She'd gotten a bike of her own. The kind with pedals and a chain. Coasting down the small hill Kyle's house was located on, Caitlin scanned the apartments for the correct number. The bike brakes whined as she came to a halt in front of number 124. Her feet dropped from the pedals to steady herself on the ground while she peered up at the building before her.
It was surprisingly normal. Nice, but not dripping with extravagance as the guest house and Deacon's home had been. After sitting outside for a couple minutes, Cait finally talked herself into parking the bicycle alongside the garage door, then marched herself up the stairs to his front door.
Ding-dong. His doorbell sounded funny. It made her smirk.
There was a sound from inside. Someone moving, then talking. The blind over the window moved, but it wasn't a person, it was a fuzzy black cat jumping up into them to peer out at the porch. In a few minutes, familiar eyes were much higher than the cat, as he'd gone to grab a shirt, what a shock, it wasn't the pizza he'd ordered. "Cait?" The door was still closed but surely she'd hear her name. The locks were twisted and finally the door opened. "Hey." He eyed her a minute, "What's with the smirk?"
Thank God he was wearing clothes. She took a small step back when the door was opened. Kyle got a smile, but she looked past him and to the floor where the cat had moved to now watch the door. "I didn't know you were a cat person."
"She adopted me." Yes, clothes. Gym shorts and a tank top. "Come on in." The place was clean, and not like a bachelor pad at all. There was real furniture, a decent tv without a video game console spread out to the coffee table and no headphones in sight. The walls were bare, except for two paintings that hung over the couch, and a few family pics on the mantle over the cold fireplace. "I thought you were the pizza guy."
"You sure?" Asked as she followed him in. "I don't want to interrupt...or anything." As if he was hiding a date somewhere. Her eyes moved all around the room, and it hit her just how much she'd wrongly judged him in the past.
They were both dressed casually, her in a pair of navy colored sweatpants and a thin, cotton long-sleeved shirt. Her hair was in a braid and she wore her black plastic framed glasses.
He nodded, "Yeah, I'm sure. You like pepperoni? It should be here soon-ish." He thought about it a minute, the way she asked if he was sure. "Like I'd turn you away. I was talking to the cat to get her fuzzy ass out from under my feet. She was looking for the pizza guy. When the bell rings, that means food."
"Sounds good," lying smoothly. Everything tasted like cardboard. It made her stomach hurt. She was living on the bare minimum right now. He might even be able to see the effects after a week of dealing with the news. Mostly she looked tired.
Not wanting things to feel awkward, Cait decided to just make herself at home, flopping down onto the couch, leaning on the armrest. "So. You like your new place, then? I remember when I finally got into my Brownstone. It was such a good feeling to have something of my own. Even if I didn't have any furniture." Chuckle.
He closed the door behind her, didn't even watch her walk over to flop onto the couch. "It's different." True story. "Quiet though, and I have a small garden spot on the roof. Want a drink? I have some of everything." He was rambling, apparently talking to the cat was all the company he'd had.
"No. I'm ok, I don't need anything." Waving her hand in dismissal. "Quiet's nice. You'll get used to it, I'm sure. Or you'll find something to fill the void." She'd very nearly said someone. And much as she didn't want to--couldn't go there, the thought of him finding a girlfriend was unappealing. Guiltily, she glanced down at the ring still on her finger.
"Crusty just kinda looks at me then wanders off to sleep somewhere. So it's find something, get someone to come over, go out, or have a mental breakdown." He wandered on off to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water from inside then walked over to sit in the chair, close but not too close. Twist of cap, then a drink. "How are you doing?"
Fingers were picking at a tiny hole near the knee of her pants. Looking up as Kyle sat back down, she noted he was drinking water. "I'm good." She was trying too hard. Even knowing he was seeking a genuine answer, Caitlin had no desire to go down that rabbit hole. "I go back to work tomorrow. Thinking of work made me remember what the note said. About me getting the business now? That's what I came over to talk about, actually. I don't...I don't want it."
He could tell she was lying. She wasn't good and it showed all over her face. "Well, it's just until a suitable replacement is found. They've been calling me."
Relief flooded her face, shoulders seeming to drop as tension was released. "Oh thank God. Because I don't want any part of it. I wouldn't even know what to do with it if I did."
"I don't even know what the hell he did." He took another drink then looked at her again. "You sure you are ready to go back?"
