Author's note: As you can see from the date, I wrote this quite a while ago and just never got around to posting it here. Please note that I wrote it before the series began, so some things might not entirely match with the series. The story takes place prior to the mini, so there are no spoilers for the series, but considering how the season ended, I thought it fit rather well.
10/8/04
HAUNTED
It was only 18:00 Caprican time, but Lee was already exhausted. The Battlestar Solaria was in spacedock for refueling and refitting. She would be out of action for the next month. As such, all personnel not vital to the maintenance of the ship were given extended leave. Lee took the opportunity to return to Caprica City to visit his mother.
He had arrived at the military space port only an hour ago. Caroline had picked him up from the base and had taken him back to the family's old house, where she was still living. He had found it strange being back there. His father had moved out almost ten months ago and Zac had been dead for only a little over a month. The house had never been particularly large and, growing up, it had always seemed like he'd never had any privacy, despite having his own room. But now the house seemed cavernous and empty. He wondered if his mother was lonely being here all alone. He asked her.
"Well, it was a bit lonely at first," she admitted. "But I've been seeing someone for a few weeks now and it's helped a lot. His name is Marcus and I'm hoping that while you're home on leave, you'll be able to meet him."
"Yeah, that'd be great," Lee said, without much enthusiasm. In fact, he was thinking about how awkward it would be to meet his mother's new boyfriend.
They chatted for a while longer before Lee finally gave in to the exhaustion and excused himself to go to bed. He wanted nothing more than 14 hours of uninterrupted sleep. He succeeded in getting two. Around 20:00 hours, he was woken by a soft buzzing sound. Still groggy with sleep, he rolled over and smacked the alarm clock on the bedside table. The sound continued. It took a moment for it to sink into his brain that the noise was coming from his cellular phone.
Grabbing the small phone, he flipped it open and flopped back on the bed. "Yes?" he said.
"Uh... Apollo?" asked a tentative and vaguely familiar female voice.
"Yes, who's this?"
"Hi, it's Rachel Cornell, you know, Kara Thrace's flatmate?"
"Oh, yeah, right," he said, remembering the tall brunette. Like Kara, Cornell was a basic flight instructor at the Academy Flight School. "What's up?"
"Well, it's about Starbuck. I don't know if you've talked to her lately, but she's kind of gotten out of hand, you know, since the funeral..."
That got Lee's full attention. He was wide awake now. He sat up slowly. "No, I haven't talked to her in a few weeks. What do you mean she's gotten 'out of hand'?"
"Well, she's been drinking a lot and her behavior has changed. She's been going out to the bars almost every night and every night she comes home in worse and worse shape. Sometimes it's because she's gotten in a fight and sometimes it's just the alcohol. Anyway, I'm worried that if she keeps this up she's going to end up dead or in jail. She doesn't listen to me. I found your number in her address book and decided to take a shot that I'd be able to get a hold of you. I was hoping maybe you could talk some sense into her.
"Listen, she's already gone out for the night. I have to leave town for a training conference in an hour, so I can't go looking for her, but someone really ought to..."
"Don't worry, I got it covered," he said quickly. "Thanks for calling me, Rachel, and don't worry, I'll find her and get her home safely."
Damn it, he thought to himself, he should have sensed that something was wrong with Kara when he talked to her last. But things had been rather tense between them since the funeral and his heated words to his father. Kara was always so quick to defend the elder Adama and it irritated Lee to no end that she always took the other man's side. They had been arguing quite a bit lately and he obviously hadn't noticed anything else.
With a sigh, he climbed out of bed and took a quick shower. His civilian wardrobe was quite limited so he just grabbed the first things and pulled them on, a pair of dark green, military work trousers and a black, long-sleeved t-shirt. Not exactly the latest fashions and probably not suitable for club-hopping, but not being much of a club-goer anyway, he probably didn't even own anything suitable.
Heading downstairs, he found his mother in the living room, seated on the couch, reading. She looked up from her book as he entered the room. Seeing his change of clothes and still-damp hair, she asked, "Are you going out? I thought you were just going to sleep."
"Yeah, well, Kara just called me on my cell and she wants to get together," he lied, not wanting to alarm his mother with the truth.
"Oh, I'm glad to hear that. I know you two haven't been talking much. You two should stay in touch. It would be good for both of you."
"Uh, yeah, listen I don't know when I'll be back. It'll probably be late."
