Punching bag

Listening to Ryan and seeing her inner battle, Leo's shoulders drop just a little. If only he'd heard those words from her before... if only they'd been able to meld better before. Why did they both have to understand each other when it was too late?

"Aw, Ryan..." He sighs and looks down, not sure what to do. But glancing back up again and realizing that she was crying, he felt the edges of his heart cracking. He didn't think he'd ever seen her cry before. She was so strong and never let anybody see her weaknesses. But right now, she was truly letting him see who she really was. And right now, she was simply a woman who needed love.

Stepping forward, Leo doesn't ask permission, but gently slips his arms around her and pulls her close. "Come here," he prompts quietly. Drawing her into a hug, he lets her head rest against his shoulder and he kisses the top of her head.

"The past is the past," he offers tenderly. "You've apologized, I've forgiven, and we can't stay in that spot forever, okay?" He rocks her just a little. "I've got another woman in my life now... her name is Cassy and... I'm not willing to break her heart because... well, because I feel pretty strongly about her."

After a pause, he draws back a little and lifts Ryan's face to see her eyes. Lifting his hand, he wipes away some of her tears. "And I know that you and Alec have strong feelings for each other too. So he might be mad... so what? He'll get over it if he cares, and I know he does. But knowing him, be probably has no idea how much you're hurting. One, because you hide it so well, and two, because..." A wry grin pulls at the corner of his mouth. "....well, he's just not used to seeing those kinds of things. But don't let your stubbornness destroy what you've got going. If you call him first, that doesn't mean he's won - it just means you're bigger than he is to take the first step."

Setting his hands on her shoulders, he tries to give her an encouraging smile. "No matter what... I'll always be your friend, okay? Whether other people think it looks funny or not, I don't care, and Cassy would understand, too. I know we can't have what we did, but if you need to talk or cry or laugh or even hit somebody, I'll be the punching bag, okay?" His chuckle is soft and low. "Don't give up so easily, Ryan," he almost whispers. "Find out why Alec hasn't called, then go from there. But right now, you're running on assumptions and that's never good."


Sitting on a cold park bench, Alec stares out to the little duck pond that was dimly lit with glowing lights beside the walking path. He didn't think he'd ever come here before - other than just passing by on the road.

It was after dark, so there wasn't much activity, if any, but he didn't mind. Glancing up through the trees, he could just make out a few stars in the sky. He knew there were more... but in the city they just couldn't be seen. He wanted to see them. He wanted to run. He wanted to go. He wanted to get away from these miserable chains.

Shifting to sit sideways, he pulls his knees up to his chest and leans against the back of the bench. He hadn't felt this alone since first getting to TJY, and he wasn't even sure why. Dalton was nice... Reese had let him go... things were going well, right? But he was missing something, and that something had a name.

Sighing, he rests his chin on his knees. He'd left his phone back at the apartment. Not that he'd make any calls with it... right? Maybe Ryan didn't even want to hear from him.