"Hey, Casey," Sylvia greeted her when she stepped into Mickey's. One would have assumed she would be sick of anything from there for as long as she'd worked but she had a fondness for their coffee.

"Syl," She reached over the counter to give the older woman a hug. "How's it going? It seems like I haven't seen you in forever."

Sylvia had made working the diner for so long bearable. Slightly older than Casey by a little over ten years and more than that for the younger ones, she was considered the mother of the night shift by many.

"It's going," Sylvia said as she wiped down the counter.

"How are the grandkids?" Casey smiled, knowing how much her former co-worker loved talking about them.

"Getting bigger every time I see them," Sylvia sighed. "It seems like just yesterday I was in labor with my little JJ and now he's a father. They grow up so fast. Of course, I don't have to tell you that. How's Charlie doing these days? I know you said he was studying to be a teacher."

Casey sat down on one of the stools, setting her purse beside her. "He's wonderful. Actually, he was just hired to teach English."

"Are you sure that's the same boy who used to come in after school and beg us to let him have some dessert without you knowing?" She laughed lightly.

"Some days I can hardly believe it," Casey said. "One minute he's in diapers and the next, he's starting his career."

"You, my friend, were lucky," Sylvia said, pouring her a cup of coffee.

"Oh, yeah?"

"Charlie's a great kid. You managed to survive the teenage years without any major hassles. That is what I call a success," She said.

"I suppose you're right," Casey agreed, carefully taking a sip. She sat it back down with a light thud. "You know, as proud as I am of him, there are some days I wish he was still that same little boy."

"He'll always be your little boy, Casey."

"You know what I mean," Casey said. "I wish he was at home again. It gets lonely there sometimes."

Sylvia hummed, lips pursing.

"What?" Casey asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

"I don't think Charlie going out on his own is the problem," The older woman said. She walked down to the other side of the diner to give a couple their food. Casey waited patiently for her return. "The real problem is, you're lonely."

"Not this again, Syl," Casey gave her a look.

Sylvia was convinced that Casey needed to get out there again and find someone. Or rather, get back with a certain someone. She was under the impression that Gordon was the one that got away. It was foolish, is what it was. Casey loved Sylvia , but she spent far too much time reading those romance novels of hers. It was downright preposterous. Gordon and her simply hadn't worked out. Things like that happened. There was no use in dwelling on it. Not now. Not when it had been close to a decade since it all went down.

"I'm really not interested in anyone, I've told you that," Casey reminded her. "I'm happy where I am now, really."

"I don't believe you," Sylvia shook her head. She rested her palm against the counter. "Now, honey, I know you have difficulty in the romance department-"

"Gee, thanks," Casey rolled her eyes.

"Don't feel bad, Case; we all have trouble," Sylvia gave her a smile to show that she wasn't trying to give her a hard time over it. "You've got to be like my grandson when he falls off his bike, get back up and try again."

"I've tried, Syl," Casey thought of her failures over the years. It was a good decision on her part to wait until Charlie was older to date again. It would have been hard on him with those men being in and out of his life. "I've really tried. It...it just doesn't work out."

"That's because you haven't found the one yet," Sylvia told her matter-of-factly.

"I don't think there is one for me," Casey said.

She was like all the other little girls. She used to believe that one day she would get swept off her feet by her prince charming and they would live happily ever after. But she learned that life wasn't like the fairytales. Life wasn't easy. Dating wasn't easy. It was harder when she had to come to the realization that love didn't always last.

As a little girl. That's what she believed. Love could conquer all. Love was everlasting. But then she grew up. Became a little wiser, a little more rough around the edges. She experienced her first heartbreak and then another. Casey did her best to keep an open mind, but with everything she had tucked under her belt, it wasn't easy. It wasn't as if she liked how things were. She wasn't being stubborn for the sake of it. Love just...it wasn't for her. She'd learned that in the past few years. Everytime she tried again, every time she took that leap, her heart was broken.

Not only that but she worried about the effect it had on Charlie. It wasn't just her anymore, she had to think of him too.

"Nonsense," Sylvia said. "There's always someone for somebody."

That was Sylvia, a romantic at heart.

"You've just got to keep an open mind, Casey."

"I've kept one, Syl," Casey sighed. "It just doesn't work out."

"Maybe there's a reason for that," The older woman said cryptically.

"And just what are you getting at?" Casey raised her brows.

"I'm not getting at anything," Sylvia said which caused Casey to scoff. "I'm...hinting."

