need you now .

[kaler ryan scott]

Well, at least today had started off well. Kaler had really been hoping that it would stay that way, too. Jared Trent and Miranda James’ wedding had been an event this whole town had been talking about and looking forward to since Jared’s drunken proposal at the bar on New Year’s. They were two of the kindest, most genuine people that Kaler had ever had the pleasure of knowing, and he honestly didn’t know how to put into words how happy he was for them. It had been a great honor to be asked to be a groomsman, even though Kaler would sarcastically roll his blue eyes and make like it was probably the stupidest thing that he would ever do. Jared knew better, and Kaler was happy to be a part of their ceremony. Randi had done a terrific job in planning all of this in under a month, and it was all so beautiful and well done that Kaler had truly been surprised even though he knew that he should have expected nothing less from the young bride. This was her special day, and everyone had wanted it to be perfect for the young couple as they celebrated and took the first step in a new life together. The ceremony had gone perfectly; it was the reception where everyone seemed to be holding their breath.

Kade and Brittany had lost it, starting some kind of a feud between themselves that even Kaler had not dared to get in the middle of. He was good friends with Kade, and surprisingly close with Britt, but that was one that everyone seemed to know better than to go near. That is, other than Randi, who promptly kicked them out of her wedding reception. Kaler had been surprised that that hadn’t happened sooner than it did, but he was soon up against the wall with his own share of wedding drama that he was no longer concerned with what was going on with his friends. First it was Shayne, whom Kaler had accidently ran into and spilled water on at the refreshment table. That exchange had led to nothing more than her justified rage and a nice slap across the face for Kaler. That one he had taken in stride, because it was something he had undoubtedly earned for both current and previous offenses. Then there had been the scene between Izzy and Viddy, one that was none too pretty and one that left Kaler more pissed off at Izzy than he had ever been before. Vidette had got to the restroom to calm herself, leaving Kaler alone just long enough for him to end up where he was now, sitting at the local jailhouse with a bleeding mouth and the start of what was going to be a brilliant black eye. He and Aiden had gotten into one hell of a fight, both walking away with sore fists and less than attractive faces when the local sheriff, who happened to be attending the wedding, decided that he had seen enough and pulled them up in cuffs. Kaler was allowed his one phone call, and he took the phone, displaying his obviously dislike and rage toward this situation as he roughly dialed Vidette’s cell phone. Kaler listened as it rang, sure that she had already heard by now what had happened and hoping that she would answer.

VIDETTE // MAGGIE

[vidette isabelle garland]

Miranda James and Jared Trent were the perfect fit. They had known and loved one another for as long as anyone in Arietta could remember, and if the town could have had it their way, the duo would have gotten married ages ago. But here they were, finally tying the knot in front of the whole town and then some, and everyone had high hopes for their marriage. They would go off and have adorable children who everyone could fawn over, and it would be a race for all of the teenagers in the area to volunteer their babysitting services if need be. The ceremony was packed but still maintained that feeling of being quaint and subtle, and Vidette had marveled at how calm and joyous the atmosphere had been through it all, unable to stop her mind from wandering to the thoughts of her own marriage to Kaler someday. If that day ever came, who knew. It was the reception afterward that loomed over every guests' head; throwing unlikely people together in the same room would not fare well, especially when it seemed that there was more drama now than ever before.

