Rohan left work early and went to Ruby's. Though the café was still opened he could see they were getting ready to close up. Chairs had been put up on the tables and Annie was mopping the floor at the far end. She was working her way slowly backwards towards the door. At the sound of the bell tingling, she stood up and turned to face it, wiping the back of her hand across her forehead. "Oh... it's you." She grinned and added, "I hope you haven't come for a steak sandwich because you've left it a bit late."

Rohan shook his head and smiled at her.

She pointed at the counter. "We've got coffee still on if you want some."

Before Rohan could answer Ruby stuck her head out through the servery. "Who you talking to? Oh...!" She bustled from the kitchen and into the café flapping her hands. "Go on, give me the mop. It won't be coffee he's wanting. Get your bag, Annie, and go home."

"But I haven't finished, Ruby."

"You don't think an old woman can mop?" Ruby smirked and looked over at Rohan. "You'll be wanting to talk to Annie won't you, Rohan? Not drink coffee." Rohan nodded so Ruby grabbed the mop handle. "Now get. I'll see you Monday."

"Are you sure, Ruby?"

"I'm sure, Annie." Ruby clenched her teeth and turned her back to Rohan as she took the mop from Annie and whispered, "Don't leave the poor man standing there. He wants to talk to you and I'm sure you want to talk to him. Now get."

"Okay," Annie chuckled and went to get her bag from out the back. "See ya, Gus. Ruby's letting me go early. Rohan's here."

Gus grinned and raised his eyebrows as he said, "Have fun."

"See ya, Ruby, thanks again."

Ruby lifted her head from what she was doing and nodded. "Bye, Annie." She noted Rohan had gone outside and was waiting on the footpath. Ruby watched as he looked down at Annie when she stood before him. She turned at the sound of Gus clearing his throat.

"You still think he's a nut case out to murder Annie?"

"Gus Williams! Where the hell would you get an idea like that? Look at the way he's looking at her. He don't want to murder her he wants to marry her more like." She shook her head, grinned and watched Gus peel with laughter.

"Yeah... I don't have a clue where I got that idea from, Roobs. You know me. I make that kind of shit up all the time."

Ruby gave him a smattering kiss. "That's why I love you, Gus Williams."

"Oh... that's the reason. I always wondered." He shook his head, chuckled and went back to work.

*

Annie smiled up at Rohan. "You want to talk to me?"

Rohan nodded. He didn't know how to begin. He felt awkward with Ruby watching through the window. He couldn't believe to ask Annie out a second time was harder than it had been asking her the first time. "Do you want to walk? I could walk you to your bus stop."

"Okay, but it doesn't really matter. I mean, I'm not in a big rush to catch it today. Being Friday and all, you know the end of the week. I don't have to work tomorrow. Do you work on Saturdays? I don't, Ruby and Gus do though." Annie knew she was babbling and so ended with, "I don't have any plans I have to rush home to get ready for. I guess we could walk to the bus stop."

Rohan nodded and smiled; she was nervous too. He folded his arms across his chest as he moved off. What he really wanted was to take hold of Annie's hand but thought it might have been too forward. Holding her hand at the movies was different because he had asked her to go. Rohan didn't think walking her to the bus was the same. He kept quiet while he tried to figure out how to ask her out so they walked in silence for a bit.

Eventually he said, "Are you still mad at me, Annie?"

She smiled up at him and saw the anguish on his face. "No. I thought we sorted it out at lunch time. Have you been worrying about it?"

"Yeah," he sighed out the word with relief. "I don't want you to be angry with me."

Annie laughed as she said, "Was I that scary?"

"No... I... I..." Rohan frowned. "I want to ask if you'd come to the Sciencentre at the Queensland Museum with me tomorrow but if you were still angry, I figured you wouldn't want to or want me to ask you."

"I must have been scary?" She grinned cheekily at him. "My father says I'm like a mini cyclone when something upsets me." Annie stopped walking, stood in front of him and reached out, putting her hands on his forearms. "I'm sorry, Rohan. I didn't mean to give you the impression I was really mad. I was just confused about what she said. That girl has a way of making things sound real." Annie grimaced. "But I guess you already know that."

With a lift of his shoulders and a tilt of his head, Rohan said, "A torpedo is what I thought."

