Anchor *scomiche*

Chapter 13 - I Like You, Scott

It took forever for me to be even somewhat satisfied with this chapter, so it is what it is :) There will probably be 15 chapters total. I like the new turn of events... 

"Have a good time and good luck." Mitch's mom glanced at him with love in her eyes. "You can do this." She stepped forward to give him a lingering hug. "You deserve happiness, honey. If you decide to tell him today just remember that you took that chance and you should be proud of yourself. The love your father and I had can and does exist; don't think about anything from the past, you can't change anything or the decisions you made. Keep in mind that there was a reason for them. I love you."

"I love you too, mom," Mitch said as he returned her hug. The butterflies in his stomach had multiplied tenfold throughout the morning, like they were going to bust out of his stomach at any moment. It was Saturday and he and Scott were going to spend most of the day together even though they didn't actually have a plan. They agreed to meet at a local coffee shop for a small breakfast before deciding what they would do. Mitch was ok with not having a plan; winging it was something he'd never normally do but he just wanted to play it by ear and see what happened. If he didn't start freaking out as the day went on, all the better.

He took a deep breath as he slid into the car to make his way toward the coffee shop. He felt constricted by the seatbelt and mentally berated himself to calm the hell down. He glanced down at his outfit and hoped that he looked ok. He chose a mostly black ensemble with tighter fitting slacks and a black blazer with a light purple button down underneath. He glanced in the mirror at his septum ring and wondered if it was too much. It wasn't flashy by any means; it was subtle enough, but he still felt self-conscious. He decided to keep it, they were literally just hanging out and there was no reason for him to obsess over his appearance. He felt a bit overdressed so he brought a change of clothes in case they decided to do something outside. He blasted music and sang at the top of his lungs to calm his nerves. He had settled down a bit by the time he reached the coffee shop.

He stepped inside and saw Scott hadn't arrived yet. He ordered a coffee and croissant before taking a seat by the window. He stared out at the cars zooming by and became entranced by it. There was so much life passing by, so many people with stories, people with relationships that either did or didn't work out. Good and bad choices were made that determined the course of their lives. He wished he could ask them if they regretted anything. Maybe it would help the unease of his own life choices. Where would he have ended up if he'd made different ones? What if he never told Scott how he felt, how would that change things? He was jerked out of his thought process by Scott leaning down to place his arm around his neck in a hug.

"Hey, you looked like you were thinking way too hard, don't be doing that. They called your name up there, your coffee is ready. We'll walk up together. I think I'll order one of every caffeinated beverage available." He giggled... actually giggled... as they walked side by side. "It was a rough couple of days at work."

"I'm sorry, anything you want to talk about?"

The smile left his face slowly. He shrugged and stepped up to put in his order. He got the biggest size they had of coffee and a breakfast sandwich. They made their way back to the table and sat down. Mitch popped a piece of croissant in his mouth and had to hold back a moan. It might've been the best one he's ever had. He surreptitiously looked at Scott, noticing the look of tension in his features. He looked exhausted and Mitch felt bad.

He laid a hand on top of Scott's and glanced into his eyes. "I'm sorry you had a rough time with work. We can always cut the day short so you can go home and do what you need to do to unwind and take care of yourself."

Scott squeezed Mitch's hand and he felt the tingles run up and down his spine. "I'm exactly where I want to be. You help keep me grounded and sane. I had another organ donation patient... he was only 22 years old. It doesn't matter how long I've been in this profession, it doesn't get any easier when I lose a patient so young. I was about to graduate college and start my life and career at 22, I never thought about my own mortality. Who would? He was just beginning his life and it's unfair that he'll never get to live it."