Alex

Meeting At The Bean

     I walked into the nearly empty shop and sat down at my regular table. Chris nodded at me, giving me a confused look before disappearing into the back. "Mia." Katie briskly walked towards me when she entered the shop, she pulled me up and into a hug. I laughed but embraced her warm hug. "Mia!" Rex came quickly after, pulling me into a hug now. "I'm sorry Mia, we had no idea Joe was back. Mike and Josh aren't even back yet, he didn't tell anyone he was coming." Rex hugged me tight and I'd almost forgotten how much I'd missed him. I hugged him back for a long time before pulling away, looking at him and Katie. "I'm good guys, it just came as a shock is all." I nodded to them and sat down, motioning for them to follow.

     "So how was it?" I asked Rex, ignoring their worried looks. I know I was forcing my calm demeanor but could they really see through it that much. Suddenly my blood went cold. Joe walked through The Bean doors, still in his suit. "Mia?" Katie asked as she and Rex looked behind them, seeing Joe. Rex stood up and blocked Joe's way to me. "Rex, I just want to talk." Joe looked at Rex, then to me. "I think you should leave." Rex said standing his guard. "Rex, it's fine." I stood up now, touching Rex's shoulder. "You don't have to talk to him." Katie said to me. "I know, thanks guys." I motioned for both of them to back off, standing face to face with Joe as Rex sat down. "We'll be right here." Katie said nodding to me. "Thanks." I said, taking Joe's arm my fingers tingling under his Armani suit. I pulled him outside the shop, Katie and Rex moving to a window seat and watching intently. 

     "Mia." Joe said, his eyes were red but I wasn't sure if he had been crying or if had just taken something. I crossed my arms, hiding my shaking arms again, fighting off my own tears. "What the fuck Joe, what the fuck are you doing here?" I asked, my voice sounding a lot less steady than I intended. It was nearly impossible to keep the tears from overflowing. I looked away from him now, his face was too much. It wasn't fair that he got to look so perfect when I felt so awful. "Mia, I'm sorry...I..." he started but I cut him off. "Don't, don't feed me some bullshit excuse. Why the fuck are you here? Why are you in town? Why are you here at The Bean now?" I looked at him again, the tears winning and spilling over my bottom lids. "Please Mia, don't cry." Joe looked at me, genuinely concerned. He had been crying. But it didn't make me feel any better, the tears fell faster now. "Just tell me why you're here Joe." "I'm here for you Mia." Oh bullshit." I spat at him. I watched as he shriveled beneath my words. "I basically spent the last month trying to contact you Joe! And you couldn't give me two seconds, not a postcard, an e-mail. Not even a fucking text saying you were alive!" "Mia..." "Stop, don't fucking try to defend yourself. You fucked up, okay?" "Mia, I know I fucked up. I'm not here to defend my actions, I'm here to apologize!" he threw his hands up now, his eyes even more red. I stared at him.

     "Fuck Mia, I thought about you every second of every day while I was gone." Joe ran his hand over his mouth, looking from me to the ground. "Fuck that Joe, if that were true you would have contacted me!" "You think it was that easy for me Mia? You think if it was that easy I would have run in the first place?" "It would have been easier than running at all!" I threw my own hands up now, unable to control any part of my tears. "Mia I fucked up, big. I ran because I was scared and it was the biggest mistake of my life!" "Well good for you Joe, good for you for realizing your actions have consequences! What? Did you expect me to be here patiently waiting for you to finally return, fuck that Joe. God!" "Mia!" Joe yelled my name and I stopped, stopped breathing for a moment. He ran his hands through his hair and looked at me. "Mia...I fell for you okay? I fell for you and instead of telling you I ran, I ran because I'm a coward." "Don't, just fucking stop Joe. You don't get to disappear for a month then pop back up, tell me you're in love with me and expect me to be okay with that!" "I don't Mia, I don't expect anything but a fuck you from you okay? I just...I came back hoping that you would give me another chance, I'll do whatever it takes to redeem myself. I hate myself everyday for leaving, and I don't expect you to forgive me but I just hoped that I could get a second chance. I miss you Mia, fuck I miss you." he wiped a tear from his eye and I had to turn away from him now. "Joe that's no fair. If you really loved me you wouldn't have left in the first place...." I turned back to him now, his hands on the top of his head. "I know we're friends with the same people but..that's it Joe, that's the only way we are associated. I get that means we might have to see each other more than I want, and I'm okay with that. But you don't get to do what you did to me and walk back into my life. I loved you, I gave up my life for you... and you left...and now I've started a new life without you. And you have to live with that." I stepped closer to him, fighting off every urge I had to kiss him. "Go home Joe." I said and turned away from him, heading back into The Bean and not looking back. My world crashing around me. What had I just done?