Hey There, Delilah

Friends Forever

Song: meeting an old friend playlist by kaqshi

Ambrose placed the silver electric kettle down once the white mug was full. The strong aroma of mint wafted over him as he steeped the tea. Mindful of the cramped quarters of his office, he maneuvered around the boxes with the cup in hand.

"Thank you," Jill whispered. Her small hands wrapped around the hot cup. She blew on the rising steam while Ambrose settled across from her. The hot liquid burned her tongue but she swallowed a mouthful anyway. It was nice and she appreciated the kind gesture, something that was a rarity for her these days. "How've you been?"

Ambrose mulled the question over as he rolled his sleeves up to reveal his forearms. His hands were streaked with dry grease from the way he took off his gloves once the bouquet was settled in Jill's car. The car that there was absolutely nothing wrong with. Ambrose himself had worked on it and made sure it was in good shape before handing it back over to her.

Four months ago.

"Jill, what are you doing here?" Ambrose asked instead. He pushed his safety glasses up so that he could see her better without any dirt and smudges to cloud his vision. Jill nibbled on her bottom lip, wincing. Ambrose wondered if her lip would split open again from the additional pressure. "Jill."

"I just wanted to see you. To talk," she replied quietly. Her round eyes lowered as she took another sip to clear her tightening throat. "What, I can't come see an old friend now?"

Ambrose swallowed the lump in his throat. His dark gaze trailed over Jill's small face. It was as if the longer she stayed in his presence, the more that thin layer of makeup she wore seemed to fade.

Ambrose glanced away. He was sick of seeing her bruised and he was sick of hearing her excuses. There was only so much he could take before he had to distance himself from the situation for his own good.

Vincent was the one to make him realize that.

Ambrose, Vincent, and Jill. It was the three of them against the world ever since they were in diapers, back in their old neighborhood. Everything went to shit when Jill met her husband and refused to leave him no matter how many times he beat her.

Ambrose himself had come to blows with the asshole far too many times to count. Vincent was the one to pull him out of the situation once and for all with a firm:

You can't save someone that doesn't want to be saved, Ambrose.

So they stopped reaching out even after she came to her senses the last time she'd cut them off. That was almost three years ago and now she was back again for reasons Ambrose couldn't entertain.

"You can see an old friend whenever you want." Ambrose's eyes flicked towards her. They softened and so did his voice. No trace of gruffness could be found whenever he addressed Jill. "But you and I both know that it won't go beyond that."

Jill drained the tea in her cup to avoid Ambrose's burning stare. A heavy heat settled into the pits of her stomach when she placed the cup down. Her arms rested on his desk as she leaned closer, desperate to be closer to someone that cared about her.

"I know that."

"Do you?"

"I do."

Ambrose chuckled softly, leaning on his forearms as he met her halfway across the desk. "Then you need to stop looking at me like you wanna jump my bones. My guys won't stop talking about it and it's driving me crazy."

Jill ducked her head, bashful. Her cheeks flushed a bright pink. A stray hair fell out of her long braid. Ambrose had to fight the urge to move the chestnut hued strand behind her ear like he did when they were kids. He knew that it would mean more to her in this vulnerable state now than it actually did. He didn't want to lead her on when there was no future with him the way she wished there could be.