Raw thoughts

Jason looks down for a moment, not really surprised by Katie broaching the subject of the very tension in the room, but wasn't sure of just quite how to respond.

Glancing back up, he allows a wry grin to show. "What's normal?" He shakes his head and leans forward on his desk, folding his hands and looking Katie square in the eye. He didn't feel like saying this and hadn't gotten there himself, but he knew the words themselves were true. "Katie...when you and I both can pull our heads out of our butts and look at life the way we're supposed to instead of dwelling on what could have been, I think that tension will relieve itself."

He purses his lips in thought, growing a little more serious. "Look...I might as well just come right out and say it while I'm in a bold mood. I'm glad that you're happy with Scott, and every day when I see you smile more, I feel even better. I'm fortunate to have kept you as my friend, and that's all I want or need from you. The past is the past, and...I'm moving on." The honesty in that statement surprises even himself. As he looks at Katie now, in this very moment, he can sense the feelings fading.

Jason pauses for just a moment. "But that look in your eye betrays you. You and I...we're over. And... frankly, I'm lonely." His own words surprise him again...he hadn't planned on admitting that. "You've got Scott and though you and I are friends, there are just some things that we can't do together anymore. And...it's not fair to Scott if you get uneasy seeing another woman with me."

He leans back in his chair again. He'd arrived cranky this morning, and his mood was affecting the words he spoke as he continued to hold a dry, logical tone. "I don't need to justify anything, but Camryn and I are barely even friends. Right about now I'm not so sure I ever want to try at a relationship again with anybody, regardless of what people are assuming about me and her. But the two of us - you and me - we better get used to us living our own individual lives and be satisfied with what time we do spend together, otherwise we're just going to make ourselves miserable. We can't ever have what we used to have...but we can have something different...and I guess we just need to be glad of that."

He looks down for a moment, his weariness starting to get to him. His words were strong, but he was weakening in this battle. Gazing at Katie again, he searches her eyes. "And if there's anything I can to do help you cut that string, I'll do it. Whether it's staying out of your way, working on not giving you so much emotion all the time, or just keeping my mouth shut. I want you to be happy, Katie...and if me being around causes tension, then lets find a solution." In essence, he was blaming himself...he knew all of this - every bit of tension - was his own fault, and now he was reaping the consequences. He desperately wanted the tension to be gone too, and just didn't know how to make it happen within himself. His words to Katie sounded great, but he had yet to take his own advice. His own eyes betray him, despite his strong body language. He wanted to protect Katie from his own misery, despite realizing that impossibility.


Con laughs. "Yeah, I don't know when the guys started calling me that, but it stuck." He nods at Jamie's suggestion. "Chinese sounds great. Oh, by the way, tomorrow I'll have to ditch you for lunch...I'm not going to have enough time for a break until late - we're prepping the west end of the site and want to get the most accomplished we can before the rain comes that they're predicting next week."

He turns his head to her and grins. "Of course, for me, rainy days mean free days."


Carson can't help his skepticism as Frankie greets them. He accepts the handshake though, and musters a bit of a smile. "Nice to meet you." He nods as they head to the table. "Thanks." His accent seems thick today as he unknowingly slips into a defensive mode, paying little attention to annunciating his words as his nerves are stretched. Something just felt...odd. The look in Frankie's eye...his body language...his demeanor...it was calm and downright average. Nothing would lead Carson to believe that this man would have hurt Aerith, yet Jason had been insistent, along with Wyatt's agreement that yes, Frankie had tried to pull something. ...Strange.

Trying to relax for Misty's sake, Carson takes a seat next to her and grabs a menu, attempting some small talk. "So, Frankie...staying a while, or just passing through?"