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[ 1985. November ]
MARY-JANE STARTS TO REGRET HER DECISION TO CALL JAKE. He's more than willing to meet her, ranting about how he didn't know she was in town and hoping she's doing well. She suggests that they meet in public, at this small cafe that used to be quite a hotspot for everyone that went to their high school. He agrees with ease, and when they hang up, Mary-Jane stays by the phone for quite a while, thinking about the conversation they just had, analyzing every word they exchanged until they have lost their meaning.
But as she's sitting in Steve's car, her heart is in her throat. Maybe this isn't such a good idea after all. Maybe this is in fact a horrible idea that will only do her bad. But she's already reached out to him and he's already agreed. She can't turn away from challenges like this, it may turn out to be extremely healthy for her. She'll never know unless she gives this a shot. Plus, she's not there to reconcile with Jake, per se, she's there to face him, tell him how she felt. She's not there to forgive, she's there to tell.
"You'll come inside in a few minutes, right?" She turns to Steve. He glances at her, seemingly having been lost in thought.
"Yeah, just like we said. I'll be there, I promise." Steve smiles softly. She doesn't doubt him for a second, never has, but she's still nervous.
Her eyes sweep the relatively small parking lot. "His car is here. I'm willing to bet I know where he's sitting." She rolls her eyes at herself, why would she say that?
"You sure you don't want me to come with you right away?" Steve seems to shift nervously beside her.
Mary-Jane, sucks in a long breath. She nods, tilting her head as she looks at him. Most of the time, her heart still hammers away in her chest when their eyes meet. "Mhm. I need to do this on my own, Steve," She leans over and presses a kiss on his temple. "I love you."
She steps out of the car, doing her best to appear confident by standing up straight, pushing her hair behind her ears. She doesn't look back at the car before she walks into the little cafe. It's pretty busy. She doesn't need to look at the people inside before she walks out the back, into the small outside patio area filled with a handful of guests having lunch.
Mary-Jane immediately finds him, and she feels a pit form in her stomach when her eyes land on the back of his head. A head full of blonde curls. This might just be the dumbest idea I've ever had.
She stands in her place for a few seconds before she gathers the courage to walk up to the table. Jake turns his head to look at her as she brushes past him. "Hi." He perks up, sounding surprised. He stands up, throwing his arms out a little.
