A bit later... (Guillermo)

[ROSE MERCER]

"Damn." There really wasn't much else to say.

She laid in his bed, a few beads of sweat on her forehead still, her legs still tingling a little. Her little mistake of forgetting her keys had turned out quite nicely, hadn't it? Rose glanced over at Guillermo, a slightly smug grin on her face, before looking around for a pack of cigarettes. A little frown replaced this grin though, when she realized they were still in the living room. Her blue eyes jumped back to him, and she gave him a quick smile. "I should call my Uncle. He'll probably be getting ready to leave the garage soon..." She grabbed a pair of sweatpants, not the ones she had borrowed before, which were still in the living room, and a tee shirt that were on the floor, trying not to dress to fast.

It would be rude if it seemed like she wanted to get out of there, and that wasn't even necessarily true. Still, after talk was never her strong suit.

Rose flitted on to the living room, dialing her Uncle's number. He answered, laughing at what he predetermined to be her impatience. "Ya voy, ya voy."

She answered, trying to keep her voice down. "No, no. Estoy colgando a lo largo de mis vecinos. El de la izquierda de mi puerta. Buen tipo."

"Tipo?"

"Un tipo que es un amigo."

He laughed, as if not believing her. "Muy bien, muy bien. Diez minutos."

She hung up, forgetting to say goodbye, and lit quick cigarette before heading back to the room. She offered only a nervous smile, before sitting on the edge of the bed, trying to smooth out her 'sex-hair'. "I'll be out of your hair in about ten minutes. Thanks for..." She couldn't help the smirk on her face as she said it. "Being so hospitable." Concerned mostly with her hair, she spoke with an startling nonchalant tone. "Debemos hacerlo de nuevo alguna vez."

That had come across a little... blah. She turned to him, unsure of what she should do. Kiss him? No, kissing after sex was a girlfriend thing. Shake his hand? Well... that would just be ridiculous. Rose lifted her hand up, her smile a little sheepish as she primed herself up for a high-five.

tagged;; Guillermo
wordcount;; 381
outfit;; HURRR!
notes;; xD
credit;; GREEN EGGS AND SAM! of caution 2.0
lyrics in text are from lady gaga!

[GUILLERMO SALAS-ORTIZ]

He was going to make a habit of being helpful to attractive girls. His once boring afternoon had quickly turned entertaining and he was pleased. He laid on his stomach with his eyes closed. He opened them to look at the brunette laying beside him.
"Damn."
He smiled.
The smile faded as she frowned over something then her expression morphed back into a smile. His did not.
"I should call my Uncle. He'll probably be getting ready to leave the garage soon..."
She got up from the bed, threw on some of his clothes and ventured into the living room. He buried his face in a pillow. What had he done? Just screwing around with a random girl, especially one who was so similar to him, was dangerous. He had done it many times, to be sure. But this time had been a little different. And he wasn't sure why. He pulled himself off the bed, throwing on some shorts before shrugging off his uneasiness and sitting on his mattress once again.
She returned quickly.
"I'll be out of your hair in about ten minutes. Thanks for...Being so hospitable." He caught her smirk, but didn't allow himself to smile back. Confused as he was by his odd reactions, he felt it best not to comment.
"Debemos hacerlo de nuevo alguna vez."
He chuckled then, her voice was so entirely casual that one would think that nothing in the past two hours had happen, other than polite small talk and coffee.
"Yes, that would be nice," his tone matching hers.
She held up her hand to him and he finally grinned, high-fiving her.
Rose would be his friend. Possibly a friend with benefits, but most certainly his friend. And he didn't have many of those. He felt a slight pressure in his chest, which he dismissed for the smoke and ran a hand through his own mussed hair.

[ROSE MERCER]

When he returned her high-five, Rose instantly relaxed. Good, he wasn't wanting to snuggle or anything like that. His smile was comfortable, cool, collected. He'd been here before. Not with Rose, but it was still a familiar dance. It had happened before, when Rose had had a liaison with a Sir, only for him to try to make it into something it was not. Flowers, candy, jealousy, anger.

