Rain Check?

~79~

 "When did you decide that?" Chris asks Dempsey from across the table, his tone quiet and reserved. He tries to occupy himself with peeling the label off of his beer bottle, now avoiding Dempsey's gaze. silently hoping that this whole exchange is some sort of an odd daydream.

 "The Masters degree?" she asks. "Well, that's been on my mind for like two years now.  Been thinking about going into Educational Leadership, ya know, being the principal that understands the weight of a teacher in the classroom," she says in almost a whimsical voice. "I want to be the kind of principal I've not experienced, I guess you could say. A principal for the teachers," she lightly chuckles.

  Chris chews on his upper lip, afraid to ask his next question, fearful of hearing exactly what he's almost positive that will escape her mouth. "And the move?" his eyes flit between the condensation on his bottle and her hazel eyes.

  "The relocating part was just in the last handful of weeks," she whispers, staring down at her plate. 

  If you'd asked her right after the break up whether or not it was a good idea to uproot her life, she'd emphatically answer yes, without question. Unsure of whether she could continue living in an area that she'd run the risk of bumping into him or his family, avoiding all the places that held memories for her. Could she just leave her home without looking back, without worrying about her family she'd leave behind? She'd have told everyone that it was all a price she was willing to pay to forget Chris Evans. 

  But now as she casts a random glance over her iced tea, she questions everything. Sure, she and Chris aren't together in a romantic sense, but in the process of healing from the break up he's been there, oddly every step of the way. Is it out of a desire to continue building upon a romance that was once there? Or is it for the missing pieces within a friendship? 

  What exactly is he trying to fix? Is it out of actual desire to be with her, or to simply attempt to right his wrongs? Does he feel an odd obligation to her because they live in the same area, cross paths somewhat regularly? She certainly isn't someone from his lifestyle that can just call the next guy on her long list or prospects. 

  Chris fights his own war behind his saddened eyes. His mind's eye suddenly erasing the picture of redemption within his relationship with Dempsey. The future that he's been desiring floating away just as easily as the leaves falling in autumn. 

  The waiter comes by, pulling them each out of their own individual torment. "Want anything else?" he asks.

  Dempsey doesn't answer, casting a weary look to Chris. "Just the check," he tells him before returning to finish off his beer. 

  "Your uh, your acting skills are lacking a bit today, Cap," she attempts to lighten the mood, knowing full well she's the one who ruined it. 

  His jaw becomes a bit tight as he looks back at her. If memory serves her correctly it's the same look he gave Scarlett in Endgame before AntMan showed up. "What do you want me to say, Dempsey?"

  "Something. Anything!" she exclaims, her hands flying up near her shoulders.

  He keeps quiet, throwing a few bills onto the check before standing. Dempsey knows he's angry and yet he stands, waiting on her to slide out of the booth. She adjusts her sweater before walking ahead of him towards the exit. He puts one hand on her back, higher than before, almost symbolizing the complete change between them, all brought on by a few simple words. 

  In Chris' mind, Dempsey's plan to move away is sealing the fate of all his hopes between the two of them. Even over the course of the last couple of weeks, his efforts haven't been enough.