Barriers

Jared sits back again, seeing that his compliments had gone to the wind. Oh, well. 

Grace's talk of friendship lowers his eyes for a few moments. He really wasn't sure what to think. Why him? She must have a ton of other patients, and surely there were lines she drew, and rightly so, between friends and clients. He did realize now that what she was doing for him really was different than others. But... why? And how could a friendship continue after this anyway? 

Gaining back a new little smirk, he looks up at her again. A flirtatious glint had returned to his eyes. "So... how am I different than your other patients anyway?" He really didn't expect an answer... he just wanted to see if he could get her to blush again. "What makes me so special?"

Justin chuckles at Beth's description of smelling burnt toast. He knew he had crumbs in the toaster that needed to be cleaned out. He just... hadn't yet. 

Leaning back against the counter and taking a bite of his bagel, he studies Beth. He was glad she felt a little better this morning. She looked like perhaps her night hadn't been all that restful, but if he were in her shoes, he'd probably be the same way. 

"Want anything to eat? I'd be happy to make something for ya." 

Hunter's mind continued to wander where he didn't want it to, no matter how hard he tried. Open eyes, closed eyes, it didn't matter. As long as it wasn't sleep though, he was okay. As long as he could keep himself from having that nightmare again. 

Staying on the porch, he lost track of time as he takes in the changing colors of the sky. He'd never really paid that close attention to a sunrise before and hadn't realized all the colors that appeared before the sun even did. There were a lot of things he didn't pay close attention to anymore... things like his feelings... his memories... things he didn't want to deal with. Things he had moved on from and forgotten for years, thinking they were gone forever, only to discover now that they were still there, clawing at his heart. He just didn't understand why, or why now. It didn't seem fair, when he was having such a good time otherwise. Why couldn't he just have a nice relaxing vacation away from Nevada? 

Katie's presence startles him slightly, but he doesn't move, his legs still stretched out across the top step of the porch. "Hey..." 

He offers a wry grin at her comment and question. "Yeah, I'm okay." That was just a standard answer though, void of any feeling of truth. His eyes subconsciously drift to the ground, proving that no, he really wasn't okay. Keeping his arms folded on his chest, he doesn't even realize that his body language spoke of barriers - walls that he had spent years building.

Studying a fly that had landed on the bottom step, he continues to battle with his mind. He needed to get up, get going, start finding something to do. But his body was just too exhausted to move yet. 

Only after realizing that a long stretch of silence had gone by does Hunter remember Katie's still standing there and his eyes finally rise. He doesn't smile though. Not this time. "I didn't sleep very well," he admits. "Trying to wake up without coffee isn't easy."