If Randi and Jared expected their reception to be drama-free, they were wrong. First there was the showdown between Brittany and Kade, which everyone was aware of but most people turned their head in the opposite direction and continued to gossip about outfit choice and whether the newlyweds would last as long as expected. Then, when they were finally kicked out, someone had approached Vidette to inform her that Kaler had spilled a drink on Shayne's dress - a situation which she would promptly steer clear of. As much as she loved both her best friend and boyfriend, this was not her fight and she knew better than to intervene. To top it all off, Izzy the raging bull had charged her, tossing obscenities in her direction like she had done something wrong. Vid was aware that this confrontation was long overdue, but she tried not to make a spectacle of herself here - not now. Adding to the drama that had already ensued would not be a smart idea, and Vidette was too lady-like for that. So, she merely took what was being dished out, threw in her own comment here and there, but ultimately waited for someone to calm Izzy down before making her break to the bathroom. The reflection she saw in the bathroom mirror looked tired and worn out, as if the weight of the world was resting on her small shoulders. The past couple of weeks had been rough, and though nothing had directly affected her until now, she had been waiting around for the dam to break and when it finally did, when all of her problems were stuck at the same celebration, she finally allowed the exhaustion of it all to consume her. Splashing water on her face had helped, and Shayne had come to offer some words of comfort - and to dry her dress - before giving her some space and allowing her the time she needed to think. That time, which was so desperately needed, was disrupted by the sound of her phone ringing, which she let go to voicemail. But upon checking it and listening to Amy's voice, another wave of exhaustion and dread washed over her, this time coupled with a new emotion - anger.

The car ride to the jail had been shorter than usual, which was probably due to the fact that Vidette was driving with purpose, her anger evident in her lead foot. Her phone rang again as she stood in the lobby of the police station, where she should have been filing all of the necessary paper work used to bail her boyfriend out; instead, she had spoke with a guard about merely visiting him in his little cell, to which he happily obliged - the call went unanswered. The man led her down a small hallway toward the small cell block, where Kaler was sitting on a bench looking rough and dejected. "Kaler," Vidette sighed, disappointment lacing the word. Never in a million years did she expect something like this from him, not anymore. "What happened?"

[kaler ryan scott]

Kaler was the type of guy that didn’t like to live with regrets, because he figured that wasn’t really living at all. His mother had always told him not to regret anything, because at one point it was exactly what he wanted, and that was something that still stuck with the young man, but this? This was something that he would surely regret. Kaler Scott was known for having a short, fiery temper if crossed, and most people were smart enough not to go there with him. However, the little prick that had assaulted him at the wedding had really been getting on Kaler’s last nerve, and Kaler had never thought that the younger man would have thrown a punch at him. But, that was exactly what had happened after what seemed like a completely pointless conversation in which Aiden had pointed a fat finger Kaler’s direction, blaming him for one thing or another and it all being over Amy Orsino. Kaler really could have given a damn about any of it, but it was obviously something that this younger boy was holding a grudge against him for and had had enough anger in him to throw the first punch. After that, well, it all had ended right there in their jail cells. Kaler didn’t regret throwing his own fair share of hits and hopefully giving the little bastard reason to steer clear of him after this incident; what he regretted was causing a scene like that at his best friend’s wedding, and undoubtedly pissing off someone he really couldn’t afford to have angry with him right now.

That person was who he had spent his one phone call on, and there was no answer. “Are you fucking kidding me?” he grumbled into the phone as he heard Vidette’s voicemail greeting start, and hung up. One phone call meant just that, and Kaler didn’t get another chance before he was hauled back to his cell where he noticed that Aiden was already gone. Kaler watched as the guard disappeared down the hall, a frustrated, pissed off kind of sigh passing through his lips as he paced back and forth for a moment. This was not the first time that he had gotten arrested, nor did he figure that it would be his last, but god damn it. He stopped pacing and sat himself down on a bench, holding his head in his hands. He could see blood stains on his white dress shirt, whether it was his blood or Aiden’s, he wouldn’t know. His eye was sore, and his mouth still tasted of that bitter, coppery taste of blood. His hands were sore, and his girlfriend had completely ignored his call. What a way to end the day, huh? Kaler heard footsteps, but didn’t bother to look up until he heard his name at which point he merely moved his eyes because he knew who it was. He looked up at Viddy, and heard the tone of her voice; this wasn’t going to go well. “What happened?” Kaler didn’t say anything for a moment, looking up at Vidette from his place on the bench. “He was pissed off about Amy, and he was letting me know about it,” he said slowly, and then he stood from the bench and approached the cell bars that were separating them. “He’s a fucking kid that needed to prove a point, so he threw a punch. I just happened to retaliate.” Because, let’s face it, Kaler was never going to be the kind of man that took a punch and walked away. “Why didn’t you answer your phone?” he asked after a short pause, trying to keep his tone level and hide his obvious frustration with this whole situation.