Caroline smiled. "Don't worry, I won't wait up for you. Give Kara my love."
"Sure."
Lee took the sub-train, the ultra fast, subterranean railway system that interconnected the city, downtown to the area where most of the bars and nightclubs were clustered. He hit the bars that he knew Kara generally favored, but found no sign of her. To his experience, she wasn't much of a nightclub patron either, but her roommate had said that her behavior was strange, so he started checking the clubs.
The first one he tried, a trendy, upscale place, wouldn't even let him in because he wasn't 'properly attired'. He had been informed by the oh-so condescending doorman that the pseudo-military look wasn't currently in vogue... whatever. He figured Kara probably wouldn't have gone into such a snobby place anyway and he moved on to the next club.
This was a dance club, with very loud, rhythmic music and an impressive laser light show. The patrons, both male and female, all seemed to be wearing very little clothing and were dancing in very sexually suggestive poses. Lee was feeling distinctly overdressed. Especially since the temperature in the crowded club was stifling. He could already feel himself beginning to sweat. Standing at the edge of the dance floor, he scanned the dimly-lit club for a glimpse of short, blonde hair.
"Hey Gorgeous, looking for me?" a low, female voice breathed in his right ear, just distinguishable over the pounding bass of the sound system.
He turned to find a tall, muscular woman with long blonde hair pulled back in a complicated knot at the back of her head. She was wearing an extremely tight, black dress which amply displayed her well-toned body. Everything about her arrogant, sexually aggressive attitude screamed high-maintenance bitch.
"No," Lee said bluntly, mentally dismissing her and returning to his scan of the club.
But the tigress in the black dress was obviously not deterred by his rudeness. "Nice pants. Are you a warrior? I love a man in uniform... or out of it..." she said softly, leaning into him.
Lee was hardly even aware of her. He had just spotted someone near the bar who might be his elusive quarry. Oblivious to the tigress' protests, he walked away, headed toward the bar at the opposite end of the club. Approaching, he saw that it was Kara, but a Kara that he had never seen before. She was wearing makeup for one thing, which she rarely ever did and certainly never that much, and her short hair was gelled and styled. She was wearing a pair of very tight black pants and a top which seemed to consist of only a small square of shiny, red fabric held in place over her breasts by a series of intricately intertwined, but flimsy-looking, string ties. He had never seen her looking so... slutty before and, frankly, he found it quite disturbing.
She was seated on a tall stool, surrounded by three men. They were buying shots for her and encouraging her to slam them down as quickly as possible. Oh, this is not a good situation, Lee thought as he walked up to the group. This is not going to be pleasant.
"Kara!" he called to her, but she couldn't hear him over the loud music. He moved closer and took her arm. "Kara!"
She turned at that and her face broke into a wide grin at the sight of him. "Lee!" she squealed and jumped off the stool to throw her arms around his neck. He had to catch her about the waist to steady her. He could smell the ambrosia heavily on her breath. She was completely drunk.
Keeping one arm around his shoulders, she turned back to her three companions. "Hey guys, this is my friend Lee! Lee, these are... um... the guys," she said, giggling.
Lee could feel the animosity radiating off the three men glaring at him. There were already three of them. They certainly didn't want a fourth man added to the group, particularly when the fourth person was a concerned friend of their intended target.
"Lee, come have a drink with us!" Kara urged, oblivious of the tension between the men.
"Kara, I think you've had enough. Why don't I take you home?" he said.
"Oh, it's still early! I don't want to go home. Lighten up for once, Lee. Drink with us!"
"Fine, you and I can have a drink back at your apartment. Let's go."
"No, I don't want to go," she said in a pouty voice, moving to stand beside her three drinking companions again.
"Listen, the lady said she doesn't want to leave with you, so why don't you get lost asshole!" the largest of the three men said belligerently, moving to stand in front of Lee. He was several inches taller than the warrior.
"Hey, don't talk to my friend that way!" Kara piped up, her quick temper flaring to life.
"Just shut up and let me handle this, Babe," the man said over his shoulder.
"Excuse me?" she asked, her eyes growing very wide and her temper raising another few notches.
Lee groaned inwardly. He knew that look in Kara's eyes. He had been hoping to try and talk his way out of this and avoid a fight, but things were progressing downhill rapidly. He moved his right foot back and bent his knees slightly, giving himself a wider and more secure defensive stance. In this stance, it would be harder for the larger man to knock him down. Unfortunately it did nothing to even out the situation. It was still three against one.
