"So," Jared began with a more serious tone, "I should ah, get to that talk, huh?" He slowly looked up at her and watched her face change as she swallowed and straightened her posture. "I just can't relax without getting it out to you." He added. She reached over and took his hand.

"When you're ready, you need to be okay with this too." She said softly. Jared nodded and inhaled, slowly smiling as he looked at their hands.

"I'm ready, and I think I am okay with it. I mean she seemed," he looked about as if he was trying to find the right word, "happy? and she was actually okay to talk to, surprisingly."

"Okay, well that's good." Chris prompted, trying to not let her worry show, "walk me through it."

"Well, I really wasn't sure at all how I would feel if I ever saw her again. Honestly like I said before I never thought I would. But, well. That's life."

"Yeah, rollercoaster right." Chris smiled. She was nervous, scared of what he was about to tell her. Jared saw her squirming in the seat and could sense her unease.

"Hey, relax, you getting nervous is making me nervous." He laughed awkwardly.

"I, I'm trying to." Chris said. "I really am, keep going."

"Well, I think she was surprised that I had hung back to talk to her. Especially after it was clear we are," he said gesturing between them both, "dating and … well after an awkward 'hi, can we take a minute?' it wasn't so bad. We were able to briefly catch up about where we were living, careers etc," He paused looking at Chris. "Just small talk really,"

"Okay, so, did you get around to asking her why? Like you wanted to?"

"Yeah, we talked about that briefly. I mean, God I was nervous, and it was taking a bit of small talk to build my courage to blurt it out, but" he took a sip of his water and Chris watched him. Was he nervous to relive or tell her about the conversation or was it something else?

"She actually bought it up." He spoke.

"Oh," Chris let out surprised. "What did she say?" She asked as she took back her hand to take a drink of her water.

"Well, she congratulated me on looking happy and said she was glad I was, she said that you seemed to be an amazing girl, and that she could see the connection we have."

"Oh right, okay?" Chris sat back at bit, uncomfortable, it felt weird that they had discussed her and their relationship, but she figured that was probably just being petty, so, she motioned for him to continue.

"She um, she said something like, 'So I guess you wanna know why right? Why I just left?' to which I like was 'well yeah, I always wondered.' She went on to explain that exactly what she had told me that night was true. She had realised over some time that she wasn't truly happy. She wanted more, more out of her life than just Las Vegas. She said she just felt like something was missing or off. She explained again that she just didn't want to hurt me and pretend it was all okay when she knew it probably wouldn't end well. So…" he paused and shrugged, "She left."

Chris nodded and took a sip of her water. She was struggling to find her words. She reached out and squeezed his hand. Knowing this was hard for him too. Jared smiled slightly knowing Chris was doing her best here, but he couldn't help but feel bad that this was upsetting her.

"So," Jared continued, clearly his head was still stepping through it all as he spoke. "She told me about going back to her parent's, you know, whilst she finished her degree. Then she moved out here to LA and worked her way up to where she is now. She has a life here, picket white fence dream, you know, friends and career, and she seems at peace with the world." He paused and took a breath, "I guess I don't know what to make of her answer? I just, I dunno, but it is what it is."

Chris straightened her napkin and glanced up at him. "So, not having the answer you wanted or expected, about why she left, is the issue? And that has still kind of upset you or thrown you?"

"Is that an observation or a question?" He asked tilting his head at her.

Chris chuckled slightly, "A question."

"Um, no, well, I guess I just need time to let it all settle somewhere, you know back in a box so to speak. This whole thing of her just reappearing was unexpected is all."

Chris nodded and fidgeted with her fingers. Jared could see she was withdrawn, quieter than usual. He tugged his chair around closer to hers and reached for her hand that was in her lap.

"Hey, talk to me." He said softly. She let him take her hand. He held it gently in both of his as his eyes scanned her face.

"I, I just, I… god I dunno." Chris shook her head. "I'm being stupid." She placed the napkin back up on the table and sat back. "It's fine."

"Wait, no, it's not fine, I can see that your upset about it. Why? I need to know, Chris. I don't want this to be an issue for us."

"I, I can't explain what I feel right now. I mean I get that you and her are over, have been for a while, but why then do I feel this weird feeling, I can't even name.

"Jealousy?" He asked softly squeezing her hand.

Chris's eyes opened wide and almost glared at him. She wanted to yank her hand free and yell at him. I AM NOT JEALOUS. But in a split second, she realised she just might be. She took in a deep breath and stared at the floor.

"Hey, Chris, I have had that same feeling so many times about you. About you and Street. But I trust you, I know you are just trying to help him. I believe you when you say that he is just a friend, that you love me, and want us."

Chris felt tears in her eyes. She knew Jared was 100% right. He had to endure so much of that drama AND Street was still her best friend. Still in her life daily, whereas she was all round up and irrational about a girl Jared might see for this week, then probably not again for years, if ever. She felt so stupid and petty, but that wasn't helping her feel better. The air around her suddenly felt suffocating.

