Robbie waits in his car, tapping his finger against the steering wheel. He bops his head steadily to the rhythm of the music blasting from his car stereo. Watching the cars speed past him, he continuously glances between the entrance of the restaurant and the clock on the dashboard. Still ten minutes before she is let off her shift, and perhaps a few more until she emerges from the grand oak doors of the fancy eatery. He reaches over to the radio and changes the station a few times until finally stopping when he hears a strong bass guitar and melodic singing.
Despite the heavy pit forming in his stomach, he appears at ease, almost too calm for the situation. As the song gains momentum, Robbie reaches over to the radio and raises the volume even more. Engrossed in the fast beating drums, he wonders if he's made the right choice in agreeing to meet her today. Though he's spent the last several years wanting to face her for walking out on him, part of him has found some sort of closure. This usually came after his fourth or fifth drink, but he's come to accept the way things ended.
He often found himself looking back at their time together and thinking about whether they were actually happy, or if he was the only one content with what they had. Perhaps he has been blinded by his own happiness to see her lack of it. Surely he couldn't have been that oblivious though. He had, after all, purchased a ring to solidify whatever it was they had.
Had she been happy though, she would have stayed.
The thought alone always sent him on a downward spiral in which he would sulk in bitterness and anger at what could have been. It's not easy to forget someone you've loved for years, someone you saw yourself spending the rest of your life with. If she had bothered giving her an explanation for her departure, he probably would have been able to cope with it and moved on.
Being brought back from his trance by the loud screeches of an unknown vocalist, Robbie scrunches up his face and changes the station. He glances over to the restaurant once more and sees a wave of people exiting. A few girls stand by the valet podium, happily chatting away. Their hand gestures a bit too animated and for a second, Robbie can't look away from them. They are the epitome of what a California girl is supposed to look like. Evenly tanned skin, long wavy hair, bright smiles and small skirts. They are beautiful and a tad too cliché.
Watching the way they throw their heads back as they laugh reminds Robbie why he fell in love with Cat in the first place. The brightness of her hair, so unlike the rest of the girls in Hollywood Arts, made her stand out. The way her laugh captured everyone's attention always amused him and he couldn't help but laugh whenever he heard it. His favorite thing about her was her voice. It was soft and sweet and captivating. When she spoke to him, he felt like the only person in the room, even if she said something silly that didn't make sense.
As flashbacks of their younger years flowed through his mind, he failed to notice her walking towards his car. She stands outside the passenger door and knocks on the window. Startled, Robbie shifts his attention towards her and is a sudden ball of mess as she pulls open to door. Slowly, she sinks down into the seat and gives him a small smile. Robbie watches as she pulls on the seat belt and buckles it in a swift motion, even before he can respond to her presence.
"Hi Robbie" she starts off. Her big brown eyes focus solely on him and her smile has not yet dwindled. Unlike him, she seems genuinely happy to see him as opposed to nervous, which he had hoped she was. Her being nervous would have given him the upper hand, allowed him to be the calm one. "It's really nice to see you" she continues.
Robbie nods his head and shifts his eyes to look at the steering wheel. "Yeah, you too" he responds before turning the key to start the car. During their brief phone conversation the day after Beck's birthday, they had agreed to discuss things at a local diner, not too far from the restaurant.
The ten minute drive is quiet, neither sure of how to break the tension building up between them. As he pulls up to a parking spot a few yards from the diner, Robbie dares to look at her once again and is met by yet another smile. He knows she is just as nervous as he is but is better at putting up a front. He unbuckles his seat belt and steps out of the car before she gets a chance to speak. Closing the door behind him, he takes a long breath and waits for her to exit the vehicle. Once she does, they start walking into the diner, he walks a few steps ahead of her, trying to figure out how to start-up a conversation.
As he is about to pull open the front door, he hears her call out his name. He turns to see if he might have misheard but sees her a few feet away, her head down and her feet shuffling about. "Yes?" he asks, curious about what is going on.