[vidette isabelle garland]

No one was perfect. No one had the ability to be on their best behavior at all times and that included Kaler Scott. Vidette never expected him to be perfect, never wanted him to be perfect and she loved him for the fact that he was perfectly imperfect. But the last thing she expected was for him to do something so foolish - at his best friends' wedding, no less. Punching someone was one thing, punching someone at his best friends' wedding was another, and punching someone who was barely legal at his best friends' wedding was in a whole different ballpark than the first two situations. Viddy had gotten the low-down from Shayne on her way over to the jail via phone call so she could at least be educated on the incident when she arrived to speak with her boyfriend, and she couldn't believe the amount of disappointment she felt upon hanging up. Sure, Aiden had overstepped his boundaries by approaching Kaler in such a crude manner, and he definitely shouldn't have thrown the first punch, so the blame should have been put on the young boy. However, Viddy couldn't seem to overlook the fact that Kaler had hit back. He could have chosen to be the bigger man and walk away, but rather he added fuel to the fire and gave Aiden exactly what he wanted - a fight.

The fact that she was even making the trip down to the jail was unbelievable; in all honesty, she wanted him to stay right where he was without word from anyone he knew for at least a night. But she would have felt like the worst girlfriend in the world if she hadn't even gone to make sure if he was okay, and to let him know that she wouldn't be bailing him out just yet. He may not have instigated the fight, but he had participated in it, and that would not be tolerated. A few days ago she may have disagreed, running to his aid at lightening speed to rescue him from the dark and depressing cell, but now? Well, now she was with child. There was absolutely no way that Vidette was going to bring a child into this world if his or her father was acting recklessly and throwing punches at kids; what kind of role model would he be? There would be plenty of times that this child would be mad at both he and Vidette, and if Kaler was unstable enough to retaliate every time someone expressed their anger with him, would he hit their child too? Nausea bubbled in Vidette's stomach as she watched Kaler stand, approaching her from the other side of the bars. She remained silent through his testimony, speaking only after he questioned her about the unanswered phone call. "Amy had already called me and told me where you were. I was already here when you phoned." She so badly wanted to take a step closer to him, to reach for him between the bars and hold his hand, to tell him that she would get him out of there and everything would be fine. She stayed put, eyeing him warily. His injuries were messy but not severe; all he needed was a damp towel and he would be fine. "You're stupid," she commented, pulling some sanitary wipes from her purse. Why she kept those on hand at all times was still a mystery to her, but it was a habit she had picked up from her mother ages ago. And, obviously, they came in handy. "Really fucking stupid." Vidette handed him a couple packages through the bars, sighing softly at his battered face and bloody clothes. "You look tired. I doubt that bed will do much for your back."

[kaler ryan scott]

There was a little voice in the back of Kaler’s mind that was reminding him to keep that wicked temper of his in check. Aiden was gone; the fight was over. There was no good reason for him to lose his cool now, no matter how pissed off he was at that punk ass kid, or at himself and his current situation. Vidette was not the reason that he was there, and even though he wasn’t properly expressing it he was really very glad to see her even though she didn’t seem nearly as pleased to see him. Kaler knew that it was that awesome temper of his that got him into trouble a lot of times, as it had always done in the past before he had discovered this small town. There was just this switch in his head that seemed to go off, and then there was no stopping it. It was one of those things that often proved to him that nature does sometime succeed over nurture, because William and Bethany Scott were two of the kindest, most even tempered in the world. Despite all the stupid shit that Kaler had done over the years, he had only heard his father raise his voice once. It was just one of those things that Kaler had tried and failed to control time and time again, and he knew that Vidette was disappointed in him for failing yet again just by the tone of her voice and the look in her eyes.

