"Kate... Kate... Kate!" Lainie eventually yells.

"Laine what the hell?" Kate practically yells back, clutching at her heart. Is Lainie trying to give her a heart attack?

"I could ask you the same thing. You've been glaring at that poor couple for the last 10 minutes." Lainie whispers leaning across the table hoping 'the poor couple', that have already sent more than one dirty look Kate's way, don't hear.

" I have not," Kate says matching her tone. Maybe she glanced at them once... okay twice, but glaring is a bit over the top.

"You have, and they are starting to notice, and I love you KB, but I do not love you enough to get banned from Jo's because you have a beef with every happy couple in existence..." Lainie trails off, she gets that after the break-up Kate's a little... fragile but honestly, the glares are too much.

"Okay maybe I have been a little," Kate waves her hand around trying to find the right word.

"Angry, cynical, mean..." Lainie trails off seeing Kate's glare, directed towards her this time.

"-since Rick, but I mean look at them," she scoffs her voice lowering again, "They are all over each other, this is a public place."

"Honey, they're in love. You and Rick were exactly the same if not worse. You were," Lanie laughs, "The mental scars the boys have from last-"

"I get it okay, I get it!" Kate bites out, first his message then this, she doesn't know how much more she can take before she picks up her damn phone and calls h-

"Kate, look I'm sorry, I know it's been difficult, but it's been almost 6 months and if you just put yourself out there, I am sure you'd-"

"He called me," Kate blurts out, slapping her hand to her mouth. Damn, she definitely did not want to say it like that. Well, actually she didn't want to say it at all if she was being honest.

"What? When?" Laine is practically falling off her chair trying not to scream, which is not exactly working.

"Last night."

"Did you answer?"

"I missed his call, he-" she sighs and stares into her empty coffee cup, "he left a message."

"Did you listen to it yet?" Kate nods slowly. "What did he say?"

"He- I..." Kate pulled out her phone, it's better if she plays it for Lainie, so she doesn't have to go through the 20 questions she knows Laine will have, which she knows, she will not know the answers to.

Kate glances up from the spot on the table that seemed very interesting a second ago when she handed her phone over, just in time to see the shock written all over her friend's face, "Are you going to call him back?"

One down, 19 to go. "I- I dunno okay. I don't know if it's a good idea or if it's best to just leave things as they are or-"

"Honey, look I still don't know why you broke up - which is ridiculous by the way - and I know it must have been big because you guys..." Lainie trails off and gives her a look that is in between sassy and sympathetic, "but Kate you have been miserable since then. Don't roll your eyes at me, you have. And the guys and I, we have tried to be supportive, but enough is enough, if you still love him and he still loves you-"

"You don't know that he still loves me."

"I'll ignore that you did not deny the fact that you still love him for now, but not forever KB, and I thought you said you listened to the message?"

"I did-"

Lainie fights the urge to roll her eyes herself, "Well then you're either stupid or lying to yourself because that, Kate," Laine says, pointing her finger to Kate's phone, using that annoying 'Imma smack you' tone, "Is a guy still very much in love. Hurting, but in love."

"It was stupid," Kate starts, running a hand through her hair, glancing at the people walking by the window, "The fight, it was... I was in a mood and he was too, and it was late, and... it started off as nothing you know, and then suddenly we were fighting about everything. Kyra, Josh, my job, him leaving a damn knife covered in butter on the counter when he could just walk one damn step and place it in the sink. Then I was yelling at him to get out and he was slamming the door and that was it. We just.. we spiralled and I didn't try and stop it. I even made it worse I think, because I was scared. Scared of losing him and getting hurt, which happened anyway, and then it was too late. Shit," she's practically pulling her hair out at this point, "The things I said Lainie, I was... I would never forgive me and then he never called and when he did I kept telling myself that it was better this way, because I always knew it was too good to be true. And then weeks went by and it was too late."

"Well, it doesn't seem like it now." Laine replies glancing at Kate's phone again, "And what's the worse that could happen if you call him back?"

