A Year In Our Lives (Chris Evans AU Fanfic)

15. Ex

Chris stumbled out of the door, hopping on one foot and trying to put on his left shoe. He didn't want to waste too much time on meaningless things like clothes, so he had only pulled on his pants before storming out of the diner. Lucky for him, despite her hasty departure, Mia hadn't gotten far. Chris saw her striding across the town square holding her purse in one hand and her shoes in the other. 

"Mia! Stop! Wait!" Chris' desperate hollering had no visible effect on Mia. Besides slightly picking up her pace, she acted like she couldn't hear him at all.

When Chris caught up with her after sprinting like mad, he was out of breath. "Hey. Stop." 

"Let me go," Mia sniffled and attempted to walk past Chris who blocked her weakish efforts and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"I won't. Let's talk about this."

Mia's tone was cold and her eyes glimmered when she shrugged her shoulders to release herself from his grasp. "What's there to talk about? She said she's your girlfriend."

"What? No. Fuck no. You think I'd... No. She's my ex-girlfriend."

"Right. The thing is, she didn't seem to know that you've attached a prefix to her title." 

"What? It's... look... Jenny and I have been on and off and off and on before but..."

"Maybe you should've doublechecked that switch before going out with me."

"Mia. Please. Let's not make a big deal out of this. I don't know what she's doing here but I know I had nothing to do with it. I haven't heard from her in months, I... " Chris tried and reached toward Mia's shoulder again. She took a step back and stared at her bare feet.

"She had a key, Chris. She used her own key and strutted in like she owns the place. And she looked at me like... like I used to look at the girl who got pregnant in high school. Can you imagine if she'd walked in five minutes earlier? I can't even think about it," Mia groaned and shook her head.

"She was wrong to think she could do that, so wrong. I'll deal with her, I promise..."

Mia lifted her eyes from the grass and tilted her head. "If she's an ex, why does she have a key?"

Chris rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "I... I guess I forgot to take it back when..."

"Forgot? Well isn't that nice," Mia whispered. She focused her eyes on a certain tattoo on Chris' chest for a second before looking away. "I'm really not in the mood to have this conversation now. I'm cold and embarrassed and overwhelmed and tired and I just want to go home."

"I understand. But please don't go like this. Let me drive you," Chris said in a low voice. He glanced down and the sight of Mia's bare toes curled up in the grass wrenched his heart. Within minutes she'd gone from the insatiable temptress of his steamy dreams to looking like a stray puppy in the pound, and it was all his fault.

Mia waved her shoes in her hand and shook her head. "No. I'll just go through the bushes. It's faster."

"Please let me take you. I promised your mom to get you home safe."

"I won't tell her if you won't. And this is Stars Hollow. I'm hardly in any danger. Goodnight, Christopher."

The town square went quiet after Mia's footsteps, but Chris stood there in the cooling night air long after he saw his dream disappear into the wall of leaves. He wasn't sure how much time had passed when he headed back to the diner with a heavy heart. When he made it inside, his mood soon swung from melancholic toward furious as he saw his ex sitting by the counter, sipping something from a coffee cup and smirking. 

"Wow. That was not what I was expecting to walk into. But she seems... great," the blast from the past sneered.

Chris felt his blood boiling when grabbed his shirt from the floor and glared at his unwanted guest with open disdain. "You know Jenny, I like to think I'm a decent guy. The kind who'd never hit a woman. But if you take that tone one more time when talking about her, my principles might waver, if you know what I mean. So if I were you, I'd shut up."

Jenny looked shocked as she lifted her hands in the air in surrender. "Fine. Geez. Someone's sensitive tonight. But I guess..."

"What are you doing here, Jenny?" Chris sighed exhaustedly and sat on the nearest chair.

"I wanted to see you," Jenny cooed sweetly. "I was at the airport and saw a flight to Hartford on the board. It made me think of you and... ta-dah."

"Ta fucking dah. Just like that. You can't just show up like this. We're not together anymore."

"We'll I've been thinking... Maybe breaking up was a mistake. I've missed you, Chris."

Chris buried his face into his hands frustratedly. "Fuck! Not this shit again. I thought we weren't going to do this anymore."

"It's true. You've been on my mind a lot lately..."

"Funny. I've been trying to forget all about you."

"I don't believe that, Chris. I think you've been going through a rough time too. I mean, It's not like you to bring some random girl home and do her in the restaurant."

Chris slammed his palm against the table. He felt like he would burst if he wouldn't let it all out now. "She's not random! You're random! Fuck! You don't get it, do you? You're fucking clueless, aren't you? Completely unaware of the damage you've done in my life over the years. Not to mention the damage you've done tonight."

Jenny got up and glanced at the staircase. "Look, I understand you're upset that I walked into a... delicate situation. I think we should calm down, get some sleep and talk tomorrow."

Chris sprung up from his seat. "Get out."

Jenny tilted her head in utter disbelief. "What?"

"I said get out. Get out of this diner, get out of this town, and get the hell out of my life," Chris repeated calmly. The realization that Mia might come back any minute had just hit him like a thousand volts and he knew what he needed to do.

"What are you..."

"I'm serious. You need to leave."

"And where am I supposed to go? It's late and..."

"Back to where ever it is you came from? I honestly don't give a shit."

"Chris, there are no flights at this hour..."

"Then you'll go to a hotel in Hartford. Or whatever."

"But I always stay here."

"Not anymore. And speaking of that, I want my key back."

"Come on, I can see you're worked up, maybe I can..." Jenny suggested and extended her arm toward Chris.

Chris stepped away, leaving Jenny's hand grasping the air between them. He was not going to let her get close enough to contaminate the fleeting trace of the only touch he wanted to feel. After backing up to a safe distance he held out his hand and stared at Jenny, wondering what he had ever seen in her before. "The key. Now."

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