It made sense that Amy had called and that was the reason that Vidette had let her phone go without answering. Kaler silently nodded his head at that answer, finding a slight bit of satisfaction in the fact that Amy had been his friend and had looked out for him in that way while Aiden had been the one making an ass out of himself for thinking that Kaler and Amy’s relationship was something completely different. Of course, that was the spiteful side of Kaler considering that bit of information for only a second before he went back to not giving a shit about Aiden at all. “You’re stupid.” Yeah, he had known that she would think as much. His gaze found its way to the floor, the old habit of wanting to bite down on his lower lip gently displaying itself only for a moment before he remembered that his lower lip was the one that had only just stopped bleeding. There really was no good way to reply to that, and for once Kaler kept his mouth shut rather than open it and dig his hole a little deeper. However, when Vidette spoke again Kaler looked up. He wore a mixture of a glare and smirk on his marred face, knowing that she would think what she would think, and while she was partially right, the kid had gotten what he deserved. He took the wet naps that she handed him through the bars, tearing one open and dabbing at his face where he could feel the dried blood. Next he would take a few swipes at the shirt and see if there was even any point. Her next words, however, stopped him completely and his icy blue eyes were back on her. He was silent for another moment, but there was no point. “No, I don’t suppose it will,” he said, his voice taunt with a whole new bout of anger and frustration but he was desperately trying not to lose this composure he had regained. “Thanks for the wet naps. That’s exactly why I called.” Now he was being bitterly sarcastic, casting her one last glance before turning and going to sit on this shitty little bed she had mentioned because she clearly had no intention of bailing him out.

[vidette isabelle garland]

Vidette knew Kaler like she knew the back of her hand - in fact, she knew him better than that, considering she never spent long hours analyzing the back of her hand, and never really looked at it with the purpose of memorizing its every detail. Kaler, on the other hand, she could read like a book. Every expression, every word; when you love someone as much as she loved him, you sometimes know more about them than you know about yourself. Right in that instant, she knew that he was angry. Not because he was in a prison cell or because he had caused trouble at his best friends' wedding, but because he had disappointed a lot of people - including himself. His jaw was tense and his posture stiff, and Vidette almost felt bad for him. It was plain to see that Kaler didn't like this side of himself, and that he wanted to be everything she knew he could be, but making that transition was more difficult than either of them could have imagined. Not that she necessarily wanted Kaler to change, he was phenomenal just the way he was. However, for his own sake, it was for the best. He needed to stop fighting and smoking and getting in trouble - in point, he needed to grow up. He needed to at least attempt to be mature, or else their child never would. By instinct, at the simple thought of their baby, her hand drifted up to lay on her stomach. It was an odd gesture for her to make in front of Kaler, who was still unaware of the baby growing in her tiny belly, so she tried to make the action look casual by running her hand down her dress in an attempt to flatten it, hoping he didn't notice the way she momentarily lingered on the barely-there bump.

His reply made her want to smile; he was clearly displeased with the fact that she had every intention to leave him there overnight, but rather than lashing out at her, he settled for sarcasm. It was barely an improvement, but at least it was something. "Don't be childish," she scolded, rolling her eyes. Her eyes followed his movements as he made his way back to the little bed in the corner, sitting on it dejectedly. He looked so small and pathetic sitting there all by himself, miserable at being imprisoned this way. But how else would he learn? Bailing him out right away would teach him nothing, and he would end up thanking her for this some day. Preferably the day he was holding their little boy or girl in his arms for the first time. "You'll be fine. A night or two on that little bed and then you can come home and eat all the junk food, watch all the TV, and sleep all you want. Sound good?" She took a few steps forward and wrapped a hand around one of the bars, the other still lingering on her stomach subconsciously. "I love you," she added for good measure, wanting him to know that she wasn't doing this to torture him or because she was cruel. It was for his own good, and the good of their future child.

