Comes with decisions

The look on Katie's face was not quite the response Carson expected, nor was what she said. And for just a moment, he's confused. Why did her eyes say she had no idea what he was talking about? How could she not know what had been going on? He'd assumed she'd been kept in the loop, even if she was out of town, but... had he been mistaken? Had no one told her what had happened while she'd been away? Her question about pizza is forgotten. 

"You... just got back into town?" His tone had dropped the sarcasm, softening just a little. "So... no one's told you about... me, or..." He searches her face, noting the same blank stare. She really didn't have a clue. And as that realization hits, he can feel a wave of sorrow... for many different reasons.

"Oh boy." He lets out a sigh as he looks down at the counter for a moment. How was he going to explain this one? Maybe he should just tell her to go talk to somebody else. But... he didn't want to do that either. Katie was his friend. She probably wouldn't be after this, but if he wanted to retain any dignity at all, he'd tell her himself about what had happened.

"Look, Katie, um..." He grabs a towel to wipe off a phantom water spot on the counter. "I'm sorry for my tone of voice. I didn't know you'd just gotten back. See, I... right about the time you left, I... I, um..."

He looks up at Katie, searching her eyes. "I'm living with a woman named Jaz DeMoy. She's ex-Agency like me. Misty and I aren't together anymore and... actions have been taken for a divorce."

There. He'd said it. Oh, but there was so much more. He could let Katie find out on her own, but even if she was going to hate him now, he still couldn't do that to her. His eyes drop back down to the counter. "Misty's also pregnant - I found out the day I left. Because of all that, I've all but lost my job at the Elite. Reese has no legal grounds to fire me, but if he could, he would. I don't see anybody from there outside the office anymore - nobody comes here to eat, and I rarely get called in for jobs anymore. That's why... I was so surprised to see you tonight. I... don't have friends anymore."

Pursing his lips, he moves to wipe down the pop machine. He knew Katie would loath him just like everybody else did, for what he'd done to Misty, so he needed to tell her the rest before she walked out. "Misty is, um... also seeing another man now." He pauses again before glancing over his shoulder. He knew that Katie and Jason had broken up, but he also knew that it might sting anyway - especially not knowing that Katie had found another boyfriend. "She and... Jason have become... quite close."

He turns his eyes back to his task, trying to swallow the lump in his throat. What else he should say, he had no idea. "I'll still make you a pizza if you want," he offers quietly. "On the house. But... if you'd rather not stay, I understand. I'm getting used to people hating me." No, in reality, he wasn't. He'd expected people to be upset, but he hadn't expected them to turn their backs on him - especially his closest friends. "I guess it kinda automatically comes with the decisions I made though."

Justin grins and nudges Beth's foot back.  With just his socks on, he could wriggle his toes on her ankles teasingly. "You just can't wait to find out, can you?" 

He chuckles and takes another bite of his dinner, letting the silence linger for several moments until he winks at her. "I brought the most amazing chocolate chunk cookies you have ever tasted, I guarantee." He nods with emphasis. "They're so good, that they must be topped with coolwhip because the sheer taste of them is too addictive so they have to be muted somehow."

Grinning again, his eyes twinkle. "I'd tell you I made them myself, but you'd never believe me anyway, so I might as well tell you that Ma made them. And she said if you liked them, she'd have you over sometime to show you how she made them - something about it being too good to write down on a recipe card."

Hearing Chad's voice, Rosalyn picks her head up and smiles. Looking over her shoulder, her heart gives a flutter at seeing him. She'd already resigned herself to the fact that she wouldn't see him again before he left, so realizing that he'd come looking for her, gave her an extra few butterflies in her tummy. 

Standing, she brushes off some of the dirt from her hands and arms, knowing she must look a sight. Surely she wasn't as beautiful like this as Chad claimed, but she wouldn't give him a bad time for saying it. "I suppose I have a few moments for you," she answers coyly. 

Coming up close to him, she just stares up into his eyes for several seconds. Did he have any idea how much he'd shown her and made her feel in such a short time? Probably not. But those were the things she would treasure up in her heart to remember always. She wouldn't have him, but she'd have the memories of these couple days. 

Making the first move, she slips her arms around his waist and leans her head on his chest, hugging him tightly. "Thank you, Chad... for everything."