Blind spot

At Jess' comment about a double rainbow, a strange pang hit's Axel. And for the first time, a glint in his eye proves he'd been caught off guard. He blinks, then chuckles, backing up to the truck, and just shakes his head.

Getting to the little restaurant, he sits for just a moment, fingering his keys. In the back of his mind there were red flags popping up all over the place. Yet he was sitting here, eating lunch with Jess anyway. Regrets had always been lurking around the corners. He could only hope this wasn't one of those corners.

Finally getting out, he meets Jess near the door, grinning a little. "I hope it purrs like a kitten," he nods. "I worked on it myself."

He opens the front door, letting Jess enter before him, then slips inside as well. Allowed to find their own seats, Axel purposely picks a table near the front window, thinking of Jess. Some might not think a thing of it, while others would note that it was away from the corners with the best lighting, and a clear route to the exit. And though one sitting there might not realize why they felt relaxed, the location was the safest position in the cafe.

After sitting down, a waitress comes to the table to take their orders, and soon after, their meal has arrived.

Axel remains relaxed and somewhat quiet, not fearing silence as some would. Eating a bit of his sandwich, he studies Jess, wondering about the mixed emotions that laid behind her eyes. He wondered how many of them were from the night before, and how many of them had existed there for years. How many had laid there from hurts before.

Pausing once after lifting his glass of water, he hides a wince and rubs his hand where some might notice the scars, one on each side of his hand between his first finger and thumb.

"So..." He cocks his head, his eyes twinkling. "I know your name... I know what kind of car you drive... I know you dance better than you think... and I know you have a hidden light behind your eyes. But that's about it." He lets his implied question hang, wondering if small talk would be accomplished or avoided.


As Wyatt stands up with Aerith and is taken into a hug, he chuckles and returns it, giving her a tight squeeze. "Mm... I don't think I could turn down at date... at least not one with you."

Tilting back to see her face, his smile remains and he leans to kiss the top of her head. "I won't be able to get off until eight tonight, but if you can wait that long, I'll meet you wherever you want."

Jason glances up at the two, his own enjoyment rising at seeing the light romantic interaction. It was nice to see both Wyatt and Aerith happy with their relationship. They deserved it.

His attention diverts to his silent conversation with Katie.

Yeah, okay. Let's swing by his place and at least check on him.

He lets Katie slide from the booth first, then follows suit. Saying goodbye to Wyatt and Aerith, he leaves Mom and Pop's with Katie, following her to Scott's house.

Parking by the curb, Jason gets out of his truck then waits for Katie. "Well... the house looks quiet. I guess we'll just knock. Domino should be around too."

Ambling up the walk, he heads to the porch, then pauses in front of the door. Glancing at the windows, they're dark, the curtains drawn. Giving a shrug, he raps his knuckles on the door. Hearing nothing, he tries again, this time calling out. "Scott?"

Domino's barking greets them from the other side of the door, but nothing else.

"Scott, you home?" Jason calls a little louder, listening intently. Nothing. He turns to Katie, lifting his eyebrows.

Moving to one of the windows by the porch, he puts his hands to the glass to peer in. After a moment, he withdraws, a strong emotion of pity surfacing. Looking down, then back up to Katie, he gestures for her to come look as well.

The window was on the side of the living room, an the curtains were away from the side just enough to see in.

Scott was still sitting in the middle of the floor, his knees drawn up, his face buried, just like he sat in the bed at the TJY infirmary. Domino was scampering back and forth between him and the door, but he wasn't acknowledging her.

Jason's jaw muscles tighten as sorrow mixed with anger rises. Scott had never been one of the strongest people he knew, but he'd had a quiet strength about him nonetheless, and now... to see him like this...

What do we do, Katie? What can we possibly do for him?


Dani enters Mom and Pop’s, and seeing Carson in the back, a smile forms. Spotting Aerith and Mable, she waves and comes up to the counter to take a seat on one of the stools. “Hey, guys.”

Carson perks up at the sound of his sister’s voice, and glances through to the front. “You’re early!” he hollers.

Dani laughs. “By whose clock?”

Carson glances at his watch. “Mine. You’re early by seventy-two seconds.”

“Aww, well then take your time.” Dani shakes her head in amusement, waiting until her brother emerged.

He grins and leans on the counter. “Hi.”

“Hi.” Dani spots his hand and frowns. “What did you do to your finger?”

“Shark bite.”

“What?”

“Went deep sea fishing over my lunch break.”

“Carson!” Dani whacks his arm. “What did you do?”

Carson rolls his eyes. “Spoil my fun, will you? I cut it with a knife. Did a good enough job on it that I got to get stitches and everything.”

Dani smirks at him. “Way to go. Hurt much?”

“Nah. I got someone to kiss it and make it feel better.”

Dani just shakes her head, then gives him a silly grin. “Say that again.”

“What?”

“Say that again.”

Carson quirks an eyebrow. “What? Someone kissed it to make it feel better?”

Dani’s smile widens. “That’s what I thought you said.”

“What about it?’

Dani shakes her head. “Nothing.”

“Oh come on. What are you getting at?”

“Nothing!” Receiving an annoyed look, Dani laughs. “I was just noticing your accent.”

Carson straightens a little. “And what of it?”

“You’re losing it.” Dani’s eyes dance with mischief. “Sounding more and more like an American, Bro, better watch it.”

Carson chuckles and shakes his head, dropping his accent altogether. “Yeah, I know. Pretty soon you won’t be able to tell me apart from any average Joe.”

Dani giggles. “How do you do that?”

Carson grins and grabs a towel to wipe up a water ring he’d spotted on the counter, resuming his natural voice. “Practice.”

Dani lets the conversation pause a moment before getting in to what her main purpose was for being here. “So. Want to move in with me, huh?”

“If you’ll still have me.”

“Of course. Why the change of heart?”

Carson stops a moment, then shrugs. “Guess I want a change of scenery. Something’s got to look up, right?”

Dani eyes him curiously. “Everything alright?”

“Oh… sure.”

Dani cocks her head and waits until her brother looks her in the eye. “You’re a bad liar.”

Carson sighs and looks around the restaurant, making sure no one is paying attention to their conversation. “Don’t know where I’m headed, Dani. I broke up with Jess last night, and this morning I got Misty coming up in the passing lane.

Dani’s eyes widen. “Whoa. I’m sorry. Wow… what happened?”

Carson shakes his head. “Complicated.”

Dani gives him an apologetic look, her tone softening. “No wonder you look worn out. I thought things with Misty weren’t… well… so hot.”

Carson turns around to get Dani the drink of soda pop that he knew she wanted. “They’re not.”

“So why is… I mean… the passing lane?”

“She’s in my blind spot.”

Dani bites her lip. If she didn't know Carson was having such a hard time, she’d find his analogy amusing. “Don’t know if she’s gonna catch up or back off, eh?”

“Not quite.”

“Well…how about you come over tonight and we’ll talk about you moving in, and… maybe a few other things too?” Dani gives him a knowing smile.

Carson nods gratefully. “Alright. Herb’s closing up tonight, so I can be there about seven if that’s okay.”

“Sure. I’ll fix us something for supper if you can stand my cooking.”

Carson laughs. “I cook all day. Letting you do it is fine with me.”