The New Girl (Truth Or Dare)

The bar was a shithole— an absolute dive that Lyv Nouvelle never would have set foot in. The parking lot was full of motorcycles, the sidewalk out front littered with cigarette butts. Sure, she passed it every day on her way to and from work, but the other side of the street felt infinitely safer somehow. Glancing at her phone, she checked the message again out of habit, knowing it was the right place.

Squaring her shoulders, she walked through the door and made a beeline for the bar, feeling like every eye in the place was on her. Even dressed 'business casual' after a day answering phones for Oliver Queen, she stuck out like a sore thumb in a pair of black leggings, a sleeveless aqua chiffon top, and a black cardigan wrap. On her feet were a pair of open-toed heels that matched her shirt perfectly. Lyv scanned the bar, hoping that Jax was here. Through the haze of cigarette smoke, she couldn't make out much other than the outline of pool tables and what looked to be an ancient Wurlitzer jukebox in the back. Sighing, she walked up to the bar, having to almost shout over the din of rock music and the chatter of raucous conversation. "Jack and Coke," she really needed the liquid courage of the whiskey right about now.

Sliding onto a vacant bar stool, she set down her cell phone and reached into her purse to pull out a ten-dollar bill. Taking her drink, she waved off the change and looked around again. Picking up her phone, she started to go through messages— hoping against hope that he was there.

Almost immediately, her phone lit up with an alert— another private message on Twitter. This one was pretty simple, carrying on the same game of Truth or Dare they'd been playing for days. Truth... what's the craziest thing you ever did?

Lyv couldn't help but smile to herself, every time she knew she had a message from him, the same grin broke out over her face. Craziest thing? Probably snuck into my neighbor's pool and went skinny-dipping. Did not get caught btw, was totally ninja. :-P Truth or dare? She pressed send and waited anxiously for his reply.

It came back immediately, almost as though he was glued to Twitter. Truth. You can't really hold me to a dare from a distance. She could almost imagine his sarcastic tone in those words. They'd never actually talked, but she'd watched everything of his that she could find online over the last few days.

Smirking to herself, she crossed one leg over the other. Okay, gotta make this a good one... She bit down on her lower lip and tried to think of something witty. Are you as sexy as they say you are? As she pressed the send button, her face screwed up into a cringe— embarrassed at her question.

Her phone went off with another reply, this one making her blush; depends on what they say. Can I make a girl wet without even touching her? Yeah... probably. And the nickname Horse was given to me for a reason. T or D?

The phone was shaking in her grasp as she stared down at his reply. "Oh, God," she whispered to herself. Good answer, she wanted to sound witty, at least in text. Sexy to think about... Okay, I'll go with truth. So bring it, Big Boy. ;-) She pressed send and took a long swallow of her drink, hoping it would get rid of the butterflies in her stomach. It didn't do that— instead it gave her a nice flush of warmth.

In the back of the bar, the BlackBerry resting on the sticky and scarred table top buzzed. He touched the screen to brighten it, glancing at the display before his gaze rose back to the blonde sitting at the bar. Chuckling softly, he tapped out another reply on the tiny keyboard. Truth. This one's a dealbreaker, I'm afraid... so be careful how you answer. Fave song.

As she read over his last message to her, Lyv tried to pinpoint her absolute favorite song. Of course, she had many, but one stuck out to her in particular. Okay, hope this one's fine, but Rock Of Ages- Def Leppard. Hope I didn't scare you off. She really was nervous— what if her song choice had been wrong? Setting her phone down, she grabbed her glass and sipped at what remained of the watered-down liquor.

Passable answer. The reply came and a split second later, she was aware of the music in the bar, as the previous rock song faded out, replaced with a very familiar opening— the song that she'd just mentioned. It took her by surprise, into complete shock actually. Her phone and drink both almost dropped out of her hands as she hopped off of her stool. Was Jax in there? He had to have been, there was no other explanation. Just in case, she took off her cardigan wrap and adjusted her top so it hung right. Grinning to herself, she looked around the crowd but couldn't spot him. Her attention then went back to her phone. So you're a magic man, or something? ;-)

Her phone went off again, two messages this time. This first was simple, still joking. That's a good song. Maybe that one will play next… if you're lucky? The second one was a bit creepier, the question in the vein of their game, even though it wasn't his turn. Truth. Do your shoes always match your shirt?

She froze, knowing for sure now that he was watching her; the grin on her face only widened more as she finished off the rest of her Jack and Coke. Everything I wear matches and I do mean /everything/. Truth, where are you right now?

Def Leppard faded out, replaced with the Heart song she'd mentioned as the next reply arrived. Follow the clues. Either I'm using telekinesis to manipulate the music or...

