A Sense of Guilt ✔

Chapter 46

Katherine looked across the kitchen table at Danielle, trying to hide her unease. Danielle was supposed to have moved in as soon as Joe's tenancy ended but due to bad planning or Dani's haphazard nature, she'd been late putting her notice in with her current landlord. Now it didn't look like she would move in until midway through the month. Katherine was tempted to insist that she pay her share of the rent for the full month, but the fear that Danielle might go cold on the whole thing stopped her. She had to keep reminding herself that Dani was doing her a favour, and besides, she'd been living there rent-free since Joe moved out. Her situation could have been a great deal worse.

'So when is Joe getting his shit out of here?' Danielle asked and Katherine winced.

'This weekend. There didn't seem any point in hurrying when you aren't ready to move in yet.' She left the implied criticism hanging in the air.

Danielle pouted. 'Come on Kat, it's hardly my fault I had to give notice.'

Eva, who so far had been silent, fake coughed. 'Did you not read our rental contract?'

Danielle tossed her hair over her shoulder. 'As a matter of fact, no I did not.' 

'Surprise, surprise.'

'Anyone want a refill?' Katherine asked standing up and distracting herself whilst she topped her coffee up. She was glad Joe had surrendered the coffee maker in exchange for the PlayStation, idiot that he was. As if she wanted to keep the PlayStation!

'So where's Joe moving to?' Eva asked passing her cup to Katherine.

'Supposedly he hasn't found anywhere yet,' Katherine said taking the cup and keeping her back to the girls. 'I don't know if he just doesn't want to tell me his new address.' She couldn't believe they were that estranged, that he could turn his back on the past three years of his life as if they were inconsequential.

'He might have moved in with Shannon,' Eva said softly. 'And he doesn't want to rub your nose in it.'

'Probably,' Katherine admitted with a sigh. 'I guess I could find out when he and Donnie come to take his stuff. I'll ask Donnie where he's moving it to.'

'You'll ask Donnie,' Danielle said a sly note entering her voice.

Katherine frowned. 'Why not? I'm not holding my breath that Joe will even show his face.'

'Kat, Donnie will be on their side,' Danielle said grabbing a cookie. 'He was Joe's friend first so he won't tell you anything Joe doesn't want you to know.'

'I would have thought that,' Katherine mused. 'But Donnie seems to know his own mind.'

'And you think he'd side with you over Joe?' Eva asked her eyes widening.

'I wouldn't go that far,' Katherine said with a half laugh. 'I don't think he'd take sides period. Anyway, it's redundant now, Joe's with Shannon.' She forced herself not to call Shannon 'the slut', holding onto her anger was not helping her.

'Are you okay with that?' Eva asked and Danielle snorted. 'I mean have you accepted it?' she added giving Danielle a filthy look.

'I guess,' Katherine said picking up her cup to obscure her face. 'I don't think he's going to come back to me if that's what you mean.'

'And if he did?'

Katherine paused, it was a question she'd asked herself a thousand times before. She imagined Joe throwing himself at her mercy, begging for forgiveness, and her response would be what? In one scenario she imagined throwing herself in his arms, in the other she'd coldly shun him. Both felt hollow, maybe because she knew neither would happen. Joe hadn't dumped her on a whim, he'd checked out of their relationship long before he'd formally ended it.

'Joe is never going to ask me back,' Katherine said firmly, trying to draw the subject to a close. 'But hypothetically, if it did, I'd like to think I've got enough self-respect that I wouldn't entertain the idea.' She wished she felt as resolute as her words.

'Go, girl,' Danielle said raising her hand for a high five and Katherine weakly responded. 'So moving on.' She clasped her hands together. 'Or rather, who you should move on to.'

Katherine groaned. 'Not again. It's too soon for that.'

'Nonsense. Joe's jumped into a relationship with RFS, no reason why you can't do the same.'

'RFS?' Katherine queried with a raised eyebrow.

'Rat Faced Slut.' 

'Oh,' she said trying not to smile.

'Dani you need to knock this off,' Eva admonished. 'All this petty name calling is juvenile. Kat doesn't need it.' Katherine bristled at the intervention, she could speak for herself.

'So you're defending Shannon?' Danielle asked her eyes darkening.

Eva glanced at Katherine nervously. 'No, I'm not. I don't know anything about her and neither do you.'

'I know she went after a guy who was taken.'

'And you haven't?' Eva asked with an arched eyebrow. 'You've gone after guys who were taken so knock it off with the holier than though act.'

A heavy silence descended upon the room as Danielle shot Eva a murderous look. Katherine stood up and poured the remainder of her coffee into the sink, keeping her hands busy as her friends glared at each other. She knew Danielle had made some questionable choices but in all honesty, she'd never given the matter much thought. She wasn't sure Eva should be throwing it in her face, well not in defence of Shannon at any rate.

'So,' she said clearing her throat, as she grappled with what to say. 'I don't think anything could ever happen between me and Donnie cos it's all a bit too close to Joe. It would be weird, don't you think?' She felt her cheeks heat up but the tension was thankfully broken.

'If you guys do like each other then I think you could overcome that,' Eva said her voice faltering.

Katherine looked towards Danielle. 'Sure you could,' Danielle said flicking her hair over her shoulder. 'He's helping move Joe's stuff out, more as a favour to you by the sounds of it. Actually, could you ask him if he'd help me move my stuff over here? I've not sorted anything out yet.'

'Okay,' Katherine said noting that Danielle was never one to miss a trick. 'I'll text him now.' She typed a quick message and almost instantly her phone pinged.

'Well?' Danielle asked leaning over and trying to read her message.

'He said, "no problem, happy to help",' Katherine told her smiling.

'He obviously likes you, look how quick he replied.'

'Or maybe he doesn't like to leave people waiting.' Unlike Joe, god forbid he reply in a timely manner. The irony was not lost on her that the things she used to find irritating about Donnie - his bluntness, his lack of tact - she now found to be a welcome relief. At least he was straightforward.

'But didn't you say Donnie had a crush on your mom?' Danielle asked smirking. 'Back when she was an actress?'

'She still is an actress, she works in theatre.' Once her mother had hit thirty and could no longer convincingly play the part of a high school girl, her career had developed more off-screen.

'But you know what I mean,' Danielle persisted. 'And you're like the younger, improved version of your mom.'

'Gee thanks.' Katherine laughed in spite of herself. 'Are you actually suggesting that Donnie wants to live out his teenage fantasies through me?' She felt herself blush again.

'Would that be such a bad thing?' Eva asked her mouth twitching.

Katherine shook her head as they both teased her about her 'budding romance' but really the idea was absurd. Yes, it would be payback for Joe, and Donnie was definitely becoming a close friend but it was impossible to think he could be more than that. It would be far too complicated.

                                                      ~~~

Thank you for reading, this was a bit of a filler scene. In the next chapter, Joe receives some unexpected news.