Caitlin made her excuses to Jeff and slipped out of the house. She hated lying to her friend, especially when they finally seemed to be getting along quite well together, but she had to figure out what was going on with her and Paul.

As she pulled into the car park of the sports bar, her stomach began to churn nervously. She had no idea what was going to happen, or what Paul was going to say, and that made her worried.
Climbing out of the car, she closed the door behind her, and took her time locking it. She needed the extra couple of seconds to try and calm herself down. Taking a deep breath, she turned away from her car and walked slowly across the asphalt to the bar's entrance, half wanting to turn heel and run.
Before she knew it, she found herself standing at the door, fingers wrapped around the handle. Pulling it open and stepping into the neon light of the bar, she suddenly felt calm and at ease. This was her territory. Paul was the outsider here. She had the upper hand.

Squinting to see into the darkened corners of the bar, Caitlin noticed Paul waving her from one of the booths at the back wall. She crossed the room, waving at Freddie the barman, who affectionately blew a kiss back at her. She slid easily onto the bench across from Paul and waited for him to say something.

"You look good in that top," he commented. "I remember it from a long time ago."

"What are you talking about?" Caitlin's brow furrowed in confusion. "I don't think you ever saw me in this."

"Yeah I did," he replied, leaning forward on his elbows. "It was the night you first stayed at my place."

Her eyes widened in realisation. She had worn it then, and had totally forgotten about it. She didn't know that the top was over three years old, and as she cast her mind back, another thought popped into her head.

"You told me it was one of your favourites."

"It was. It still is. In fact, I think you look better in it now than you did then."

Caitlin laughed. "Now I know you're having a laugh. I looked far better three years ago than I do now. For starters, I have this saggy stomach from having Brandon, plus I don't get as much sleep as I used to, so I don't feel very well rested these days."

Paul looked down at his hands, thinking deeply. He was wondering where Caitlin's self-confidence and self-esteem had disappeared to.

That was your fault, he told himself. You dragged that out of her when she caught you with Steph. How can she be confident when you cheated?

A waitress came over and took their drinks order, breaking the moment of awkward silence. When she left, Paul reached over and took Caitlin's hand in his.

"I'm sorry I messed you up so much."

Almost involuntarily, Caitlin raised Paul's hand to her mouth and lightly kissed his palm. "Stop apologising. I've been putting up a fight out of stubbornness. I never stopped loving you, I just wanted to."

Paul was shocked. He looked over at Caitlin, whose outburst had left her looking like a deer trapped in headlights. "Do you really mean that?"

Caitlin bit her lip, not sure if she had already said more than enough. After thinking it over for a minute, she realised that there was no point lying about it anymore.

"Yes I mean it." She stood up and moved around the table, sitting down next to Paul. "I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it."

Paul grabbed her and pulled her close against him, resting his head on hers. He inhaled deeply, smelling the familiar smell of her shampoo, feeling the closeness he had craved for so long. Gently cupping her chin, he tilted her face up towards him, and lowered his lips onto hers.

Two hours later, Caitlin arrived back home, her mind still spinning from her time with Paul. After the kiss, they had sat holding hands and talking about everything that had happened in the last three years of their lives, eager to fill each other in on what had gone on. Caitlin had been grateful that Paul didn't press the issue of Brandon. She hadn't worked out exactly what was going on happen there. Brandon was so young, and to explain who his real father was would confuse and upset him. And she didn't know what was going to happen with Paul, so was there any real point in dealing with it yet?

She wandered into the sitting room and flopped down onto the couch, ready to try and sort things out in her head. Unfortunately, Jeff was waiting for her, and he had something to say.

"I hope you had fun with Paul," he looked down at the floor. "And more importantly I hope you know what you are doing"

"Jeff," Caitlin lifted her friend's head so he was looking straight into her eyes. "I can't deny how I feel anymore. I am in love with Paul and I really want to give him another chance"

"Another chance to what?" Jeff retorted. "Screw some other slut"

"That's not fair." Caitlin could hear her voice shaking with anger. "How do you know that he hasn't changed"

"And how do you know that he has?" Jeff countered, rising to his feet. "A leopard doesn't change his spots Cait. You should know that better than me"

"You know, I thought you would be supportive. You're meant to be my best friend"

Jeff looked disgusted. "I am sick and tired of being the best friend. I have been in love with you for years, and you don't even know it. If I can't be with you the way I want to be..." He trailed off.

"Finish that sentence," Caitlin demanded, her face contorting in anger. "I want to hear you say it"

"If I can't be with you the way I want to be, I don't think I want anything to do with you"

Tears exploded from Caitlin's eyes. "That's all I had to hear. Brandon and I will leave in the morning, if you don't mind. I don't want to disturb him while he's sleeping"

She stood up and stormed out of the room, desperately trying not to completely break down.

I can't believe he's done this to me, she thought as she began packing her bags. He isn't supposed to do this. He is supposed to be my friend, and look after me, not kick me out.

Her heart was pounding in her chest as she tried to gather up all her things and pack them into boxes and bags to put in the car in the morning. She couldn't believe that this was the end of her and Jeff's friendship. After everything they had been through in their lives together, the birth of her son, him taking her in after she ran away from home, his departure from the WWE. It seemed as though they had been together a lifetime. Before she had believed that the only thing that would separate them would be death, and even then they would meet after that.
And now it's all gone, her inner voice told her. Because you did what you wanted and he got jealous. A true friend would be happy for you.
Lying back on the bed, Caitlin realised that she hadn't done anything wrong. It was Jeff's insecurities that had caused this, and he would be the one who would suffer. But even as she tried to convince herself of that, she knew that ultimately, she would be the one losing out.