Street is drawn to the beach again. He sits somewhat hidden in the dunes and tries to get a clear head again. He quickly realizes that he has more to clear up with Chris than he realized and he can only guess what exactly he has done to Molly.
To his "luck," his business phone rings with an emergency meeting and he is very grateful for the distraction because at work he could forget his messy private life.
After a few hours alone with Luna in her apartment, Chris starts to feel better. And the next morning she immediately sees that the dog misses her mom. Luna stands at the apartment door and whines softly. With a smile, Chris opens the door and observes for the first time how Luna really knocks on a door.
When Molly opens the door, the eyes of the two women meet briefly and with a smile on her lips, Molly invites Chris to breakfast together.
As if they had agreed, neither of them brings up the subject of Jim Street. Chris because she still doesn't know what the next step should actually be and Molly because she knows there's no point in pressing Chris and a little bit also because she doesn't know if she's really ready to hear that the two are together.
No matter how long it's been. The stab in her heart that she may have been with a man for a year who never was serious about her...
Molly unconsciously clenches her hand into a fist.
"Hey, what's going on?" asks Chris worriedly, placing a hand on her fist. "Is the case that bad?"
Molly flinches a little, but fortunately quickly enough to pull herself together and not let out her first thought.
"No, the case isn't that dramatic. I just have to go back to Pittsburgh for a few days next week and I can't take Luna with me. Dad's in Detroit..." that's as far as she gets.
"Then Luna will stay with me. That's really no problem." Chris interrupts, secretly looking forward to spending time with the cute four-legged friend. Then she wouldn't have time to brood either.
During the time Molly spends in Pittsburgh, Chris regularly takes Luna to the beach after hours. Today, however, she's trying to keep the water-crazy dog from swimming in the waves. The waves are too high and the wind is a bit stronger after all. She throws the ball and Luna immediately chases after it. Unfortunately for Chris, an unpredictable gust of wind catches the ball and carries it a bit out over the surf. Luna jumps into the water without hesitation and Chris just tries to get her back, screaming loudly.
"Luna! Stop. Come back!" she still shouts while taking off her shoes and pulling her sweater over her head. The dog has already swum far out and is completely fixated on her ball. When she reaches it and starts to swim back, Luna goes under a little. "Luna!" one last cry in panic and Chris is also in the water.
Out of the dunes, another figure rushes toward the beach. Street, in keeping with his new habit, had been sitting on the beach again when he heard the shouts. At first, he had dismissed it as imagination. But when Chris' voice became louder and louder and more and more panicked, he hurried to run in their direction.
He sees that Chris has fought her way to the tired Labrador, but also realizes that Chris would soon run out of strength. He quickly gets rid of all unnecessary clothing and swims towards the two.
He hopes that Chris will at least accept his help, even if she still doesn't want to talk to him, because so far she hasn't contacted him.
Luna is only kicking tentatively, but she is holding on to her ball. Chris is worried and fighting her own fatigue. She sees a swimmer coming towards her and she can't help but smile gratefully. That doesn't change when she recognizes the face.
"Come on, I'll take her," Jim says, grabbing Luna as if the wet Labrador were light as a feather. As he swims back toward the beach in a supine position, it's not just to save energy, but also to keep an eye on Chris.
For a moment it looks like Chris is running out of strength but then she also turns on her back and slowly starts to move.
When Chris arrives back at the beach, Luna is already lying on the towel she had been sitting on. The wind is whistling and Chris regrets that she jumped into the sea in almost all her clothes. But all that doesn't matter when her gaze lands on Luna. Completely exhausted, Chris drops down next to the dog and just holds her. She puts her face to Luna's neck and lets her emotions run free.
She twitches briefly as someone puts a blanket around her shoulders. Chris turns her head and sees Street drying his body briefly with a towel and then getting back into his clothes. He hands her his t-shirt and puts on only his shirt.
"Here you should at least get out of those wet clothes. This is long enough and passes for a dress." Chris has to laugh involuntarily. His grin. But she knows he's right, and it's only for a moment. She'd be home in no time.
She pulls the blanket closer around her and peels the pants and her T-shirt off her body. It's definitely better in Jim's T-shirt already. "You'll need my sweater too..." she starts as Jim is already holding out the hoodie.
"Come on, I'll take you home. Luna still looks pretty beat up." he holds out a hand to her and Chris hesitates for a moment before grabbing it. She'd need help right now.
"Hopefully she's just exhausted and it's nothing worse," Chris mumbles as she gathers her things and then slowly walks behind Street who is carrying the completely exhausted Labrador.
