush on you."

"I know - that's why I act that way around him," she admitted.

"Doesn't seem very fair. Or nice."

Rory raised a brow at his response. "It's not. But neither is the world and yet, here we are." Kip's words replayed in her mind. "You're not like them, are you?"

"What do you mean?"

"You don't think or operate as they do. So, why are you here?"

He shrugged. "Like you said, the world isn't fair or nice."

"Well, I think it's refreshing that you're in the mix. It's nice to have someone else that's not a murdering criminal running a drug empire." She watched his expression closely.

"Why are you staring at me like that?"

Her eyes narrowed. "I'm trying to see if I'm close."

"I may not be like them, but I'm not an idiot, Rory. Unlike Dallas, when you pull your tricks, I learn to not fall for them again."

The corners of her mouth tugged into an amused smile. "Damn. I guess I won't be able to tell you I'm taking a nap again."

"Or ask to see my bedroom."

"Can you keep a secret, Kip?"

He nodded, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"Despite what you think, I did just think you were cute that night."

His eyes widened before bursting out into laughter. "Yeah, right."

"What? You don't believe me?"

"Not for a second!"

Rory's jaw dropped for a second before she nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that's probably fair. I guess I don't scream trustworthy."

"Harry trusts you. And considering he barely trusts the three of us most of the time, that says something."

Dallas entered the room with the medical kit in hand and looked at the two sitting on the bed. "What's got the both of you all smiling?"

"Oh, nothing," Rory replied. "Just showed Kip my boobs."

"What?!" Kip squealed. "That did not happen!"

She giggled over his panicked expression. "Calm down. I'm only joking. God, you guys are way too fucking easy." Adjusting her spot on the bed, she looked at the glasses-wearing man and said, "But if you really don't want to see them, you might want to turn away while I unzip."

Kip immediately covered his eyes and turned away, facing his back to her.

Yeah, we're going to be good friends.

XX

"DIE ZOMBIES, DIE!" Rory yelled, repeatedly pressing the button on the controller.

"Nice one! Now jump up there...." Kip explained, pointing to the television. "Okay, now slowly go there... and carefully shoot at-"

"No time for being slow!" she said before jabbing the buttons again. "Die! Die! Die!"

"You got to the safety zone, so I guess that works too!"

"What on earth are you two doing?"

Rory looked over her shoulder, a glowing smile appearing as she caught sight of who was standing in the doorway. "Kip is teaching me how to kill zombies!"

"She's a natural!"

Harry approached the back of the couch and leaned over. "Shouldn't you be resting?"

"I was!" She tipped her head back, her smile spreading as she looked into his green eyes. "But then I got bored. It's not fun staying in that room all day, you know."

"That's fair. But I believe we made an agreement before I left, and now, I'm back."

Rory's cheeks reddened, and she did everything possible to contain the squeal of excitement that begged to escape.

Receiving a signal from Harry to scram, Kip saved the game and turned off the television. "Well, that's my cue. Tomorrow we'll tackle the space aliens, Ro!"

Once the two were alone, Harry raised a brow and asked, "Ro? He calls you Ro now? How long have I been gone for?"

"Too long," she said, pouting her bottom lip. "And I said he could call me that. We became quite good friends today."

"Oh, yeah? Just friends?"

Rory rolled her eyes. "Yes, Harry. Just friends."

"So, I don't have to compete with him for date nights?"

"Definitely not. Those are only reserved for you."

"Good. Now," Harry handed her a small bag, "Go put this on."

"What is it?"

"It's from your apartment, and I know you like it. I didn't spend a dime, don't worry."

"How come you get to go to my apartment, but I don't."

"Do you want to leave, Bambi?"

Crossing her arms over her chest, she huffed with an annoyed, "That's not the point."

"I can go to your apartment because I have a gun and the desire to kill anyone that wishes you harm." Gently grasping her chin, he dropped his voice to a whisper and said, "Now, go change before we're late."

Disappearing up the stairs without another word, Rory entered her room - correction, the room she was staying in - and closed the door.

Pulling the item out of the bag, she ran her fingers over the familiar, silky blue material. It was the dress she wore on their first date. The date she thought was out of pity, was told was real, and then found out it was all part of a plan.

She wasn't sure how to feel, but an urge to be upset over remembering what the night was truly for crept into her mind. That was until she saw a note attached to the bag.

I owe you a do-over. Let's have our first (real) date tonight. x Harry

Removing her clothes and slipping on the dress, Rory walked toward the mirror in the bathroom and removed the covering. For once, she didn't stare at the bruises on her face; Rory's attention focused on the dress. She loved this dress - it always helped her feel confident. Whether Harry knew that or not, her chest filled with warmth over the fact that this was the dress he picked for tonight. Or that he even remembered it's what she wore on their date in the first place.

