Wade Kinsella was in trouble. And it was all Zoe Hart's fault.
He was perfectly fine with the way things were before. Happily married (minus the commitment and actual relationship), as lazy as anyone could really be, bar tending at the Rammer Jammer, and, yes, sleeping around. He had as much fun as anyone living in Bluebell, Alabama could.
But then Doctor New York showed up and changed everything.
Suddenly, Wade Kinsella cared, something he couldn't remember doing before high school was.
He cared what she thought of him, so the one night stands disappeared. Every time she (intentionally) blew their fuse box, he fixed it as soon as possible. He helped her; (discreetly) protected her. And she was the one person who made him care about his father being the stereotypical town drunk.
All of this caring was new for him. But he didn't even mind, because the caring was masked with fun.
They got along well, they teased each other, and they flirted.
This was why Wade was on his way to the nice Doc's place, wearing the smile he began to reserve for her somewhere down the line. Even though he'd never tell her (or anyone else), he couldn't think of a better way to spend his night.
He was just about to knock when what he saw in front of him made him freeze. Zoe Hart was sitting on her couch, sobbing. And Wade couldn't remember the last time something had filled with him so much concern. So much pain.
Wade, to say the least, was not good with emotions. He avoided them at all costs. But as his chest filled with concern, he examined Zoe. She was curled up, as if she was trying to make herself as small as possible. And her face,—the face that always wore a bright smile, and even when it didn't, always had a feel of optimism to it—was full of anguish. For the first time, Zoe Hart did not look like she was going to be okay.
And for the first time, Wade considered not running away. This caring was not layered with fun, but he could not run away. But he didn't know what to do, and that killed him.
So he did the only thing he could: he walked in.
He managed to mask his feelings and look serious when he walked in—something Zoe had definitely never seen before.
He paused wordlessly in front of the door, in case she didn't want him there (and, oh god, for the first time, he thought of the possibility that she was hurt like this because of somethinghe did).
She just looked up, surprised. He could tell that she was trying to calm down for his sake, but her breathing was still too heavy. Her face was tear stained, her eyes were still watering up, and she had been unable to hide the anguish on her face. But she didn't say anything.
And again, Wade Kinsella did the only thing he really could. He walked over, sat down beside her, pulled her into him, and let her cry.
They both fell asleep like that.
So yeah, he was in trouble.