Bishop and Lil - Backdated to Feb 7th

[x-diamondlil.livejournal.com]

Backdated to the afternoon of Feb 7th.

Bishop and Lil have a talk on their way back to the mansion from a day of shopping, food and guns.


She smiled at him softly as they headed back to the mansion, though as it was all day, the grin didn't quite touch her eyes. There was an air of distraction around her, evident in the way she spoke and listened during lunch and their lesson afterward. Even in the way she'd search through an entire toy store for a gift for Valentia. And now in the way her gaze shifted from to the world flying by outside her window. The silence Lil had created wasn't as comfortable as it was every other time they'd rode in his car, enjoying each other's company but the emails back and forth with Manuel had set thoughts floating around in her brain that she'd rather not dwell on but couldn't find a way to ignore.

"You've been pretty distracted today. Anything you want to talk about?" Bishop wasn't generally one to pry, or even really offer, but it was very evident and couldn't really be ignored anymore. He did care about her, very much, and this seemed to be the opportunity that should be taken to show that.

One shoulder rose then fell in her signature shrug. "It's just stuff from yesterday," Lil replied and turned her attention back to him as her smile faded slightly. "I emailed Manuel with a question I had and it spiraled into hell. And now I've got all these... thoughts in my head that I'd rather not deal with." She uncrossed her legs, then crossed them again then finally settled with one leg bent and resting on the seat between them.

Bishop nodded as she spoke, glancing to her when he could. "Anything you'd like to talk about with me? Or just vent about. I'll listen." He kept his eyes mostly on the road, for safety, but he caught eye contact when he could to show her he was paying attention and to try to reassure her.

The blonde chewed on her lip for a moment, debating silently with herself and the voice in her head that sounded annoyingly enough like Manuel before finally giving in. "You wanna have sex with me, don't you?" Lil asked bluntly.

"When you're ready, of course." He knew to put that term in. She was looking for something and Bishop didn't want to give her an excuse to decide one way or the other when he didn't know the facts or even what decision he thought she should make.

"And that's the main reason you agreed with me to wait?" She shifted in her seat again, as if her mental discomfort made it impossible for her to settle. Lil really didn't want to have this conversation yet. To define things between them and label them but the Manuel Cricket in her head wouldn't shut up. "You wanna and I wanna but we're gonna wait because I'm not ready yet and not because of something else?"

"Right. If you're not ready that's the only reason that matters to wait." Bishop wasn't sure what she was getting to, he wasn't doing anything wrong by waiting because she said that they should. He'd have to see what Manuel said later, it must have had a deep impact.

She bit her bottom lip again and wrung her hands in her lap. "And you're not... upset or unhappy about it? You can be honest 'cause I wanna know the truth and won't get angry back," Lil promised.

"No, how could I be upset about you not wanting to do something that's entirely your choice? I understand why you want to wait, as well." He wanted to be reassuring while being honest and explaining why he thought what he did, otherwise he's risk sounding empty and he meant what he said very much.

Lil's shoulders relaxed slightly and she took another steadying breath as she nodded her gratitude. "O-okay. Good. I was just worried that we weren't on the same page with all of this that's going on between us, 'cause I do like you and I had a really good time the other night and wanna keep doing stuff like that with you." She tentatively ran her fingers over his arm and rewarded him with a warmer smile. "I'm just not really ready to be getting serious and exclusive with someone yet."

"That's fine. Just let me know when you are." Bishop smiled back warmly. He had heard 'not ready' used to shuffle men off several times but he didn't feel the was one of them. He understood her situation and she didn't seem the type to be dishonest to spare feelings, that was part of the reason he liked her. Without honesty a person couldn't know what was happening, even in their own life.

"You're really okay with this?" she asked, stroking his bicep with a surprised grin. "I'm not interested in seeing anyone else but I've spent seven years attached to one guy and need a little freedom for awhile. But I wanna keep doing what we've been doing. The occasionally going out and... other things," Lil added quickly and gave his arm a squeeze along with an impish smile. "If that's what you wanna do, I mean."

"Of course it is." He used as a response to both her questions, smiling back reassuringly. He flexed in reflex as she squeezed his arm, laughing softly at her request to keep doing what they had been doing. "You know, if you wanted to have some freedom and go out a relationship doesn't stop that." Bishop wasn't saying that to try to convince her to start a relationship. She had only had one, he thought she might honestly not know how a different man might be in a relationship.

She nodded her understanding. "I know but that isn't exactly what I meant," Lil said with her nose wrinkling. "I kinda missed the whole 'get drunk in a bar and make out with strangers' phase of my youth, and I'm not saying that's something I wanna do but I don't know, I'd kinda like the option to?" Biting her lower lip, the blonde waited until the next red light then unbuckled her seat belt and slid over to place a kiss on his cheek. "Thank you for being patient with me. I know I'm probably throwing a lot of things your way and I really appreciate everything. Honest."

"It's fine, really." Bishop said reassuringly. "Though getting drunk in a bar and making out with strangers might not even be safe for you. I'd suggest you at least do it at the mansion. Or in your room. Amara looked like a good catch." He said all of that playfully, grinning to her teasingly.

"Oh, we have naked pillow fights all the time, didn't you know that?" the blonde poked back, smiling with her tongue between her teeth. "Every night before we go to bed, there's some incredibly hot blonde on blonde action that you're missing out on."

"Well, I guess once you're ready to settle into a relationship then I won't have to miss out on it anymore." He quipped back, smirking back to her.

Lil laughed and slid back into her seat, buckling up again. "I already told Amara there would be no Bishop and Blonde sandwiches. Poor thing turns as red as a tomato every time I mention anything sex related. Which reminds me - we're gonna take her out to dinner on a double date kinda thing and I need you to talk Manuel into being her escort."

"I can but it would be awkward at the end of the evening when I sent him back to his room and then you told Amara you lied. Though if I was out of the room when you did that might be better." Bishop kept a grin on as he teased her. He didn't think Amara and Manuel would be a good match, himself, but Lil had requested it.

She rolled her eyes. "It's not going to be a real date for them. We're not trying to set them up - I'm bringing a friend, you're bringing a friend and it will cut down on the temptation to fool around under the table when the waiter isn't looking," Lil pointed out with another smile. "It's just dinner. She's never been out on a date and I told her I'd kinda help her test the waters and get a feel for it."

"I'll let him know that's the plan then." He said in agreement. With that set-up things shouldn't turn out too badly. They live at the mansion together and don't fight, right?

Another beaming grin and Lil's nose wrinkled once more in delight. "Thank you. We can set it for whenever's good for you; I can always get off work but not the thirteenth. There's a club, Silver, that's reopening and I wanna go."

"This is the hint that you want us all to go, isn't it?" Bishop was generally good on the little cues people dropped. "I don't think that would be a problem."

"I was going with or without you, Your Excellency. Hate to break that to you." She stuck her tongue out at him playfully. "Though getting drunk in a club and making out with you would be much better than a stranger so if you really want to come, I suppose I can live with it," Lil sighed dramatically.