AN/Thank you all for your kind reviews, they truly mean a lot to me. I had no vision beyond that first chapter so I admit I feel a bit lost. And terrified this will turn OOC and messy.
He thanks every existing deity when Sophia and George start bombarding her with the questions he didn't have courage to ask. Lindy answers a few, dismisses most and avoids looking him in the eye. She clearly isn't ready to tell them more and after a few attempts they're too emotionally drained to continue.
They move their little reunion to the living room and a couple of wine bottles later, Lindy has her head on Sophia's shoulder and one foot on George's leg, and Tommy sits in the armchair once again feeling out of place. He almost forgot they were her friends first, that it's only because they cared about her that they (maybe? hopefully?) care a little about him too. He feels his presence is an unnecessary reminder of a painful past but he can't move from his seat. He's afraid she'll disappear for good the moment he leaves. So he sits there captivated; a desperate fool wishing for more. He memorises the length of her arm and the pale grey t-shirt she's wearing, her discarded sweater pooling next to the coffee table. He notices her flushed cheeks and how her lips are tinted dark red from the wine she just drank, and he aches to find out if they'd taste the same without fake relationships and old lies and creeps watching their every move. It's a torture facing her again, having her so near and he wouldn't trade it for anything.
The conversation is lighter now. Stories of the vibrant New York night-life mixed with Fat Fridays that became Fat Saturdays when Tommy had to stay late at work, take-outs and cooking catastrophes, movie marathons on the sofa, new boyfriends and tentative dates. It's a pleasant lull in all the heartbreak and he finds himself drifting from the misery of the past months to the serenity of a newfound hope.
"I gotta say I never missed New York as much as when I was stuck in my hometown," Lindy laughs.
"Wait, you were in your hometown this whole time?" Tommy is pulled from his reverie. "But I went there and—"
"You went to my hometown?" she interrupts him surprised.
Abruptly the room gets smaller, compressed in its deafening silence. He feels her eyes on him, demanding, unyielding. He has excuses on the tip of his tongue. Easy, quick lies that would make him seem less pitiful. (Tell her. Tell her the truth). Sophia and George exchange anxious looks.
Tommy shrugs in a desperate attempt at nonchalance but it's not working. She looks at him with such intensity that he suddenly feels very self-conscious. Like a schoolboy with a crush, trying to prove his worth.
"I wanted to find you," he admits with a sigh. "I told you I would".
She smiles softly at him, like she's reminiscing a pleasant date and not a turning point in a life threatening situation. He's burning under her gaze. He unravels.
"Lindy, you need to tell me what happened. You know I will help you," he pleads with her, his voice sounding too loud, too harsh to his ears. "Lindy, please."
He thinks he hears George mutter "awkward" under his breath but he's wasted so much time learning how to feel less that he's now drowning in raw emotions. She's here and he can get a second chance at this. They can be friends, they can be work partners, they can be whatever she wants them to be as long as he's allowed to stay in her life. He's too far gone now.
She looks unsure, doubtful even and he realises he pushed too hard. It's too soon or maybe too late? Maybe he lost his sanity and doesn't even know it. Maybe he was holding onto a figment of his imagination. Maybe she never cared about him at all.
A cheerful ringtone interrupts them and he's grateful for a momentary distraction.
Sophia fishes her phone out from underneath one of the cushions, checks the caller and replies with a quickly whispered "Lindy's back. Call you later".
By then Tommy's already up, ready to run. He's said too much and that ubiquitous feeling of unease is fully back now, prickling with every passing minute, weaving into his heart.
"I actually need to get going. Work tomorrow and all..." he excuses himself unconvincingly.
"I thought it was your day off," Sophia says with a smirk.
"Yeah, yeah. But Boris is alone and I still have a lot of catching up to do on one of our cases".
"Boris?" Lindy asks curiously.
"Boris is probably the best thing about you," George says teasingly, Lindy's question already overrode by Sophia's loud giggle. "So much more friendly!"
"Funny," Tommy rolls his eyes. He's already putting on his jacket, checking for his phone and keys. He feels translucent and he needs to leave now. He needs to leave before she notices his shaking hands and his clumsily glued stupid heart.
"Wait, Tommy, could we meet for a coffee tomorrow? I need to talk to you," Lindy's voice stops him halfway through the front door.
He nods and with a quick goodbye he's gone. Long steps, fast pace, he doesn't let himself look back. He only slows down at the corner of her street, his heart still racing.