[kaler ryan scott]

Kaler didn’t know that he had one adjective in his head that would properly describe how he felt right now. Betrayed was too dramatic, outraged was too much. Pissed right the hell off was one that was easy to figure out, but that didn’t quite fit what he was feeling either. There was really just too much coursing through him to try to peg down with one word, but he was sure that the one word that fit this emotion was out there somewhere, and it was a freaking epic word at that. Did Vidette really think that being kind enough to show up and hand him a few of these damned wet naps was going to make everything okay? Did she expect him to jump for fucking joy because she was doing what was best for him and leaving him in this god forsaken jail cell to teach him a lesson? Kaler didn’t know what the hell was going through that pretty little head of hers, but he was almost seething by the time he got back to that dinky bed and sat down on it, still dabbing the wet nap at his lip and face before tossing it down on the floor. What was the point? He clearly wasn’t going anywhere tonight. Don’t be childish, she had said. Yeah, well he would very much like to see just how she would react if the tables were turned and he decided to leave her in jail overnight. Kaler doubted that her reaction would be any more mature than his had been, and he would catch all kinds of hell for it later. Not that Vidette would ever do something to land herself in his current position, but it was a thought that was good to entertain just for a moment.

When she spoke again, Kaler’s eyes moved to her beautiful face, no matter how much he wished he could just forget that she was even fucking there. She was talking to him like he was a child, like he was just being put in a silly time out and after this everything was just going to be fine and dandy again. That made his blood boil a little more, his eyes narrowing. Kaler had never thought of Vidette as one that would intentionally say or do things to piss him off and push him over the edge, but she was doing a damn good job of it right now though she honestly thought that she was in the right and he in the wrong. “Yeah, I’ll be fine. This isn’t the first jail I’ve seen, Vid. And that just sounds super,” he said, words none too friendly as he turned and let himself lay back on the rock hard bed, one leg still off the side and focused his gaze on the ceiling. If she thought that leaving him in here was going to prove something, was going to make him see the error of his ways, she was sadly mistaken. Vidette knew Kaler better than anyone, and she should have known that she was all he needed. She was like a mirror for him; when he saw disappointment, he did whatever he had to do to fix it, to make sure he never saw it in her or himself again. This? This was fucking uncalled for. “I love you.” That caused him to sigh deeply, Kaler closing his eyes for a moment. And of course she would throw that in there and make this emotion that much more complicated. Part of him wanted to shout all kinds of obscenities at her. “You are making being angry at you far more difficult than it should be.” Even though he was clearly still pissed, her sentiment and struck a nerve that only she knew how to get to.

[vidette isabelle garland]

Vidette wasn't necessarily mad the way she had been when she first set foot in the Arietta jail house. Rather, her anger had dissipated and was replaced with strong disappointment, which had become evident in her expression. Her gaze softened as she watched her boyfriend, but her lips were still turned down in a slight frown. Kaler was now the bitter one, and while Vidette should have felt bad for doing this to him, she couldn't bring herself to feel anything other than that gnawing disappointment. It was times like this when she felt the insatiable urge to inform him of her pregnancy so he would be able to understand that she wasn't leaving him in here to be a bitch, but because she actually had a legitimate reason. Hearing the news would make him want to change, to be a better person for their child, so their son or daughter could look up at him and be proud of their dad. Or so she hoped, at least. Either way, she doubted delivering the good news to him in jail would be the smartest or most romantic idea in the world, so she kept her mouth shut. Kaler threw the wet towels on the ground, dried blood still coating his lip and chin. She understood why he was so upset; all he wanted to do was go home and be pissed off there, and she was playing the evil villain by keeping him hostage in a tiny two by four cell. If the tables were turned and she were sitting on that little bed, she wouldn't be too pleased either. But this wasn't about her. This was about her boyfriend learning a lesson, or her hoping he would learn a lesson.