Cat exhales deeply and slowly brings her head up to look at him. "If you are uncomfortable, you don't have to do it" she says.
Robbie narrows his eyes and scoffs at her comment. Why should he be the one uncomfortable or the one who backs out of getting an explanation? If anything, he is justified in arranging the meeting. "I think I deserve an explanation, doesn't matter how comfortable or uncomfortable I am" he says and turns back to open the door.
Cat watches from her spot as he walks past the glass doors, his posture upright and head held high. As she starts walking to catch up to him, she can't help but smile at how confident he appears. She can instantly see the growth in his character and is happy that he's learned his worth. Her smile quickly falters as she thinks about his need for an explanation. What can she possibly say to him to make what he did okay? Sorry I walked out on you, but I didn't love you enough to marry you? Sure, that will go over well.
A waitress comes up to them and shows them to an empty booth towards the back of the restaurant. Once seated, the grab the menus from her hand and start shuffling through the laminated pages. Having been to this place several times, Cat already knows what she wants, but looks through the menu as a means for distraction. The longer she has to think of the right words to say, the better. After several more minutes of silence, the waitress returns and takes their orders.
Once she takes the menus off the table, she walks away from them. From her peripheral vision, Cat notices Robbie turning to face her and before he can speak, she says "you'll really like the Swiss burger, it's really good."
"Yeah, I'm sure it is" he replies, not amused by her small talk.
"I'll let you taste some of my baked ziti, they add this secret spice that make-" she continues but is interrupted by his raised hand.
"Look, I know what you're trying to do but I didn't come here for small talk."
Cat's mouth fell slightly open and her eyes widened. She hadn't expected he be so direct, not so quickly anyway. She had anticipated the conversation start during or towards the end of their meal. "Oh" is all she can muster to say.
"I just want to know what made you walk out on me."
Cat takes a minute to gather her thoughts before beginning to explain anything to him. She looks around the semi-empty diner and sees a few waitresses placing down plates on the tables of hungry clients. An older man sat alone, reading the paper towards the front of the place and it reminded Cat of the many times she's spent sitting alone in this very restaurant minutes after her shift ended. She would think about her life and what an unexpected turn it has taken. She had so many aspirations to be a singer when she was in high school and for whatever reason, none of her dreams came true. Now she was just a struggling hostess, spending most of her money on recording a demo to try to make something of herself.
"I, um...I found the ring" Cat starts and as she turns back to look at Robbie, she notices the shock on his face. "You were out and I was cleaning...I freaked out" she continues.
"The ring" is all he can say. Robbie closes his eyes and rubs his forehead.
"It was beautiful Robbie, exactly what I would have liked. But we were so young and I couldn't figure out how to tell you that without hurting you" she replies.
"So...you walked out instead?" he says, bitterness resurfacing once again. Cat purses her lips and knows there is no way he could understand her reason. Frankly, it took her a long time to prove what she did, but ultimately it was the right decision. Even if he didn't realize it now, one day he'll hopefully be okay with how things turned out and realize that she saved them from what would have been a huge mistake.
"I did love you, but I couldn't make that commitment to you."
"You should have just said that" he urges on, not willing to give in to her explanation. He could have handled the rejection, he truly would have been okay. But to come home and find her gone, he couldn't handle that.
"How exactly do you tell someone you love that you're not ready for that step? Gosh Robbie, you bought the ring. I couldn't...I didn't have it in me to say no."
"But you did say no Cat, you had it in you" he replies. The harshness, and frankness of his words took her by surprise and she couldn't reply. Nothing she could say to him would make it better and no matter how many times she apologizes, she knows he won't forgive her.
"You have every reason to hate me" she replies and as he's about to answer, the waitress is back with their food. Cat is thankful for the brief distraction.
"Enjoy guys" the waitress says before leaving once more.
Cat grabs a fork and quickly digs into her pasta dish. As the baked ziti commands her taste buds, she reluctantly looks up at Robbie and sees that he has not touched his food.
