Gamechanger(Leiley/CaptainGrimm)

[FreedomLivesOn]

"How many times have we done this?" Joseph looked over at her with a smirk, asking in return:
"Getting tired of it? We could always go back inside."
"No, it's not that. It's just...every time we come here, it's as if I've seeing the sky for the first time."
"Very poetic."
"It's true, though."
"I feel the same way, you know." He drew her closer to him, his lover nuzzling his neck gently before looking back up at the mid-day sky.
"I never want this to end."
"Cloud watching?"
"Us."

His gaze returned from the sky to the bumper of the car in front of him, said car stationed at the same locale for nearly ten minutes. It was odd to have traffic at this time of day in the middle of nowhere, Texas, but one never knew when a cow was tipped over and needed to be herded off the road by some unlucky farmer. At least it had given him time to think...

What a trap.

He hadn't thought about her for a while. Three months had gone by without a single thought, the studious half-Asian working tirelessly to put the finishing touches on the last project due before graduating with a degree in psychology from the prestigious University of Texas. But now, sitting in traffic, waiting to get to Orlando's party, the thoughts returned.

They hit harder this time, though. Maybe because he was cloud watching. Or maybe it was the stillness that traffic had forced him to enter into. Either way, the thoughts hurt. A lot more.

Finally, the car started moving in front of him. It wasn't as if Orlando, a close friend of both Joseph's and his ex-lover's, had a specific time for the "Graduation parties of graduation parties", but he wanted to get there earlier than six. It was now six thirty.

Finally reaching the stately manor that Orlando occupied just outside the city limits of Austin(having rich parents who went away on vacation sure was nice), Joseph walked into the well appointed living area to find all sorts of people occupying almost every square inch of the nearly 4,000 square foot first floor.
"Hey, ese!" Joseph smiled as Orlando came to him at the entrance hall, the host handing him a beer as he said:
"Yo, listen...I heard she's comin tonight."
"What? Who?"
"You know who!"
"You're serious?"
"Texted me herself. Chica was all: 'Looking forward to the party tonight!'" Joseph groaned, knowing this was a possibility.
"I got your back, hombre! Just go party; don't even think about it."
"Hard not to."

[Leiley]

Leiley walks into the party, late as always. Her dad used to tell her that she'd be late to her own funeral...she was starting to think he was right. She scanned the room, seeing a sea of familiar people buzzing round as she pushed her way through to the drinks table by the kitchen. Remembering all the great times she'd had here, shaking her head and telling herself off for thinking of him..

"No, None of that..." She tells herself firmly, turning as she hears a familiar voice behind. Beaming as she see's Orlando, returning his embrace.

[FreedomLivesOn]

"Hey, chica!" Orlando gave Leiley a warm embrace, telling her as he released:
"I haven't seen you around much; you avoidin me or somethin?"

Joseph had been engaged in conversation with two former classmates of his, their socialization primarily revolving around which professor could double as a superhero before his dark green eyes caught the sight of someone very, very familiar. Well, Orlando had been right on this account. He allowed his gaze to hover over her for just a moment before returning to the talk at hand. There was no way he would talk with her tonight. Just avoid her the whole night.

Shouldn't be too hard...right?

[Leiley]

"Hey..." Smiles warmly at him as he hands her a drink.."Avoiding you? Never.." Flutters my eyelashes jokingly at him.."I've been busy being a grown up, you should try it one day." Winks as I glance around again, seeing the back of your head..I sigh to myself. Orlando smirks, waving as he walks off..My friends are talking loudly in the opposite corner, so I head towards them, having to walk past you

"Just keep walking...don't look up..." I tell myself as I pass your group, hoping to be invisable.

[FreedomLivesOn]

"Ay, ay, don't hate on a guy tryin to live it up!" Orlando chuckled slightly as he noticed her scanning the room. Probably just looking around to find peeps is all. He heard his name from somewhere across the room, so he departed with a parting remark about keeping it real and left.

Joseph threw his head back, laughing at a friend's joke.
"No, no, seriously, he would totally be Batman."
"HA! Can't you see it now? Dr.Baleman putting the costume on?"
"The personality certainly fits." Joseph caught out of the corner of his eye Leiley passing the group by. His muscles tensed slightly as she passed the group without saying anything. Well, encounter one went relatively smooth.

The next hour and a half proved to be quite raucous as most of the party goers moved to the backyard where an in-ground swimming pool lay. Not one for reveling around a pool with half drunken peers, Joseph slipped back inside after spending a decent chunk of time outside, hoping to get something to eat.

[Leiley]

Starts to feel chilly, standing up from her sun lounger where she had been absent mindedly staring at the sky and heads inside. Her head swimming with thought about college, but mainly 'him' it was always Joseph. He sneaked into her thoughts when she least expected it, when she was at her most vulnerable. She signed to herself at how awkward the situation was between us now.

Pushing the heavy wooden door open she walked back inside, making her way to the kitchen feeling incredibly hungry. She glanced up as she entered, looking straight into the eyes of the only other person in the house...Joseph.

[FreedomLivesOn]

You couldn't write these kinds of moments into a cheesy weekend romantic comedy film; they tended to just happen. The question now was; what to do with the moment? Joseph could just ignore her and go on about his business, but that course of action didn't sit well with him. He would at least give out some pleasantries and make it seem like he wasn't still hurting profusely.

He gave her a somewhat forged smile as he took a few steps toward her, asking:
"Things been ok?"

[Leiley]

"Things are....busy." Looking at you, with a weak smile. Feeling the familiar choking sensation. The overwhelming feeling of confusion and intense emotion all tangled into one weird feeling of not being able to breathe.

"How have you been?" Looks out into the backyard through the window, thinking she was hearing thunder, but there was no rain and everyone was still partying so she shrugged it off. "I saw your brother the other day." She adds lamely.."He seems well." takes a sip from her drink nervously, feeling the tension.

[FreedomLivesOn]

"Yeah, well, I'm just glad he's not being an idiot. You know how he can be at times." It was true: the younger Liu wasn't exactly the model citizen for most of his freshman year on campus. It was just in the past few months that after attending some kind of seminar by a leadership expert guy that he began to reform. Joseph didn't care about HOW he got to be a 4.0 student this past year; he was just glad know to know that little brother had cleaned up his act right in time for Joseph to stop worrying about him(they were separated by only two years, but Zecariah had always acted much younger than his age).
"Yeah and I'm...ok. I guess." He wiped an imaginary piece of dust off of his jean leg before saying:
"Graduation coming up. You going anywhere? With a boyfriend maybe?" The last phrase was difficult to say, but he had to know.

[Leiley]

Shakes her head, "No, I'm not going anywhere. I don't have a boyfriend." Looks down at the floor for a second before setting her cup on the worktop. "I have a new cat though..." Tucking her hands into her pockets so that they can't do the nervous fidget that you know so well.

"Not that you want to know about my new pets." Can't help laughing at how random it sounded to go from boyfriends to pets in one comparison. "Do you..I mean are you going anywhere...with ummm anyone?"