Hi, hi! Thank you all for the reviews. Did anyone enjoy the last episode? I kind of didn't. It wasn't what I expected. Then I have to wait until June for the graduation. *cries* I am sooo not ready. I don't want them to graduate... But gosh. Jake did look fiiiineee in that suit. Mmm. OK, now I'm rambling. Enjoy.

-I don't own Degrassi-

He woke up around five in the morning and has been up ever since. He wondered how it was going to go today. He was going out to meet Clare; he was nervous. This is what he wanted, but why did he feel like backing out? Why didn't he want to go talk to Clare? Why did he want to talk to Clare? She was pissed at him for choosing Imogen and he was pissed at her for moving on without hesitation. Is this what he wanted?

Yes, this is exactly what he wanted. If they weren't going to get back together, he at least wanted her in his life. It was going to be painful to not kiss her, hold her, and tell her how much he loved her. It was going to be hard to look deeply into her blue eyes and tell her how lucky he was to be with her. Why did he mess up everything?

Eli finally got out of bed and walked into the bathroom. After doing his morning routine he walked out of the bathroom with the towel wrapped around his soaked body. His phone beeped and he walked towards the night stand to get it. He had four missed calls and ten messages. All of them were from Imogen. He dialed her number and she picked up after the first ring.

"Gosh, Eli. It took you long enough," she answered annoyed.

"Hello sweetheart. I'm doing fine, how are you?" Eli said sarcastically.

"Don't start with me, Eli. I just wanted to say that my father is doing terrible. He's not making any progress. I don't know if he's going to make it. We might be here for a while. I-I would like it if you'll come down here soon. It would mean the world to me if I had my husband by my side."

"Sure. I'll try to drive there this weekend. I just have to check in with my job and see."

"For crying out loud, Eli, you write and direct plays. That's not a hard job, I'm sure they'll let you come."

"Imogen," Eli said sighing, "Why do you always start with me? Why can't we ever have a good conversation without you saying stuff to piss me off? This marriage isn't suppose to be all about arguing, but so far you're making it seem like it is."

"I'm sorry, Eli. I'm just stressed now. I'm not trying to take it out on you, honestly. Look, I have to go. Call me later and let me know what your job says. I-I love you."

"Love you, too," Eli said before hanging up.

He tossed his phone down and let his towel drop. He kicked it aside and walked over towards his closet. He decided to wear a black V-Neck and a pair of grey pants. He raked his fingers through his wet hair before placing his underwear on. Then, he slipped on his pants, followed by his shirt. He walked over towards his dresser and grabbed a pair of socks to put on.

Eli heard his stomach growl. He decided to go downstairs and fix him some cereal. He sat in silence as he munched on his cereal. This was good. It felt nice to have the house to himself. Although he missed Lilly, he needed a break away from her and Imogen. Sometimes, it was hard taking care of a kid. They cried a lot, you had to give them all the attention, and they kept you up. Eli hasn't gotten much sleep until they were gone. Now he slept like a baby.

Lilly was nothing like Imogen, though. That he was glad of. Imogen always got under his skin. She always knew what to say to piss him off. His day could go swell and as soon as she walks in, everything falls apart. She always uses her being stressed as an excuse for her attitude. He was stressed, too! Do you know how hard it is for him to control his emotions? Do you know how hard it is to try not to explode? Because of her, he had to start back taking his pills. She drove him crazy!

Lately he wondered why he just didn't choose Clare. Sure, Imogen said she was going to keep Lillian away from him, but he wasn't going to let that happen. After all, Lilly was his child. Why would she keep Lilly away from her father?

Imogen wasn't always so cold. It started after she had Lillian. Every little thing Eli did pissed her off. He would break his back for her and it still wasn't good enough. He was fed up, but never had the guts to leave her. He was afraid of being alone. Now, he wished he would have left her. That way he would be with Clare and wouldn't have to worry about her.

Why didn't he listen to Adam the first time?

...

