𝒍𝒐𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒂 ➶ [ s. walsh ]

ix. | ❝ i've had some experience. ❞

LOLITA.
ix. | ❝ i've had some experience. ❞

✧

"SO TELL ME, Shane," Cassandra began, rifling through her recently scavenged brown paper bag of lollipops and fishing one out, before tearing the wrapper off and eyeing it speculatively. "Before all this.... Was there a special lady in your life?" A charming grin traced her pretty features as she rammed the lollipop between her full lips, sucking it enthusiastically.

Shane, with his large hands resting firmly on the steering wheel and his brows furrowed in concentration, shot a fleeting glance in her direction. He suppressed a groan as he felt an uncomfortable warmth spreading throughout his abdomen at the sight of the suggestive movements and sounds coming from her soft mouth. "Uh, nah. Not really." He paused, trying to concentrate on not sending the car off the side of the road. "Well, I guess now you could say you're the only special little lady in my life."

The strawberry blonde beauty grinned, propping up her feet on the dashboard. "Of course I am," she replied breezily. "But what do you mean by 'not really'? Was there, or wasn't there?"

A breathless chuckle blew out from between his lips, the corners of his eyes crinkling merrily. She's so damn persistent, he thought. "Well, now," he began, his voice low and rumbling. "There was someone, but she wasn't special.... Or a lady. She was a goddamn pain in the ass."

Amused, Cassandra sucked her lollipop noisily, her cinnamon-coloured orbs trained on his handsome profile as she listened intently to what he had to say.

"This one girl, right," he said, reaching up with one hand to ruffle his dark curls absently. "She was born thinkin' a light switch only goes one way: on. And my job, you see, apparently - because my chromosomes happen to be different - is I then gotta walk through the house, turn off every single light this chick left on."

The strawberry blonde beauty simply laughed, shifting in her seat slightly as she tilted her head, a wry smile curling at her lips. "Really?"

"Yeah, baby, mmh. Oh, Reverend Shane's a-preaching to ya now, girl." He shook his head, a carefree grin playing across his lips. "Then the same chick, mind you, she'd bitch about global warming. You see, this is- This is when Reverend Shane wants to quote from the Guy Gospel and say, 'Um, darlin'. Maybe if you just figure out the goddamn light switch, you see, goes both ways, maybe we wouldn't have so much global warming.'" He paused, glancing across at the pretty redhead seated beside him. "I didn't say that obviously.... Still, that earns me a look of loathing you would not believe. And that's when the Exorcist voice pops out." A quiet chuckle left his lips as he deepened his voice, his dark eyes glimmering blithely as he went back to focusing on the stretch of open road before them. "'You sound just like my damn father! Always yelling about the power bill, telling me to turn off the damn lights.'"

Cassandra arched an eyebrow flawlessly, tossing her lolly-stick out of the window and shifting in her seat. "And what did you say?"

"I know what I want to say." He grinned, running his tongue over his bottom lip lightly. "I wanna say, 'Bitch, you mean to tell me you've been hearing this your entire life and you are still too damn stupid to learn how to turn off a switch?' But y'know, I- I don't actually say that, though."

"Was she pretty?" she inquired silkily, barely concealing the hint of envy that edged her tone.

Shane drummed his fingertips against the steering wheel, picturing the angular blonde in his mind's eye. "Nah.... She was average," he admitted, resisting the urge to add a further comment about how he preferred redheads, anyway. "But I can't help noticing that you ain't told me a damn thing about your love-life...." He trailed off, quirking a brow and allowing his teeth to rest on his lower lip, evidently waiting for her to elaborate.

A soft breath escaped Cassandra's parted lips and she scrunched up her pert nose, deliberating. "There really isn't much to tell," she began. "I went to an all-girls' school, so boys have always been somewhat of a fascination of mine." A light blush dusted her soft cheeks as she glanced across at him, almost dreading his reaction. "But.... I've had some experience."

The curly-haired sheriff's deputy shot her a look of amusement, a grin tracing his chiselled features. "Yeah, I bet," he murmured, a dirty chuckle leaving his lips. "Did ya have any, y'know.... Girl-on-girl action at this school of yours?"

"No, I don't swing that way," she replied, laughing lightly. She turned her head, gazing out of the window and twirling a lock of her tousled auburn tresses around her finger absently as she observed the scenery outside.

Every now and then she'd spot a walker stumbling along, or an empty car abandoned at the side of the road. And despite everything, Cassandra could finally see a glimmer of hope on the horizon. All it had taken was the right person, and a solid plan.

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