He watched as the other two men moved to flank him on either side. He was in a bad position, but in the confined space of the crowded bar, there wasn't much he could do about it. Abruptly the man on his left moved in and grabbed Lee from behind, pinning his arms to his sides. With a wicked smile, the tall man moved closer. But before he could take his swing, Lee brought a leg up and kicked him solidly in the chest, sending him sprawling back against the bar and several other patrons.
The third man stepped up quickly from Lee's right and delivered a hard blow to his cheek before he could react. Lee's world reeled for a moment and bright spots of color flashed before his eyes. Momentarily stunned and helpless, he steeled himself for the next blow, but it never came. Kara had grabbed the man's shoulder and, twisting him around to face her, she had delivered a punch of her own, throwing all of her not-insubstantial body weight behind it.
Still struggling with the man behind him, pinning his arms, Lee could tell from the breath against the back of his neck that the man was about the same height as him. Leaning forward as far as he could, Lee abruptly jerked his head back forcefully, slamming the back of his head into the man's nose. He was pleased to hear a satisfying crunching sound. Instantly the restraining arms fell away. That's one down for the count, Lee thought.
Meanwhile, Kara was still dealing with her opponent. Her first punch had surprised him, but hadn't landed with her normal accuracy. The man responded by grabbing both of her upper arms, thinking to immobilize her. Glancing down quickly, she saw that he was wearing a pair of light, leather loafers. She was wearing heavy, lug-soled boots. Stomping one foot down on his instep, she waited for him to gasp and release her arms then punched him again, this one landing where the first one had been meant to, on the nose. The man dropped to his knees, both hands clutching his bloody face.
By now the last man, the tall one, had managed to extricate himself from the angry patrons he had fallen into and was moving toward Lee again. The two men eyed each other warily. While the taller man had the advantage in terms of weight and reach, he had been drinking, making his reflexes much slower than Lee's. It was also obvious that Lee was the more experienced fighter. You didn't hang out with Kara Thrace and not learn how to handle yourself in a bar fight.
The tall man lunged forward, swinging wildly. Lee easily caught the flailing arm and guided it forward, allowing the man's own body weight and momentum to carrying him over Lee's outthrust hip, flipping him heavily onto his back on the sticky, ale-stained floor. The man landed with a loud grunt as all the air was forcefully expelled from his lungs. He lay helplessly gasping for oxygen.
"Woohoo! We rock!" Kara crowed loudly, punching the air in triumph.
Lee couldn't help but smile wearily at her cocky enthusiasm. Frankly, he was amazed that the flimsy, little scrap of cloth she was wearing had somehow stayed in place during the fight. How do women manage such things? he wondered. Once again taking note of their surroundings, he realized that their fight had had a ripple effect, as they so often did, and other, unrelated, fights had broken out around them. He was vaguely aware of someone behind the bar yelling something about calling the police. Time to go, Lee thought.
Grabbing Kara's arm, he started dragging her towards a nearby emergency exit. He knew that an alarm would probably sound as soon as they opened the door, but the police would be on their way soon enough anyway. Right now, he needed to get Kara out of here. Outside, they found themselves in a deserted alley at the side of the club. The cool night air felt wonderful on his flushed and bruised face.
"Where are we going?" Kara demanded. "That was great! Let's go back in and kick some more ass!"
"I'm done, Kara," Lee said firmly. "You're done. I'm taking you home."
"Fine," she said, with a dramatic and exasperated sigh.
The ride on the sub-train back to her apartment was thankfully uneventful. Unlocking the door and entering, they found that a single light had been left on in the front entranceway. The place was empty and Lee remembered that Kara's roommate, Rachel, had gone out of town. He had preceded Kara into the flat and she had no more than closed the door behind them, before she was leaning unsteadily against him. Again, he slid his hands around her waist to keep her from falling. As she continued to press herself heavily against him, he found himself becoming acutely aware of the warm bare skin under his fingers.
She smiled at him and slid her own hands up under his untucked shirt. He quickly released her and caught her hands in both of his. "Kara, what are you doing?" he asked warily.
"Nothing," she said in a soft, teasing voice, still smiling, still trying to reach for him.
"You're drunk."