"Hinting at what?"

Sylvia propped herself on the counter by her elbows. "Did you ever stop and think maybe you're the reason why these relationships aren't working out?"

Casey looked offended. And slightly hurt, but she hid that part well.

Of course it had crossed her mind. Namely when she was trying to sleep but would end up staring at the ceiling instead.

Sylvia realized her mistake and reached over to grasp Casey's hand. "I didn't mean it like that," she assured her, frowning apologetically. "I just...well, sometimes we self sabotage ourselves, honey. We don't even realize we're doing it."

Casey stared at her in disbelief. "You think I can't keep a man because I'm ruining it myself?"

"It's possible," Sylvia said. "Your mind could be stuck on someone else. Like a certain...coach for instance."

"I should have known where this was going," Casey muttered. "Syl, Gordon and I aren't getting back together. That ship has long sailed."

"You never know, Case," Sylvia said. "Life has a way of surprising us."

"You're as bad as Charlie," Casey told her with a shake of her head.

"He still wants you and Gordon together?" Sylvia asked.

"He says he's over it now but I'm not so sure," Casey said. "He spent years trying to get us together. He hated my exes' because they weren't Gordon and wouldn't stop asking why we broke up."

"Why did you break up?" Sylvia had never heard the story because Casey kept the truth close to her. At one point, Gordon stopped by frequently to see her. It was really...nice. He would sit there, nursing along a cup of coffee, reading the hockey highlights and every so often, she would feel like someone was watching her. Turning around, she would see Gordon's lips curled into a soft smile. Casey would feel her cheeks warm up, her stomach flop and she would look away.

Then, all of the sudden, those things stopped happening. Sylvia inquired as to why that was but Casey never gave her much of an answer.

"It's really not-"

The door to the diner dinged softly. Casey's back was still facing the door so she didn't see who came in but she did see Sylvia's eyebrows flying up to her hairline. "What?" She said immediately.

"Seems like fate is intervening today," Sylvia said gleefully.

"What do you-" The words fell off Casey's tongue. Gordon was standing there, frozen at the sight of her. Now that he was back in town and living with Charlie, there would be no escaping this. They made eye contact for an almost embarrassing amount of time. Casey plastered on a smile, as there was no reason to be impolite. "Gordon, hi. It's nice to see you again."

Way to go, Casey, She thought. Way to make it sound so formal

He gave her a slight nod. "Nice to see you too, Casey. I'll just-" He gestured to his left where there were plenty of empty booths waiting for someone to occupy them.

"You don't have to," Casey said quietly, well aware of Sylvia watching them. "There's room here if you'd like." Their relationship might not have worked out but she wasn't going to be bitter over it. She wasn't going to act like a juvenile. She was a mature adult.

"She's right," Sylvia added with that gleam in her eyes. Knowing Syl, she probably took this as some kind of sign. "Sit, sit, Gordon. It's been a while, hasn't it?"

Gordon recovered. His smile towards Sylvia was warm as he took a seat. There was a stool in between which kept them at a distance from each other. A tiny one, but a distance regardless. "It has," He agreed. "So, how are you? How's the family?"

"Wonderful," She picked up the coffee pitcher, holding up a mug and asking, "Your usual?"

"Yes, please," he nodded and accepted the mug with a thank you.

"They keep me busy," Slyvia said with a laugh. "I forgot what it was like to have little ones running around. I'm sure Casey will know that feeling in a few years."

Casey cleared her throat. Gordon side-eyed her. While not exactly in the way Sylvia was imagining, she would be getting a taste of grandparent life. In a way. She wasn't entirely certain of how she would fit into this but they would cross that bridge when they got there.

"Right," She managed a smile.

"Are you seeing anyone, Gordon?" Sylvia, nosy as ever, asked. Casey shot her a warning glare but her friend brushed that right off.

"Afraid not," Gordon said delicately.

"Oh, that's right," Sylvia said suddenly. Casey knew where this was leading to. "I heard you just got out of a relationship."

Gordon stiffened. "Yes."

"I'm sorry, honey," Sylvia said sympathetically. "It's not easy. Trust me, I know."

"Excuse me," A woman from the other side of the diner was waving her hand impatiently to grab Sylvia's attention. "I'm ready to order."

"Of course," Sylvia said, subtly sharing a look of long suffering with Casey before she went on her way.

"I'm sorry," Casey apologized to Gordon.

"Don't be," Gordon said.

"No, no, really. It's my fault."

