Pretending to be strangers
Steve
Title: Pretending to be Strangers
Pairing: E/J
Disclaimer: All credit to Annie Proulx
“C’mon, Ennis, it’ll be fun.”
“No, Jack, ain’t gonna happen.”
“It’s just a little pretendin’…” Jack was cheating now, using his blue eyes and that pouty little mouth to full advantage.
“Ennis?” Jack whispered softly
“Alright, Jack, alright.”
“Ennis, it’ll be okay, you’ll see. It’ll be fun. I know this little bar near here. Nobody there this time a day” There was no denying Jack when he talked this way, whispered that way.
An hour later they were at the bar, “Okay, Ennis, you go inside first. I’ll be in shortly.” Ennis glared once at Jack and went in.
The bar was a dive, the bartender…an old man, dull eyes, dull look, gray. He took Ennis’ order of whiskey, walked back over to his stool and picked up his paper to continue reading.
Right about that time the door swung open and Jack strode towards the bar swaggering like he’d just rode that bull for the full 8 seconds. He slammed his hand down on the bar, “Bartender, gimme a whiskey!” The bartender got him his whiskey. Jack tossed it back, shouted for another. He looked over at Ennis with a big grin on his face, ”Hey, there cowboy,” he said too loud.
Ennis just put his head down in his hands. Jack couldn’t contain himself and started laughing.
“No, no, look, I’ll try it again. Don’t move, okay?” Jack said, both hands out and facing Ennis. Jack could barely contain his laughter, tossed his second whiskey, spun on his heel and ran out. Ennis could only shake his head.
A minute later, Jack walked through the door, got two steps in and tripped over the rug. Ennis let out a snort. Jack put his head down and walked out.
Jack tried a couple more times. Managed to get to the slamming-the-whiskey point before having to leave in embarrassment. Ennis was ready to give up at this point.
Then Jack came in, real serious looking. He asked again for a whiskey, walked straight over to Ennis, took his hat off and stood next him his head down. Ennis was trying to figure out how this was pretending cause it felt just like any other time they had been at a bar.
“Jack?”
“Sorry, Ennis. Can’t do it. Ain’t no making believe we’re strangers. It just ain’t right. No way I could walk up to someone else like that. Just ain’t no way. Don’t know what I was thinking.”
Ennis just sat there. A shiver ran up his spine at what Jack had just said
“Truth is, Jack. Couldn’t do it neither. There ain’t nobody else…” Ennis couldn’t finish.
“So there it is. We’re stuck with each other, aren’t we,” Jack grinned.
“Guess so, Jack, guess so,” Ennis grinned.
Suddenly Jack sprang up, slapped Ennis on the back scaring the crap outta him and said loudly, “Well, pardner, I guess it’s time to hit the trail.
“Here, Ennis, let me get these drinks. Ya know, I’m the one drug ya,” here he pulls out his wallet and rummages through it, “out here,” tosses his wallet on the bar and starts searching through his pants pockets, “wasting your time and such...,” he looks towards Ennis, “I can’t find my money, Ennis.” Ennis grinned for a moment thinking that there wasn’t anyone else he’d want to be stuck with.
“Jack, you didn’t bring money when we left?” Ennis sighed and looked down at the floor. “Dumb bastard. Let me see what I got on me.” Ennis pulled out some cash, luckily had enough, and threw that on the counter. Bartender didn’t even look up.
Ennis grabbed Jack by the shoulder of his coat and shoved him towards the door, Jack laughing the whole way.
“Ennis, I didn’t do it on purpose. I just forgot,” he tried to explain between the giggles and the snorting.
“Jack, you’d forget your ass if it wasn’t stuffed into those jeans. Get on over to that truck.” He watched Jack stumble through the door. “Stupid rodeo fuck-up…, “ he mumbled.
Ennis walked out the door and could be heard yelling, “Jack you better get the hell in that truck or I’m gonna treat you like the two-year old you really are.”
