TØUCH, WHERE IT HURTS | mulder + scully

C H A P T E R F Ø U R;

Who are you,

It has been a week since the incident at the club. Scully still couldn't believe it.

One minute she is watching Kitt dance with this boy, she's drinking a drink, minding her own business, trying to let go and have a good time and then this boy walks over to her;

He's blonde, his hair is stuck up in a quiff. Handsome, conventionally. His green eyes blend with the blue and purple lights of the club. She smiles at him.

'You wanna dance?' He asks, nice enough. She nods /why not?'/, gets up from the bar stool.

They dance, it's innocent enough. His hands move down her body to her lower back. She doesn't like it, but she doesn't react, brushed it off, /it's harmless/ she says, this is just how people dance.

Then she's up against the wall. His hand is up her dress. His lips are on her lips. God the taste of alcohol on his breathe makes her want to vomit. She pushes back. He's stronger. She manages to struggle free of him. She rushes off.

The shop is busy today, how Saturday's should be. She wishes for the week before. There is a fairly big queue, she's serving quick enough. She's good at her job. One by one, person by person the queue gets smaller, until finally everyone is served. Almost all the seats in the cafe are full. She stands back, breathes for a moment.

The familiar bell chimes above the door. /for god sake/ she curses. She looks towards the door. She recognises the familiar figure. It's him. Fox. She smiles. He doesn't notice, or if he does he doesn't smile back. That makers her frown. There's a pretty girl on his arm. She's laughing at some silly joke he's made. He's at the counter now.

'A regular coffee and,,,' his demeanour is completely different from the two other times she's met him. He seems a completely different person to the boy who came in a week ago, the boy with the alien baseball cap on his head. He's not the same guy that ran out of a club to check on her.

He seems,,, arrogant.

'What do you want babe?' His words don't sound right.

'Same' The girl on his arm says.

Scully hands them both their drinks.

'That'll be four pound sixty she says' He hands her a five pound note. She hesitates a moment, then hands him the change, 'And thank you for last weekend' she says sheepishly.

The girl shoots her a dirty look. He looks straight through her. He has no idea what she's on about.

This isn't the same boy.

Dana doesn't know why but she's watching them. Staring, intently. She can't move past this difference.

Sure he looks the same, he sounds the same. But he is not the same. She had pinned him as a nice guy, but he had looked at her like had never seen her before. Was it that easy to forget? She sighs, why does she care?

She snaps her head. Tells herself to get over this. She doesn't know him. He owes her nothing. She's met him twice, she reminds herself. It's nothing.

☾

This girl is hot. Is what fox mulder decides. She's been hanging out with him all week. They met in one of his psychology lectures. She moves a strand of long brown hair out of her eyes, they are a light brown, beautiful. She's telling him about something or other. He doesn't know. He's not sure he cares. He isn't really listening.

'Fox' she says and he is back in the room.

'Yes sweetie'  it is so fake.

'Are you listening'

'Always darling'

She smiles, 'good' 

They get up to leave. She's invited him back to her place. He feels a familiar excitement in his veins, he knows what it means. He grabs the door for her, one must always play the gentlemen.

He's handsome, he knows that. He has a pretty face, soft. Kind eyes. His jaw is well defined, he's tall, skinny, but the muscle is there. He uses his looks as an advantage. He's never had a problem
getting the girls, his friends back home were always jealous of that.

His mother used to tell him that there was more to life than girls. Diana used to tell him he was more than his looks. He thinks of her often. He misses her sometimes.

They walk down the street together, fingers interlaced, /whatever she wishes/ he thinks.

☾

Later, Mulder is leaving the pretty girls flat. He leaves with a kiss on her cheek and nothing more. He's had fun. He's not sure he'll see her again.

He rushes down the steps. He can here someone coming up them. Red hair comes into view. He's seen that hair before. /coffee shop girl/

She's about six steps below him now. Surely she must have seen him.

He shouts, 'Coffee shop girl' yet she doesn't look up.

She's five steps from him now.

Four

Three

Two

She's there. Tries to dodge past him. He waves a hand in front of her face.

'I know you can see me' he laughs.

'That's funny' she says, and he doesn't get the joke. He cox an eyebrow. They're both stationary on their individual steps.

'You can't just act like you don't know someone and then talk to them when you fancy, you know?' She says.

She's talking about this morning, in her coffee shop. He frowns, furrowed brows.

'Well to be fair I don't know you' he try's to play it off as funny, her face says she's not having it.

She can't believe this. He is ignorant.

'You're right' she says, 'I don't know you' they are both silent for a minute. 'And If you excuse me, I would like to get past so I can go home' he doesn't move. This makes her even angrier. 'Look can you just move' this time he does. He mouths /sorry/.

She walks past him, not another word.

'See ya' he calls after her, she doesn't call back.