His rebuttal made Vidette roll her eyes; it wasn't that bad. She wasn't sending him off to Antarctica to live with the penguins for a year or two with nothing but a pair of board shorts and a t-shirt. It was just jail. For one night. He would get over it. "You don't have to be a dick about it. Someday you'll realize that I'm doing both of us a favor." It would only take nine months for him to get the hint, when their child was finally born, but he would get it eventually, and then he would thank her for being a good mommy. Or...something like that. “You are making being angry at you far more difficult than it should be.” Vidette smiled, tapping one of the bars gently with a nail. "Will you just come over here and kiss me already?" It would take some convincing, she knew, but she wasn't about to leave him on such a sour note. The least she could do was reassure him that she would be back in the morning with a fresh cup of coffee and a cigarette - despite her better judgment - and that she still loved him more than anything. That this one night didn't change a thing, and that sleeping without him tonight would be the equivalent of sleeping in jail from her perspective. "Please?"

[kaler ryan scott]

He still thought that this was clearly a horrible judgment call on Vidette’s end. Somewhere in Kaler’s mind he knew that she wanted to leave him there even less than he wanted to stay there, but she was still sticking to her guns and not bailing him out. What kind of lesson was there to be learned by staying the night here? Yes, he understood that he probably shouldn’t have engaged in that fight with the younger kid. Yes, he agreed that he had been a horrible friend to Jared and Randi by getting in a fight at their wedding and probably kind of ruining it by making it a fight worthy of having to be pried away from by a police officer. Kaler got that he was just an all-around asshole, a horrible example of a human being, and a total and complete prick, but one night in a jail cell on this god awful bed surely wasn’t going to change those kinds of traits about him. Okay, he admitted that his bitter, sarcastic side had gone a bit overboard with that one, but he felt that it was a legit argument to make if he thought arguing was going to change his situation any. And what was she talking about, doing them both a favor? Kaler chose to roll his eyes at that remark, not understanding her but knowing that it was best to keep his mouth shut. Nothing he said or did was going to change her mind, anyway.

And yet, it was increasingly difficult to hold a grudge against her, to stare her down and make her feel like shit for doing to him when it was really more of a punishment than he deserved. Had it been anyone else, Kaler probably would still be on his feet at the bars of the jail cell, using ever profane word he had to cut down whoever was there and feeling like kicking the shit out of them even though his fists were already sore and his face obviously told the story of a fight he had already been in this evening. Hell, he knew that if it were anyone else he would be so entirely pissed off, but this was Vidette and although he had been pretty pissed and angry at her at the start of all of this, it wasn’t quite to the degree it had been even three minutes ago. He was most certainly allowed to be mad at her for this one, and the fact that he couldn’t was irritating in itself, because he really did want to be angry with her right now. She spoke again, and her words made Kaler’s eyes open quickly, him shooting her a look that clearly read “seriously?” After all this, she wanted a kiss too? “Please?” God damn it. He moaned in frustration was he rolled himself out of the horrible little bed that he would call his that night. Like he had ever had any chance in denying her… It was one of the things that annoyed him, but also one of the things that let him know he was very in love with this girl and despite how upset he was with her, he made his way back to where she stood, using the back of his shirt sleeve to wipe at the dried blood he knew still remained on his face as he went. His hands grasped at two bars as he leaned his face forward between two of them, his icy blue eyes on her gorgeous face. “I don’t like you,” he told her, tilting his head to the side just slightly. “Not one bit.” And he even tried to sound serious about it, too.

[vidette isabelle garland]