It came to her then and she grabbed her things, but not before having the bartender fill up her glass again. It took her a few moments, but she finally found the table in the corner next to the jukebox. "You're smooth," Lyv said softly as she dropped her phone into her purse before tossing them onto the other empty chair. She slid into the seat across from Jackson, almost blushing as she met his gaze. There was so much she wanted to say and do to him— all actions and words seemed to be stuck. He was one of the best-looking men she'd ever seen and she could feel that sex appeal radiating off of him. Just being so close to him in person was a little overwhelming and it wasn't just that she was star-struck. Not really. She'd already built up this fantasy so far in her mind that it was surreal to be actually here with him now.

He clicked the lock button on his phone before dropping it into the inside pocket of the leather jacket he was wearing. "Honestly?" He chuckled, watching her sit down. "I'm better in text."

"I know what you mean," she nodded, "it's easier there." Smiling at him, she could feel her knees trembling under the table from nerves. "Have you been here long?" She met his gaze, surprised to discover that his eyes were actually a deep shade of blue— not brown like she'd thought.

"Watched you walk in," he confessed, not breaking eye contact. "Been here the last two nights, hoping you'd show. Guess I should have actually invited you instead of dropping hints, huh?" His fingers tapped against the table, just a little restless fidgeting as he studied her. Was he nervous? "So here we are... outside of the box, so to speak."

Her eyes stayed on his; she was afraid that if she broke the eye contact, it might ruin the hold he seemed to have on her. "I thought about coming in last night, but it was late and I was..." she paused, almost embarrassed.

"Scared?" He chuckled, "you're safe here— been drinkin' here since the first time I came to the city."

"I wasn't scared," she replied, feigning defensive even though she was still smiling.

"Yeah," he flicked the edge of his glass with his fingernail, "I know. You weren't sure— kinda begs the obvious follow-up question, doesn't it?"

"I'm glad I'm here," the words were accompanied by a little self-conscious laugh.

"Good," he nodded. "This place is anonymous," he gestured vaguely, "hipsters, college kids, bikers, yuppies... everyone's rubbing shoulders and none of them really care about that beyond the bottom of their glass. I come here to watch them. Reading people... figuring out their stories— kinda helps with the whole day job thing, y'know?" He paused, cocking his head as he continued to study her, "I guess that's probably a bit weird to admit, isn't it?"

"To each his own, right?" She was studying him as well, not willing to take her eyes off of him for a moment. "And to be honest, I don't really see anyone else here... I just see you." Settling back in her chair, she grabbed her glass and took a sip from it. "No one else as interesting to look at."

He looked down at his own drink, watching the ice cubes melt. "Careful, babe... flattery will get you into a lot of trouble with a guy like me. Remember the game... only truth."

Even though her cheeks were still beet-red, her voice was extremely confident. "I don't consider that trouble." Reaching over, she placed a hand on his arm and gave it a squeeze before pulling it away. What if he didn't really want to be touched? "I feel really comfortable with you, Jackson," holding up her middle and index finger she continued, "scout's honor."

"Awesome," his lips quirked in a smile, "because I've never been this honest with anyone before. You know things I haven't told anyone." He drew a cross over his heart, "I swear. So, the fact that you're here right now... guess that means I didn't scare you off."

"You couldn't scare me off," she said smiling, finally looking down at her drink as she drained more from it. "The stuff you told me... I dunno, it just didn't bother me."

He nodded, "that's why I replied to that first message you put out there. Felt like I could trust you."

Sitting back in her chair, she crossed a leg over the other under the table. "I like us not having secrets... feel like I have a best friend."

"A best friend?" He chuckled, shaking his head as he lifted his own glass to his lips, "yeah, alright. I'll drink to that..." The liquor slid down his throat, warming him. Eventually, he realized he'd been staring at her for a few seconds, the glass still held aloft. "Friends," he repeated, setting down the empty glass with a thump.

Nodding, she polished off the rest of hers as well. When it came to liquor, Lyv had a tendency to be a lightweight and the last thing she wanted was to make a fool of herself in front of Jax. "It's just nice to have a friend in the city. Except for the people I work for and my cousin..." she paused, looking slightly embarrassed.

"Pretty big risk, comin' to the city alone."

"I know," she replied, looking up at him with a shy little smile, "guess I wanted adventure. Just didn't know it was gonna be so—"

"Lonely?"

She nodded. "I don't have anyone," she looked away, "it sucks."

"Yeah," he shrugged, looking over her shoulder at the people in the bar, "I'm in the same boat. I've got employees... a few acquaintances in the business. I dunno, guess I'm more of a loner than most people know."

