Couldn't Help It

Seeing Katie relent to at least getting some coffee, Hunter relaxes a little. Pocketing his keys, he waits for her to take the lead, following into step beside her... albeit a little wobbly at times. 

He remains silent the entire walk, half the time stewing about everything, and half the time battling an overwhelming sensation of guilt. He used to be able to get into any trouble he wanted without the consequence of a guilty conscience. But all of a sudden, it just wasn't working that way anymore and it was quite uncomfortable. 

Finding the coffee shop, he quietly follows Katie, ordering a cup of black coffee. That was the only thing that would do any good at this point. Soon he was seated across from her at a small table, slowly sipping the very hot, strong drink. It was quiet in here... hardly a soul was up at this hour to be here. 

Staring down into the swirling black, Hunter is reminded of his nightmare and why he'd come to town in the first place. He lets his eyes drift to the table instead. But even though he tried to pretend he was alone, he could feel Katie's eyes. He could feel her disappointment. He could feel her irritation. And none of it felt good. 

She didn't need to know details, right? So she'd come when he called. That didn't mean he had to talk about what happened, right? Who cared? Whose business was it anyway? Right? 

There was that nagging guilt again. Katie was his friend. Whether he was drunk or sober, he knew that truth and knew that silence was unfair. 

"I just wanted a drink." Breaking the silence felt like he had shattered some form of peace. He keeps his eyes down. "I couldn't help it some guy picked a fight."