"That was a risky move," she said, descending back down the stairs and taking his hand. "But I'm happy to have a do-over with you."

"I'm honoured. Now, come on. We've got an entire night ahead of us."

Being led towards the garage, Rory quickly stopped and tugged back her hand. "Where are you taking me?"

"To the car."

"Why?"

He let out a light laugh. "Because how else are we going to get to our date night? Did you want to walk?"

"I'm not leaving this house."

"Why not? Bambi, you're safe now. I promise you-"

"Harry, look at my fucking face! I'm not going out there like that!"

"Rory-"

"No! It's too soon!"

"Rory-"

"I'm sorry, okay? But I can't!"

"Rory!"

"What?"

Tucking two fingers under her chin, he lifted her head so their eyes met and said, "Can you trust me?"

"Yes, but-"

"Then you should trust that I would never plan on doing something knowing it would make you uncomfortable. Which is why I planned tonight the way I did," he told her. "You deserve a night out, and I owe you a proper date. That is why tonight, yes, we are leaving the house, but no one will see us aside from your new best friend Kip, who is picking up our food and dropping it off."

"Only Kip?"

"Only Kip," he repeated, retaking her hand and intertwining their fingers. "I have a beautiful secluded spot I want to take you to."

"The kind that's good for dumping a body?"

A grin appeared across his lips as he tilted his head to the side. "Have I ever told you how sexy I find the way your mind works?"

"No. Usually, you're too busy telling me how stupid I am."

"Am I? It sounds like I must be the stupid one then."

"What a plot twist that would be," she mumbled.

He hummed a response in agreement; an amused expression still slapped across his face. "Can we begin our night, Bambi?"

"Will there be food I like?"

"Of course."

"Then, yes. We can begin our night."

The two walked hand in hand into the garage and towards the car. Rory was pleasantly surprised when he opened the passenger side door for her and even more so when he allowed her to fiddle with the radio. Not once did she hear him utter a complaint over her music choice.

This was progress.

Light conversation was exchanged as they drove to the destination. Rory knew she wouldn't get any hints or answers from him regarding where they were going or doing, so she didn't even attempt to ask. But as the car rolled to a stop and Harry cut the engine, Rory's curiosity screamed from within her.

What the hell were they doing by the water?

Being close to the water didn't scare her. Of course, if this were two months ago, she would have thought Harry brought her here to get rid of her and dump her body. But now, she just looked at it as a beautifully romantic scenery spot.

Harry got out of the car and hurried to the other side, opening the door for her. 

"What a gentleman," she commented, taking his hand. Rory looked out to the view and instantly spotted Kip standing with a brown paper take-out bag in one hand and a basket in the other, with the view of the city river behind him. "Are we having a picnic?"

Harry didn't respond with words, only with a smile as he led her to where the young man stood. Abandoning his touch to take the items from Kip's hands, the kid disappeared into what felt like thin air before Rory could thank him.

"Wow," she mumbled, looking around at their surroundings to try and spot him, "He moves fast."

Taking out a blanket from the basket, Harry spread it on the ground, and the two sat down. She watched as Harry took out items, including plates, utensils wrapped neatly in napkins, and the food. "Is there a reason you were so secretive over a picnic dinner?"

"Because we're not just here to have a picnic," he said, pulling out the last item. "We're also here to watch the baseball game."

Rory raised a brow. "What baseball game?"

"That one," he said, pointing across the water to the stadium. "Your favourite team is in town, and this is the perfect spot to see the jumbotron. But, of course, I know you like hearing the commentary." He held up a small radio. "I came prepared."

"Did you think of this all on your own?"

Harry nodded as he turned the knobs on the device in his hand. "I wanted to take you to the game and thought about getting us one of those private booths. But, I thought it would be best to save that for when you feel ready to leave the house. I know this," he motioned to their surroundings, "isn't the most romantic thing, you know, sitting in the grass and all, but-"

"Shut up."

"Excuse me?"

"Sorry, I just meant - no, I did mean shut up!" Rory had a wide grin as she said, "This is the sweetest thing anyone has done for me." Rory would have kissed him right then, but the smell of delicious food pulled her attention. "Italian?"

"Of course, it's your favourite."

God - she really wanted to kiss him. Badly. There was nothing more she craved at that very moment.

"You thought of everything, didn't you?"

He let a small smile show as he dished out the food onto two plates. "I tried, Bambi. I wanted tonight to be special."

"It already is." Her cheeks flushed with colour. "Everything is special with you."

DON'T FORGET TO VOTE ILY

date night! date night! date night! 

rory has a lil special bond with each guy. dallas is the one she teases. kip is her besite. & colson, well, that's still not fully defined yet.