The Truth Hurts, Part 2

Richie & Libby

by Atonia & Layne

The Tavern wasn't crowded at all, it being early afternoon, and they slid into a booth and ordered drinks.

Richie took a drink from his glass, "So where did this Barth go after dropping you off in Sawtell?"

"I have no idea," Libby told him, sipping her margarita. "He didn't say a thing to me about where he was going. He's a bounty hunter, so maybe after some bail-jumper? I just figured he'd show up at the harbor again, eventually, since he's been living there on his boat." She didn't really know, though. Barth had been concerned about what might be waiting for him at the dock, after the night they'd had together.

If she knew how to get in touch with him, she could let him know that there was nothing to worry about. But why should she even think about that? Where Barth went or what he did was none of her concern. She was here with Richie and nothing else mattered right now.

"Just so you know, I’m gonna find the son-of-a-bitch, I got a few things to say to him." Anger flashed across his face and he took another drink. "If he so much as even thinks about you I’m gonna take him apart."

Libby practically gaped at him across the table. Why was he so angry? "Richie, there's no need for that. I'm here. I'm fine. He didn't hurt me." Well, not physically at least, she thought to herself. "What are you so mad about?"

Richie’s eyes were dark as he looked across the table at her, the guy didn’t sit and talk and drink coffee all night, he’d put money on that. Hell he’d made Rosemary pay up with sex…what went on all night on that boat? It made him angry to think that somebody had touched her, somebody like that scumbag. "I don’t like the idea of him…I don’t like it at all." It was hard for him to get the words out, "he…he didn’t…rape you or anything did he?"

She was startled at the question. So startled that she dropped her eyes from him. "No, of course he didn't! It wasn't like that! We talked about the drug trade out of the harbor. I told you that."

Libby's mind was working furiously. Richie looked as though he were about ready to kill Barth if he found him. Could it be that he cared more than she thought? No! She squashed that idea. Don't get your hopes up, Libby, she told herself immediately. Don't even let yourself think that!

But she couldn't help the thought. There was Richie, looking furious at thinking of someone else touching her or hurting her. And ready to go out and defend her. It made her happier than she'd already been.

She was lying or trying to cover up something because she couldn’t look him in the eye and say no. He looked down into his near empty glass. It had probably been a mistake to take her out for a drink, in fact he knew it was, he wanted nothing more right now than to take her upstairs to a room and fuck her senseless. But he couldn’t do that…he couldn’t. He’d let his emotions get away from him, showing anger over Barth. He turned the glass in his hand and then finished it off. He let out a breath.

"Hey sorry about that we are supposed to be drinking up your paycheck, ready for another?" He tried to lighten the mood that had settled over him.

"I'm ready." Libby smiled at him. She was already feeling a bit senseless. That look on Richie's face... She hadn't seen it in a long time and, after everything that had gone on, she wasn't sure she was reading it right. But it looked like he wanted her. Don't even think it, Libby, she warned herself again.

"You paid me a lot, though," she teased. "We're gonna be awful drunk, if we drink it all!"

He glanced at her as he got up from the table, "can’t get drunk, I gotta date tonight." He walked over to the bar for refills. He’d already made a date with Nonnie for pizza and beer.

A date, she thought, as she watched him go refill their drinks. A date with Nonnie, no doubt. And that was okay. She was going to be happy that, at least, he wanted to have drinks. Spend some time with her.

As he came back to the table with their glasses, she asked lightly, "How's Nonnie?" If they were gonna remain friends, she told herself, she needed to be okay with asking about his girlfriend. With how the rest of his life was going.

"She’s um doing well, hired some help for her shop today. Do you know Cara Williams? She lives with Kim Barrett and has a baby with him. Anyway, that’s who she hired, I think the girl had heart surgery last year." Richie sipped his drink, making casual conversation, "I went to Coffs this morning and saw Toni, she and Travis have had their baby, cute little guy."

"Yeah, I've met Cara over at Barrett's. She's nice. Awfully young to be having heart problems."

Libby's heart had skipped a little beat at the thought of a baby. "It's great Toni's had the baby! Is she still in hospital? Maybe I can get by and see her tomorrow. I'm going over there to check on how things are going with the Wades for the paper. I guess you heard about their baby being born too? And all the stuff about Liana being kidnapped?"