Exhaustion.

She at least had the comfort to know that Guillermo wasn't going to sit outside her apartment window with a stereo.

Rose inhaled that cigarette, letting it's sweet nicotine relax her body smoothly. She propped some pillows and laid against the hall, making herself more comfortable as she waited for her Uncle. "So... whose J?" Rose asked suddenly, watching the graffiti J wearily.

Girlfriend was what came first in mind. He was too young for a wife, after all. It stirred a little jealous twitch in her gut, that she aptly ignored. While Rose had no interest in 'relationship', she couldn't say she liked sharing her toys too much. It was usually because of the drama associated with 'Others'. Coming to her, pouring liquids like they were in a high school movie, or calling her the whore-word. But Rose never actively sought out these fine, strapping, young man. Well, yeah, she did prod Guillermo a bit, but no girlfriend was mentioned.

Rose was a victim of circumstance.

Despite the pesky feeling in her gut, Rose kept her face smooth and sweet. She wasn't the clingy type, no siree.

tagged;; Guillermo
wordcount;; 257
outfit;; HURRR!
notes;; xD
credit;; GREEN EGGS AND SAM! of caution 2.0
lyrics in text are from lady gaga!

[GUILLERMO SALAS-ORTIZ]

He watched her place some pillows around and sit up against them.
Odd as it was, he liked this girl.
Uh... well not to say- he.. he didn't LIKE this girl. Because that wasn't how he worked. Dating wasn't in his agenda. And he had only known her for the last couple of hours. Saying he liked her would be out of the question. But he did enjoy her presence.
"So... whose J?"
He felt like a cold breeze had swept through the room. He looked away from her.
"J's for Juarez, Mexico."
His lie was practiced and unwavering. Despite the fact that he was from Juarez and occasionally visited friends and relatives there, he wouldn't actually go so far as to put a tattoo honoring it on his body. It was not the most respectable city, and though it suited him, many would think he was crazy for enjoying the whipping winds, the scorching sun, the sand and the hush over the city every night, waiting to see if another of their own would be taken.
He looked back at her, expecting to see a look of confusion or skepticism. Instead, there was a pasted smile.
He couldn't help but smirk as it dawned on him.
"You thought it was my girlfriend, didn't you?"

[ROSE MERCER]

"J's for Juarez, Mexico." He said, in a stony, well practiced voice. Rose knew that voice. That was the bullshit voice. Performed by someone who knew how to bullshit, but bullshit nonetheless. People didn't tattoo names of places unless they were gang members. And while Guillermo was dinged and danged every which way, he didn't have near enough ink to be in a gang. "You thought it was my girlfriend, didn't you?"

Bullshitters knew Bullshitters.

She laughed, grabbing an empty pop can to ash in. It was a dismissive, but conceding laugh. "You got me! I'm hopelessly in love with you, lets runaway together." Sarcasm dripped from her voice, her face dismissive. Rose gave a shrug, looking him over coolly. "Yeah, I did. But don't let it stroke your ego, Big Boy, I just wanted to know if I was going to have some angry, heart broken, weepy girl stalking me at work to call me a whore." She didn't mean to let on that she knew this dance from experience, but let it slide without much care.

Rose sincerely hoped he wasn't expecting to call her out, without getting the favor returned. She smirked at him, her wide blue eyes knowing. "If you don't want to tell who J is, you don't have to. But don't lie." Rose ran her fingers through her hair, her eyebrow raising a little.

He was stimulating, she could say that at least. It was like a game of verbal chess. Who got who best.

tagged;; Guillermo
wordcount;; 276
outfit;; HURRR!
notes;; xD
credit;; GREEN EGGS AND SAM! of caution 2.0
lyrics in text are from lady gaga!

