Escaping Grace

I felt him laugh before I heard him, and I turned around and smacked his shoulder.
"What was that for? I nearly had a heart attack!" I turned around, and he kept his hands on my hips. "You should have kept up," he told me, smirking slightly.
I rolled my eyes. "I don't run, okay? Ever."
He had pulled us into the small awning of a shop, flowers on either side keeping us hidden from anyone casually walking by. This was actually a pretty clever hiding spot.
"Sure. Now, how about my winnings?"
"Your what?"
"What I get for beating you at air hockey."
"Oh. Well what do you want?" I asked warily, feeling his grip tighten on my hips. He leaned down, and I felt panic. No, just friends! I wasn't doing this again!
I shoved Luigi in his face.
"Wha--- Leah!"
"Gotta love Luigi!" I grinned. He frowned down at me. I paused, hearing the sounds of distant fans.
"They're coming back," I warned, and Andy glanced over at the store. He grabbed the door and we shuffled inside hastily. We turned, watching through the store glass as the gaggle of girls swept by.
"Um, may I help you?"
We turned to look at the store lady, a woman probably in her seventies. "Um, no thank you," I said hastily. "We just wanted to look around."
"Oh, okay," she forced a brittle smile at us. "Just let me know if you need any help. "
"Thank you," I nodded. I glanced around, seeing we had ended up in a tea shop. Andy sniffed, then wrinkled his nose at the smells. He lifted one bag of tea up dubiously.
"That's catnip," I told him as he set it back in the basket.
"Oh! You know your teas," the clerk lady exclaimed, coming around the counter. She hurried to where we stood.
"Oh, just some. My mother drinks herbal teas a lot," I explained. "I know these from her."
"Oh, that's just wonderful! Would you like to buy her some? I'm sure it would be a lovely surprise," she clasped her hands together.
"Um, well I don't really speak to--- that's okay, she has enough tea," I started heading for the door. "Sorry to bother you, we should really be going." I hurried out of the tea shop and onto the street.
"What was that about?" Andy asked, and I shook my head as I hailed a cab.
"Nothing."
"Leah, come on."
"it was nothing okay? I snapped. "just drop it."
The cab stopped, and I pulled Andy with me so he would stop frowning at me. We shuffled inside, and I gave the address. It was almost sundown, but that was always the best time to go.
"The park?" Andy sounded surprised.
"Yes." I leaned back in the seat. "Don't question it."
"Okay." he turned and looked at me. "Now why don't you speak to your mother?" I stiffened. "We don't get along well, so we don't speak."
I crossed my arms uncomfortably. I didn't like talking about her or thinking about her, and I'd be damned if I ever went back to her. I doubted I would even go to her funeral.
"Why don't you get along?"
"Andy, I don't want to talk about it. Let's not ruin the day, alright?" I turned to look out the Window, and he hefted a sigh as he dropped the subject.
We rode in silence for a while before the cab pulled to a stop and I paid the fair. "This way," I said, seeing Andy didn't look very inpressed.
The park was empty right now, all the kids gone and no one else brave enough for the cold. I trudged through the sand and to the swings, and plopped down.
"What, are you too old to swing, Mr. Biersack?" He sat down, and I grinned. He was too tall for these, and he looked like he didn't feel comfortable either.
"Is this where you take all your dates?" he asked as he pushed off.
"No. And I didn't realize this was a date," I replied, glancing at him. "We said just friends, remember?"
Andy nodded. "You have to be the easiest girl ever."
"What do you mean?"
"You literally don't want to date me, do you?"
"No." Well, not really. I didn't date, I didn't have boyfriends. I had literally already contented myself with being alone. I didn't need a man to keep me happy or do things for me. Despite what my upbringing hold told me. I'd been raised to believe that you had to cook and clean and if you couldn't at least cook you were virtually useless and no one would want you. I shook the thought from my head. Now was not the time to dwell on it. I looked over, seeing Andy looking amused.
"What is it?" I asked.
"It's just weird."
"Oh."
"Not a bad weird, it just seems like if you don't make it clear it's just a one night stand, they won't leave you alone. But with you --- you act like now you didn't even want to sleep with me."
Oh. I blushed. "Um, well obviously it's not that I didn't want to, I just don't normally do that." I shook my head. "And I do just want to be friends. Before was just a drunken... Accident."
"Huh. Well, just to be clear, I am always up for another accident."
I glanced over, and my lips twitched. He caught the chain of my swing and stopped it, and then pulled me over to him.
"Luigi isn't here to save you this time," he grinned, "and I never did get my prize."
"You never said what you wanted," I said, his eyes catching mine.
"I thought I made it clear," he mumured, and didn't give me any time to react. He pulled me out of the swing and into his lap, and I grabbed onto his jacket to steady myself.
His fingers brushed my jaw, and then settled firmly on my chin as he forced me to look up at him. His lips brushed mine, slowly as if to gauge my reaction, and then firmly.
That had to be one of the sweetest kisses anyone had ever given me.
"You're making it difficult to be friends, Andy," I murmured, and he chuckled.
"We can always be friends with benefits."
"Andy, I already told you I couldn't do that. It's friends or nothing," I muttered, and scrambled out of his lap.
"Let's make a deal," he said hastily, hopping to his feet. "For the time being, just while we're performing together, we give it a shot. If you feel like you're getting attached or I feel I am, we'll stop. No pressure. Just friends."
I frowned at him. That didn't seem too bad a plan. But I knew myself and that I would get too attached. But Vale always told me life was about taking risks, but I wasn't a risk taking kind of person. I was a play it safe don't get hurt kind of person. But if we're just friends with occasional benefits, he wouldn't have to know my life story, and I wouldn't have to know his. We didn't have to worry about our future together or meeting each other families. The more I thought about it, the more appealing it became.
Fuck it, I thought. "Okay."
"Okay?" he looked surprised. I nodded.
"Yes, okay. Friends with benefits."
"Seriously?"
"Yes. But that's it. We don't date, we don't meet each others parents ---."
He kissed me, stoping me mid conditions.
"I get it. As if we're just friends," he rolled his eyes at me.
I frowned.
"You roll your eyes a lot, yknow." I told him.

Notes