Soon after, Jared had farewelled Caitlin and sat tapping his phone on the table. "Do I? Or don't I?" He muttered. Calling her, talking, trying to explain where he was at was what needed to happen. He knew that.

He pushed away the almost full beer that still sat there and walked out to his truck.

Back in her darkened apartment Chris looked up to Street. She knew he was right, but she couldn't get her mouth to work. She dropped her eyes and sipped her tea.

"If Jared is miserable somewhere in Las Vegas, well, maybe that's just how this goes." She mumbled.

"God damn it! Chris! You are so stubborn!" Street said. A bit more animated, with a hint of frustration in his voice. "Can't you see if you don't reach out to him, and be honest with him, you might just lose that chance forever. He might just move on, give up and walk away. But you are never gunna know if you don't make that call."

She dropped her eyes thinking, knowing full well that Jim Street was right.

"Well, maybe he should." She answered, as she flicked her eyes to him through her hair. She saw a look of shock spread across his face.

"But wait a minute, what? I thought you wanted things with Jared to work? He was supposed to be your happy remember?"

"Maybe I don't and maybe I was wrong." She muttered, dropping her eyes, and struggling to look at him. As she leant forward to place down her teacup her phone began ringing. It was Jared. His name and picture on the screen. Chris let out an audible gasp as her eyes took it in. Her hand shaking as she reached for it.

"Answer it. You two clearly need to talk." Street said standing up and motioning he was leaving. As Chris sat holding the ringing phone in that second, she wanted to tell him not to go, but at the same time she wanted to sort this mess out with Jared and be clear about where she was at.

As she looked at Street he pointed to the phone with a serious expression. "Answer it Chris. And goodnight." He said firmly giving her a smile. As he began to pull closed the door he mouthed, "Good Luck." And with that he was gone, she swallowed and looked back to the phone.

Sitting in his truck, Jared sighed. He didn't want to drive home. He wanted to call her right then and there. But he knew he needed to do this phone call right. So, with a heavy heart he drove home and sat on the sofa. He was trying to figure out what exactly he would say when, if she picked up. His train of thought was interrupted by the clicking in the line and Chris's weak,

"Hey."

Jared felt a small smile tug at the corners of his mouth, he missed her voice but then he remembered that feeling just an hour ago, of Caitlin's fingers touching his, and he couldn't help but shake his head.

"Hey," he breathed out slowly. "Can you talk? I mean..." he started to fumble and Chris interjected.

"Yeah, I am still up."

Something in her voice sounded so raw to his ears that he couldn't help himself and ask. "Is everything okay? If this, me calling..."

Chris shook her head for a moment before realising that he couldn't see her. They had video called so many times but this one was voice only. Something didn't feel right.

But maybe it is for the best.

"It's okay," she muttered softly, even if it wasn't completely true. When her phone had started ringing a minute ago, and Street had seen Jared's name on the screen he had all but fled the apartment. Leaving her hurt and just more confused.

"Can we talk about us, this limbo we are in?" He asked, and she knew she had to tell him about her thoughts and feelings, but something held her back. There was something else there in the tone of his voice that surprised her.

"I guess we should," She replied, as she sat up a little straighter trying to sort her thoughts and find the right words as Jared continued.

"I've been a mess this past week,"

"Yeah, I heard." Chris mumbled under her breath, but Jared heard her. "Oh?" Came softly from him but he pushed on. "I was hurting, but you, you were right. We … I needed this time."

She heard him swallow and sigh before he again started to talk.

"I needed to talk to someone and, well, I met Caitlin tonight. And I can't say that helped. Much. I mean..."

Chris realized two things in that very moment. One, that she was right. There was still something there for him and Caitlin, and two even if it would hurt right now, walking away from each other as a couple was the best thing they could do.

"I understand." She let out softly. "And Jared, I get it. I really wanted us to work. To not have another messy relationship but, I, we can't help how we feel."

"Can I see you?" His voice was thick with what Chris would swear were tears, and she contemplated saying 'No,' but deep down inside, she knew they should do this face to face, or as close as they could come to it, whilst they lived hundreds of miles apart. She turned her phone and pressed the camera button.

Seconds later, Jared came into focus. His hair was messy, she could tell he had been raking his fingers through it, and his eyes appeared red. Chris swallowed for a moment.

"I am sorry," Jared said again and Chris shook her head to stop him.

"Don't be. I guess I needed this too. And that maybe, it's for the best."

On the interstate, heading back across town, Street rode in a daze. "What the hell just happened?" He asked himself. "Why was Chris so determined not to work things out with Jared? What did she mean when she said, "Maybe I don't and maybe I was wrong" when he had asked her about wanting to fix it.

After pulling into Luca's drive, he realised he didn't remember riding the last few miles. He had been so consumed by the wild torrents of his own thoughts, as he tried to make sense of it all. He didn't want to let himself believe that she was trying to say she didn't want to work things out with Jared because she had realised what she felt for him, but it was there.

He sighed and exhaled as he walked inside. Relieved to see that Luca had gone to bed and he wouldn't be questioned about his weird mood or where he had been, because right now he was sure he wouldn't be able to lie. He stood at the sink and drank a glass of water, staring out into the yard as his mind wandered. He imagined Chris right now sitting on her sofa, upset, trying to talk about things with Jared. He wondered what she was saying. Was she trying to work it out? Is that what they wanted? Or was this the end of their relationship? What did Chris really want?

He paused and blinked slowly, shaking his head at himself. "Stop it. This is not helping." He put his cup upside down on the sink and headed to bed.

Back across town, Jared couldn't stop himself from asking,

"What does that mean Chris?" She saw the fear and uncertainty in his eyes. She stood up, taking her phone with her as she wandered to the window, and closed her eyes, inhaling.

"This is, I mean," She looked at him and paused chewing her lip. "I think, we, I mean us as a couple, are maybe not right, right now. I think it's best if you go work out what is still there between you and Caitlin and …" her voice drifted off as she looked out into the darkness away from the screen.

"And?" He prompted slowly. She knew he deserved to know the rest too.

"And, I think, I think I need to be honest with Street about stuff between us and finally figure out what it all means, instead of pretending it's not there." She paused looking back at him. "I'm sorry Jared. I never thought that I would..." She again drifted off and her eyes went back to the darkness outside.

"Chris, look at me." He paused and waited for her to look back at the screen. "It's okay. Neither of us meant for this to happen."