[GUILLERMO SALAS-ORTIZ]

He chuckled at her display of sarcasm. She was something else.
"I knew it." he teased, winking at her.
"Yeah, I did. But don't let it stroke your ego, Big Boy, I just wanted to know if I was going to have some angry, heart broken, weepy girl stalking me at work to call me a whore."
He shuddered at the thought.
"Not for me, thanks. Girlfriends aren't my thing. And anyways, I get the feeling that even if I DID have a girlfriend who did that, you'd beat the shit out of her. I wouldn't worry about you," he smirked.
"If you don't want to tell who J is, you don't have to. But don't lie."
He glanced at her, making eye contact briefly.
"It's not entirely a lie. It's merely stretching the truth to its breaking point," he mused, feeling like she was one of those girls who hated liars. But didn't they all?
"It's just... someone from Juarez. Like me." He said evasively, again avoiding her eyes.

[ROSE MERCER]

"Not for me, thanks. Girlfriends aren't my thing. And anyways, I get the feeling that even if I DID have a girlfriend who did that, you'd beat the shit out of her. I wouldn't worry about you." Well, at least they had the same view on things.

She laughed a little at this. People always assumed, due to her dry nature and upbringing, that she was a fighter, but it was not so. Not that she couldn't. Her Uncle had made sure she could defend herself. "Only if this imaginary girlfriend hit first. I'm a lover, not a fighter. Just ask my boyfriend.". Okay, maybe that was a little mean. Especially since she a: had no boyfriend, and b: gave little inclination that she was kidding.

But if she had a little beef, she'd much rather handle it quietly, sometimes with out the victim realizing they had just had vengeance brought down upon them. Rule Number One in the Book of Rose: Never fight over a dick. You'll just get a knew one soon enough anyway.

Rose had ugly talents, and she knew it.

"It's not entirely a lie. It's merely stretching the truth to its breaking point. It's just... someone from Juarez. Like me"
So, it could still be a girlfriend. It wouldn't be unthinkable to imagine: Young, attractive, man with a little wifey back home, indulging in decadents whilst away. But maybe not. Perhaps it was a family member, or a friend. It was really neither here, nor there. Rose didn't understand why she was so interested. He was just a guy after all who, according to him had no girlfriend. That meant she was in the clear. No drama, no secrets. Just sex and good company, and that suited Rose just fine.

And so she shrugged at his vagueness, annoyed greatly with herself. She had just met this guy, after all. Which, in the context that she did just sleep with him, was kind of bad. As Stefano, who worked with her, would say: Hoe-ish. But what was worse, in Rose's eyes, was that she found him so interesting. She ashed into the can again. "Like I said, you don't have to tell me." She smiled at him, her eyes strikingly soft. "I mean. I am basically a stranger." She laughed a little, given what they just did.

tagged;; Guillermo
wordcount;; 418
outfit;; HURRR!
notes;; xD
credit;; GREEN EGGS AND SAM! of caution 2.0
lyrics in text are from lady gaga!

[GUILLERMO SALAS-ORTIZ]

"Only if this imaginary girlfriend hit first. I'm a lover, not a fighter. Just ask my boyfriend." She laughed lightly, as if recalling such a situation.
He smirked, ignoring the pressure in his chest that returned.
"Didn't really peg you for the passive type. Or the dating type, to be honest. Más como una súcubo."
She tapped the cigarette she held into the empty soda can.
"Like I said, you don't have to tell me. I mean. I am basically a stranger."
In a contrast to the way they had been conversing earlier, her eyes held a look that was both encouraging and understanding. She seemed to sympathize with him.
Part of him really wanted to keep it to himself, but another part wanted to share this information with her.
"If you tell anyone, you'll be dead, but I suppose someone has to know before I die." Well, that was ominous. Either way, he was gonna tell her.
"It is a girl. But not a girlfriend. Getting your girlfriend's name tattooed on you would be stupid," he gave a half smile at her, hair falling into his chocolate eyes.