"That makes two of us." Short laugh, pulling at a loose thread now. The hole in the knee would likely be ten times bigger by the end of the night. "And I've taken enough time off. I need to pay my bills. My place is not cheap."
"I realize that." The cat jumped up to his lap and started a motorboat sounding purr. "Just know you've got help if you need it, okay?" He noticed that she wasn't ever really looking at him, instead focusing on her pants. "Going to tell me what is on your mind?"
Now she looked up, actually looking surprised. "I just did. I was worried I'd have to run a business I didn't want."
"Sorry hun, but I'm calling bull****. The only time you've made eye contact was at the door." He wasn't even trying to be a dick, just concerned about her.
Sighing, annoyed, she shifted to fully face him and planted her elbow on the arm rest so she could put her chin in her hand. Brown eyes locked with Kyle's eyes purposely, eyelashing batting a few times. "Better?"
"Smart***." He took another drink but didn't look away. "I just care about you, and you should know you can talk to me about stuff." Understatement.
Though her eyes remained on his face, her free hand had found that little hole again. "Which...I appreciate. I really do. But I'm fine. There's nothing to talk about. Nothing can change. I have to live with the choices I made. That's life. Only thing I can do is move on."
"What choices?" Lucky for her the annoying doorbell sounded again, and the cat hopped to the couch, over here and squeezed back into the blinds.
He was up and holding one finger toward her. "Hold that thought." The door opened after he looked out and the pizza was taken, in exchange for cash that was sitting on a small shelf near the door. You'd think he ate out of a box, often. The door was pushed closed, locked and the pizza box was put on the coffee table. "Shoo her, she's a crust fiend." Pointed at the cat, then he was into the kitchen looking for plates and returning.
Her back flattened up against the back of the couch as the cat passed her. She'd never really been a fan of the things. Neither had Deacon. Awesome. Now she was more sad. "Um. She looks like she's ready to commit murder if I won't share."
"No, she will wait patiently until you get to the crust. Want me to put her outside?"
"And then she'll spring." Cait smiled, but shook her head. "No, it's her house. I don't mind. I can share. I don't eat the crust anyways, so it works out."
Plate and napkin was held out toward her. "You were saying something about a choice?"
Both were taken. "I was just meaning generically. We all make choices in life. And you've got to live with them. That's all." Shrugging as she got her pizza, the brunette sat back and eyed her plate. Her stomach started to roll.
He took a bite, watching her as he chewed. "You know," swallowing and then wiping his mouth. "nothing is anyone's fault but his."
That made her think of the previous night's clash with Cris. Caitlin sniffed, but didn't mention it. Instead she took a tiny bite out of her pizza.
"I've been thinking about it and what I could have done, if anything. I did everything I could." Another bite taken, thinking of things that he'd had time to process, but been unable to share with anyone who may or may not understand. "If I hadn't gone back to see my niece born, maybe things would be different? But, for who? Again, I'd be the one not seeing my sister's kids until they were a year old or whatever."
"It's Cris' fault."
He paused mid-bite. "Why is it his fault?"
"If he'd told me about those texts sooner, none of this would have happened."
"How long did he have them?" He rolled his neck to the side for an audible pop.
She could have sworn they'd gone over this already. "Like, the day Deacon disappeared."
Not that he could remember. Everything had been a blur. Closeness. Apart. Distance... then death. "I heard from him while I was in Chicago. Just like him to call me when he knew what I was doing and why."
"And then there's me, who just gets left in the dark. Constantly." Frown. Absently plucking the pepperoni off her pizza, but not actually eating anything.
"What was Cris's reasoning for not telling anyone?" He watched her pick. "And when is the last time you've actually eaten?"
"I don't remember." Nostrils flared in frustration and she picked up the pizza to take a large bite. "Happy?" Around a mouthful of food. Cait chewed for several moments, then swallowed. "Something about wanting to believe he wasn't that stupid. Hoping Deacon would just tell me himself."
Happy? No. He could be, but there was a time for that, and this wasn't it. He only nodded as she spoke and took another bite. "Deke was like a pit bull. He'd set his mind on something, and that was his focus."
A careless shrug of one shoulder. "Let's not talk about Deacon." So far she'd taken two bites of food, but it was already getting tossed around in her stomach. Cait worked the crust away from the rest of the pizza slice, then wiped her hands on the napkin. "Here, kitty..."