"Sometimes I think it's better, y'know. To not get real close to people, I mean." She shrugged her shoulders and leaned forward so she could rest her elbows on the table. "I mean yeah, have a few you can trust but..." she trailed off, not altogether sure where she was going with that little spiel. "Any time you need to talk to someone—"

His hand slipped into his pocket, pulling out his phone. Gently, he set it on the table and turned it towards her, pressing the contacts list before scrolling to her name. "Put your number in, and I'll hold you to that," he said, holding her gaze.

"I'm serious." She typed in her phone number, surprised she got the numbers right before looking up at him again, "you can call me any time."

He nodded and then lifted his hand, signaling for the waitress. As soon as she arrived at the table, he glanced at Lyv. "Bring her another of whatever in the hell she was drinking... and four shots of Cuervo."

Her eyes widened in shock as she looked at Jax. "You just ordered Tequila?" She tried laughing it off, but secretly she was hoping she could keep it down. She'd never had much luck with that certain drink before and she was already feeling buzzed. "Are you trying to get me drunk?" She said it in such a playful way— there was no mistaking the gleam in her eyes.

"No," he chuckled, "I'm trying to get me drunk. You're just coming along for the ride."

That got a laugh out of her and she had to bring her hand up to cover her mouth. It wasn't long after the waitress came back with their drinks. Without hesitating, Lyv took out a twenty-dollar bill and a ten, "here," she said handing it to the waitress. The woman nodded and said thank you as she set their drinks down and left. Looking up at him, an eyebrow raised, "you wanna go first?"

"I suppose," he held out his hand to her, "gimme your hand."

"Okay?" She laughed as she held out her hand to him, doing what she was told. Her free hand grabbed her third Jack and Coke, immediately taking a long drink. She was having fun and she felt good- there was no downside to this night at all.

He grabbed her hand in both of his, gently curling her fingers into a fist before he leaned over, bringing his lips to the back of her hand. He kissed it and then licked her skin before pulling back. Letting go with one hand, he grabbed the saltshaker and sprinkled some where it was wet. "Guess this is the dare part, huh?" He chuckled and brought her hand to his mouth again, licking the salt off her skin before he grabbed the shot glass and downed the liquor, shuddering. "Fuck... first one's always awful."

She hoped he hadn't noticed, but she hadn't let out a breath the whole time he'd been doing that. Her skin broke out in goosebumps and her face was even redder than it had been before. Lyv was staring at Jax almost open-mouthed, but she snapped out of it quickly enough. "Yeah," she said with an exhale and a laugh, "give me your hand."

He obliged, never taking his eyes off her. "All yours, beautiful," the words came out softly, but she heard them just fine thanks to a lull in the noise around them.

Gently grabbing his hand, she brought it to her lips and did exactly as he'd done before. She kissed his hand and then licked the skin. Pulling back, she grabbed the saltshaker and shook some onto his hand. "Here I go," she said, looking up into his eyes as she licked the salt off of his hand. Quickly grabbing the shot glass, she downed the contents and slammed the glass down on the table. "Holy shit, that sucks." She was cringing, but soon let her face soften.

Smiling at her, he gave her fingers a squeeze, reminding her that she was still holding onto his hand. "Keeping it down's the hard part, really... tastes a bit too much like vomit for my tastes but..." he shrugged, "it works."

Bringing the glass of Jack back up to her lips, she drank more than she should have, mostly to just get the horrible taste of out of her mouth— she was definitely ready to teeter off the line from buzzed into drunk. Unable to take her eyes off of Jax, she kept hold of his hand, liking the physical contact. "Do you think you could take me back to my place?" Her words slurred only slightly as she bit down on her lower lip.

"I could," he nodded, looking at the two untouched shots. "provided you wanted to leave right now." Reaching out with his free hand, he took the other two shots and downed them both, quickly. "You're not much of a drinker, are you?"

"I just wanna take you home with me," she said, reaching for her glass only to have him grab it away. "I wanna show you my place and stuff." Grabbing his hand, she pushed herself out of her chair and to her feet, wobbling slightly. "I don't live far, but not sure I can walk. I can try though."

He stood up too, grabbing her purse and sweater with his free hand. "Alright, c'mere." Before she could move, he closed the distance between them and wrapped his arm around her waist. "Lean on me," he whispered in her ear, turning and guiding her towards the short hallway that led to the bathrooms and another door that led out into the parking lot.

She did as she was told and she was able to walk, but that was only because he kept a strong hold on her. "My place isn't very big, but I think we could get to know each other better there." Her other arm wrapped around him and soon they were at his car. Like a gentleman, he helped her inside and once she was in her seat, she was smiling a little drunkenly. "You're awesome, Jackson, and I am such a lucky girl that you wanna hang out with me." Her eyes were closed and she was still talking loudly as though they were still in the bar as he slid behind the wheel.

