Snippet 2: Regrets and Regressions

Abby felt horrible for Luka. She knew how much he had cared for Sam, maybe even loved her -oh god, had he loved her? She felt herself growing more miserable each second. It was too hard, too hard to think about Luka and Sam, yet she knew he desperately needed a friend. And if she couldn't even do that, do that one small favor for Luka, what kind of a person was she? So what if her pride got trampled on? So what if her heart ached in pain yet again at the thought? Luka needed her right now, and she was going to be there, no matter how much it hurt. She muttered a quick prayer, and dived in as soon as she saw him. Thankfully, they were both alone in the locker room.

"Luka," she put her hand out, lightly brushing his shoulder. He was sitting on the bench, his face was pained, his eyes dark and weary. As he glanced up at her, she grew a little nervous, wanting to say all the right things, and yet not knowing what to say. She took a deep breath before plunging into her speech. "Luka, I know I'm probably not the first person you'd want to see or talk to right now, but I'm still your friend if you want me to be, and this must be very painful for you. If you don't want to talk about it, or if you just want me to shut up, you can go ahead and say so right now, but I'm here for you no matter what and that sounds trite and corny, but...okay, you can tell me to shut up now." She ended with her touch of characteristic self-deprecation, and a wry, crooked smile to hide her embarassment at having said too much.

She didn't dare look at him and began fiddling with her mittens. Luka was deeply touched by Abby's words. He realized it would have been difficult for anyone to have approached him right now, especially Abby given their recent history, and he sincerely appreciated her efforts. He quickly took her hands into his, and forced her to look at him. "Abby," he said softly, smiling gently at her. "I don't want to talk about Sam, but I do want to talk to you. Do you think you could use another cup of coffee?"

She felt a little relieved at not having to be his confidante over a new relationship and replied teasingly, "I was waiting for you to ask that!"