"Huh?" Annie screwed up her face.

"You." He smirked and tweaked his brows. "I don't think you're a mini cyclone but more of a mini torpedo. Torpedos are more accurate than a cyclone when hitting their target."

Annie grinned and rolled out her bottom lip. She tugged on his forearms to unfold his arms from his chest as she scoffed, "Rohan!"

He chuckled and let his arms drop. She was so beautiful. He wanted to hold her and kiss her. Instead, he put his hands in his pockets. "So, will you come with me? To the Museum."

Annie huffed, "Torpedo!" She poked him in the ribs and turned around. As she moved off, she swayed her hips, and then looked over her shoulder to answer, "Yes. I'll come and if I'm a torpedo I want to be burnt orange with bright green stripes."

Bursting into laughter, Rohan jogged to catch up with her. He took a chance and grabbed hold of her hand. "You can be any colour you want, Annie, so long as I'm not your target."

She wrapped her fingers around his. Rohan felt his body react, which forced him to inhale and talk to himself. Yeah, you just had to do it didn't you, Numb Skull, can't you stay down. Control yourself. Annie, looking up at him, shocked him into thinking he might have spoken out loud.

"Maybe you are my target, Rohan Wayland," she said, and then paused hoping he'd get her meaning before adding, "You better watch out because if I explode, you'll be covered in orange and green gunge."

The heat that flushed across Rohan's face had him hanging his head. He hoped she meant what he thought she meant. Numb Skull certainly took it that way. Yep, he was throwing a party with his two best buddies and if they weren't careful the drinks were going to spill.

Rohan looked up to see her head held high as she led him towards the bus stop. He wanted to say something else but didn't know what so stayed silent. A new sensation flooded him, to be with her, holding her hand, filled him with pride.

He thought about his Warrior Gene and how a real warrior would treat the maiden he loved. If he was a true warrior, Rohan thought, he should be leading her. He quickened his pace until he was in front of her. Hearing Annie laugh had him turning to face her in the hope that she had no idea what he was thinking.

"Are you hurrying to get rid of me?"

"No... sorry. I... I..."

"I'm not going to be late for the bus if that's what you're thinking and you'll have me running to keep up with you if you don't slow down." She took hold of his bicep and made him match her pace. "Your strides are one to my two or three because your legs are so long."

"Sorry, Annie."

"Hey, it's okay I wasn't' going to blast you with orange and green gunge." She grinned and wondered if he would ever feel completely at ease with her. Annie thought about his reaction to her anger. He obviously wasn't comfortable with anger coming from others. It was probably to do with the way he was brought up.

Her best friend Karen Boswell's parents never fought. Karen was an only child so had never had any sibling rivalry either. If Karen had been around when Annie's parents raised their voices or an argument erupted between her brothers she always freaked out. Annie guessed Rohan had been raised a lot like Karen.

When they got to the bus station, she had to let go of his hand to sit down.

Rohan sat beside her on the bench and fiddled with his fingers wishing he could think of something to say.

"So where is the Sciencentre?"

Relief washed over him when Annie broke their silence. "It's in the museum at South Bank on the corner of Grey and Melbourne Streets."

"And what time do you want to meet?"

"It opens at nine thirty, maybe at ten, unless you like to sleep in. I don't mind, Annie, you decide." His leg jerked a couple of times so he forced himself to stop and tucked his lips up at her.

"Ten is good." Annie knew she was going to have to make all the moves so she slid closer to him and took his hand again. "Why are you nervous?"

"Because..." Rohan lifted the side of his mouth and tilted his head at her. "I can't think of anything to say and I really want too."

"You just say whatever comes into your head." Annie shrugged and gave him a smile. "That's how conversations start. At least that's how I start conversations but, I suppose men are different. You know..." she shrugged again. "How you guys are all mathematical and logical and stuff."

"I think you're really pretty, Annie." Rohan's leg jerked; he couldn't believe he'd chosen those words to say. He hunkered down as he said, "You said to say what I was thinking."

Annie smiled, and then reached up and put her hand on his cheek. She steered his face towards hers and kissed him. "Thank you, Rohan. I think you're pretty too."

A bubble of happiness left his mouth. She hadn't moved away so he put his lips on hers and kissed just as lightly as she had but he let his mouth linger to see what she would do. When she kissed him with more pressure Rohan inhaled a breath through his nose. Ah... it was so good kissing Annie.

