"Angela?"

Jordan knocked on the door for the second time, still not getting a response. He couldn't hear the shower running and he knocked again, his concern growing.

"Ange-"

The door swung open and Angela was still in her clothes from earlier, her eyes swollen and red. She immediately threw herself into a hug and Jordan gripped her as tight as he could, despite being caught off guard.

Angela tried to hold back a sob as she buried her head into his chest and failed miserably. Jordan stroked her hair, not saying anything. He had no idea what he could possibly say that wouldn't make things worse.

"God, I'm sorry." Wept Angela "I'm being so selfish right now."

"No, you're not." Whispered Jordan. He knew he still couldn't think of anything better to say and he hoped holding her in his arms would say more than his words could.

He just kept holding her and he realized he needed to keep holding onto her as much as she needed to be held.

"He's not coming back." Angela admitted.

Jordan paused. He could give his girlfriend false hope in an attempt to comfort her or he could confirm the truth they both knew.

"Probably."

Jordan had once heard of silence that was so thick it was like it could be cut by a knife. He thought it was a cliche that silence could be deafening but here he was, the silence was so unnerving it scared him.

"What happened when your mom left?"

Jordan flinched at the question though he had known it was coming.

"I realized she wasn't coming back."

"When?"

He sighed before answering. "That night."

There was a new horror in Angela's eyes the minute the words left his mouth.

"Jordan, I'm so sorry."

"Don't be."

Angela shifted her head from his chest onto his shoulder and moved her arms out of his grasp, wrapping them around his shoulders.

She didn't need to be taking care of him, he was going to be fine. He needed to be taking care of her right now.

Her stomach growled and Jordan couldn't help but laugh.

"You should eat something."

"I'm not hungr-"

"I'll make you something."

Angela couldn't argue with that and they both walked down the stairs to the kitchen, Jordan flashing her a smile. It was a tired smile and Angela could see the lack of a good night's sleep manifesting on his face.

"What do you want to eat?" He asked, rummaging through the cabinet.

"I think we still have some of the alfredo from Monday."

Jordan went to the refrigerator and pulled out the Tupperware container before pulling a bowl out from the pantry. He set the microwave timer for two minutes and leaned back against the countertop, looking back at Angela at the kitchen table.

Neither said anything and when the microwave beeped, Jordan removed the bowl, only realizing how hot it was when he picked it up. He hissed as he attempted to set the bowl down before he dropped it and he quickly set it on the kitchen table.

Angela couldn't help but laugh and she tried to stifle herself before Jordan flashed her a smile.

It was his first real smile since coming to Chase's house several days earlier.

"Guess I should've let it cool first."

Angela just grinned again and got up to get a fork from the drawer.

When she sat back down, she wrapped a stand of pasta around her fork and took a bite.

"You know, my parents have had that couch since they got married."

"Yeah?"

"It's pretty uncomfortable."

"I don't think it's that bad."

Angela set down her fork and took a deep breath.

"Why don't you sleep upstairs tonight?"

Jordan was caught off guard but tried to keep his face as neutral as possible.

"You don't think your mom would get mad?"

"She had no problem with you being there earlier."

Jordan could think of a dozen reasons why Patty wouldn't want her in her daughter's bedroom but he didn't contest her. If Angela wanted him there, he'd be there.

And besides, the couch was really throwing his spine out of whack.

"Fine by me." He agreed

Angela grinned and rinsed off her plate in the sink. Jordan couldn't help but watch as she did it. It was surreal to be staying in her house watching her do her dishes and he was surprised at how intimate it felt.

Being in the Chase house as a whole still felt surreal and he was taking in the details. It was strange to see how normal families lived and he was surprised to count the sheer number of little magnets on the fridge, some supporting family photos. There had been no such thing in his house, he wasn't even sure if he had baby photos and yet there were two pictures of Angela as a little girl on the fridge.

He was surprised that Patty kept a bowl of fresh fruit on the countertop, hoping to encourage Angela and Danielle to eat some. The bananas in the bowls were starting to soften and Jordan wondered if they had been purchased by Graham shortly before he left.

His blanket on the sofa was from a ski resort in Colorado purchased during a family vacation several years ago. Jordan had never been on vacation, much less to Aspen. Angela told him he would love it and joked he could find a job as a guy making snow on the mountain. She seemed to remember everything about him and he was surprised at how his discomfort had grown into something that lit up inside him whenever she would remember some small detail he told her.

He carried his blanket and pillow upstairs and placed them next to her bed. He hadn't paid much attention to the room the last time he was up there but now his eyes glanced all around, taking in her posters and all the objects she had scattered across her vanity table.

Angela was right behind him and caught him taking it all in. He didn't hear her footsteps until she removed her socks and tossed them into her laundry basket, missing by several inches.

"The stone temple pilots, huh?" He asked, looking at one of the posters just above her night stand.

"Yeah."

A fresh wave of awkwardness washed over him and he felt his discomfort grow as the familiar feeling took over. What was he supposed to say?

"Why is your stuff on the floor?" Asked Angela

"I'm sleeping there."

"Don't be stupid, I want you to actually sleep somewhere comfortable."

Angela only realized the implication of her words when she opened her mouth and she was horrified.

"Jordan, I didn't mean it that wa-"

Jordan raised his hand non confrontationally.

"It's fine, I know what you meant."

He put his stuff on the right side of the bed and grinned at her.

"But I have to warn you, my feet feel like ice."

Angela laughed and Jordan couldn't help but savor the smile he knew was growing across his face. He may have not had the best communication skills but he liked that he could make her laugh. At least he could do something right.

When they crawled under the covers for the night, Jordan felt a warmth in him that couldn't be explained by Angela's down comforter. For the first time in a long time, he fell asleep with a grin on his face.