Your Love Ch. 04

"You ok?" Stephen asked without looking at her.

"I don't know. I knew it was bad, but I didn't think it was this bad."

He sighed. He'd always looked at his own father as a hero, he knew that's how Catherine looked at her dad. He couldn't imagine how it felt to have such a perfect image crumble before someone's eyes.

"Want me to take you home?" He was asking to be polite, but he honestly didn't think he could go to her house without trying to kill Baker.

"No." Catherine said while trying to hold back tears. "I'll stay in hotel or something, I don't think I can look at him."

"No, you're going to stay at my place, I'll sleep on the couch, you can have the bed."

"Thanks." Catherine said attempting a smile.

They returned to an awkward silence as Stephen pulled up to the parking garage of his apartment.

Stephen pulled into an empty spot and took the key out of the ignition.

They sat for what seemed like hours in dead quiet.

"I'm sorry." Catherine said, breaking the silence first.

Stephen looked up.

"You have nothing to be sorry for. You didn't know."

"I know; I just feel like my family has caused you so much grief Stephan. Between all of the drama with the wedding and now this. I wish you would have just taken the hint sooner."

"The hint?" Stephen asked.

Catherine smiled.

"Stephen, I've been doing anything and everything I can to get you to break up with me. I have tried my best to be nothing but absolutely annoying to you ever since you put that ring on my finger. I guess I always knew you never really loved me and honestly I'm ok with that. My parents are the ones that pushed so hard for us to happed. I never felt like I had a choice in this whole thing."

Stephen paused to consider what she had just said.

"So the pet names?" He asked raising an eyebrow.

Catherine laughed and nodded.

"Changing my plans?"

"Yep."

"How about that pink-ass wedding you were going to make us have?"

At that Catherine burst out laughing. "Even I don't like pink that much!"

Stephen had to laugh, he felt like he was finally getting to know Catherine, and she wasn't half bad. But now he was feeling guilty.

"Cat I do have to tell you something."

"The other night, when you and your mom were in South Carolina, I had a girl at the apartment."

He looked at her before continuing.

"Nothing happened, but I think I care about her. A lot actually."

Catherine looked over at Stephen.

Catherine let out a long exasperated sigh.

"Well since we are confessing," Catherine continued, "Remember that time I was sick and I didn't want you to come over because I said I looked gross?"

Stephen nodded.

"Well I was sick, but I didn't want you to come over because Ben was there. He was taking care of me."

"Umm." Stephen said in puzzlement clearly not following.

"We've never actually done anything Stephen I swear. We respect you way too much to hurt you that way," Catherine paused before finishing, "but we do love each other."

"Oh." Stephen said. He thought about it and honestly he wasn't even angry, but her did plan on giving his best friend a little bit of a hard time. "If you guy make each other happy then go for it."

Catherine smiled.

"You should go for it too, whoever this mystery girl is."

If only it were that easy. Stephen thought.

Before he could respond Stephen felt a vibrating in his pocket.

His phone.

Quickly he pulled it out and looked at the screen, he didn't recognize the number but he had a pretty good guess.

Smiling he looked up at Catherine who was smiling back,

"That must be her." Catherine said.

"I think so."

Stephen looked back down at his phone.

Why don't you head up stairs and go to bed. You've had a pretty rough day." With that he took his house key off the chain and handed it to her. Catherine slipped out the car and told him goodnight before heading upstairs.

Stephen hit answer on his cell.

"Hello?" Stephen said hoarsely.

"Hey." It was indeed the best voice he could have heard at that moment.

"Hey." He responded.

"How are you?" Christina asked sweetly.

"Better now that you've called." He heard her smiling on the other end.

He then asked, "How are you doing?"

"Well I've been better. I've had a pretty crazy day to say the least."

Stephen doubted her day could have been anymore crazy than his had been. He'd just found out his ex-fiancé's father had stolen millions of dollars from him for fucks sake.

"Want to meet up and you could tell me all about it?"

There was a pause.

Finally, he heard her speak, "I'd love that."

Stephen sat in the back booth at the Tupelo Honey Café.

He was nervous.

It felt like a date. Was it a date?

While looking over the menu he felt someone come up to stand next to him.

Stephen looked up right into Christina's eyes.

"Hey." He spoken first.

"Hey."

Stephen looked at her and admitted to himself this was the only thing he wanted to see each day.

"Notice anything different?" Christina said interrupting his thoughts.

Stephen studied her head to toe and couldn't find what she was talking about.

She motioned her head towards the hand that was holding the strap of her purse and wiggled her fingers.

No ring.

"Your ring." He said with a hopeful tone.

"Yep." She beamed at him as she slid into the booth across from him.

He smiled.

Maybe this would be easier than he thought.