Rough Patch

Guilt

"Connie, I'm sorry about that night."

Connie was enjoying a baked potato and stopped just before she got a bite to her mouth. "What night?"

The restaurant they were in was buzzing with laughter and quiet murmuring. Lights flickered across their faces as they stared at each other.

"Y-you know what I mean." Steven narrowed his eyes, daring her to deny it.

Connie licked her lips and took the fork to her lips and chewed infuriatingly slowly before responding.

"I really, really don't. If you mean the night of the phone call, it's really not a big deal." She put another bite in her mouth and sighed happily.

Steven couldn't believe her. Did she really not remember? No, she remembered. She was either playing a cruel game, or she was in denial. It was less than a week ago and Steven got the feeling it was a sick mixture of both. After almost four days of moping and beating himself up, he had finally gotten the courage to call her up and bring her here to apologize. This wasn't, however, how he expected it to go. "Connie, please don't make me say it."

She looked at him through glazed eyes and shook her head. "Say. What?" Her jaw was set firmly and her nostrils were flaring with the intensity of her statement.

He closed his eyes and bit the inside of his cheek. She wasn't going to acknowledge what happened. He knew that now. She was going to deny it until it went away. "It won't go away if you pretend it didn't happen."

"Steven, it didn't happen."

"That's acknowledgment, Connie." He said.

"Whatever you're talking about, it didn't happen." She scooped another spoonful of potato in her mouth and chewed stiffly. She turned away from him as he opened his mouth to respond and smiled at a waiter. "Can I have another drink?"

The guy nearly dropped the dishes he was carrying and rushed to the kitchen. It made Stevens blood boil something fierce.

"Quit lying to yourself." His voice was dangerously low and Connie swallowed.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"You do."

"I don't."

"Connie! We had sex while I was drunk. You felt obligated to thank me the only way you know how, and I let you. I took advantage of you. And I'm sorry, okay?"

She drew in a shaky breath after a few moments of silence. "Don't give yourself so much credit." She said, her eyes sparking with defiance.

"You're a brat, you know that?" He growled in annoyance at her blatant disregard for his apology.

"Oh, thank you." Connie's smile returned as the waiter came with her drink.

"You're welcome. I hope you enjoy it." The guy was red faced and kept lingering over her.

"Get lost, dude." Steven snapped, gritting his teeth. Again the guy scurried off, this time from fear and Connie blinked at him slowly. She kept eye contact as she sucked on the straw until her cheeks hollowed out, and it took every ounce of patience to not scream with frustration.

"That was rude." She said simply.

The man sighed and sat back in his chair. She wasn't going to give in. Not here, not now. There were too many variables here. What he needed, was a sneak attack. He needed to corner her.

"If you're done, I think I'm gonna go." Connie seemed to sense the change in pursuit and stood abruptly. "I had fun." She smiled and for a moment the shy and loving girl he used to know was standing in front of him.

But then she was walking away and he was sitting with his head in his hands, glowing pink.