It's been three days since Vic came to my house and left with my shirt.

We've been fine around each other at work and Vic has kept her promise and hasn't been pressuring me. We haven't even talked about anything non-work related. She seems sad. You'd think we'd be a perfect pair then, because I feel the same way. I hate myself for being the one to make her that way, but I just don't know how to fix things without going against everything I know.

I'm not in the mood to sit at the cabin by myself tonight, so I decide to head out to the Red Pony to drink my dinner. Henry hands me a beer when I arrive but then has to go wait on customers so I'm left here by myself for awhile. He comes back and gets me a second beer, but the next few I have to go behind the bar and get myself. By the time most people clear out after dinner, I have a good buzz going on.

Henry comes out and makes small talk when he's done bussing tables. He's acting a bit strange, but I don't have the energy to ask why. He disappears to the kitchen awhile later, leaving me alone again with my thoughts.

I've lost count on how many beers that I've had by the time Cady walks through the door.

"Dad. Hey!" She walks straight towards me and gives me a hug.

"Hey Punk. What's up?"

"Just came in to grab some food to take home. I'll have a beer with you before I go though." She smiles and sits down on the stool next to me.

Henry appears back behind the bar and smiles at his god-daughter. "Hello, Cady. Would you like a drink?"

"Yes, please, and the usual to-go." She beams up at him.

Henry turns to me, and seeing that my beer is almost empty, he grabs me another one.

I nod in acknowledgment, saying nothing. He stares back at me like he wants to say something, but he stays quiet. He turns and heads to the kitchen, coming back a couple minutes later with a burger and a plate of fries that he sets down in front of me.

"I didn't order this."

"Eat it anyway."

"I'm not hungry." I take another swig of my beer.

"What is it with the Sheriff's Department and liquid dinners lately?"

I'm not following. "What?"

"Vic came in here last week to drink her dinner, too. I made her eat some food and I will make you do the same."

I don't respond.

"What?" Henry glares at me.

"What?" I grumble back.

"You made a face."

"What face?"

"You scowled."

"I did not." I shove a couple fries in my mouth. I'm aware of Cady next to me looking back and forth from me to Henry, but she stays quiet.

"Yes, you did. You were not particularly cheery to begin with, but I mentioned Vic and you became even grumpier."

"Don't you have work to do, Henry?"

"I do not." He smiles faintly. "What is going on?"

"Nothing."

Cady decides to pipe in now. "How is Vic? I haven't seen her since the day after Henry's party."

I shrug.

Just then we hear the bar doors open, and all three of us turn our heads to the door to see Vic standing there like deer in a headlight.

She stands there for a moment staring at us before she speaks. "Hey," she finally mutters as she walks in our direction.

I nod my head, thinking about what perfect timing she has.

Cady gets up from her chair and meets Vic halfway, pulling her into a hug. "Vic, it's nice to see you!"

"Hey, how are you?"

"I'm good, we were just talking about you," my daughter says as she walks them over to where I'm sitting.

"Yeah? What about me?" Her voice is a little on edge.

Henry looks at me to see if I'm going to respond, but I'm not. "I was just mentioning that I hadn't seen you since last week when you came in for a liquid dinner." He smirks at her.

Cady chimes in next. "Yeah, and I haven't seen you since that day in the office, the day after Henry's party."

"That was an interesting day." I wasn't planning on entering the conversation, but it slipped out. I stare straight ahead at Henry and take a drink of my beer.

Everybody is silent for a few moments. "What happened?" Henry finally asks.

"She yelled at me."

I hear Vic scoff behind me. She asks Henry for a beer as she takes off her coat and sits down a few seats away from me. I still don't look over at her.

Henry looks at me, his eyebrows raised. He slides her a beer before turning back to me. "Why did she yell at you?"

"Because she,-" I start, but am interrupted by Vic.

"Walt." Her voice scolds me. "Are you drunk? Why are you bringing this up?"

I look over in her direction, but instead of responding I just take a sip of my beer.

"Why did she yell at you?" Henry prods.

"Because I was a gentleman and stopped a man from taking advantage of her when she was drunk at your party."

Henry raises his eyebrows, looking to Vic for confirmation.

"You don't know that he was taking advantage of me… we were just dancing, it was harmless."

Maybe she's right. I overreacted. "Maybe I shouldn't have stepped in then," I reply honestly as I finally make eye contact with her. That guy was a lot closer in age than I am, maybe she would have been better off going home with him that night.

"Maybe you shouldn't have." Her voice is cold, and I wonder if I've gone too far. She picks up her beer and stands up, "Excuse me."

She heads to the bathroom, and Cady and Henry stare back at me.

"Dad, what the hell is going on?"

"I don't know."

She shakes her head and heads into the bathroom after Vic.

"Was that really necessary?" Henry looks at me cooly.

"What?"

"I have never seen you talk to a woman like that, let alone a woman you have feelings for."

"Who says I have feelings for anybody?"

"I am not blind, Walt."

I don't feel like giving him the satisfaction of being right, so I don't say anything and instead take another drink of my beer.

"Walt."

"What."

"What happened after Vic yelled at you?"

I don't want to talk about this.

"Walt, I am trying to help. From where I am standing, you owe Vic an apology. If you tell me what is going on, maybe it will help me understand why you are acting like such an asshole."

I glare up at him. Bluntness is a trait that he and Vic share.

"She kissed me."

He nods like he assumed that has already happened. "And?"

"And… she said I was acting like a jealous boyfriend when I took her home that night."

"And were you? Jealous?"

I stare back at him, hoping that Cady and Vic come back any second so I don't have to talk about this anymore.

"Not by choice."

"I don't think anybody is ever jealous by choice, Walt."

I nod. "But I didn't have to act on it."

"I suppose not." He looks back at me for a minute before continuing. "So what happened after she kissed you?"

I sigh. "I kissed her back a few days later. I crossed the line."

He thinks about that, squinting his eyes at me. "So what now?"

"I don't know."

"Are you going to keep punishing Vic for the fact that you have feelings for her?"

"I am not punishing her."

"You could have fooled me."

I'm about to speak when the bathroom door opens and Cady and Vic come out of the bathroom.

"You can head outside, I'll grab your coat," my daughter says to Vic as they walk.

"It's okay. I'll get it," Vic mutters as she walks towards her coat that's on a chair about five feet from me. Her eyes find mine as she swings the coat over her shoulders.

Her eyes are a little bloodshot. She's been crying. I keep messing everything up. It kills me to see her like this, and know that I'm the one causing her pain. She only locks eyes with me for a few seconds, but it's enough to make me feel terrible. She turns to Henry and nods before heading towards the door.

Cady leans down into to me and whispers in my ear, but it's loud enough for everyone to hear. "I think you're going to regret this tomorrow, how you treated her. I'd start thinking of an apology now." She kisses me on the cheek and follows Vic out the door.

Would you believe it if I told you that when I came to the Red Pony tonight I thought that there was no way my mood could get any worse?

Let me know what you think of this chapter! I didn't go too much into detail with Walt's thoughts here, as he's a little drunk and not really thinking about much, hence why he treats Vic crappy out of nowhere. Hope it makes sense! More chatting with Henry to come! :)