"Yeah... so?" She leaned in to kiss him. Her lips had just brushed his before he gently, but firmly, pushed her away.
"This is not a good idea."
"Why not?"
"You're not thinking clearly and you'll regret it in the morning."
"Hmm, maybe, maybe not. Let's find out!"
Lunging at him, she pinned him back against the wall with her body, kissing him deeply. He grasped her shoulders and forced her back slightly. "Stop it, Kara, please."
"Yes, Lee, please..." she whispered. All trace of teasing had left her voice, replaced now by a raw desperation that almost physically pained him to hear. "I need this. It's been over a month. I miss him so much, so much it hurts. But when I'm with you, it's like I can remember him better. Everything about you reminds me of him so much. I can almost feel his presence."
Pushing his restraining hands away, she leaned in close again. "Lords, you even smell like him," she whispered, snuggling her face into his neck.
"Mom accidentally bought us both the same cologne last Solstice," he whispered, silently vowing that as soon as he got home he would throw the damn stuff away, regardless of how expensive it had been.
"Please, Lee," Kara pleaded. "Make love to me."
"Why Kara, so you can pretend that I'm Zac?" Lee asked in a strangled voice. "No, I have more self-respect than that... I have more respect for you."
"Please, Lee..." she whispered again, not even bothering to deny his accusation.
"No," he said firmly, pushing her away again. "I got you home. I'm leaving now."
"No, please, don't go!" she said quickly. "I promise I won't do anything... Just stay, please. I don't want to be alone right now. Besides you said you'd have a drink with me."
"I think you've had enough."
"Fine, I won't drink, but you can stay and have an ale, can't you? I haven't seen you in a month."
He had never seen Kara this desperate, this... fragile. He couldn't turn his back on her and leave her like this. There was no telling what she might do in this state. With a sigh, he said, "Okay."
Walking down the short hallway, Lee went to stand awkwardly in the living room, while Kara went to the kitchen to get a bottle of ale. When she returned, she gestured toward the bedrooms. "Let's go in my room to talk," she said.
"I don't think that's a good idea."
"Oh, come on, Lee. It's more comfortable in the bedroom and I'm getting kind of sleepy."
With a resigned sigh, he followed her into her small, cramped bedroom. Clothing, books, even a few stray Viper parts, lay scattered everywhere. There was nothing in the room to sit on, except the bed. Knowing that he was probably going to regret this, he went over and sank down on the edge of the bed. As soon as he did, the exhaustion that he had managed to push aside while dealing with this crisis, came back to hit him full force. Lords, he was tired. The ale was certainly not helping.
Still standing, facing him, Kara reached around behind her and began untying the strings of her top. Seeing this, Lee felt panic flare in his stomach. "What are you doing?" he asked.
"I'm getting ready for bed," she answered calmly.
"I'm outta here," he said, getting hastily to his feet. Unfortunately he wasn't fast enough. With one last tug on a string, the shiny little piece of fabric fell away and Kara stood before him shameless and topless.
Oh frak! It was the last coherent thought he had for several minutes. He could only stand helplessly and stare. Lords, this was not fair! It was so not fair! How was he supposed to deal with this? Here was a beautiful woman standing before him, practically throwing herself at him, a beautiful woman whom he had wanted for a very long time, but whom he had resigned himself never to have. And here she was throwing herself at him. What was he supposed to do? His brain knew that it wasn't him she wanted. She wanted his dead brother, but he found that his body didn't seem to care all that much. He wanted to do the right thing, he truly did, but Lords, he was only human, and a male human, at that.
"Kara..." he whispered, but whether he had intended to protest or beg for more, not even he was sure.
In the end, it didn't really matter. She stepped forward and pressed her fingers over his lips. "Ssshhh," she breathed, moving closer to press herself against him. He could feel the warmth of her bare skin radiating through the thin material of his shirt. He didn't protest this time as she slid her hand around to the back of his neck and drew him into a deep kiss. At the moment, he didn't even mind the taste of stale ambrosia on her breath. He slid his own hands up to marvel at the smooth expanse of soft, bare skin across her back.
Pushing him back onto the full-sized bed, they both climbed in and resumed their foreplay, kissing, touching, and exploring. Pushing his shirt up, she began suckling roughly on one flat nipple. Through the haze of desire and arousal clogging Lee's mind, the realization that this was very, very wrong, began to slowly push into his consciousness. Grasping her shoulders, he gently pushed her away and sat up, tugging his shirt firmly back down. He was about to tell Kara, again, that he had to leave, when he noticed that she wasn't protesting and had a strange expression on her face.