The party Numb Skull and his friends were hosting kicked up a notch. Rohan had the urge to crush her to him but he didn't think she'd like that at the bus station. Sensations rushed through his body. The pressure in his trousers felt like a brawl was taking place. Rohan had to act as security and break it up. He pulled away, drew in a loud breath and spun his head in the opposite direction. How did other men deal with the sensations he felt?

He looked back at Annie, grinned, and then focused on her hand. Rohan fiddled with her fingers and concentrated on steadying his breathing.

Annie wondered if his reaction was to do with similar sensations to what she was feeling. He was definitely shy and wasn't used to kissing girls. She watched him playing with her fingers and marvelled at how big his hands were. Annie pushed his hand flat and laid hers on top of his. She giggled and said, "Look at the size of your hands compared to mine."

"You're a squirt," Rohan said with a grin.

Annie pretended to take offence and pouted at him. Then she smiled to let him know she wasn't upset. "I can still pack a mean punch so you better not cheek me."

"So, you're a pretty squirt who packs a mean punch and fires orange and green gunge on target like a torpedo."

"You just remember it, okay," Annie said with fake bravado.

Rohan laughed. "I'll remember it."

The bus pulled up. Annie stood and looked down at him. Rohan reluctantly let go of her hand. He said, "I'll see you tomorrow, Annie."

"Yeah." She nodded then bent down and kissed him. This time she kissed harder and put her hand on the back of his neck. Annie felt his hand on her waist and his fingers grip her for a second. He was a good kisser. She wanted to forget about getting on this bus and move closer to him but he pulled away and abruptly stood up.

"You'll miss your bus, Annie."

She could hear him struggling to breathe and when she looked down, she knew why. Annie had to suck in her breath to still the shock at realising she was affecting him in that way.

"See you tomorrow, Rohan."

"Bye, Annie."

She found a seat so she could look out at him. He was smiling and as the bus pulled away, he held his hand up in a wave.

Annie faced forward and sighed. She couldn't stop grinning. He really did like her. Just thinking about him caused her stomach to flutter and she couldn't wait for tomorrow.

Rohan got home and worked out on his gym set. It didn't help so he went for a cold shower. He sat on the floor of the cubicle, closed his eyes and let the water run over him. He couldn't believe how she made him feel. The urges he felt were getting worse.

He chuckled and looked down at himself. Shit he'd even given the fucking thing a name. Numb Skull. Rohan laughed again as his dick jerked and swayed of its own accord. "Yeah, you keep partying because you're just not getting it are you? Ain't happening, pal, because you can't handle yourself. Been there before, remember."

Sighing in resignation, Rohan ran his hand over his face and into his hair. He rested his head against the glass and studied his hand. He traced the outline of where Annie's hand had sat in his. She was beautiful and so far, he'd only managed to kiss her briefly. Rohan wondered what it felt like to kiss longer or if he'd be able to without exploding. He wanted, so badly, to hold Annie at the same time like he saw other men do with their girlfriends.

He thought about being naked and holding her. Laying with her and running his hand over her body like they did in the movies. "Shit!" He shook his head. These thoughts weren't helping his situation. Rohan couldn't help but laugh again as he looked down at the extent of his... situation. He hoped Annie hadn't noticed. It was probably stupid of him to have stood up but if he hadn't, he would have pulled her onto his lap, and then he would have been in real trouble.

Numb Skull quivered like an excited puppy waiting for a pat. Rohan groaned in resignation and ran his palm down his length until he reached its base. He pushed Numb Skull away from his body and rubbed his hand toward the heat in its rigid red tip. "Ah..." Rohan squeezed his palm around himself and massaged up and down. He closed his eyes and groaned loudly. Yep, that'd be right, the puppy pissed all over itself.

He leaned forward. Forearms on knees and let his dripping fingers hang while he got his breath back. "Told you, you're no good at this shit." Rohan sat up and washed his hand aggressively. He could forget about getting into anything heavier than kissing because it wasn't going to happen. He rested his head against the wall and closed his eyes. Would Annie want anything to do with him when she found out he didn't work properly?

How do you think Annie and Rohan are getting along?

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