[ROSE MERCER]

"Didn't really peg you for the passive type. Or the dating type, to be honest. Más como una súcubo." Rose laughed at his assessment, and it was a laugh that reached her eyes, making them light up a bit. He looked into her eyes, and she lost a bit of her smirk as her heart sped up, blaming the after sex vertigo. "If you tell anyone, you'll be dead, but I suppose someone has to know before I die." Well, this had to be good. "It is a girl. But not a girlfriend. Getting your girlfriend's name tattooed on you would be stupid,"

Guillermo was a mystery. She nodded, understanding. Often Rose had considered getting Fernando tattooed on to her body, though it would be a bitch to explain it to people. "Agreed." She said, referring to the tattooing significant others names on places. People don't last forever, but tattoos sure as hell did. But Rose wasn't quite sure what to say about Mysterious J. "She must be very special, for you to do that."

Uhg, feelings. The mood needed to be lightened.

She went back to the topic before, with basically no lead up. "I think you're mistaking aggression with passiveness. I'm not aggressive, true. I find violence, especially over stupid things, like boyfriends and what have you, trite and a waste of my time. This doesn't mean I'm all sugar and ponies. I'm just... discreet." She put out the cigarette, dropping it in the pop can, before crawling over to him, pushing him on his back. Climbing on top of him, she grinned mischievously, whispering into his ear. "You're right about the boyfriend thing though." She giggled, kissing his below his ear softly. "I'll let you be the judge of the Succubus thing."

This was a problem that Rose often had. When conversation went to serious things, like feelings or that damn L bomb, Rose ignored it, instead jumping to something that she knew. Shopping, cars, sex. It was a challenge, to get beneath the sordid surface of Rose Mercer.

Rose kissed him, temptingly, trying to get him to re-stir. Biting his lip, she gave an very quiet, very short, very annoyed growl as the phone's ringing interrupted them. Rolling off from him, she laid on the bed, put off by the interruption. "It's probably my uncle, but if not, you should probably get that."

tagged;; Guillermo
wordcount;; 445
outfit;; HURRR!
notes;; Make it Fernando, and just have him ask for Rose. Or Fernando could tell Guillermo he's going to be late for whatever reason. Whatever you like! <3
credit;; GREEN EGGS AND SAM! of caution 2.0
lyrics in text are from lady gaga!

[GUILLERMO SALAS-ORTIZ]

"Agreed. She must be very special, for you to do that."
He could sense the confusion in her voice, but it wasn't a confusion about the statement. It was more like a confusion about him.
"She is. My sister, Jenyfer."
He wasn't sure whether to elaborate or not, and before he could decide, she seemed to jump topics.
"I think you're mistaking aggression with passiveness. I'm not aggressive, true. I find violence, especially over stupid things, like boyfriends and what have you, trite and a waste of my time. This doesn't mean I'm all sugar and ponies. I'm just... discreet. You're right about the boyfriend thing though. I'll let you be the judge of the Succubus thing."
She had crawled on top of him after pining him to the bed again. Hell, this girl was fun. She kissed near the back of his jaw bone, then kissed his lips. He smiled.
The smile was wiped away as the phone rang. She bit his lip, giving a light snarl. She rolled away from him and he found himself equally annoyed with the caller.
"It'sprobably my uncle, but if not, you should probably get that."
He heaved himself unwillingly off the bed and went into the living room, grabbing the phone from its stand.
"Hola."
A male voice answered. He sounded older and apparently not too surprised to hear a guy on the other line.
"¿Hola? ¿Quién es este?"
"Este es Guillermo. ¿Quién es usted?"
"Soy Fernando. Tío de Rose."
"Ah, ya veo. ¿Le gustaría hablar con ella?"
"Sí, por favor."
"Hey, Rose. You're uncle wants to speak with you," he held out the phone.

[ROSE MERCER]

Rose took the phone, still looking less than pleased. Uncle Fernando was lucky he was the only member of her Family she could stand. "¿Hola?" She said into the phone, a little gruffer than she had meant.

"Hola cariña. Voy a ser un poco tarde. tengo que tomar Hiro al Hospital." Hiro was one of the young men who worked at the shop, and instantly Rose's attention was grabbed. She sat up in the bed, her slim face mixed between concern and annoyance.

"Hospital? ¿Qué pasó?"

Her Uncle sounded tired as he responded, obviously annoyed. "Él y Stefano se joder, y le cortó el dedo ..."

