Forget

A prompt for radiogaga09

"It gets people talking," she shrugs, taking a sip of the iced latte, "and the more they talk about us, the more they won't focus on you, right?"

"And I appreciate it," Bradley replies quietly, "we both do. You know that. But not at the risk of your relationship."

She shifts in her seat, giving a smile to a passerby who recognizes them. The outdoor seating at the lower east side cafe is not ideal for maximum privacy but they are used to it now. New York does not offer the same protections as Los Angeles or the further reaches of California and they are always decidedly more exposed. It works, sometimes, though.

To some, they are merely co-parenting; friendly, seen together only with their daughter and to others, there is talk of a possible reunion. But she's in Bradley's corner and she's well aware if the possibility is out there in the public eye, people will navigate toward it, leave his personal life be.

It feels like the right decision...to help protect the both of them in this way. The understanding between the three of them wasn't easy to come to fruition. There had been pain along the way and she'd have been fooling herself if she said it still was not difficult from time to time. But when it came down to it, there was no one to blame. In fact, everyone was extraordinarily cautious about doing the right thing and it extended down the line; partners, Lea, careers...but in the end, there was only one decision to be made, only one conclusion to come to.

Bradley did not outwardly ask her for her discretion, nor her help in protecting what was sacred. After they'd become unraveled, he'd come to her months later when the footing was much more solid, sat her down on the porch of the townhouse while Lea played inside with Gloria.

"I want to be honest," he folded his hands earnestly. "You deserve that."

She regarded him behind dark lenses. He seemed tentative, nervous and quickly she shook her head. "You're always honest with me, Bradley."

When they'd come undone, despite best efforts, it had been months in the making. Longer than that, maybe.

It was nobody's fault...it had come down to a lack of communication, the absence of any of what had held them intact, save for their daughter.

And still, she anticipated what he was going to say. Yes, he had always been honest with her.

But he hadn't been quite so honest with himself.

She knew the day would arrive where he'd come to her, tell her what she had known to be true since the very first time Stefani stepped foot into the home they shared and she saw how his eyes lit up, as blue as she'd ever seen them.

But Bradley was careful not to destroy her, to refrain from leaving their child with a broken home, and especially, she realized, not to bring Stefani anymore pain than she'd already suffered.

So, he tiptoed.

And it infiltrated, anyway. Only one piece to blast them apart when they were already fragile, but blast them apart, it did.

"I wish I wasn't such a coward," he began, palms overturned on the table. "I never wanted to hurt you."

If it had been months prior, she could hear none of it. Though no one had been unfaithful, his inability to admit his real feelings had been a huge source of contention. But she had never called him on it, either, choosing to live in less than blissful ignorance over facing the heartbreaking reality. She believed him when he spoke purely of their friendship, chose to ignore the rumors and the whispers in favor of self-preservation.