"Kara, what's wrong?" he asked in concern.
"I don't feel so good," she whispered, pressing a hand over her mouth, her face noticeably paler than usual.
Oh frak! he thought. "Okay, let's get you to the ba-." He never managed to finish that statement as Kara calmly leaned over and vomited onto his lap. Without another word, she promptly flopped back on the bed, passed out. Oh yeah, that killed the mood, he thought with a resigned sigh.
He simply sat for a moment, pondering the fickle vagaries of fate, when he gradually realized that he could feel the vomit, which was almost entirely liquid, soaking through to his underwear. Well, I can't go home on the sub-train like this, he thought. With a slight shudder, he stood and walked gingerly to the bathroom.
Turning the shower on and kicking his shoes off, he stood for a moment debating. Oh, what the hell, he thought and stepped into the shower fully clothed. It seemed the quickest and easiest way to clean both himself and his clothing. When he thought he had rinsed most of the vomit out of his shirt and pants, he peeled the soaked garments off and scrubbed down his bare skin. Wringing out the excess water, he draped the clothes over a towel bar to dry and used the towel to rub himself down. Now, of course, he was left with nothing to wear and he really didn't think he could fit into anything of Kara's.
Going back into the bedroom, he found her lying in exactly the same position he had left her in. Knowing that it would not be good to leave her on her back, he rolled her over onto her stomach, positioning her head so that it half hung off the edge of the bed. That way, if she vomited again in her sleep, she wouldn't choke on it. Pulling the blankets out from under her, he covered her up with one and wrapped the other around his body. Taking a moment to check her pulse and breathing, he turned and headed out to the living room to crash on the couch.
Kara awoke the next morning with the unpleasant need to vomit. Managing to haul herself off the bed and into the bathroom, she dropped to her knees in front of the toilet and emptied her stomach. Several minutes later, she felt well enough to stand. Now that the initial nausea had passed, she found that she actually wasn't feeling all that bad, surprisingly. With a sinking feeling, she realized that this was not a good sign. It meant that it was taking longer and longer for the alcohol to work its way out of her system. That's how people became alcoholics. She had a sudden flashback of her father stumbling drunkenly around their old apartment, raving incoherently at his wife and daughter. She shuddered at the memory. That's it, she told herself, no more drinking. I will not become like him.
After washing the smeared make-up off her face and brushing her teeth she was finally alert enough to notice the dark clothes hanging from the towel bar... men's clothes. She vaguely remembered the three men at the club who had been buying shots for her. Oh frak, what did I do last night? she asked herself, feeling cold dread dribble slowly into the pit of her stomach. There was quite a bit that she didn't remember about last night. She didn't remember how she got home. Hell, she didn't remember much after that fourth shot. Had she finally sunk so low that she'd become like those sad women who go to the bar and end up going home with whatever guy happens to buy her the last drink of the night?
Returning to her room, she was relieved to see that the bed was empty, although she knew that didn't necessarily mean anything. Pulling a robe on, she walked out to the living room... There he was. He was lying on the couch, his face turned away from her and half hidden by the blanket. She could quite plainly see from the way the thin blanket outlined the narrow hips and broad shoulders, there was no question that the stranger was a male.
She was completely stunned. How could I have allowed myself to sink this low? Realizing that she needed to deal with this situation now, she squared her shoulders and walked to the couch. Hesitantly, she poked one of the stranger's shoulders. All she got for the effort was a muffled grunt. She tried again, poking a little harder this time. As he rolled over and glared up at her through bleary, blue eyes, she felt relief flood her body... Lee.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, smiling.
"Well, good morning to you, too," he said dryly, struggling to sit up while keeping the blanket wrapped modestly around himself. "Don't you remember? I went to the club last night and dragged your ass home."
Sinking down on the couch beside him, she said, "No, I don't remember any of that." Noticing the nasty bruise on his cheek for the first time, she gestured to it and asked, "I didn't do that, did I?"
"No, one of the 'gentlemen' who was hoping to escort you home, did that."
"One of the gentlemen?"
"There were three."
"You took on three guys for me?"
"Well, you took out one of them yourself, so it was only two."
"Oh, good for me," she said dryly. "I'm sorry, Lee."