“But, Ennis…”
“Don’t talk back to me, son…”
Title: Pretending to be Strangers
Pairing: E/J
Disclaimer: All credit to Annie Proulx
“C’mon, Ennis, it’ll be fun.”
“No, Jack, ain’t gonna happen.”
“It’s just a little pretendin’…” Jack was cheating now, using his blue eyes and that pouty little mouth to full advantage.
“Ennis?” Jack whispered softly
“Alright, Jack, alright.”
“Ennis, it’ll be okay, you’ll see. It’ll be fun. I know this little bar near here. Nobody there this time a day” There was no denying Jack when he talked this way, whispered that way.
An hour later they were at the bar, “Okay, Ennis, you go inside first. I’ll be in shortly.” Ennis glared once at Jack and went in.
The bar was a dive, the bartender…an old man, dull eyes, dull look, gray. He took Ennis’ order of whiskey, walked back over to his stool and picked up his paper to continue reading.
Right about that time the door swung open and Jack strode towards the bar swaggering like he’d just rode that bull for the full 8 seconds. He slammed his hand down on the bar, “Bartender, gimme a whiskey!” The bartender got him his whiskey. Jack tossed it back, shouted for another. He looked over at Ennis with a big grin on his face, ”Hey, there cowboy,” he said too loud.
Ennis just put his head down in his hands. Jack couldn’t contain himself and started laughing.
“No, no, look, I’ll try it again. Don’t move, okay?” Jack said, both hands out and facing Ennis. Jack could barely contain his laughter, tossed his second whiskey, spun on his heel and ran out. Ennis could only shake his head.
A minute later, Jack walked through the door, got two steps in and tripped over the rug. Ennis let out a snort. Jack put his head down and walked out.
Jack tried a couple more times. Managed to get to the slamming-the-whiskey point before having to leave in embarrassment. Ennis was ready to give up at this point.
Then Jack came in, real serious looking. He asked again for a whiskey, walked straight over to Ennis, took his hat off and stood next him his head down. Ennis was trying to figure out how this was pretending cause it felt just like any other time they had been at a bar.
“Jack?”
“Sorry, Ennis. Can’t do it. Ain’t no making believe we’re strangers. It just ain’t right. No way I could walk up to someone else like that. Just ain’t no way. Don’t know what I was thinking.”
Ennis just sat there. A shiver ran up his spine at what Jack had just said
“Truth is, Jack. Couldn’t do it neither. There ain’t nobody else…” Ennis couldn’t finish.
“So there it is. We’re stuck with each other, aren’t we,” Jack grinned.
“Guess so, Jack, guess so,” Ennis grinned.
Suddenly Jack sprang up, slapped Ennis on the back scaring the crap outta him and said loudly, “Well, pardner, I guess it’s time to hit the trail.
“Here, Ennis, let me get these drinks. Ya know, I’m the one drug ya,” here he pulls out his wallet and rummages through it, “out here,” tosses his wallet on the bar and starts searching through his pants pockets, “wasting your time and such...,” he looks towards Ennis, “I can’t find my money, Ennis.” Ennis grinned for a moment thinking that there wasn’t anyone else he’d want to be stuck with.
“Jack, you didn’t bring money when we left?” Ennis sighed and looked down at the floor. “Dumb bastard. Let me see what I got on me.” Ennis pulled out some cash, luckily had enough, and threw that on the counter. Bartender didn’t even look up.
Ennis grabbed Jack by the shoulder of his coat and shoved him towards the door, Jack laughing the whole way.
“Ennis, I didn’t do it on purpose. I just forgot,” he tried to explain between the giggles and the snorting.
“Jack, you’d forget your ass if it wasn’t stuffed into those jeans. Get on over to that truck.” He watched Jack stumble through the door. “Stupid rodeo fuck-up…, “ he mumbled.
Ennis walked out the door and could be heard yelling, “Jack you better get the hell in that truck or I’m gonna treat you like the two-year old you really are.”
“But, Ennis…”
“Don’t talk back to me, son…”