"Se cortó el dedo?"

"Sólo la punta."

"¿Cómo se logra eso?"

"No lo sé, y realmente no quiero."

She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose in her annoyance."¿Por qué no Stefano le puede tomar?"

"Stefano es vomitando. Al parecer, es sensible a la sangre o algo así."

"Pussy".

"¿Puedes aguantar por un tiempo más?"

"¿Tengo alguna opción?"

Fernando sounded sympathetic, understanding her impatience. "Estaré allí tan pronto como pueda."

"Sí, sí."

"Te amo".

"Te amo." She replied, hanging up the phone and tossing it lazily aside. Looking up at Guillermo, she gave a sigh. "I work with idiots. I don't suppose you'd mind if I hung out a bit longer..." She wondered a little, if her window was unlocked. She could maybe go up the fire escape? If he was oppose to her staying at least. "I'll go halfsies on a pizza." She offered, grabbing the waist of his pants, her smirk wily as always.

Friends ate pizza.

They were friends.

It was not a date.

It was a friends... thing.

tagged;; Guillermo
wordcount;; 354
outfit;; HURRR!
notes;; Make it Fernando, and just have him ask for Rose. Or Fernando could tell Guillermo he's going to be late for whatever reason. Whatever you like! <3
credit;; GREEN EGGS AND SAM! of caution 2.0
lyrics in text are from lady gaga!

[GUILLERMO SALAS-ORTIZ]

"I work with idiots. I don't suppose you'd mind if I hung out a bit longer..."
Guillermo shrugged, throwing her a teasing smile. "I don't know. You're pretty demanding, but.... alright. I'm fine with that."
"I'll go halfsies on a pizza." She told him, and looked up at him with a smile full of questionable motives as she tugged him forward by the waistband of his shorts.
Guillermo smiled at her, trying to remember the last time he had smiled so much. He couldn't recall.
He wrapped his arms around her and embraced her, unable to understand why he did so. Hugs weren't really what he did. Hell, the last time he hugged his sister was nearly five years ago.
The phone rang suddenly and his eyebrows went up in surprise, then furrowed in confusion. He picked it up and answered,
"¿Qué pasa?"
"Guillermo? Es su papá."
He frown deepened and he held up a finger to Rose, stepping into the other room and closing the door.
"¿Qué quieres, papá? Estoy ocupado."
"Sólo quería ver cómo se encuentra."
Oh God, not again. His father called regularly, to check up on him. He sometimes thought of getting rid of his phone line, just for that reason.
"Papá, no es necesario que me llaman cada semana. Yo no soy un niño más. Yo no necesito que veas en mí."
"Yo sé, yo pensé que podrías querer hablar. Te echo de menos, hijo. Y lo mismo ocurre con Jeny, aunque ella no lo dice."
He scoffed harshly.
"Sí, así estoy bien por mi cuenta."
"Estoy seguro de que lo son."
"Mira, yo no quiero hablar ahora. O en todo, de verdad. Deja de llamarme."
"Lo siento, Guillermo. Te quiero, hijo."
"Lo que sea. El sentimiento no es mutuo. Adiós."
He hung up the phone and returned to Rose. He gave her an apologetic smile.
"Sorry, just my dad, irritating me again. Do you still want to order pizza?"

[ROSE MERCER]

"I don't know. You're pretty demanding, but.... alright. I'm fine with that." She looked up, smiling at him, a wide and genuine smile. It was then that he did something truly surprising with Rose. He hugged her.

Now, in general, Rose was not one for hugs. Her family was not the loving, touchy, feely sort. She would get the occasional hug from her Uncle, who had become a Father/Grand Father figure to her. But even these were fleeting. So, as would not be unexpected, Rose's body stiffened at the hug, not sure how to react. But, in what felt like a great deal of time, she melted into the hug, resting her head on his stomach comfortably.

It was... surprisingly peaceful.

And once again, the phone rang. Wondering what her Uncle needed now, she waited for Guillermo to answer the phone and hand it off to her. Once again surprised, he did not, and instead gave her a 'one-moment' finger before leaving the room.