Grumpy Kaler was, perhaps, the most adorable thing Vidette had ever laid eyes on. It was plain to see that the absolutely last place he wanted to be right now was inside that little jail cell, and he continued with his mission to make that point well known to her, as if it already wasn't. She watched him trudge across the two-by-four until he was standing directly in front of her, an aggravated pout visible on his lips. A smile appeared on her own as she leaned forward, placing her small hands over top each of his own larger ones, which were wrapped around the metal bars between them. "You can dislike me all you want," she teased, sticking her hand through the bars to run her finger along the length of his arm comfortingly. It was lucky that he was so closely pressed against the bars themselves, or else her arm would have gotten stuck. "But at the end of the day, you can't help but love me." And it was true. Throughout all of their little spats recently - mostly at the hand of her hormones - he never failed to hold her at night and remind her how much he cared about her. It reassured her to know that, even after all of her emotional ups and downs and ridiculous behavior, he still loved her and wanted to be with her. It allowed her to trust him just a little bit more. Vidette withdrew her arm and raised it to affectionately tap his nose. A smile teased her lips once more and she leaned her forehead against the bars, the cold metal causing her to shiver a bit. "I don't know how I'll sleep tonight," she sighed, the smile slowly disappearing from her face. She had become so used to falling asleep with Kaler's arms wrapped around her and the feel of his soft breathing against her neck. It comforted her, became a lullaby of sorts and lulled her to sleep each and every night. Sleeping without him beside her would be strange, and Viddy didn't doubt that it could possibly become a sleepless night for the both of them, but she wasn't about to back down from this punishment - though she could hardly call it that. Even if he didn't learn any kind of lesson from this, despite the fact that she hoped he would, at least he would know that Vidette was serious about wanting him to get his act together. That she wasn't just messing around and telling him to clean himself up for kicks. "But seriously though, I want my kiss." Vidette smiled, puckering her lips and batting her eyelashes playfully.

[kaler ryan scott]

This was…pathetic. Kaler shouldn’t have been this obedient little thing; he should have been pissed right the hell off and still been letting her know about it. It wasn’t like Kaler was afraid to spend a night in a jail cell, but it was more like the fact that she had the nerve to come here and tell him than she was leaving him there rather than just ignoring his call. He would have been angry either way, but this had just been a little bit worse. There was no way that she should be able to get off the hook this easily with him, but despite his frustration and his clear displeasure with his situation, Vidette was indeed off the hook. Not that he would let her know that just yet, but Kaler knew that all that anger he had felt in the beginning had turned from her and found its true target: himself. It was something that he was going to have to sort out, and it seemed that he would have the entire night alone with his thoughts to do just that. And, no matter how badly he wanted to take it all out on her, to make her seem like the bad guy for doing this to him, there was something inside of him that told him to let it go. Vidette’s tiny hands were placed over top of his, Kaler looking down at that simple touch, watching as her finger slid up and down his arm and hearing her words. “But at the end of the day, you can’t help but love me.” His blue gaze lifted back to her pretty face when she said this, holding back that small grin that threatened to turn up the corner of his lips. Kaler had been dealing with a lot from Viddy lately, the two of them riding this insane rollercoaster of emotion when she would hit these highs and lows and fly off the handle at the slightest things. He guessed that they balanced each other out pretty well; he dealt with her mood swings and she dealt with his dumbass mistakes, and they loved each other regardless. He glared as she tapped his nose, still not ready to play quite that nice. Vidette didn’t let that deter her, and Kaler swore that he could see just how cute she thought this all was. A smile played on her lips before she leaned her head against one of the bars, it slowly fading as she spoke again. A spiteful part of Kaler thought that it seemed fair that she would also have a shitty night of sleep, knowing that they were both so used to having each other when they went to bed that it seemed wrong not to fall asleep together now. He could just imagine how she might toss and turn, upsetting the little dog that now slept at the foot of her bed and cursing him and then herself for such a sleepless night. Even though it shouldn’t have, it made him feel a little bit better seeing as he was going to be tossing and turning on the brick that this place called a bed. But, then she was asking for her kiss again, batting her eyelashes and puckering up her lips. Kaler just shook his head. “You’re ridiculous,” he said, but then of course he leaned down through the bars and gave her just want she wanted, a sweet kiss on the lips. When he pulled back, it was just far enough so that he could look into those deep brown eyes of hers. “But I love you, even if you are that bitchy girlfriend that comes to the jailhouse just to tell me that you aren’t bailing me out.” And yes, that last part was necessary, but she would know that it was said in what was mostly a good natured way. Bitterness still tinged that last part, but no matter how badly he wanted to be angry at her or how pissed off he was about having to stay overnight, nothing could change the fact that he loved her. On that much, he was being absolutely sincere.