Instead of starting the car, he turned towards her, the leather seat creaking as he did. "Awesome doesn't even begin to cover what you are," he said the words quietly, no need to almost shout now that they were alone in a confined space. "And I'm the lucky one."

She grabbed the same hand that she had been holding before and rested it against her chest. She had put the seat back a little so that she could lay back. Looking up at Jax, she tried locking eyes with him. "I wanna go to bed with you tonight... can we do that?"

He chuckled, "I think maybe you need to hold that thought until you're sober, Lyv." Since she was holding his right hand, he used his left to turn the key in the ignition and put the car into gear before backing out of the space. "Think maybe we need to get you home... get some coffee into you."

"I don't want coffee," she turned in the seat so that she was facing him. Bringing his hand to her lips, she softly kissed over his wrist and then the palm of his hand. "I really like you and I know you have so much going on, I just... I just want one night to remember with you." She closed her eyes and she sounded so vulnerable and the way she held onto his hand it was as if she was doing it to save her life.

"I like you too," he murmured, casting a sidelong glance at her. There was no mistaking how he felt— every touch, every little kiss from her was like heaven. He wanted her badly but he also didn't want to fuck up what they had. If she'd been more sober, she might have thought to ask how he knew which direction to go, or how he managed to pull into the lot of her building without her telling him where she lived.

When the car came to a stop, it jerked Lyv a little as if she'd woken up. She hadn't been sleeping, but she had been enjoying the ride while holding Jax's hand. Sitting up and not letting go, she looked around and saw where they were. "Oh, we made it..." Turning her attention to him, "you're gonna come in, right?" She sounded so worried, like once he left that would be the end of everything.

"Yeah," he nodded, taking his hand back from her grasp long enough to take the keys out of the ignition. "As long as the invitation still stands, I'm coming in." He opened his door, getting out before grabbing her purse off the middle console. Tucking it under his arm, he closed the door and walked around the car to open hers. "You think you can make it inside... or do you need me to carry you?"

"I can do it," she said, nodding more to herself than to him. Her apartment was on the first floor and just inside the door. Walking along with him into the building, she got her keys out of her purse and started to get things unlocked. Throwing open the door, she flipped on a light and slipped off her shoes. "I can getcha water— whatever you want." That pleasant feeling of being buzzed was starting to disappear and in its place, she was starting to get a headache.

"I'm fine," he followed her inside, immediately shrugging out of his leather jacket as he closed the door behind himself. "Nice place," he said, coming up behind her and wrapping his arm around her waist.

"Thank you," she whispered as she turned to face him. Her head was starting to throb and she managed to close her eyes. She wanted this with Jax more than anything she had wanted in a long time. "It doesn't really feel like home, though." Her face buried against his chest, blocking out any light that could bother her.

"Why not?" He actually sounded concerned when he asked the question, genuinely wanting to know.

"No one to share it with... nowhere's ever felt like home." Her voice quivered a little as she said it, her head pounding like a jackhammer. "I'm just here for my job, that's it."

"Nowhere?" He tightened his arms around her, looking down at her solemnly, "reminds me of someone else. That place across town's just where I keep my stuff. It's a roof... a shower— it's a good shower, though... big enough for at least four people. Water never goes cold." He chuckled bitterly, "spend my money on stupid shit like that. Rest of it piles up in the bank while I hop around the globe, gettin' sweaty inside that ring."

"I thought you liked what you do?" The question came at him out of the blue.

He sighed, looking away, "it's complicated. Yeah, I like the action... that knowledge and control. It's just I'm doing three gigs a week just to keep my mind off..." he trailed off, shaking his head. "Shit, you don't wanna hear this."

The look on her face made it clear that she did. He didn't see anything resembling pity there. No, what he saw was something far different— understanding. "You can tell me anything," she said softly.

"I came back for a reason— used to live here years ago. Before Chicago... before all the other places I had to be because of obligations. Right now, I don't even have to be here. It's just damned easy to disappear in a place as crowded as this."

"I'm glad you came back," she ran her hands over his back, feeling him shiver at the touch even though there was a barrier of fabric between their skin. "If you hadn't, we wouldn't be here right now," her voice faltered on the last word, "together." Inhaling, she breathed him in and then turned her head to the side so that her cheek was pressed against his chest. She could hear his heart beating. "When you come back to New York, I can be part of this life here, if ya want."

"I only leave to wrestle," he chuckled, shaking his head, "what are you offering me, Lyv? Do you even know right now?"

"Yes," she replied in a near-whisper, "I'm sayin' maybe neither one of us has to be lonely anymore..."