Shayne and Olivia discuss a mistake they made together
Shayne:
She's sitting in a corner, stirring her coffee and staring into space, when I show up, breathless and apprehensive.
"Hey" I said.
Finally, she looks up.
"Hey" Olivia said.
Her eyes drop down to her coffee.
I sit, rip open a sugar packet and add it to my own cup.
"You put something in that, or are you just stirring it?" I asked.
She shoots me a look.
"Stirring" She said.
She never puts anything in her coffee, and I should know that by now. Without being asked, she offers the stir stick.
"Thanks" I said.
There's silence for a few minutes, as I stir my coffee and take a sip. As for her, she's still staring into her mug, fingers drumming idly on the edge of the table. Finally, I set down my cup.
"I'm glad you came, I wasn't sure you got my message, or if you were..." I began.
Ignoring me, is what I want to say but don't say.
"I was at Lakewood when you called" She said.
Delicately she takes a sip of coffee. She doesn't look great, I reflect, white pale with dark circles under her eyes.
"You went to the park this morning?" I said.
I'm surprised and a bit hurt... we usually go to Lakewood Park together on Sunday evening... but I kind of understand. I don't know how to broach the topic, but I'm pretty sure she won't-, fuck she's good at pretending things haven't happened, does anyone really know what she's thinking? So I forge ahead anyway.
"About last night-" I began.
Maybe it's too abrupt, because her fingers tighten around her cup. I let it drop. Eventually she picks it up.
"I guess we were stupid, to think that we could be such good friends without letting something like this happen, that it wouldn't get awkward or go..." Olivia says.
Too far, is what I think she wants to add.
"Yeah, I know, I'm..." I said.
What am I? Not sorry, not really, although I might be after this is over. I decide to take the conversation in a different direction.
"I guess we didn't think things through properly" I said.
Her agreement is implicit in the shifting of her shoulders, the way she evades my gaze.
"So I guess the question is, where do we go from here? Do we pretend nothing ever happened?" I asked.
She jerks, spilling steaming black coffee on her pale delicate hands.
