TASTES LIKE LOVE

The Confrontation

"Mark, what are....what are you doing here?"

The question registered, but he did not quite understand it. He was too busy staring at the subject of his dreams, standing in his kitchen like this, as if by fate, and asking a relatively ridiculous question.

She's so beautiful.

"What do you mean? Why am I in my kitchen? At my restaurant?" he asked, finally gathering his wits around him. He wasn't going to let her distract him from the fact that she had broken up with him, rather brutally, without giving him the chance to understand why.

"Where's your girlfriend? Didn't you take her home?" she asked, and he couldn't help but notice the tinge of bitterness in her voice.

"What girlfriend?"

"Tall, pretty, pink Chanel mini dress?"

"Yumi? Are you stalking me, miss Pierce?"

"Not in the slightest, don't flatter yourself. I just happened to see you pick her up at the bar."

"So why are YOU here, then?"

"To return these," she said, holding up the box. "I don't think I can use them, and you can give them to your pretty girlfriend."

"Keep the shoes, Lauren."

But she was already setting the box on a nearby counter, because well, she always just did whatever the fuck she wanted. She turned to go, and he found himself incredibly angry at her for once, even the tone of his own voice scared him when he said, "Stop right there, Lauren."

She stopped, and turned to face him, and there were tears in her eyes.
"What!? What more is there to say?? I'm the bad guy here, I get it. So why-"

"I'm sorry, Lauren. I shouldn't have shouted at you. That was irresponsible. I just-"

"I miss you," she said, so softly, he almost didn't hear it. They were still standing too far apart for his liking.

"What?"

"You heard me. I won't be saying it again," she said, moving the hair out of her face. "I guess maybe I should tell you the real reason I left you, otherwise you'll just hate me forever,"

"Well it's about time you did, actually. I waited a month for this," he said, watching as she shifted on her feet, moving closer, nervous.

"Dominic found out, about us. He had the evidence, and he threatened to use it to get the press against you. I know, I know I shouldn't have cared, you would have wanted me not to, but I.. was scared. I broke up with you because I was scared of the feeling I had when I thought you were in danger. I couldn't... breathe for a moment, staring at you across that parking lot, knowing that you would have said it was okay, that we could get through it together."

They stared at each other across the expanse of a kitchen island, only the marble counter littered with a few pots and pans separating them, the weight of what she just said settling between them. His heart was beating so fast he was amazed it didn't jump out of his chest.

"Lauren.." he breathed, the word as reverent as a prayer, quietly spoken, but thundering in the silence between them.

"I don't want to burden you with anymore of my issues, I couldn't possibly ask anymore from you-"

"You only have to ask, Lauren. I would do anything for you. I don't know why you couldn't just let me in enough so we could-"

"But you already did enough, Mark. In fact more than enough. You trusted me, and I failed you. I can't ask you to follow me after all that I've done, that would be too cruel,"