"Yeah, I know about all that, I tried to get in to see her but no visitors right now. Ben was in with her I’m sure. Toni’s going home tomorrow You should ride out there and see her at Glenridge. I was actually invited to come out by Travis, we’ve uh settled our accounts with each other."

Richie took a drink, "I really feel for Wade and hope to God Liana makes it through this." He really did because he knew she was what kept him from going crazy again, she kept him grounded.

"It's good you and Travis are getting along," she told him. "Maybe I will go by Glenridge. I should probably wait a few days at least, though. Give them time to get home and settled in."

"I feel for the Wades too. I really liked Liana when I went out there with you for Thanksgiving." She had liked Liana Wade, Libby thought to herself. And it was a little strange, because they didn't really have that much in common. But Liana had sympathized with her over losing her baby, and Libby had needed that at the time.

Trying to lighten the mood a little, Libby asked Richie, "You remember that first night we came here? Got drunk? You almost fell off your stool!" She grinned at him, recalling how she'd had to catch him when he'd swayed.

He chuckled, "I wasn’t the only one who needed seatbelts on the bar stool that night,"

"Who, me?" she teased. "I was sober as a judge. But I noticed they still haven't installed seatbelts. Maybe the local solicitor oughta look into that!" Libby took a long drink from her glass, glad they were joking.

"I probably should," he grinned, " you still working at the paper?"

"Yep. Gotta pay the bills." Libby was half-joking with him, because Richie was one of the few people in the world who knew about her trust fund from her father. But she'd never wanted to live off that money and had worked since she was old enough.

"I'm part-time, while I'm trying to get the investigating off the ground. Just this morning, Cal was asking me how things are going."

"Oh he’s back is he, good." Richie took a sip of his drink still thinking about that night they met in here, the night Toni called and told him it was over. He looked over and met her eyes for a moment, fuck, he needed to get out of here.

When his eyes met hers, Libby saw the look in them and this time she knew it for what it was. He wanted them to go upstairs. Just like they'd done that night, even though it had been morning before anything had happened between them that time. She wanted that too. Wanted it with all her body and her heart. If she said something, asked him to go up there with her, would he?

It was a good possibility. She knew Richie, knew what was going on with him when that look was in his eyes. They could go upstairs and they'd have a wonderful time, and it would make her happy. But then there'd be afterward.

Her heart and mind in turmoil, Libby thought about afterward. He'd feel guilty. He'd be angry at himself. He'd be angry at her. He might lose Nonnie because of it, and then he'd be devastated again. Just the way he'd been that night. When he'd lost Toni.

Libby didn't want that for him. God, why couldn't it just be easy? Why couldn't she and Richie just go upstairs or back to her house, or back to his and have sex? Without it's hurting him, or her, or Nonnie, or anyone? She was willing to share him, so why couldn't Nonnie be that way too?

But Libby knew the other woman wasn't that way. And she didn't want Richie to be angry at her, or at himself. And she didn't want to see him so hurt again over losing someone. Why, oh why, did it have to be some other woman he was so afraid of losing and not her?

Without knowing she was going to do it, Libby reached across the table and laid her hand over Richie's. Squeezed it tightly. "Richie... I'm always here if you want me." She'd never in her life had such a hard time saying anything as she did her next words. "But I don't want to see you lose Nonnie and go through what you did losing Toni."

She knew there were tears in her eyes now, but she couldn't help it. "I think you want to go upstairs with me now, and I'll go if it's what you really want. Because I want it too, more than you'll ever know." She gave him a little smile. "But if doing it will end up making you miserable, then maybe we should just leave?"

Richie broke eye contact and looked across the room toward the door that led to the stairs, past the desk where you could get a room for the night."We need to drink up and leave," he moistened his lips. "I care about you, Libby that’s why I got so angry with you over this Barth business. We’ve had some good times…friends with benefits," he smiled a little and looked back at her, "it don’t work at least not for me. I’m always gonna want you, kid," he laced his fingers with hers, "but I got somethin’ goin’ for me right now, somethin’ I want to last. I have to take care of it. I don’t have a very good track record with women it’s not all been my fault but most of it is." He released her hand and sat back in his seat. "Don’t go all teary eyed on me now."

