A/N: I'm so sorry for the extreme lateness of this chapter: it was harder to write than I thought so it took a long time. Also, I've changed the story line: this scene takes place two years after Seth was committed. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: all characters, names are property of Nintendo Intelligent Systems Ltd. Co. I own nothing except the plot.
"Hi" he says quietly.
He hasn't changed much over the years. He's wearing a black shirt, black trousers and he's even wearing black shoes. She recognises those shoes – she'd bought them for him, because she knew that his old ones were starting to wear down. He'd protested, of course, saying that he could buy his own shoes but she'd retorted that the ones she would buy wouldn't wear out so easily.
She had thought that he would throw everything away.
She was happy he'd kept them.
The tension in the room seemed to be mounting as the silence dragged on.
"Please sit" she gestures to the chair, her voice sounds too soft. It shouldn't be that soft. It reminds him of too much – scented candles, the soft glow of the light on her face, her eyes completely liquidised in love…
As he moves forward, something on his hand catches her eye – it seems to be a silver ring. He sits on the chair, taking an immediate interest in the ground. She glances at it.
An engagement ring.
She returns to looking at the ground as a wave of pain flows upwards from her stomach to her chest, burning her innards with its intensity. She struggles not to gasp: the burning sensation grows as it gets trapped in her lungs. Her eyes sting with unshed tears.
Her hopes are shattered. But what had she expected?
"That he would still love you and be waiting for you after you ran out on him" she thought bitterly. How naïve she had been! How utterly stupid!
"Just roll with the punches" she thought and resisted the urge to laugh bitterly at the thought. How many times had she told herself that?
The silence had gone on for too long.
"So…how are you"? she said
"I'm good,", he said and added, to her relief, "I'm a police officer now."
"Great," she said.
She had to know if he was married or not. Maybe, there was still a chance…
"So what else have you been doing?", she asks, the meaning behind her sentence is all too clear to him. He clears his throat.
"I'm engaged, actually" he says, she watches as his eyes alight.
"Her name is Natasha" he says softly, his skin seems to have softened. His pupils have dilated. And the light in his eyes seems to have grown. His cheeks have a pink hue to them now. She observes all of these things, immersing herself in her study of them. It hurts to think that, only 3 years ago, it would have been she that he was speaking about.
"I'm really happy for you" she says, smiling softly. Her smile is really just an upward curve of her lips. It was halfway between a smile and a frown. She always did that, subconsciously, whenever she had to put on a brave face even though she wasn't happy. Her eyes flash with emotion before it goes away.
He doesn't need to see it but he does.
Longing.
Pity stirs within his heart: he can't think of anything to say or do.
The silence is deafening to both their ears.
He has to say something.
"You'll forget about me soon, I promise you that," he says gently.
Her lips curve slightly into a bitter smile, as if to say "No, I don't think I will"
"I know it seems that you won't right now, but you will find someone who will adore you" he says, softly, his eyes are gentle and understanding.
"Believe me, I know this from experience." he thinks.
She smiles sadly at him.
"I never should have let you go" she thinks dejectedly.
"Can you forgive me"? , she asks.
"Yes" he says.
A tiny smile touches her lips. She can feel a lump forming in her throat.
"Seth…congratulations" she says, her smile deepens a little. But still fragile.
"Thank you" he says.
And he smiles back.
A/N: read and review, if you wish to.