It has been six years since the last time Jane saw Michael, it's not like she planned this. But, it would be rude to be in Montana and not say 'hi' at least, which is why she was currently holding her phone and scrolling to find his number. It was weird, this current inspiration tour her agent had recommended, a six months tour across the country to freshen up her sense of space and scenery as they were getting repetitive, were the words he used, was a convenient excuse to catch up with a lot of friends. She had called Lina, actually called not facebook message or texted, and they planned a whole month together to hang out like old times. So Jane, ever the conscientious worker put New York month in the middle because she couldn't really think of it as work. Yet, she had to put Montana in the first month, as that was the time for Mateo's first ever Europe tour with his father and she'd finally reached a place with Rafael where they could be comfortable around each other again, and having Mateo tell him that she decided to contact Michael would put them through another round of the blame game that neither of them needed. Finally, she found his name, she must've scrolled past it a couple of times already. She hated this, a long long time ago starting a conversation with Michael was as easy as breathing to her, now she couldn't even find a term for their relationship. Damn, it's ringing.

"Hello, who is this?"

Jane had to admit, she was a little hurt that he deleted her number. "Hi Michael." She paused, was she waiting for him to recognize her voice? "It's Jane."

"Oh yeah, Hi Jane. How are you doing?"

Jane hated this again, that was so impersonal and formal. "I am in Montana on business, thought I could catch up with an old friend."

"Is that what we are?"

'No, no it's not I am your ex-wi..widow', she knows she's not his ex-wife, that is so simple and inadequate. "It's what I hope to be." That's what she settles on saying when she feels that her pause lasted too long

"O.k. I am staying in Helena currently, we should catch up."

"You moved? I am actually staying in Helena too."

"That's great. But I gotta go now Jane, talk to you later."

Jane knew what being blown off sounded like, but she never really thought Michael would blow her off.

Later that night, Jane was trying to work on her book, forget about her ex-dead husband blowing her off and checking her mental list of all the ways she lost him. Her phone rang, it was Michael, she let it go through 2 rings and then answered.

"Hey, sorry I hung up on you earlier."

"No. It's okay. My call was out of the blue".

"Tomorrow's Saturday I am free, meet you for a cup of coffee. Catch up?"

"I'd like that. Yeah"

Apparently Michael had finally reacquainted himself with the marvels of modern technology, as he sent her his location. Jane wanted to be prepared, she felt guilty, not for leaving him all those years ago, but for cutting him out of her life the way she did. He was family, in so many ways and it wasn't fair of her to do that. She arrived at the location, five minutes early.

She took a deep breath and went inside, she was glad she wasn't the only one who came early, there he was sitting on a table, looking at his coffee like it offended him, yet is the answer to all his problems. He looked different, his clothes were the same style she last saw him in, but his hair was shorter and brushed back.

"What did the coffee do to you?" This was good, funny and familiar she could've done worse. Michael looked up, and for a second he looked surprised to see her, then he smiled cordially. It was worse than when he came back, at least that time they really were strangers, now he remembered her but she was still a stranger, so much for old friends.

"Hi Jane". He gestured to the chair opposite him, she took it.

"How are you Michael?"

"I'm… fine, I guess. I'm sorry, I thought this was a good idea. I don't even know where to start." He raised his hand to call the waitress, but Jane squeezed his other hand tightly, hoping it would stop him

"Start what Michael?" Jane sighed with relief as he lowered his raised hand.

"I, I wasn't really planning on calling you back." He looked really guilty.

"So what changed your mind?"

"Would you like to order something?"

What's with the frustratingly good service?

Jane placed her order and then turned to Michael again. She stared at him silently, waiting for an answer.

"So some stuff happened after your call, that's not true….stuff has been happening for a long time. And I felt like I really needed to talk to someone who isn't present in my day to day life, but still knew me." For the first time, today Jane saw him smile for real. "An old friend, as you called it. And I figured it was a sign" it wasn't his normal goofy grin, that would automatically make her smile along, it was more toned down and sad, but at least it reached his eyes.

"Of course, you can talk to me" a smirk, that was what her reassurance got her, but his guard seems to be slowly coming down.

"You do realize you just agreed to become my free therapist for the day."

"Oh no no no, I am an old friend. We're each others' therapists." Another smile, she never thought she'd be keeping score. "So trouble with Charlie?". Crap, there goes the smile Michael looked at his coffee cup again.

"Charlie was..Charlie was too good for me." A part of Jane was offended to hear that she knew Michael wasn't comparing them, but a part of her thought that he was too good for her, or at least for her complicated life. He deserved a simple life, without so many variables.

"We lost the baby" Michael's eyes glazed over "she was stillborn" Jane could hear a tremble building up in his voice. "And I was a terrible support, I was too swallowed up in my own grief to help Charlie through hers." One tear seemed to have escaped the weird control he was trying to hold over his emotions, he kept trying to smile through his trembling lips, as if he wanted to reassure her that it was over, but all he did was worry her more. Michael was never one to hide his emotions, or hold back his tears, this stranger in front of her seemed to be ashamed of them. He quickly wiped away the stray tear and returned his fake smile.

"Enough about me. How have you been?"

"You've clearly never been to therapy, that was the worst point to stop, ever."

"Baby steps, Jane. Please." Something about his expression was so broken that she had to acquiesce, for fear of losing him, in yet another way, she'd already lost him to death and breakups, she lost him as a friend too, to avoid Rafael's jealousy, justified as it may have been, as she never really stopped loving Michael she just grew to love Rafael more or for more reasons.

"Rafael and I had a divorce." She cut her easily side-tracked train of thoughts "A couple of years ago." She added quickly when a plethora of emotions passed in his eyes, there was surprise, guilt, pity, and an inexplicable disappointment. She feared she knew where the disappointment came from, which he proved with his next words.

"So you're looking for a rebound."

"no, Michael, you can never be a rebound. Ever." Now it was her turn to tear up "it took everything from me to move on. After I believed you were dead, when you came back, being around you hurt, it hurt both of us, or actually all three of us because Rafael is an eternal part of the equation and I thought it would be best to go our separate ways, but I don't want us to be strangers. If you want us to, I understand, I'll leave."

"Don't leave." They both sighed, Jane in relief, Michael in defeat. He carefully moved his coffee cup to the center of the table and rested his head in his palms.

"It just hurt, you know."

"Yes, I"

"not being around you." He interrupted her "I mean that hurt of course, but it wasn't the worst part. The worst part was that my life seemed to be summarized in that one role, Jane's husband, and then even that was taken away from me."