"I could get hurt."

"Kate," Lainie places her hand on hers, "Your heart's already broken. What if you could put it back together?"

XXX

"Okay man, what is so important it couldn't wait until after 9 am?" Javi says opening the door of his apartment.

Rick pushes passed him, "Please come in." Javi mutters to himself, "First a 7 am call then no good morning." Javi closes the door and turns to see a very stressed Rick pacing up and down his living room. "Dude, are you going to tell me what the hell is wrong before you create a hole in my floor-"

"I called her-"

"Who? Do you mean Ka-"

"Kate I called her," Rick runs a hand through his hair trying to breathe, damn is it hot in here?

"And I know I shouldn't of all right, but I just, I lost it man and I called."

"Did she pick up?" Javi says, damn they're screwed all of them are screwed when Rick finds out-

"No, but I left a message, jeez I am such an idiot... I shouldn't have called in the first place but I was drunk-" Javi shoots him a look as he walks to the kitchen to put on the coffee machine, "Okay so I wasn't drunk, but I just, I missed her and I was weak and I called. And I shouldn't have left a message, but I just heard the beep and..." Rick falls to the brown leather couch and puts his head in his hands, "She hasn't called back man, and I just miss her and I know you said she's doing okay but it is selfish of me to wish she weren't?"

Rick can see something is wrong as Javi hands him one of the cups he brought back from the kitchen, and well, he knows he screwed up but that look is a little too much for this right?

"What's that look for?"

"Maybe we exaggerated a little." Javi almost mutters.

Well at least this is a good cup of coffee, Javi thinks as he takes a sip, because Rick Is definitely going to kill him. Maybe all of them, do they do joint funerals?

"What do you mean you guys exaggerated?" Rick asks slowly, giving Javi a look that confirms this will be it. Damn, he really wanted to try that pub opening next week.

"Kate's miserable, she's bearly eating, Lainie says she's not sleeping. Hell, her mom even called me, asked what was going on."

"She's - Johanna called... All this time," Rick yells, standing and shoving his cup on the table, barely registering the hot coffee sloshing on his hand, "You had me thinking this was a good thing, that she was happy and now... We have both been miserable for nothing!" He walked towards the door, needing to get out of there before he did something stupid and then he'd have to call Johanna himself for legal representation. When Rick grabbed onto the handle though he stopped, "If I've lost her Javi, I am never going to forgive myself, but I might just not forgive you guys either." With that said, he walked out, letting the door slam behind him.

Six months, six damn months, and yes he and Kate should have gotten over themselves and called each other, but he thought she was happy, and this was what she wanted, and now... Now he had to find her, and convince her to talk to him because yes, she said some horrible things but he did too, and regardless it has always been her, it will always b-

His phone was ringing, he pulled it from his jacket pocket to tell Javi where to shove it, because who else would be calling, it was 7 am, but the name flashing across the screen made him stop breathing. The elderly man he nearly crashed into on the street gave him a look but Rick didn't care.

Putting the phone to his ear, he choked back a sob when heard her breathing, "Hello? Rick- is that, are you there?"

"Hi, yeah Kate- I'm- Hey."

She let out a small laugh, that one where she tried to not find him amusing but couldn't help it and this time he didn't hold the sob back, "Hey, are you, could we maybe meet for a coffee or something if you're free of course... I just, you called and I thought maybe meeting... being in person, could be better, but if you're-"

"Yeah Kate, I'd lov- I'm free."

Breathe Rick... Just Breathe

"Okay, okay... Um, Jo's?"

"Yeah, I'll see you in a bit?"

"See you in a bit, and Rick?"

"Yeah?"

In and out, it's not that hard...

"Nothings working for me..."

How do you breathe again?

XXX

Right so, it may take ages for the next chapter but I hope you guys liked this one and like where the story is going.

As always reviews make my day, and I hope you guys have a wonderful one?

Zalia.