She could hear him through the door, though it was muffled, understanding it to be his Father. Instead of eaves dropping, as his face did not look pleased with the surprise call, she laid on the bed and thought of her own family. Rose had not spoken to her Parents for the entire six months of her adult life. Her Father was a drunk, heavy handed, ignorant, jack ass, who had wanted a boy. Her Mother was a dormant, eager to please her abusive husband, even at the expense of turning a blind eye to the abuse she and her daughter encountered under the tyranny of the fiend. Anger bubbled in her gut, hating the two. Well, not her Mother. No, she didn't hate the woman, but she certainly could not respect her.

Guillermo reentered, smiling as he did so, in a cute way. Smiles looked nice on his face, where Rose had always thought her smile (as oppose to her trademark smirk), looked weird on her narrow face. "Sorry, just my dad, irritating me again. Do you still want to order pizza?"

"Sure. Like I said, I'll pay for half." He couldn't pay for all. It would be a date, if the guy paid for it all. This was not a date. Friends. Friends. Friends. "You can get whatever you want on it. I pick everything off anyway." She looked at him closely, deciding she liked his cheek bones. Ears too. He had nice ears.

tagged;; Guillermo
wordcount;; 431
outfit;; HURRR!
notes;; xD
credit;; GREEN EGGS AND SAM! of caution 2.0
lyrics in text are from lady gaga!

[GUILLERMO SALAS-ORTIZ]

He felt as if he had interrupted a thought process.
"Sure. Like I said, I'll pay for half."
Guillermo shook his head firmly, gazing at her.
"No, don't worry about it. I'll pay. You are the guest, after all."
She looked a bit wary.
"You can get whatever you want on it. I pick everything off anyway."
"Well, lucky for you, I'm a pepperoni-only guy. Not a lot to peel off." He grinned, but it was half-hearted. Had she heard him talking on the phone?
He dismissed the idea; she would have said something already, being as assertive as she was. But if she had, then it would have seemed like he was quite the jerk to his family.
He assumed that her family was either the kind that was never around, or the kind that didn't care.
Guillermo opened up the refrigerator, lost for something to do and grabbed another soda.
"Want anything to drink?"

[ROSE MERCER]

"No, don't worry about it. I'll pay. You are the guest, after all." Her mouth twitched slightly at this, not sure how to fix this. Could it be not considered a date, if she didn't pay? She was a guest after all. Biting her lip, she tried not to look uncomfortable with this prospect. It was okay, she was sure. Everything was fine. Still, she should offer. Darting to the bathroom, she returned with her shorts, pulling a ten out of her wallet and setting it on the counter, her lip stubborn, as he offered her a drink. "Want anything to drink?"

"Claro, no soy exigente." She responded, looking at her cloths. Sweatpants were nice, but she could do better, even with her scarce resources. "Hey, you should order that pizza. I'm going to go and raid your closet." It was a statement that carried a little weight, as it was not so much of a request, so much as her telling him what was happening.

Once again, she began to strip as she walked down the hall, starting with the sweat pants that were being abused on the bottoms from her stepping on them. Her shorts still in hand, she replaced them on her body, and began searching his closet. Settling on a plaid shirt, she buttoned it up (leaving a little cleavage ), rolled up the sleeves, and returned to the kitchen.

She hoisted her self up on the counter, looking as innocent as possible. "He decidido hoy no es un éxito hasta que me pongo cada pieza de ropa que usted posee." Rose stated, grinning as she opened her soda and took a drink, not even looking at what it was.

Ever the little minx, she pulled him closer to her, though deciding not to kiss him. Instead she let her face hover over his, grinning as she did so. He didn't just taste like citrus, he smelled like it. Not quite lemony, but not quite lime-ish. Perhaps a bit more pineapple. In any case, she found it quite pleasant.

tagged;; Guillermo
wordcount;; 367
outfit;; HURRR!
notes;; xD
credit;; GREEN EGGS AND SAM! of caution 2.0
lyrics in text are from lady gaga!