They pulled up to Lamar Stevenson's house in search for any clues as to what ailed him. Ethan asking her to roleplay - to put herself in the happy couples position to go through their day to day lives.
"Roleplay..." she mused thinking of all the innuendos she could throw at him if they weren't trying to be professional all the time. "So I'm Liz and you're Lamar. We just got home and I..." Becca trailed off as they stepped through the threshold of the old colonial home overlooking the water.
"Roleplay in your head, Rookie, I don't need a play-by-play," he admonished, going to look through the study to their right.
Becca continued on scouring through the living area for any signs of toxicity. When she found nothing she shuffled through to the dining room. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed a humble wave meeting the shore. The motion sent a wave of nostalgia through her bones as she stared aimlessly out the window into the bay - teleported to another place where time stood still.
Although she didn't hear him she felt Ethan's presence a footfall away.
"Why did you have to go," she whispered, her trance still on the murky Massachusetts water.
Ethan's arms crossed over his chest, his steely blue eyes bore into the back of her head. "Rebecca, we spoke about this."
"I missed you so bad." The words fell effortlessly off her tongue, like the uncomplicated push and pull of the waves ahead.
"I'm sorry about that."
"How could you leave without saying a word? After everything we've gone through..."
He stayed quiet.
She took a deep breath of air, readying herself to say the words she feared to vocalize all these months. "From the moment you asked me to help you out with the pharma execs at the baseball game... I knew we were going to be something more than just colleagues. And then Miami... you touched me and it's almost like... like we both knew the risks." Becca willed her eyes closed for just a moment, grounding herself to the harsh reality. "You can reset us all you want but there will always be history between us two."
Still no response. No rebuttal. Was he even listening to her speak?
Becca took another deep breath and sighed, "If anything I thought we were friends at the very least."
"We - We are." Ethan tried to keep his tone indifferent but her words cut him to his core. They were friends, they were always something more than friends and he knew that they couldn't be more than friends. If they couldn't be more then they both would have to accept the alternative.
She whipped her head around, "Friends don't disappear without a trace." Furious brown met conflicted blue.
"How many times do I have to say I'm sorry?" Ethan pinched the bridge of his nose. "It was something I had to do." His face contorted into a grimace.
"Yeah..." Becca trailed off, taking one large step to close the distance between them. While he was reeling she made a bold decision.
In one swift motion her cherried lips affixed themselves to his. Ethan's arms immediately fell to his sides on contact. Before he had a chance to react Becca pulled away and said, "and that was something I had to do."
Her gaze went from his stunned plump lips and up to his disharmonized glare.
"Rookie... we can't."
He could feel the disappointed rage emitting off of her, and for another time Ethan Ramsey felt like he failed her.
"Right."
Becca turned on her heels, making her way over to the staircase to begin their search upstairs. Before she ascended she turned back for one more final blow, "You know, all you have to do is tell me to stop and I'll move on. Just say the word and we can have that strictly professional relationship you want so bad."
He continued looking out the window and into the endless bay.
She nodded to herself - she had her answer.