"I need to tell you something, Richie, and I need to tell you now, before I lose my nerve." Libby took a big swallow of her drink before going on. "I am always gonna be your friend, and the benefits are always gonna be available to you when you want them. I want you to be happy and if it's Nonnie who makes you happy, then that's who you should be with."

Libby looked at their laced fingers. Played with his just a bit. "But I have to tell you... It's you that makes me happy and that's just the way it is. I'm sorry, but I just can't help it. I hope that doesn't mean we can't be friends." The look she gave him was pleading.

A pained look came into his eyes, "Ah, Libby…" what had she just told him, something he didn’t want to know? He pulled his hand away. "Don’t…just don’t." He looked down in his glass and finished the drink. A lot of things went through his mind, he should have known back when she wanted him to father a child for her…he should have known. "Wait here a minute," he got up and went over and placed an order for a pizza trying to gather his thoughts. He liked her, liked her a lot but…

He came back to the table and sat down, "You broke your own rules…that’s not fair…that’s not fair to me."

"I know it's not fair to you," she said quietly, when he sat back down. The look in her eyes was anguished. "Believe me, Richie, I didn't mean to. I didn't want to. I didn't even realize it had happened."

She met his eyes again. "And I'm not blaming you. I'm not blaming you or anybody, except myself."

"I just want us to still be friends, Richie. Is that too much to ask? I mean- If you remember, the physical benefits haven't been the only good thing about this friendship. I can talk to you, Richie. Easier than I ever have to anyone. I've told you things that I've never told anyone else. And we've helped each other through some rough times, even when we weren't having sex. I've never had such an easy time talking to anyone Richie, and I don't want to lose that."

He flipped a pack of matches over and over in his fingers, you wanna be friends, we can do that but no benefits that was a dumb idea to start with look what it’s done to both of us. I’m…I’m tryin’ to have a relationship with Nonnie it’s goin’ good I want it to be good for her. Libby I don’t need you offering yourself up to me…I don’t need that. Don’t do that to me."

"I know you're trying to have a relationship with Nonnie. Why do you think I just told you that I don't want to see you lose her and get hurt again? Do you have any idea how hard it was for me to say that? How hard it was for me not to just ask you to go upstairs? I don't wanna do anything to hurt you, Richie. I'd never do anything to hurt you."

"I’m not worried about me getting hurt and as far as Nonnie goes, don’t worry about her either, I’ve got her covered…I won’t allow her to be hurt. You talk about going upstairs well I had those same thoughts…ain’t no way we can just be friends, I’m sorry, Libby. We screwed it up at the beginning." Steve signaled him the pizza was up and he held up a finger. "Now I got to worry about hurting your feelings…you need to get over me." He stood up and walked over to the bar and paid for the pizza and left. He was half angry with himself and her, that he had been so stupid not have seen the signs and with her for breaking the rules…it was a stupid game they played…stupid. And yet he couldn’t deny the fact he still wanted her sexually. He stopped out on the sidewalk and closed his eyes, he’d been an ass. He turned to go back in and apologize to her.

When Richie walked out, Libby sat there, frozen, unable to move. What the hell had come over her? Why had she told him how she felt? She'd destroyed their friendship, the one thing she'd been trying so hard to protect by not telling him. Dammit, Libby, why didn't you just keep your mouth shut? She asked herself the question pointlessly.

Throwing enough money down on the table to cover their tab and a tip, she walked blindly to the door. She had to get out of here. Opening the door to leave, she came face-to-face with Richie, on his way back in. Determinedly pushing back tears, she gave him a small, lop-sided grin, "We-uh- We didn't finish drinking up my paycheck." She was talking without really knowing what she was saying. "You want me to send a few cases of beer to your house to cover your half?"

"Um no, I just wanted to say I’m sorry for acting like an ass…that was all." He took a few steps back, "I’ll see ya around, Libby." He turned and walked across the street to Jessup’s, beer and then Nonnie…damn but he needed her right now.