Passing Through

Part Twelve

"Well I imagine you've seen enough of my anger."

He had his own bottle of coke and took a drink out of it, before answering, "figure it's justified, after last night, all that hospitality..."

"...and you acted like a prick."

He nodded, "sorry. I have no defence to that. I have issues, don't we all?"

She knew that he was right about that, in fact, the less he told her the less she felt she needed to reciprocate, fell obligated to tell him, because her past was a closed book too. She hadn't told anyone about her past, not even Nana H knew, the aftermath, the pain and suffering yes, but the details, the actual facts...only she knew, and that was the way it was going to stay.

Stretching a hand across the table, she offered it to him, "truce?"

He smiled, "there's no battle to end, but I am more than happy to shake on something."

After that things calmed a little, and they both relaxed in their seats opposite each other.

"This is amazing. Can't believe you found this place before me. I usually have my finger on the eating places pulse in this town."

Bo sat back in his seat, arms crossed over his full abdomen. "It's the greatest burrito I've found outside the US, that's for sure."

She nodded, finishing the last of her chimichanga, "I will definitely come back here."

A truce and conversation, it was so much more than he deserved, but also, just what he needed. Friendship, when he had none. Something about Natasha appealed to him in a way no one else had in a long time. He just had to stop blowing it with her, as the last twenty four hours proved, it was a worse place without her.

"You want a walk?"

She looked around then exhaled, "it's almost eleven and dark, what did you have in mind?"

He shrugged, "just don't want the night to end, I'm enjoying having company."

She was deep in thought, he knew that much about her already, then she nodded, "OK. There's a bar, not far away, it's open late...very late on a Sunday."

He jumped at that, and all too soon was following her across the street towards a lively looking pub.

It had been a great night, he wasn't drinking, after all he had the car, but they'd sat and absorbed the atmosphere, cheered the karaoke singers, and toasted the man who dropped to his knees and proposed to his unsuspecting girlfriend. They'd avoided the hot topics of their mutual pasts and the previous evening, instead focussing on having fun, and they'd had fun. Well he had, and he was sure she had too.

"I should be going home." She finally offered pointing at her watch. It was one am. "I open the cafe at seven, get there at six to prep."

Bo grimaced, "shit. I won't be popular in the morning."

"It depends how well I sleep."

He stood and offered her a hand, she stared at him for a long moment, then reached for it, allowing him to pull her to her feet. "And what influences that?"

Eyes still on him, she bit her lip for a moment, "well...no condescending men telling me what to do...that helps, and of course not being treated like a piece of shit. Walked away from, cut down."

With his spare hand, he reached out and grabbed her shoulder, "I'm sorry, for last night...I told you that. If I could change it..."

She smiled, "OK, maybe I'll ease up on you. I need to get home."