Airport 14

"Chris, I'm sorry you had to leave. If I had known in advance that you were coming over, I would have cancelled my plans. I had company."

"Yeah, I figured that out. How is Justin?"

"He's a friend, Chris, but he's not you. You shouldn't feel threatened by him," she started.

"I'm not."

"Good. Then why don't you come back over? He only stopped by to pick up some things he had left. To be honest, it was sheer chance that you both were here at the same time. We haven't seen each other in weeks."

"Really?" I did not believe her.

"Really. And nothing happened. He heard that you were here and he left just as soon as you pulled away. So come back over, and we can talk."

"I can't right now," I said, trying to sound sure of myself. "I'm in Portland already. I could have waited for him to leave you know."

"And how smoothly would that have gone? Him, seeing you sitting in the living room, with me asking him to leave?"

"You always did go for the emotional ones. I figured I was the one to break your habit."

"At least he never lied to me."

She knew what to say, it seemed, no matter the situation. And it usually hurt to hear.

"I wish I could change the way things happened. I hope you know that Rose."

I did not want to argue with her again, and especially not over the phone. Truth was, Justin was a sad individual, he said what he had to in order to get what he wanted. The longer Rose knows him, the better she will see he had little to offer, and that which he did was simple and hollow. It is better that he is out of her life, even if only for the moment.

"Nevermind. Ahh...Chris," she spoke slowly, and almost as though it caused her pain, "it shouldn't be this difficult. What is it you want from me? Why did you come over tonight? If you won't come here now, then let's at least talk on the phone."

I thought her questions over, allowing the precious silence to mediate the tension of our phone conversation.

'I came over to ask you out, to enjoy an evening out with me, like we used to share together. Simply put, Rose, I want you. I want us to be like we used to be."

I looked up at the individual who had stopped alongside my table. Such poor timing, is all that could be said. Katie had arrived early, it seems, and the look on her face told me that she indeed had heard the tail end of our conversation. She smiled, not at all confused.

"Mind if I sit down?" She asked, coolly.

I stared into her eyes, neither of us blinking. Now that we had both realized what it felt like to play such a horrible game with the other, it was almost as if we had come to meet tonight on equal ground, on equal terms. 

"Not at all, please," I smiled, knowing full well that Rose would hear.

"Who are you talking to?" Asked Rose. To lie, at this point, seemed stupid. Honesty, though, would change each of our perceptions of the other.

I covered up the speaker on my phone.

"I'll just be a minute, Katie, if you don't mind."

"Katie? You're meeting with Katie?" Came the response in my ear.

Katie nodded in understanding. God she is beautiful.

"No, I mean, yes, yes I did call her, because Justin was over at your place. I figured we could catch up, is all. I had hoped we could have spent some time together as well. But so far, everything has managed to not work out, to be inconvenient. And now that she is here, we will talk, and then hopefully, later, you and I can talk more as well."

I emphasized the 'later' bit, looking Katie directly in the eye. Something is going to have to work tonight.

"Okay, Chris, I guess I will have to let you go then," Rose said.

"I will call you later, Rose. Goodbye for now."

"Bye."