Here's chapter 2! Thanks for the reviews! As a side note, I posted this story before hand at AO3 and at a LJ comm, so if you've recognized it, you probably read it there.
"Sara came and saw me last night," Neal said casually, handing Peter his cup of coffee. "It was strange."
"Sara, as in Sara Ellis?" Peter asked. "Isn't she in London now?"
"Yeah, she's lives in London. She called me last night and asked if we could meet up. I mean, I thought we were over. I wasn't expecting to see her again."
"Sure," Peter agreed. "After all, she doesn't even live here anymore. But, you guys were friends. What's so weird about wanting to see a friend?"
"Nothing's weird about wanting to see a friend," Neal started off, "but she seemed strange when she saw Rebecca. As soon as she noticed Rebecca, Sara was out the door in seconds. I just don't get it, it was-"
"Maybe you're overthinking things," Peter interjected. "You should go out for lunch with Sara and talk to her. Just clear up all your doubts."
"Great idea," Neal replied distractedly. He left Peter's office in a daze, finding his way back to his desk. Now, I just had to convince Sara to have lunch with me, he though, grabbing his phone off his desk.
"Hey, thanks for meeting me," Neal greeted Sara as she walked into the restaurant.
"You said that you had something important to talk about." Sara looked at Neal expectantly. "So, what is it?"
"Why'd you leave so quickly last night?"
Sara laughed. "Wow. You're really cutting to the chase. And, I didn't want to make the already awkward evening even stranger. I can put up with a lot of things, but hanging out with an ex's current girlfriend is a bit much."
"Oh. I'm glad that we're catching up now. So, why are you in New York?"
"I was feeling a little homesick, I guess." Sara shrugged. "I just felt like coming back and I had some vacation so, here I am."
"Yeah, here you are." Neal laughed, saying, "I'm sure you had all of your vacation left, Sara. Admit it, you're a workaholic."
"I guess I am," she admitted, pouring herself a bit of wine. "But, I'm okay with it."
"That's good, but I think you need a break. I'm glad that you decided to come to New York instead of moping around in London."
Sara sighed. "I don't mope, Neal. Sulking is for little children who haven't gotten their way."
Neal just shook his head. It was pointless to argue with Sara after she had put up her walls and he had learned that lesson the hard way. "Okay, I'll stop bugging you," he grumbled. "And, look at the time. It's already four and I promised Rebecca that I'd meet up with her for dinner."
Sara couldn't speak. Of course, Rebecca. His girlfriend. She mentally berated herself. Neal isn't yours anymore. Her life was so depressing. She was pining after a guy that was taken and she had the guts to come all the way to a different country for him. She was such an idiot. A fool.
"So, I'll see you again before you leave, right?"
She shrugged. "I'm not sure. I'm leaving soon and I still have to meet up with some friends from work and stuff. I'll call you if any free time comes up."
"Oh, okay then," Neal said quietly. "That's alright. It was nice to see you again though."
"Definitely." Sara placed down her napkin on the table and stood up. "Thanks for lunch. Let's keep in touch, okay?"
Neal smiled and gave Sara a quick hug. "Certainly. Bye Sara."
"Bye Neal."
"So, what did you do today?" Rebecca asked, handing Neal a bowl filled with pasta. "Solve any crimes?"
"Not really, just the usual. I met up with an old friend for lunch though."
"Oh, really?" Rebecca looked up from pouring the wine. "Was it that girl who came over last night?"
"Yeah, Sara. We were just catching up. She moved to London about a year ago and we obviously haven't seen each other since."
"That's nice. You don't have to explain everything you do to me, Neal. I was just curious."
"I know."
Next chapter coming soon... Please consider leaving a review!