forbidden-lrh

11- Fixed

The nerves did not go away with time. In fact, they got worse.

It was as if Friday hit her like a train, coming at the blink of an eye.

All that was on Evelyn's mind was what Kate wanted to say to her. She desperately wanted to talk to him, but she had no clue what his intention was.

Did he want to fix things? Or just bury another nail in the coffin.

She decided she would get an Uber to The Fleet. Michael couldn't possibly drive her and then leave and come back five minutes later for the group's dinner plans. And he couldn't just wait at a different table alone for however long it would take.

She sat in the back of the black car, the car freshener being the only thing calming her nerves. The Uber driver was polite, not talking too much after seeing the dread on her face. He simply turned on some soft, instrumental music and drove in quiet.

Like elevator music.

When the bold words The Fleet showed up in her peripheral, she swallowed.

Getting out, Evelyn slammed shut the car door before adjusting the small purse on her shoulder. Her feet were solidly in concrete, as if refusing to move.

Step by step, she picked up her feet until the sliding doors opened with a gust of air conditioned air, making a woosh sound.

Kate was sitting in the waiting area, not at a table yet but waiting for her to join. He was scrolling through his phone aimlessly, until she made her way in front of him.

Gently she tapped his shoulder, watching him jolt up for a second before relaxing at the familiar face.

He stood up, putting his phone in his pocket before slightly smiling at her. His eyes was kinder than usual, more kind than they had been for over a year.

It was not a "welcome home" smile, but it was better than nothing.

He turned to the waiter before pointing to the bar side of the restaurant. It had tall stools with a black sleek table that wrapped around the bar.

They walked towards it as she sat meekly next to him, gripping her purse and looking forward as to avoid any awkward eye contact.

The bar attendant looked at them with suspicion, "I'm going to need to see ID if you're planning on drinking".

Obviously. They looked like children.

She shook her head, "I don't want any alcohol, just a milkshake, but he's old enough to drink".

Kate pulled out an ID to prove it as he nodded before taking their drink orders.

As the bartender began to make their drinks, Kate turned to Evelyn.

"So," he trailed off, "I won't keep you here for long. I just wanted to explain myself".

He took a deep breath before continuing, "I shouldn't have blamed you, Eve. I was traumatized, ruined by what happened to me. I just needed to put the blame on someone and you were the closest for me to do so".

She bit her lip to stop the tears from spilling out. The weight in her chest was finally being lifted as he continued to talk.

"The full reason I blamed you has to do with something that I am not comfortable telling you yet", he paused as the bartender brought their drinks in front of them.

"That's okay," she said softly, taking a sip from her milkshake and urging him to continue.

"I will tell you eventually why I blamed you, but right now I just need to... recover, so to speak. I can't say right now that I can go back into our group the way it was, but I'm willing to work on being closer to... well, normal". He finished, taking a sip of his drink as he waited for her to speak.