Playlist: When Doves Cry - Prince

He and Kozik were on lookout duty, keeping an eye on the foot traffic around the surplus store. They were both leaning against the store windows, a smoke in hand and gazing around them. It was a warm sunny day, meaning that everyone and their mother were out today. They were halfway between Oakland and Charming, in another small town named Walnut Creek. He hated small towns, aside from Charming. They were always chalk full of gossips. No one could ever mind their own business. Most of all though, he couldn't stand the fake propriety of the women. They all dressed in expensive clothes, pretended to be innocent and pure, and spoke with their noses in the air behind white gloves. He rolled his eyes as the exact image of what he hated crossed the street, stopping a few meters from him.

The woman had long, flowing hair, tied back into an impeccable neat half ponytail. Her dress just reached her knees and was covered in a floral pattern that was reminiscent of his grandmother's table cloths. She wore sensible cream heels on her feet and a matching cardigan. She had her eyes covered with an expensive pair of wayfarer sunglasses, and had some garish tan Michael Kors handbag resting on her wrist. She was rummaging through it, searching for something probably equally expensive as the matching pearl necklace and earrings she wore. He watched as the woman stomped her foot in impatience and lifted her sunglasses into her hair. He gulped. He'd recognize those eyes anywhere.

~(xXx)~

You held your arm up, your bag hanging from your wrist and searched for your phone. You could feel it buzzing and knew it was your fiancé calling. You'd taken longer than expected to get the invitation samples and he was probably pissed for having to wait around. You knew you should've just come alone. He was always getting bent out of shape over the wedding planning. You never did understand why he was so adamant on being a part of the process. He'd already told you that he didn't really care and you had free reign. You finally found your phone and pulled out. 5 missed calls. You sighed, of course.

"Y/N?" You heard a deep rasp call out to you.

Thinking it was your fiancé you exhaled, the attitude obvious, "I told you I didn't know how long it would take. You should've stayed home."

It wasn't until you looked up that you realized it wasn't your fiancé but knew why you still recognized the voice. You startled, your eyes widening at Happy standing in front of you.

"H-Happy?" You stammered.

He narrowed his eyes, taking a minute to assess your entire body. You curled your hands into fists, unprepared to have your secret staring you in the face, right as you were leaving the wedding invitation shop. Your real life and night life clashing in front of you. You at least had the decency to hide him. The same couldn't be said for your fiancés mistress, but that was neither here nor there. What you really wanted to know was how the hell he found you.

"What are you doing here?" You hissed. "Did you come looking for me?"

You could see the surprise and disgust painted all over his face. He scoffed out loud at your comment. You panicked, trying to find something else to say but were interrupted by the phone in your hand vibrating. It was your fiancé. You stared up at Happy, your mouth open in confusion.

'I-I uh – have to get this." You tucked a phantom hair behind your ear and answered the phone, pulling it up to your ear.

~(xXx)~

He spotted the rock on her left ring finger and ground his teeth together. He thought that whatever it was they had together had been a good thing. Apparently that wasn't the case. He was beyond pissed. She was essentially his perfect woman. She was quiet, didn't like to talk a lot and kept her business to herself. Now he knew why she didn't share anything with him. It wasn't so much that she used him to cheat, it was that she continued to do so under the ruse of leading him on. Woman never treated him that way. He was the heartbreaker, not the other way around. She hung up the phone and he glared at her, wanting answers but not dignifying her by asking.

~(xXx)~

You exhaled, seeing the expression on Happy's face. He was too proud to ask and you knew it. You pulled out the notepad in your purse, wrote down the directions to the diner on the edge of town. You handed him the paper, your arm hanging in limbo while he just stared at the note.

"It's directions to a diner." You explained, "Meet me there in an hour and we can talk."

He snatched the paper from you and shoved it into his pocket. He turned his back to you and stomped back to where there was a blond man staring at the both of you. You watched as the blond man raised an eyebrow, asked Happy something and when received no answer stared back at you. You shrugged, deciding it might be better if you walked on the other side of the street, put some distance between the two of you.

~(xXx)~

You pulled up into the first free parking space and turned the ignition off. You were late. Your fiancé wanted to 'talk' when you finally got home. He was stressing about the wedding and you told him there was nothing to worry about. You waited until he lied to you, telling him he was meeting his buddies for a golf game, knowing full well he was going to see her again. Once his car turned off your block you raced to your car and sped across town. You saw Happy's tell-tale snake tattoo as he faced the other direction. You gazed at him through the window as the waitress poured him another coffee. You felt awkward standing outside, staring in. What was there to even explain? It was pretty obvious what the situation was. He lifted the mug to his lips and must have felt your eyes on him because he turned his head, and spotted you watching him. He didn't look away, not until you moved forward, climbing up the steps in to the diner. You proceeded to walk the length of the restaurant and slip into the booth, sitting in the seat across from him. Neither of you spoke, you just stared at one another. You were interrupted when the waitress came over and asked what you'd like. You ordered a small muffin and a coffee. When she left, you could see the subtle twitch in Happy's jaw. He was itching to say something. You pushed your handbag to the far end of the table and rested your hands on the surface, waiting.

