Chapter eleven

It had been more than a day since Melinda last talked to Phil. Part of her had thought he would have contacted her by now. He hadn't and she wasn't sure what that meant. She was back at work. Sitting at home, recovering as people called it, really wasn't her thing. Besides she hadn't been hurt that badly.

"Hey." Maria greeted her friend. Crossing her office she sat down on the other side of the desk on one of the two chairs. "I'm pretty sure Pepper told you to take the rest of the week off. You managed two days."

"Two days is a new record."

"How's Phil?"

"How are you, Melinda? I'm doing well. Thanks for asking." Melinda countered Maria's question.

"How are you Melinda?" Maria indulged her friend. She would get to her question soon enough.

"I'm doing well. Thanks for asking. And you?"

"Doing well too."

"Anything interesting happen while I was gone?"

Maria shook her head. "Nothing." She repeated her earlier question. "How's Phil?"

Melinda shrugged. "I don't know."

"You haven't talked to him?"

"Not for a while, no."

"But he took you home, right?"

"I see you've talked to Pepper."

Maria shook her head. "It was Tony actually. You didn't talk when he took you home?"

"Not really. He dropped me off. Made me a cup of tea and left."

"That's it?" Surely that couldn't be all.

She shook her head. "No, we talked the next day. But we haven't talked since."

She heard the defeated tone in her friend's voice. "Wanna tell me about it?"

Melinda shrugged. She didn't really want to talk about it, but she also didn't know what to think of Phil's silence. "We talked, we really talked for the first time in... I don't know how long. He explained to me why he did what he did."

"And why did he?"

She couldn't tell Maria everything. What they had talked about was private. "He felt lost and scared."

There had to be more to it than that, but she respected Melinda's boundaries. She understood she wanted to keep things between her and Phil. "That's why he pushed you away?"

"Yes."

"Did you tell him how you felt?"

She nodded. "I told him that I deserved more, that I deserved his trust. I told him I thought we were best friends."

"Were?" Maria scooted closer. "Don't tell me this is it between you and Phil? It can't. You've been best friends and partners for years. It can't be over. Yes he hurt you and I would kick his ass if you let me or I could even ask Natasha to take care of that. Bet that would make it hurt. Just give me a sign and I'll do it." By now Maria was back on her feet. "But this can't be the end for you and Phil. Is this about you not wanting to go back to SHIELD?"

Melinda shook her head. "No. We haven't even discussed that."

"Would you go back?"

"I..., I don't know. I like it here."

"Then I don't understand. There has always been such chemistry between you two. It's still there. You two mean so much to each other. Can you really imagine a life without Phil?"

"I can't." She admitted.

Maria took her seat again. "We all make mistakes. You know that. What's holding you back?"

Melinda sighed. That was a loaded question and not an easy one to answer. She didn't have to answer though. Maria was still talking.

"Why can't you and Phil open your eyes and see what's right in front of you? What are you so afraid of?"

"Everything." That was easy to answer. "How can we ever get back to what we were, or move forward if he doesn't trust me? Where does that leave us?"

"I don't know." She wished she had the answer. "There's too much history to leave it like this. Why can't this be a bump in the road? Why can't you move forward? What's holding you back?" She saw the insecurity and questions in her friend's eyes. "I want you to be happy, Melinda. Phil has always played an important part in your happiness. Whatever you're afraid of don't let it ruin your future, okay?"

Melinda nodded. "Okay."

Time to get back to the other issue at hand. "So since you've talked you haven't heard from him?"

"No. I told him we both needed time to think if and how we could move forward."

She guessed Phil was keeping his distance on purpose, too afraid to push Melinda away. He wanted to give her the space she needed. "I think he's waiting for you. The ball's in your court. He doesn't want to pressure you. Whatever happens now, is completely up to you." Maria stood up. Melinda deserved some time to think it all through. "Don't let him leave, Melinda." Maria said before she walked back to her own office.

TBC...