The way from the beach to the building is only short but Luna is not necessarily the easiest and after she has rediscovered a few life spirits in her, she has Street also with light nudges and the one or other lick almost out of step.
Chris smiles as she watches the spectacle in relief. Luna really seems to be just a little worn out. When she sees Street's look and realizes he noticed her watching him, Chris blushes a little against her nature. Before Street can stop at Molly's door, Chris walks past him and says:
"Luna's with me for a few days. Molly's out of town on business." She opens her door and lets him pass into the living room.
Jim puts Luna down on her pillow and before he gets all the way up again he strokes the animal's fur as well.
Meanwhile, Chris had changed into dry clothes and holds his T-shirt out to Jim again.
"I can wash it if you prefer," she says and when she notices that he is shivering a little, she suggests. "Sit down, I'll make us some more tea."
Jim tilts his head for a moment but when he sees her look he nods and walks towards the sofa. From his new place, he can't see Chris anymore but after a few minutes, he hears whispering in the hallway. Cautiously he goes to the door and looks around the corner. Chris is sitting next to Luna and keeps stroking the Labrador's head.
"You scared the hell out of me. If something had happened to you, your mom would never forgive me again. I guess that would really be too much. Don't ever do that again!" Luna acknowledges the grumbling with a generous lick across Chris' face. The scene is interrupted by the ringing of the tea kettle and Street can no longer disappear into the living room. Chris has seen him.
"I'll be right there." she shoos him back to the sofa. His head is buzzing right now. Should he say something? What had Molly already forgiven Chris for? If he knew correctly, the two hadn't been close friends for that long. He takes a chance when Chris comes in with the tea and sits on the armchair.
"Luna's going to be okay. Nothing happened," he says carefully.
"I know. Thanks for your help." Jim hears the relief and gratitude in her voice.
Chris keeps her gaze lowered. She doesn't know what to say now. Should she just explain what she just mumbled in the hallway? Or should she just say nothing at all?
In her mind, she tries to go through every option, but somehow it always ends up that she wants to leave. Only she can't very well run away from her own apartment.
"Chris?" Street's voice sounds uncertain. Kind of like he's feeling as lost as she is right now. "If you're uncomfortable with me being here..." he begins cautiously, and in that moment she responds purely intuitively.
"Stay, please. We should really try to talk again." she says with her eyes still lowered.
Street is surprised but sits down again directly.
"Because of what you just heard." Chris begins and Street hurries to interrupt her.
"You don't have to tell me any secrets from your friendship."
"You might want to know." Chris retorts, looking him in the eye for the first time since they sat down. "After I went to Boston, I had to tell Molly the truth." she continues talking and Jim listens intently.
"Which one?" he asks, confused.
"The truth about my role...I mean I had to tell her that I had lied to her."
"Why? That was over a year ago, wasn't it?" Jim can't help his voice got a little louder.
"How am I supposed to be friends with her and have her be so supportive with this...I couldn't let that happen. She had to know." Chris has also gotten louder and they are both breathing faster. Jim is silent. That would at least explain why Molly had treated him so coldly. But what did that mean for his friendship with Chris now?
"That's not what we wanted to talk about. Chris, we wanted to talk about us." he finally says quietly, seeking her gaze again.
Slowly, Chris lifts her gaze and looks Jim in the eye.
"Listen. You and I, we both live in LA and we're bound to run into each other every now and then. But for me, there's no us to talk about. We're acquaintances and I won't ignore you if we see each other somewhere, but that's all there is right now."
When Jim starts to interrupt again, Chris briefly raises a finger to indicate there's more to come.
"I appreciate your help today and maybe with more time we can rebuild the friendship from before, but currently I feel like it's not going to work."
Street holds her clear and steady gaze. It wasn't what he had hoped for, but more like he could expect. An acquaintance was definitely more like colleagues his mind is still trying to work out the positive. He takes the last sip from his teacup and then sets it back down on the table. After standing up, he wipes his hands on his pants again.
"I should get back then too..." mumbles Street, gesturing towards the door.
He walks into the hallway and stops again next to Luna. The dog seems to be fit again because she gets up and walks a bit towards him.
"Well," he says quietly, crouching down. "Are you feeling better again?" Luna's answer is a short bark and Street has to smile. The animal really gave the impression that she understood everything.
At the apartment door, he turns back again and sees Chris leaning in the door frame. Silently, they both raise their hands in farewell.
Both with the thought that with a lot of time and more chance encounters they can get their friendship back.
The End
Thanks for sticking this out with me.