"Your fault?" Gordon arched his brow.

"Oh, Syl was up to her old tricks again. She's trying to get me to admit I'm lonely," She wasn't sure why she was telling him this. "And then you came in."

"So it's my fault?" Gordon chuckled.

"You know what I mean," Casey rolled her eyes but despite that, she smiled. "I'm sorry if she made you uncomfortable."

"She didn't-" Gordon started to say but then backtracked. "It's okay."

"You're not just saying that?"

"No," He said honestly. He tapped his fingers on the counter. "Have you...Has Charlie told you anything else about-"

He let the question hang in the air to preserve the intimate details of the situation.

She understood what he meant. "He has." She sighed sadly. "I don't understand. That poor boy. I don't even want to imagine what he's gone through. I told him to spare me the details."

Gordon nodded. "He's got Charlie," he said eventually. "That will do him some good."

"I hope so." Silence fell over them. She held her mug of coffee, which had gone lukewarm by now. "Charlie said you'll have to move out now that Logan is coming to live with him."

"Yeah," He muttered and then inhaled a mouthful of coffee.

She felt bad for him. This couldn't have been easy on Gordon either. "Have you found a place yet?"

"No," He put his hand over his face. "Everything is too expensive or far away. Charlie was the best option."

"I'm sure you'll figure something out," Casey smiled but it didn't reach her eyes.

"Or I'll end up homeless," He said dryly.

Casey didn't respond because Sylvia came back over there, muttering under her breath.

"The nerve of some people. This is why we have kids disrespecting wait staff, because the adults are doing it too. All she had to do was tell me she was ready to order. I was waiting for her. She's been yapping on her cell phone this entire time but no, this is my fault and I'm keeping her from something important. Well, if it was so important she shouldn't have stopped in."

She continued to mutter furiously as she poured the coffee.

Gordon tried to get her attention. "Hey, Syl?"

She turned, the irritation falling from her face. "Did you need something, sweetheart?"

"No," He said simply. "But hang in there. You're doing a great job."

Her face brightened up into a lovely smile. "Thank you, Gordon."

Casey watched her take the coffee out to the woman who so rudely ordered it. "That was nice what you said to her."

He shrugged. "I meant it. I remember you telling me all about the crap you guys dealt with..." He ended up trailing off, having unintentionally charted into unwanted territory.

She didn't want it to be awkward for either of them. "I remember those days well," She said casually. "And I don't miss them."

"I don't blame you," he said, having relaxed now that she hadn't gotten upset at him for it. "I worked at a grocery store as a bagger during high school and hated every second of it."

"That bad, huh?"

"I'm telling you, Case-" She held her breath. He hadn't called her Case since they dated. "It was the worst job I've ever had."

"Well," She said when she remembered how to breathe again, "it's a good thing you aren't doing that anymore then."

"Right," He said.

"How's work, anyway?" Casey mentally shook off that strange feeling. "You're at DePaul, right?"

"Right," He repeated, nodding. "It's good. I like it."

"Better than Ducksworth?"

"Much," he said, twisting in his seat slightly to face her. "What about you? I don't remember what Charlie said you were doing nowadays."

"Mailroom clerk," Casey supplied. "It's not glamorous or anything, but it pays the bills."

"Do you like it?"

"It's not bad," She said. "It's better than I thought it would be."

"That didn't answer my question," he said with a slight smile.

"I don't know," Casey admitted.

He frowned, waiting for her to continue.

"It's a good job and it pays well but-" She sighed, "some days I wish things turned out different." Her eyes drifted downward, staring intently at her coffee. "Times have changed, Gordon. Almost everything out there wants you to be experienced or have a college education and I have neither of those things. I've worked at this diner since I was sixteen and found out I was pregnant with Charlie. I didn't have the money to send myself to college."

"I'm sorry, Casey," Gordon said quietly.

She shook her head, feeling quite silly for bringing this up. "Don't be. I don't know why I even said all that."

She remembered back during their-brief-dating days where they shared stories of their past and connected in a way she'd yearned for with a man.

But that was behind them now.

None of that mattered anymore.

Casey slid off the stool, drinking the last of her stone cold coffee and setting it aside along with a few dollars and a tip for Sylvia. "I didn't realize the time. I should really be going."

"Casey-" Gordon tried.

"I'm sorry, Gordon," Casey said, trying to keep her voice friendly, "It's just not a good time. I'm sure I'll see you again soon."

She got out of there as quickly as she could without running or seeming desperate.