"I don't hate you" he says quietly, his gaze leaving her for a moment. Cat sets her fork down, curious about where he is going with this. "I understand why you felt pressured to leave...I just wished you would have been honest with me. I never lied to you...ever" he finishes and looks back at her.
Cat nods her head in agreement. "I know you didn't" she says, "I regret leaving every single day."
Robbie looks down and picks up a fry from his plate. He pops it in his mouth and as he chews it, he can see the honesty in her eyes. For years, he's only thought about how her decision affected his life. Not once did he think about what it might have done to her. Not that he was forgiving her actions so quickly, but looking at her across the table, he can tell that some part of her does in fact feel bad about it. If he can't get the full closure he's been looking for, knowing that she does regret it makes it a little easier for him to start moving forward.
"So...how have you been?" he asks while picking up another french fry. Cat's lips curl upwards and she picks up her fork once again, ready to try to mend things with him.
On the other side of town, Beck stands in front of a red door, anxiously awaiting a response. After ringing the doorbell several more times, Beck can hear faint footsteps from within the house. Preparing to have the door slammed in his face once it opens, he goes over his talking points and tries to limit them to five seconds. As thoughts flow through his mind, it's hard to say everything he wants to say in that limited amount of time. He initially had no intention of even coming here, but after hearing Tori tell him about her "make up" with André, she asked him to try to fix things, if only so they could all spend time together and not have it be completely awkward.
After a minute or so, Beck sees the doorknob turning from the inside and the door opening. His anxiety decreases as he sees Rachel standing there, a bright pink apron wrapped around her waist and a wooden spatula in her right hand.
"Beck! Hi, how are you?" she asks excitedly, pulling the door ajar. Beck smiles and leans forward to hug his friend.
"I'm good, are you busy?" he asks, motioning towards the cooking utensil.
"No no, just baking a cake for Parker. He says he misses my coconut cake so I'm being a good sister" she replies, a radiant smile on her face.
"Lucky guy" Beck says.
"Oh gosh, sorry I'm so rude. Come in, come in" she says stepping back and giving him more space to enter her home. Beck hesitates at first but then realizes that there is no way he can have the door slammed on him if he was inside the house. He smiles and takes a few steps inside. Rachel closes the door behind him and starts leading him into the kitchen.
Once there, Beck spots an array of ingredients piling on the counter. A mess of flour fills the floor and cracked egg shells surround the mixing bowl. Rachel laughs when she notices his shocked expression. "I can clean this up in two minutes. Here, sit" she says while pulling up a chair near the counter. Once he's sitting, she walks around to the other side of the counter and continues whisking eggs.
"How have you been? I haven't seen you in a while" Rachel continues
Beck nods in response. "Since before the wedding, right?"
"I think so. These last two weeks have gone by so fast. Can you believe André and I got married?" she asks, a small giggle escaping her lips.
Beck laughs at her excitement. "I believe it" he replies.
Suddenly, at the mention of André's name, Rachel's excitement seems to fade away. She recalls her husband's argument with Beck. "Listen, Beck, I know you and Andre aren't necessarily on good terms right now-" she says but is interrupted.
"I actually wanted to know if he was here" Beck says.
"He is, um...upstairs. Let me go get him" she replies and when Beck nods his head, she places the mixing bowl down on the counter and walks out of the kitchen to get her husband.
Beck sits upright on the chair and begins tapping his foot against the ceramic tiles. He looks around the kitchen, taking it all in. It's been a few months since he's been to Andre's house and clearly Rachel has put her own touches on the place. The frilly hand towels and colorful curtains scream Rachel.
"I'm surprised you had the nerve to show up here" Beck hears the voice behind him. Twisting his head quickly, he sees André standing by the door frame, hands crossed across his chest. Beck can tell André is unhappy with his presence and immediately regrets coming.
Beck gets up from the chair and leans back on the counter. He crosses his feet, one in front of the other, and is conscious enough to stands as straight as possible. "I know you talked to Tori" he simply says, his eyes fixed on André. He notices the smirk forming on Andre's face and he narrows his eyes slightly.
