We pull into the parking lot just in time to see Steve getting into his El Camino, about to leave the coffee shop.
Before she even stopped the car, Blake is calling out the window, "Steve! Steve! Stop!"
"Hey! I thought you weren't gonna show up there for a bit." He said, now he looks confused. "Carter said you needed my help?"
"Yeah, sorry about that, wanna come sit down?"
We talked to Steve for the next hour about life and how we'd all been -- school, her pre-med, my teaching degree. Steve was still working at the repair shop. Finally, Blake remembered what we were there for. "Steve, I know this is probably weird since it's been so long since we've even seen each other, but I was just wondering... do you remember why you broke up with me?"
"Honestly?" Steve asks, glancing at me and back to Carter, seeming a little nervous.
"Yeah, honestly, why did you break up with me? I'm not going to be upset. I'm over it, I promise, I am just trying to better myself. What did I do wrong? What could I have done differently that would've maybe changed your mind?"
"Well," he says, shifting in his seat a tiny bit, "honestly, I always kind of thought you and Carter had something going on."
Oh no.
"What?" She asked, laughing uncomfortably. "No, no, there was nothing there. Ha. Ha ha... that's really the reason?"
"Yeah. That's it. You were perfect in every other way, but I could tell you and Carter kind of had a little something. And now," he smiles, gesturing at us leaned in together, "I see I was right. How long have you all been together?"
Blake turns to me, incredulous to the facts that have just been lain out in front of her. The look on her face looks as though she's just been punched in the stomach. Then it changes. It's almost a smile. Almost. She's laughing again, different this time, still obviously uncomfortable, but different. "Carter and I aren't together. We're still best friends but we're not 'together' together. We tried that. We're done with that part of our lives. Right, Car?"
I guess.
"Yeah, definitely. So there was nothing wrong with Blake, it was me?"
"Yeah, basically. I mean, I know I wasn't the smartest, but even then I knew if there wasn't already something there there should've been. What we had didn't hold a candle to what you all 'don't have,' then or now."
"Oh. Well, uhm thanks for your help." Blake says, but her mind is somewhere else.
"Yeah, thanks Steve. It was great to see you again."
"Ah, it was no problem guys. See ya around sometime." Steve said as he turned to leave.
"Well, a lot of good that was. Come on let's go see Mom." I said standing to pay for our order. For just a moment she sat at the table, just staring. "B? Hey. You okay?"
"What?!" She jumped, "yeah, no, I'm fine. Let's go, I haven't seen your family in a while."
I paid for our coffee and we walked out the front door to Blake's car. I'm glad we got all of that settled I guess.
