After wracking his brain all day, Andy refrained to the solutions that had worked for him in the past. He knew flowers weren't enough to make up for the pain Sharon felt last night. Jewelry didn't feel like it fit what he was trying to accomplish. And chocolate was just plain cheap.
Finally, Andy decided on a trip. Yes, a vacation sounded perfect. It was big enough to be a grand gesture, and it would give them a chance to reconnect. He could apologize profusely and prove to Sharon that yes, he was an idiot, but he was trying everything to win her back. He was looking up hotels in Malibu when his cell phone started to buzz.
"What the fuck did you do?" An angry voice on the other end of the line startled Andy away from his computer screen.
"Rusty?" Andy was equal parts concerned and offended.
"Ya know, I never really liked you. But Sharon begged me to give you a chance. And I thought things were going alright there for awhile. But obviously you did something stupid. So WHAT DID YOU DO?" He demanded again.
"Listen kid, I don't really think this is any of your business. Did she say something to you?" Andy had moved from offended to annoyed. Rusty was disrupting the newfound confidence he'd discovered with his plan to apologize with a weekend in Malibu.
"No, lieutenant, she didn't say anything to me. She hasn't said anything since she got home last night. I knew you two had broken it off but I thought you'd gotten your act together when she said she was going over to your place last night. Now she looks like she's using all of her energy to put a good face on for me and I can only assume it's YOUR FAULT."
"Is she sick or something?" Andy was concerned again, but also having trouble deciphering why the kid had really called him.
"No she's not sick! Jesus, it's like you don't even care what's going one with her!" Rusty was yelling now, more so than when he originally called.
"Of course I care what's going on with her, Rusty. Look. We've been through some tough stuff recently. I know I've made a lot of mistakes. But I've got a plan to fix it. I promise, Rusty, I'm going to make it up to her." Andy's confidence had returned.
"Make it up to her? Like what? I don't think you understand, Andy. I don't mean she's sad. I mean…" Rusty took a second, words had never been his forte. "I've never seen her like this."
Andy hesitated to reply. He knew the kid looked out for Sharon, but the genuine concern he was showing chipped away at Andy's plan and slowly replaced it with images of her face from last night.
"I don't know what you have in mind, but I don't think a stupid bouquet is gonna do it. She's really struggling. She's trying to hide it, but whatever happened last night really got to her. I'm worried." Rusty finally spoke his peace.
Andy took a big, deep breath. "Okay kid, I promise I'll take care of it. I'll be over tomorrow." He finally realized what he needed to do.
"Okay. Well, good luck I guess. I'll see you tomorrow." After a moment, Andy realized neither of them had hung up.
"Hey, Rusty? I'm…I'm really sorry about all of this." Andy also realized Sharon probably wasn't the only one that had been suffering for the past couple of months.
"Just fix it," and Rusty was gone.
Andy hung up the phone and closed his laptop. Malibu wasn't the answer. There was nothing Andy could offer Sharon that would make up for two months of treating each other poorly, nothing that would make up for what she walked in on last night. The only thing Andy had to offer Sharon was himself. It was time they had the conversation they both refused to have after the fight, after the FID investigation, after Marcken, and after last night. And with that, came the fear and anxiety that had fueled their hesitancy up until now; it might not go well. Andy might not get the answer he's looking for. In fact, Andy finally understood that he needed to prepare for a rejection. If he was her, he wouldn't take him back. He needed to be ready for Sharon to say that she wanted nothing to do with him. He needed to prepare for a life without her.