"It's alright, don't worry about it."
"So, why are your clothes hanging in the bathroom?"
"Well, I had to wash them out after you puked on me."
"Oh God," she moaned, burying her face in her hands. "I am so sorry. I am so embarrassed." Lifting her head up, she asked sheepishly, "So, did I do anything else for which I should apologize?"
It seemed that she didn't remember trying to seduce him, so he decided to just let that remain unknown. She didn't need to know about that. She was embarrassed enough already. And he wasn't exactly proud of his own behavior with regards to that either. "No, don't worry about it... So, how do you feel this morning?"
As he spoke, he raised his arms and stretched expansively. He twisted his torso back and forth a few times, trying to work the kinks out of his lower back. Kara's couch wasn't the most comfortable thing to sleep on. Watching this action, she had to quickly look away. There was something about the movement that had reminded her of Zac. She felt a sharp stab in her chest. She knew that one of the reasons she had been trying to avoid Lee since the funeral was the simple fact that he was constantly reminding her of Zac. It wasn't a physical thing. The two brothers really hadn't looked all that much alike. It was just that her thoughts of the two men were, in many ways, so intertwined that she sometimes had trouble separating her thoughts of Lee, from her thoughts of Zac. And there were times, like now, when she found it almost too much to bear to even be in Lee's presence.
"Uh, not too bad actually," she said, eventually remembering that he'd asked her a question.
"Really? That's not a good sign, you know."
"Yes, I know," she said, a bit defensively. "Don't worry, it won't happen again. I've learned my lesson."
"Have you? Rachel seemed pretty concerned when she called me last night. She said that you've been doing this for a while now."
"Yeah, well, we all deal with things differently."
"Kara, this isn't dealing with anything. This is avoiding dealing with it."
"Oh, you're a fine one to talk about avoiding dealing with things! Tell me, have you spoken to your father lately?"
She could see by his expression that she'd succeeded in hitting the raw nerve she'd been aiming for. He struggled to bite back some angry retort. "We're not talking about me or my father," he said, when he'd finally gotten his voice under control. "We're talking about you."
"How convenient for you. Listen, the last thing I need is a lecture from the King of Denial about how to deal with things! I'm coping, alright? Yes, in my own way, I am dealing with this. I'll be fine. Please, don't trouble yourself on my account!"
"Fine, excuse me for caring!" Lee said, getting to his feet. "Let me just get my clothes and I'll get out of your hair and leave you to your 'coping'."
After he had disappeared into the bathroom, Kara collapsed back against the couch with a groan. Oh, way to go, Thrace, she told herself sarcastically, you handled that with your usual tactful aplomb.
Now that she'd been up for a while, her delayed hangover was beginning to catch up with her. Her stomach was starting to churn again and there was a distinct ache beginning to develop behind her eyes. Or maybe it was just Lee's presence. She couldn't do this anymore. His presence was like someone picking at the raw wound of her grief. She needed to distance herself from him or that wound would never heal. Sure, it would hurt like hell to separate herself from him. He had been a good friend for a good chunk of her life, but if she was ever going to get her shit together, she needed to do it. And right now, she needed to think of herself first.
In the bathroom, Lee leaned against the sink and tried to calm his chaotic emotions. He had never met another woman who could push his buttons with the same surgical precision that Kara could... This was not working. He had seen the look of desire that had flitted briefly across her face earlier, before she had turned away. It was painful to know that that desire hadn't been for him. She'd been looking at him, but she'd been thinking of Zac. Lee didn't need the ability to read minds to know this. It was why she had looked away. It hurt him to know that his presence caused her pain, but it hurt him more to know that every time she looked at him, her thoughts were of someone else. This had to stop. For his own sanity, he had to stop seeing Kara, at least for a while.
His clothes were still damp, but at least they didn't smell like an ambrosia distillery anymore. Luckily it was summertime, so being outdoors in damp clothes wouldn't be too uncomfortable. Returning to the living room, he found Kara sitting on the couch, staring into space. She looked up when he approached her. Their eyes met and he realized that he didn't need to make any excuses to her. She had obviously come to essentially the same conclusion that he had. She rose from the couch and they stood for a moment staring at each other awkwardly.
"Listen," he said softly, "I'll, uh... see you around."
"Yeah," she whispered. "See you around." Although they both knew that would probably not happen for a very long time.
THE END