Ellie was walking down the street, away from her Dad's apartment, when she saw him.
"Sean." Her expression flickered from a nervous smile to regret, then back to a nervous smile again. "I didn't know you were back in Toronto."
"As of last week. My French teacher in Wasaga pulled some strings and got me back on student welfare. Um... I needed to be back here, you know?" He silently cursed at himself. Of course she didn't know. After all, he'd left her a few months prior because he 'needed' to be in Wasaga Beach with his parents.
"Can I buy you a coffee?" Ellie asked finally.
"I shouldn't..."
"Please. I, uh, have a few things I'd like to say," she said quietly. He hesitated, then nodded, and escorted her to The Dot. Spinner was working, and he shot one quick glare at Ellie, who glanced away. She quickly stepped up to the counter and ordered--from a different worker.
"Um, a black coffee and..." She glanced at Sean.
"Cappucino," he said. "I don't have quite the stomach you do." They found a table near the window and sipped at their drinks, trying to ignore the awkward silence. Ellie was the one to break it, surprising both of them.
"I'm sorry," she said. "I'm sorry I imposed when you probably weren't ready to see me. I know you don't want my apology for that, but I am sorry. And I'm sorry I tried to kill myself and that you had to find me that way. And most of all, I'm sorry for what happened with us. Not because it's my fault or yours, just that it happened."
"I'm sorry too," he said quietly. "I'm sorry I called you at the hospital and assumed everything could be the same. And I'm sorry for all the things I apologized for then. And I'm sorry that it took me so damn long to say that I'm sorry."
They both stared down at their drinks for several more minutes.
"So how are things?" It was Sean who spoke this time.
"They're good. I mean, not perfect. I'm still seeing Sauve, and Dr. Cavanaugh, too. But I'm living with Dad, and I'll stay there alone when his leave ends. I've only seen my mom a few times. She's not doing so great, but I guess there's nothing I can do about that. Which, as I'm sure you know, is a big realization for me." Sean nodded. "What about you? How are you?"
"Good. School's going to be a challenge. I don't know if I'll lose another year. I'll scrape by if I'm lucky. I went yesterday. It was weird being back in there. But not as bad as I thought it would be."
She offered him a tentative smile. "I'm glad," she said quietly, then bit her lip. "Sean... When you called me in the hospital, I wasn't ready for a relationship. I mean, I was with Spinner, but even that--I wasn't ready for it. And I didn't say no because I didn't love you or because of Spinner. I said no because deep down, I knew it wouldn't work. Not then. I was too reliant on you. You were the reason I stopped cutting. The minute I lost that, I lost everything. And I couldn't do that again. I couldn't put either of us through it. But Sean, I... I still love you."
"Are you sure you want to do this?" He wanted more than anything just to kiss her and be with her again, but he loved her too much to do so.
"I'm sure," she said.
He broke into a smile. "I love you too."