Clare had just finished filing papers for her boss. She glanced over at the clock to see it was four-thirty. She would be off work in thirty minutes. Then, she was going to go meet Eli. She was a little nervous. It felt a little weird to go see Eli, but she was going to do it. She wanted to know what he wanted to talk to her about.

Why did things have to be like this? Why couldn't Eli just come back just to make sure she was OK? They would have never been in this mess. She could be with him and their kids now.

"Clare, are you all set?" her boss, Mr. Rogers called out.

Clare turned around to face him. She nodded her head, her curls bouncing as she did so. He smiled at her and gave her a little nod.

"Good. You have been a wonderful intern, Clare. I'm glad your friend recommended you. We needed someone like you here."

"Thank you, sir," she said, smiling widely.

"I'm going to go in my office and think about giving you a promotion. You, however, can leave early. I'll see you bright and early tomorrow."

"Gee, thank you so much, Mr. Rogers."

She watched as Mr. Rogers walked away before grabbing her coat and purse. Then, she walked out of the building and over towards her car. She hopped in and drove off to The Dot. When she got there, she thought Eli wasn't going to be there, because it was only four-forty. She got the complete opposite. Eli was sitting there, browsing through the menu. She knew he was doing it so he wouldn't seem weird just sitting there. The two of them knew the menu by heart.

Clare hesitantly walked over towards the table. She cleared her throat and Eli lowered the menu to look at her. She watched him place the menu on the table. A smile, a bright smile, spread across his face. She saw his green eyes light up. She hadn't seen that in a while. She missed that.

She took a seat and smiled back at him. Then, the two sat in uncomfortable silence. Neither knew how to get the conversation to start. The waiter came over seconds later to break the silence.

"Hello, what can I get for the lovely couple today?" he asked.

"Oh no, we're not a-" Clare was cut off by Eli.

"I would like a cup of coffee, black, and some sugar packets. For the lovely lady, an iced mocha with a banana nut muffin."

"Coming right up," the waiter said, walking away.

"Eli, you remember," Clare said, smiling and blushing.

"Of course, Clare. There's a lot of things I remember about you."

Then it happened. Those old feelings began to come back as they stared intensely into each other eyes. Eli took it as a chance to tell Clare why he wanted her here.

"Clare, look, these past months has been hectic. I-I wish I could take them all back, but I can't. You and I will be getting an official divorce soon, but that doesn't mean we can't still hang out. What I'm trying to say is, I want us to be friends. I might not have you as a wife anymore, but I want you in my life. What do you say?"

There was a long silence. Eli stared curiously at Clare, wondering what her decision was going to be. Was this too much for her?

"Eli," Clare finally spoke, "I'm willing to give it a try, but I won't like it. The way things have been lately has been very... hectic. I won't be able to handle you talking about your marriage, but I'll manage. So, OK, I'm saying yes."

Eli smiled widely. He was glad he had Clare in his life still. Things were going to be good for a while. This made him feel a lot better.

"OK," the waiter said coming over with a tray, "Here's your coffee and here is your iced mocha with your muffin."

"Thank you," Eli and Clare said in unison.

They sat in silence as they drank their drink. As Clare began to eat her muffin, her phone went off. She answered it without looking at the caller I.D. Eli stared at her as he tried desperately to listen to the full conversation. He wanted to know who the other person was on the phone. Seconds later, Clare was off the phone. She dug into her purse and pulled out some money.

"Sorry to make this a little short, but I have to go. Here's the money for my part," Clare said, standing up.

"Put your money up, Clare. You know I don't like you paying."

"I know, but-"

"No buts Clare. I'll pay. It's the least I can do, since you gave me some of your time."

Clare cocked her head a little and smiled. She didn't know what she would do without Eli. He had an effect on her that no one else had.

"See you later, Clare," he said, as he watched her walk towards the door.

"See you later, friend," Clare said smirking as she walked out of The Dot.

Friend. This was going to be one awkward, painful friendship.