"Explain to me how you feel about her." She said in a low voice after the waitress delivered their food.

Jared looked at her quizzically for a moment. "I, um, I. Well, I don't feel romantic feelings if that is what you're wondering or is what is upsetting you." He glanced at her, but she didn't react how he expected, she continued to keep her head down as she waited for him to finish. "I just wanna know why it all ended like it did, and make peace with it for the last time, I guess. But today, that exchange, didn't exactly do that. I mean I guess that's my issue not hers, but I dunno. It frustrates me." He finished. Chris took a sip of her water and picked up her fork, pushing her food around the plate. He watched her as he did the same.

"Please Chris, talk to me." He whispered across the table as she flicked her eyes up to him. She would swear they looked a little teary or glassy for a second. "I'm scared you are about to say you wanna go home or that you need some space. Please for God sake, say something."

Chris swallowed and felt her own eyes dampen. "I'm scared too." She let out as a whisper. "And I'm suddenly not that hungry." She dropped her eyes and exhaled.

"Has me talking to her really upset you that badly?" He asked.

"No, no Jared, it's not just that. It's everything, I think. Stuff is weighing on me and …." She stopped herself. Stopped herself before she said something that would ruin this and that she couldn't take back.

"Let's just eat." She said as she sat forward again and picked up her fork, forcing herself to take a mouthful. Jared figured letting her eat and not pushing her, might help her calm down and get things into perspective, so he nodded silently, and began to eat too. Chris couldn't help but feel herself drowning in the thick cold air that seemed to be between them. She knew some of that, maybe most of that was her doing. She placed down her fork after a while and looked up at him. He had eaten some but not all of his meal, he didn't seem to be hungry either.

"Sorry," she mumbled, dropping her gaze.

"It's okay," he extended his hand out for her to take.

"Wanna just get outta here?" He asked. She nodded.

"Please,"

He signalled to the waiter and went with him, whilst he settled the bill as Chris made her way outside. She folded her arms over herself as she stepped out into the cool air. It was, both, keeping her warm and her defence mechanism.

As he joined her, she felt the guilt of it all. Her actions were probably not helping, but she was struggling. She knew she needed to offer an olive branch.

"Jared," she began turning to him, "I'm not mad at you." She drew her gaze up to his and stepped a bit closer. "I mean I understand all of that with Caitlin today. It's just that with everything else, like you said my mess with Street and all of that. I am just, I am a mess too." She finished dropping her eyes down to her feet.

"Hey," he stepped to her, toe to toe. Placing his hands on her arms, which were still folded across her chest, he searched for her eyes. "I get it Chris; I understand all of that. I do. But it almost feels like you are shutting me out. You are throwing up walls and I am struggling here trying to find my way back inside them."

In that moment Chris felt two things. Firstly, sad, that she had made the man she was falling for feel like that and second, was he seemingly giving up, saying she was making this too hard? Chris exhaled and closed her eyes. She hated that she had made Jared feel like she was running away.

"I'm sorry, I'm not trying to. I honestly just don't know what …"

"Stop, just talk to me," He interrupted, "Take a breath, walk with me, just talk, about anything, about Caitlin, about the Street and Molly mess. We just have to talk Chris." He continued as he motioned for her to walk with him. Chris tilted her head to the side and began to take small steps to follow him. He held out his hand as she came to his side. Chris sighed and took it, closing her eyes to stop tears she felt. He didn't look at her just kept walking as her hand slid into his. "We can't stop talking and communicating because it gets hard Chris, where will that leave us?" He finished glancing at her. He saw her swallow and exhale slowly, her eyes teary.

"Okay, you are really scaring me." He stopped and put his arms around her. She let her head fall on him. Her eyes closing as his arms held her tight, and she felt the tears start to fall. Standing there, she felt safe, but at the same time still a mess. Gradually she lifted her head and stepped back from him. He looked down at her.

"Do you want to spend the night apart?" He asked, she heard the fear in his voice. She knew he was making that her decision as he was scared, that she was going to run.

"No," She whispered back, "I just hate that this is complicated and messy, I don't want that. I want the easy, the fun, the happy us back."

"Hey, all relationships go through this. My questions for Caitlin don't have to make this messy. It's not like I'm asking her to get back together or even thinking about her like that. I just wanted a reason, closure for good." He explained. Chris couldn't argue. She knew he was right. There was nothing romantic in what he had described, but her stomach still felt off somehow. Maybe the issue was not with Jared and Caitlin, but more herself, Molly and Street.

"What?" He prompted seeing her thoughts flashing across her face,

Chris pursed her lips and looked up to him. 'Open and honest,' she told herself. "Maybe this, me feeling this way is," she paused and turned away slightly, gathering the courage to keep going. "is more about my mess with Street and Molly then you and Caitlin." She stole a glance at him to gauge his reaction.

He placed his hands in his pockets and shuffled his feet. "Meaning?"

"Meaning, I, I am confused about it all and I ... just don't know how to fix how I feel."