Tears

Quinn doesn't look up right away when Anastasia approaches. He'd wanted to see her, but he wasn't so sure even how to express himself right now.

Hearing her concern after the brief comment about the CD throws him off for just a moment. He'd expected a different kind of reception after she'd probably thought she wouldn't see him again since he hadn't shown up for lunch. But then... if his depressive state was that obvious, frivolity seemed pointless. And maybe the fairytale really was over for her? The gentle touch to his hand though, signals that perhaps it wasn't quite finished just yet.

Finally looking down into her eyes, he sees the sparkle there he'd seen the night before. There was a faint patter in his heart... was there one in hers too? Yet in this moment, all he could do was muster a small smile. The heaviness in his soul outweighed any romantic interests right now.

"I'm okay," he replies quietly, nodding to her. He gestures to the CD. "You can keep that, by the way. A little something to remember me by."

Reaching out, he touches her hair as if making sure she was real, and the faint smile returns. "My brother called," he finally informs. Dropping his hand, he looks back to the rack of music. "It... didn't go well."

He sighs deeply. Why did he even care? He should just let it go and walk away - why could he not?

"I dug too hard too fast, he got offended, we had a few harsh words and he walked out." Quinn shrugs lamely. It had all taken less than ten minutes. "Maybe it really wasn't the plan or the reason for me being here after all." His gaze returns to Anastasia's eyes. "I guess I came back here to let you know I was leaving town. I... thought I could go without saying goodbye but... I just wanted to see you once more."


Axel gets into his apartment and tosses his keys onto the counter. He was trying to keep a lid on all he was feeling but it wasn't going well. Why did Quinn have to come and stir things up? Why couldn't he have just walked away? And why had Axel fallen for going to meet him? He should have known better.

Standing in his kitchen with his arms folded he stares at nothing. His eyes begin to sting and he grits his teeth, but nothing can stop the emotions from spilling out some way or another. It was too quiet here... there were no distractions and nothing to keep himself in check.

The first hot tear rolls down his cheek. He couldn't even remember the last time he'd cried about anything. He was Axel Thornton, Mr. Strong, Mr. Never-show-my-emotions. Though he swiped the tear away with the back of his hand, another one replaces it quickly.

Still standing there lamely as the tears flow, Axel tries to shake it off, but it just didn't work. The pain went far too deeply for him to simply tune it out. Leaning over the sink, his hands brace his weight as the silent tears fall. The nightmare had returned. Everything flashed through his mind from his arrest, to the trial, to the shouting matches with his family, to prison, to his release. All of it was a nightmare - he'd put it all behind him, but now it was thrown in his face once again, and it was just too much to bear right now.

The knock at the door jerks him to attention and he straightens quickly. Hearing Ryan's voice, he sniffs and takes his shirt sleeve to wipe his eyes, willing himself to shut off the waterworks. It was strange that Ryan would come... she didn't normally check on him. They were friends but... maybe she'd sensed there was more than him not feeling well today, especially after his odd behavior yesterday.

Wandering to the door, Axel sets his hand on the knob. Shouldn't it be Jess he should talk to, not Ryan? But then... Jess was at work, and he didn't want to bog her down with any of this stuff anyway. The less she had to worry about, the better as far as he was concerned. At the same time though, did he even want Ryan aware of what was going on?

Taking a deep breath, Axel opens the door. Quiet for a moment, he searches Ryan's face. Even though he hoped he looked fine, he knew that nothing would escape her sharp eyes. And he knew good and well that she'd be able to tell he'd been crying - that in itself would be shocking enough to make her worry - not even his close friends in the band or Carson had seen him like this before. Not even Jess.

"No... everything's not okay," he manages to respond quietly. He leans his head on the open door, not even sure what to say. Ryan knew at little bit about his past - just as much as anyone else did about his conviction. Thankfully, she, along with the others, had accepted him, regardless, believing his claim of innocence. But also like the others, she knew no real details.

Sighing deeply, he looks down, then up again. "I, um..." Biting his lip, he really isn't sure what to say. Backing up, he opens the door wider and nods inside, inviting her in. Shutting the door again, he wanders towards the kitchen once more and leans back against the counter, folding his arms across his chest. He owed Ryan something - anything as an explanation to his unusual behavior.

"My brother's in town." He looks down at the floor, tracing the lines in the tile with the toe of his work boot. Ryan probably didn't even know he had a brother. "He, uh... turned his back on me when I was... put in prison." Finally looking up at Ryan again, he blinks, trying to hold back the tears that were still lingering.

"Today was the first day I've seen him since, and... it didn't go well. I don't think he's gonna stir up trouble, but it was just, um..." He shrugs. "Hard."

Taking a deep breath, he turns so Ryan can't see his face as a rebellious tear escapes once more. "I thought the nightmare... was over."