"Were you ever going to tell me? He finally spoke, keeping his teeth clenched together.

You ran your tongue across your teeth in thought. You decided to be honest, "Probably not."

He slammed his coffee cup down on the table and you jumped.

"Do you think this is a fucking joke?" He hissed.

You rolled your eyes, "I get it. You're mad. This is exactly why I wasn't going to say anything."

His nostrils flared and he swallowed with a harsh movement. The waitress came back, and sensing the tension between the two of you dropped your muffin and coffee down in front of you. You flashed her a quick smile and she retreated without a second glance back.

"So what then – you were just going to stop seeing me?" He grilled.

You hung your head to the side, "I don't know."

"What do you mean 'you don't know.'?" He pressed.

You shrugged, "I just don't know." You sighed and leaned back. "I don't really know what's happening in my life right now. I'm just…" You trailed off, waving your hand in a dismissive motion, not knowing how to explain the way you felt.

Everything was just blah. You were going through the motions. Living but not really living. You weren't unhappy, but you weren't happy either. Was there even a word for this feeling? Empty, maybe? But that seemed too drastic. You didn't feel like a hallow shell. You caught the switch in Happy's demeanour and he gazed at you.

"Are you happy?" He asked.

You laughed at his use of the word. Wasn't that exactly what you were just thinking? He narrowed his eyes at you.

You shook your head, reiterating your thoughts, "I'm not unhappy."

He grunted, not pleased with your answer. You scrunched your face up in mild annoyance.

"Who are you to judge the way I live my life?" You scolded, "If I remember correctly, you're a criminal. At least I'm living within the law, marrying a man my parents approve of and can provide for myself without his help. What's so wrong with that? You think that just because I'm not over the god damned moon in love with him it's not worth it?" You ranted at him, pissed that he was taking the high road on you, "I'll have you know that he's a good man, a hard-working man. One that takes care of me regardless of me needing it or not. He cares for me, enough to still marry me, his mistress be damned." You smacked your hands on the table and Happy raised an eyebrow at your last comment.

"You're both seeing other people?" He questioned.

You groaned, "Shut up. That's none of your business."

"Does he even love you?" He continued.

You rolled your eyes, "Did you miss my rant just now? It doesn't matter. Both our parents approve, and we're not unhappy."

He laughed a bitter laugh, "Yet you're both cheating on one another. Call it what you want but from where I'm standing, it isn't worth it."

You threw your hands up into the air, "Whatever. I'm done with this conversation."

You moved to grab your handbag but Happy's hand reached you first. His fingers wrapped around your wrist. You snapped your gaze to his. He seemed to be having trouble speaking. Whatever he wanted to say, wasn't something he'd normally say aloud. He was a man of actions, not words.

He licked his lips, "Come with me." You stared at him. He swallowed, trying again, "Come with me. To Charming. We can figure it out from there."

Your gaze softened and you inched back down into your seat. He let go of your wrist but you caught his hand in yours. You let out a small puff of air through your nose. You never expected Happy to have a soft spot. It just wasn't in his character. You curled your fingers through his and squeezed.

"You're sweet to offer." You thanked him, "But I'm ok with how my life is playing out. It's safe."

He shook his head in a disappointed gesture and you swallowed back the tears. He may not agree with how you chose to move forward, but it was your life. Not his.

~(xXx)~

He drove back into the town limits, spotting her car sitting in the diner parking lot. Strange, he thought to himself. She only used that car for one occasion and one occasion only. He slowed to a stop and made a left into the lot. He idled on the far side, keeping an eye on her Mustang. He wasn't there long before he saw her descend the steps from the inside. He gulped as he saw the man she was holding hands with. The man was terrifying. What was she doing with him? He watched as his future wife pecked the biker on the cheek and gave him a hug. He wanted to be mad, he wanted to be furious, but he couldn't find it in himself. Especially not when he saw the smile on her face as she waved goodbye to the man standing next to the Harley. He gulped, they really weren't meant to do this. He'd been unfaithful to her since the beginning and now she was following in his footsteps. This wasn't supposed to be how a marriage began. This wasn't supposed to be how any relationship functioned. They needed to do something about this.