THERAPIST | JACK THOMPSON

TWENTY FIVE

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"So, I walk into this diner. This isn't a joke." Sousa announced as he went into the interrogation room to talk to Frank, whilst Evelyn and Jack watched through the double sided mirror.

Jack had his hands rested on the back of the chair that Evelyn sat on. His blazer hung over her shoulders and she couldn't help but pull it closer. It was something that didn't go unnoticed by Jack, causing him to smile down at her.

"I walk into this diner, and everybody starts clapping. And I look around at first, confused, and then I realize, oh, they're clapping for me, in my dress uniform, 'cause I... served and came back alive, like you." Sousa continued to tell his story.

It was one that Evelyn had heard before. It was the first conversation they ever had. He had told her all about how it made him feel guilty. It made Sousa have a bit of survivors guilt. He was hit by shrapnel, along with a few others in his regiment, he and another were the only ones to survive.

"You and me ain't nothing alike." Frank spat back, he had become more shut off now that Evelyn had left the room. Something about the girl made it feel like he was in a safe environment.

"So, I pretended to curtsy. Played it off as a joke, and then I'm working on my meal. I look up. I see another G.I. walk in. So, I put down my fork, put down my knife, get ready to clap. And nobody else does a thing. Silence."

Evelyn looked up to Jack, who gave her shoulder a small squeeze. He offered her a closed lip smile and leant down to press his lips against the top of her head. The girl couldn't help but blush at the action, it was something that warmed her heart and made her stomach flip.

"That's when I realized they weren't clapping for me. They were clapping for this and this." Sousa pointed at his crutch. "Clapping because I make them feel guilty, and they want to feel good." He then leant forward, so that he was closer to Frank.

The girl could see that Sousa's words were making Frank angry. Both men have had issues since the war, but Sousa was going the wrong way about it. He was trying to show that they were the same when they went through completely different experiences.

"You think because I'm wearing a suit and I got a clean shave, we're different? We're not. We're both people nobody cares about." Sousa added with a clenched jaw.

"No one clapped when I came home." Frank responded honestly. "One guy was sleeping with my wife. Another took my job at the mill. We all got sad stories. I still don't talk to cops, even pathetic ones."

Evelyn jumped up and did a little fist pump. She liked when she was right about things. Although she did feel bad for the fact that Franks wife cheated on him. He didn't deserve that, from the few short moments that she spent with him, she could tell that he was a genuine man with honourable intentions.

"You're so smart." Jack complimented as his hands cupped her cheeks. His thumb ran over her bottom lip, he couldn't help but focus his gaze on her soft lips, wondering what it would be like to kiss her.

Evelyn's heart was racing as she noticed his gaze was on her lips. She wanted to say something. She wanted to tell him that she was feeling all sorts of different things towards him.

He slowly began to lean down, just one kiss. It wouldn't hurt anybody. His thumb caressed her cheek, his warm breath mingling with hers. She hadn't pulled away yet. She hadn't pushed him off or told him to stop. Did that mean that she wanted to kiss him too?

Evelyn stepped closer to the man, only slightly but it was noticeable. They were chest to chest, she slowly fluttered her eyes closed and waited for his lips to connect to hers.

The door swung open causing them both to jump apart. Jack pinch the bridge of his nose and screwed his eyes shut. His heart was racing, what if he messed everything up? He'd never seen her pull away from his side so quickly.

"I'd clap, but I don't want to hurt your feelings." Jack responded sarcastically, trying to distract Sousa from what he could have walked in on. "Send him packing, and start looking for Stark like everybody else."

The pair both hoped to God that Sousa wouldn't have thought anything about how close they were. They hoped that they just dismissed the fact that they were about to kiss.

"I'm telling you, he's a witness." Sousa was almost positive that the man might have seen something.

Jack's eyes flickered down to Evelyn, she avoided eye contact with him and kept her gaze solely on Sousa. He clenched his jaw jealously.

"Dooley went all the way to Nuremberg to interview a Nazi, and I've got you clamoring over a bum you found down the street." Jack responded in a hostile tone.

"Think about it. If he didn't see something, he'd say so. He saw something." Sousa muttered, causing all three of them to turn and look towards Frank.

Evelyn anxiously chewed her bottom lip. She daren't look at Jack, she feared that he wouldn't be looking at her, or if he was, he'd be looking at her disgust. She could only imagine the rumours that could be spread about her. A rumour like that could ruin her reputation.

"I should get going." Evelyn announced as she slowly exited the room. "Since Peggy's not here, I'll get everyone's lunch orders."

Jack wanted to call out her name, tell her that he'd get one of the other agents to do that. That she amounted to more than someone who brought in lunch. He wanted her to stay so they could talk about what almost happened. He just wanted her to stay.