"Of course you do" André replies and walks across the kitchen, standing just a few feet from Beck. "I'm sure she told you everything we talked about."
"No, she didn't" Beck replies, quickly wanting to defend Tori.
"Then I'm sure you told her everything that happened. That's why she's giving you another chance, isn't it?" André asks, his smirk fading and his forehead furrows.
"Look," Beck starts pushing himself off the counter, "Tori doesn't need to know what happened between you and me. I'm not here to talk about that."
André tilts his head slightly to the left. "Then what the hell are you here for?"
Trying his best to keep calm, Beck thinks about Tori and how much he wants to make her happy. He knows she would appreciate him talking to André and trying to come to some resolution. Even if this is the last thing he wants to be doing, he knows that he should do it for her.
"I'm here for Tori. I know how much this whole thing is upsetting her and I just came to try to find a way to be civil with you."
André scoffs at his former friend and shakes his head. "What a martyr you are. Doing it for Tori just to get on her good side. Come on, admit you're doing this for your own benefit."
"I'm sure you would like that, but trust me, I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for her. We both know very well that if it wasn't for her we wouldn't have to deal with each other. I'd have no problem never talking to you again. But I know she would, and that's why I'm here."
"You're right," André starts, "I wouldn't have to deal with you if it wasn't for her. She should have listened to me when I told her to kick you to the curb. I'm looking out for her and I know that sooner or later you're going to screw up again. For your sake though, it better be later because I'm looking for any reason to kick your ass."
"You don't need to worry about that. You're not the only person looking out for her. I know I've messed up, but I care about Tori just as much as you" Beck says, getting increasingly annoyed at André throwing his mistakes in his face. If Tori agreed to give him another chance, André should just get over the personal vendetta he has.
"Yeah, right. Let me make one thing very clear. I'm not Tori and I don't forgive people so easily. When you screw me over, you're done. You're too many mistakes past gone, so I'm not looking to be civil with you."
It is now Beck's turn to smirk. He's not surprised by André's response. He hadn't expected André to want to move on, and frankly he didn't care if they ever mended their friendship. The only reason he even came was to make Tori happy and show her he was willing to be the bigger person to make her happy. Whether or not Andre wants to be civil is none of his damn concern.
"You do what you have to do man. Like I said, I'm not here for you. I told Tor I would try to fix things, and I did."
Beck takes one last glance at his former friend. Had someone told him in high school he and André would have a falling out and lose all their years of friendship, he wouldn't have believed them. There was the guy he relied on throughout his teenage years, the person he could go do crazy "guy things" with. For four years, they grew into adulthood together. Sadly, somewhere down the line they got too caught up in their feelings and their friendship never recovered.
Shaking his head at the disappointing thought, Beck turns around and starts walking out of the kitchen. As he reaches the front door, he hears an array of insults coming from the kitchen. Choosing to ignore André, he turns the door handle and opens the door. He takes a deep breath and walks outside. As the door shuts behind him, a weight is lifted from his shoulders.
While he and André are never going to be on the same page, he knows that he at least made the effort to show up. Sure he could have made a bigger effort to resolve things, but he knows things wouldn't have ended differently. The two of them are just very different people at this point, and as sad as that was, he was alright with it. He still had years of memories to look back to.
Beck walks down the narrow driveway and outside the steel door in the yard. He crosses the street to where his car is parked. When he has settled into the driver's seat, he pulls out his phone and sees that he has a text message. Clicking the screen, he smiles when he sees her name on the screen. "Back home. Stop by when you can, I have food!"
Beck pulls the seat belt across his body and buckles it. Before inserting the key and starting the car, he replies "On my way."
So what if Andre opposes their relationship? All that matters to him is that she's willing to give it another chance.
Author's Note: Just wanted to let you know that the next chapter will be the last one. Again, I want to thank those of you who have reviewed, I seriously love your comments.