Dear readers, again thank you so much for kind commends and support! And special thank to my fabulous beta reader tutourgirl23.
This is a kind of set up chapter for the next round...
IV.
Zoe and George didn't talk very much. They sat in silence at their table. Both of their minds were far away. First, Zoe had wondered how much George had actually heard. But he didn't seem upset so she figured that he just had heard Wade's last words.
Zoe couldn't get past Wade's angry eyes. They were so accusing defying everything he said. And every word that he had said had hit home. Just like that. And unlike the last time it was not as if she could blame him. Well, technically, she could because he had said it had been just sexual frustration. But just remembering the way he had looked at her when he had said that there is something between them and remembering the way he had treated her that night she, probably had not known but surely felt that there might be more on his side. And probably not just on his side she thought. Her eyes widened. "Damn it Zoe," she cursed under her breath to herself as the realization was hitting her hard. She looked worried at George, whether he might have noticed something but he seemed oblivious to what was going on.
George's mind had gone back to his morning. When George had woken up this morning seeing that it was the 7th of July. He instantly had thought of Lemon. It was the day on which he had first asked her out on a date. He remembered the date so well since it had been the last football game of the season and they had won. Everyone was crazily happy. George had been carried by his teammates since he had made the last final point to seal the deal and just when his teammates had got him down Lemon was standing there in her cheerleader outfit. She was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. And she had been feisty and clever. And encouraged by the general euphoria he had just blurted out whether she would celebrate with him.
XxxxxoxxxxX
They had sat in silence for some time. He had ordered a beer. His initial attempts to get her going had been in vain. So he figured he would wait until she was drunken enough to not be able to resist anymore.
"We are really pitiful. Aren't we? I told you, you deserve better though."
"Please. Stop it Lemon."
"So you are saying you are not mad at her and George? You're the one who's standing above all?"
"Don't wanna talk about it, right." He sighted. He was tired. Really tired. Trying to not think about everything what had happened that night and trying to avoid Zoe while pretending to not avoiding her was quite burdensome somehow. And sitting next to a drunken Lemon didn't help the matter in anyway. He ordered another beer.
"What is it that every man falls for Zoe Hart? She is not that pretty or that clever, or….!"
"Just cut it, ok? What to you wanna from me? Putting names on her? I might be a jerk but I do have some self-respect, ok?"
She knew that she was to blame and that she had lost George for good but to admit this aloud, she just didn't feel she had the strength. It seems as if it would make it final and that she couldn't bear.
After a while Wade broke the silence and into her thoughts and added to himself "We had a moment. But I never stood a chance. Not against Golden boy who is now free and attainable. I just thought… well, anyway. It doesn't matter."
Lemon looked at him for the first time and her eyes were soft, "She really got to you, didn't she?"
He continued to star ahead and nowhere in particular.
"You know what your problem is? You always assume that people will treat you like you would treat yourself but that's not true. You have simply no self-confidence."
"Thanks Lemon. This coming from you makes me feel so much better. Thanks so much for turning all Dr. Freud on me." He grew angry. He didn't want to talk about all this. He had avoided Lavon for that matter because he knew that his friend would see right through him but Lemon pitching in was simply too much.
"Do you remember Mrs. Snyder? Fifth grade? She pinned your poem on the board and said although it had tons of spelling mistakes and all in it, that it was really good. It caught the atmosphere perfectly?"
Wade frowned at her.
"And when you found a poem in your locker you read it out aloud and made fun of it, saying that someone must have mistaken your locker for the trash can."
Wade confusion clearly showed on his face now.
"It was my poem."
Wade opened his mouth but nothing came out of it.
Lemon laughed softly and said, "Yes, right. I had a crush on you back then. I though writing you a poem would kind of – whatever. But do not worry. I am over it." She laughed again softly and continued, "What I am trying to say here is and what I did not understand back then was that you just assumed someone was making fun off you because of your poem when in fact someone only tried to be nice. It's called defense-mechanism." She sighed and added "Lashing out before someone can hurt you."
XxxxxoxxxxX
Zoe made a funny sound to snap George out of his daze.
"Oh Zoe. Sorry." He smiled at her sweetly. Why was he thinking of Lemon when Zoe sat right next to him? He should be blissfully happy. And nothing else should matter right?
He leaned to her and placed a soft kiss on her cheek. The background noise in the bar stopped. It seemed as if a spotlight was on them. Both their cheeks turned a darker shade of pink.
She coughed uncomfortably.
He whispered, "Sorry. I just forgot where we were. Should we go?"
She nodded almost invisibly.
They stood up and went out. After a while George said, "I am sorry for what I am putting you through."
"George..."
"No, I mean it. I know that less people are coming to you than before. But…I am tired of hiding."
"George..."
"Yeah?" They stopped outside his office.
"We should probably continue the conversation somewhere in private?"
"Yes, you are right. See you at eight at your place?"
"It's probably better if I come to you."
"Ok." He leaned down and gave her a light peek on her cheek.
XxxxxoxxxxX
They continued to sit in silence. Wade had ordered a whiskey. Why should he stay sober?
"So you had a crush on me?"
"Don't let it go to your head. I was twelve and went through a kind of James Dean phase."
"We could see whether anything is left," he suggested raising his left eyebrow.
She looked at him frowning and then both said simultaneously "Nah, probably not."
"Well, for what is worth, I did like you back then. I know that you stood up for me when Travis kind of insulted my dad and made fun of me and my brother."
"Well, we had our moments."
"Yeah, we did. We were quite a good team back then, you, George and I."
She took another sip from her drink and said in a toneless voice, "I cheated on him."
He just looked at her.
She continued, "I felt lost and well, there is no really any justification for what I did. I cheated on him and he found out. I know that's my fault. I messed up really bad."
She had tears in her eyes, swallowed and shrugged. "Come on. Just tell me that I deserve it."
He shook his head. "That's bullshit. And you know it. It's not that you would have cheated on George if everything had been peachy and it's not that you both couldn't have got through it if everything else had been good." He sighed and looked straight into her eyes. "I am really sorry." And snorting he said, "And not because a not married George just swooped in and took Zoe but because I really thought you two had something, something indestructible." He touched her arm slightly with his fingers. She smiled weakly at him. They both took large gulps from the drinks in front of them.
XxxxxoxxxxX
The time had passed and it was almost midnight. Wade was still to sober for his liking but it had to stay this was because he had to bring them both home.
Just when he looked at her and thought whether she would still resist she looked at him with a twinkle in her eyes and said, "So, you want to open your own bar?" Her voice was still surprisingly clear given that she had countless cocktails.
"Hell, why do you know about that. Besides, the idea is dead."
"Well Peggy's sister is a Belle and so…"
XxxxxoxxxxX