AN: I AM SOOOO SOORRY!! My life has been crazy. I haven't been home a lot between traveling and working and I have been without internet forever! It's been killing me knowing I just left all of you like that PLLLEEAASE forgive me! (
"Tony?"
"Yeah?"
"Did you sleep with that woman?"
Tony looked down at their entwined fingers and sighed deeply. He knew it was hard for her to ask but answering her would be very difficult for him and possibly harder for her to hear.
"Michelle, everything in me wants to look at you and tell you I didn't sleep with her but the truth is I don't really know. I was still drinking heavily when I first met Jen and honestly I really don't know what happened between me and her when I moved in."
"I can tell you that since I stopped drinking nothing has happened between the two of us. I made it plain to her that I wasn't ready to be with someone else and that just because we weren't together didn't mean I had stopped loving you."
"When you told me you didn't love her, did you mean it?"
"Of course I meant it. I don't love her, I never did, a really large part of me hates what I have done to her. I took advantage of her friendship and used her for a place to stay and money for beer, and now that she's helped me through everything I am just dropping her. Honestly on that aspect of everything I'm a little lost, I have to talk to her and try and explain everything to her but I don't know how."
Michelle took a deep breathe and exhaled slowly.
"I don't know how to help you. I can't pretend like it doesn't bother me that you were with her but I can work through that and move on as long as you can. I'll do whatever it takes to help you with Jen even if it's just staying out of the way."
Tony looked at Michelle and to his great relief saw her smiling up at him. Michelle took her free hand and put it on his cheek, she sighed heavily.
"I missed you Tony."
He smirked and put his hand over hers, "Of course you did." His smile grew wider.
"But no where near as much as I missed you. Can you ah do me a favor?"
Michelle looked at with a slightly skeptical face but kept her smile. She urged him to continue.
"Never leave me again."
Michelle laughed loudly "I'll take it under consideration; I'm pretty sure you're safe, at least for now."
"Well that's not the best answer but I'll take it."
Michelle leaned across the space between them and embraced Tony, he returned the hug with hard urgency.
When they finally pulled apart she looked slightly nervous.
"So what now?"
"I want to figure out what to do about Jen, I can't just forget about her for days. She deserves to know whats going on and the sooner everything gets resolved the better it'll be for everyone."
"I agree. Now we just have to decide how to handle it."