He watched her and nodded. "Just sounded like you had a bit of self blame, and I don't like that. Nothing was your fault." The cat of course came over to take the offered crust and disappeared under the coffee table to enjoy her treat. "So, moving on..."
Oh, but she was. This was entirely her fault. It was just easier to blame Cris for the egregious tragedy she'd caused. A breath was taken. "I don't know how late I should stay," Cait said, looking at the door. "You kinda already covered what I came over here to discuss."
"Stay here as long as you want. If you are worried about getting home, I can get you there." He watched her look at the door. "There's no rush, is there?" Something was eating her and he wasn't going to push, yet. "So, ya know anyone hiring?"
"Aren't you going to take over where Deacon left off?" Head swiveled around to shoot him an incredulous look.
"Left off with what, exactly?"
"I dunno. I have no idea what he did, remember?"
"You think I'm gonna go out and start picking fights with vamps?" He snorted. His thoughts turned to all the things that Deke paid him to do and how little that she actually knew about the guy she was going to marry. "No, I am done with anything he did."
The look he received was dry, eyes rolling. "I figured you'd have more brains than to follow in his footsteps. But just leaving his company altogether? I mean, all the money...who is supposed to know what to do? They'll probably come in and change everything. Rename it. Like he was never here." Aaand they were back on Deacon. That lasted real long.
"That's not my problem, Caitlin. I know that may seem harsh, but I could care less what becomes of that shithole. I told Kristi that not everyone is bound by, or attracted to money."
Why did he have to say all the right things? She found herself suddenly wishing she'd met him first. But before the thought could really take hold, the guilt set in. Caitlin wondered if she'd ever be able to think about anyone in that way ever again. "Are you even upset that he's gone?"
"Part of me thinks he's still alive." Said quietly as he leaned back in the chair.
Lips press into a thin line as she drops her gaze to the ever-growing hole in her sweatpants. "I've wondered why a body hasn't shown up."
"No, I mean over the years he's just up and vanished. Or, gotten himself into stupid shit that he's scraped by and out of."
"So what, he's just...out hiding somewhere, letting us believe the worst??
"If that were the case, we'd have heard something by now."
"So you're hoping] he's alive. Not that you actually believe it." He couldn't be faulted for that, but Cait was glad he clarified. The anger that had risen in her momentarily at the thought of Deacon doing such a thing...
"Like before you met him, after the ex killed King? He just vanished. I assumed he was dead then. Four years later, my phone rings."
Those couple bites of pizza threatened to make an appearance once more. Caitlin stared at Kyle, working hard to contain the wide range of current emotions, all of which flickered across her face one after the other. "Four years?"
"This time feels different." The looks dancing across her face said plenty. "I feels more real."
He'd better be dead. The things she'd do to him if he let them go through all this for nothing...
Cait shifted on the couch lifting her hand from the fraying hole to press her palm over a spot on her forearm near the bend of her arm. "I just keep telling myself there's nothing I can do about it now. I just have to go forward. Get things back to normal."
"You've got to move on, at your own pace of course. Don't let anyone rush you." Yeah, if Deke showed up or called, she wouldn't know because Kyle would kill him.
"I'm fine," reminding him.
Brow slid upward a tick. "You can tell that to someone who might believe you."
"What's it going to take for you to believe me?"
He just shook his head. "Lets see. The look of 'holy **** I need sleep' off your face? The fact that you ate two bites of pizza and the rest of it is picked at and strewn across your plate to look like you ate something? Maybe some new sweats without a growing hole in the knee from stress picking?"
Her mouth closed, jaws tense with frustration at being read so easily. She'd been trying to put up a front and had failed miserably. In one fluid move, the brunette was on her feet, wiping sweaty palms on her pantlegs. "I guess I'm going home to take a nap and change," muttered, heading for the door.
He watched her and didn't move from the chair. The cat though? Helping herself to Cait's plate. She left she's done, right? Kyle pressed his lips into a hard line. "I like you and I've learned to pay attention over the years to what's going on around me, and with those in my company." Not to mention those he cares about. "You don't have to leave, Cait... I am not trying to upset you, but I know you aren't 'fine.'"
Hand on the doorknob, her forehead tipped to rest against the door as he spoke. Caitlin, caught in a whirlwind of so many emotions and promising choices, just sighed. "If you knew what I knew, you wouldn't like me anymore. So just....just stop, ok?" The door got yanked open. "Just stop," warning him again as she hurried outside, closing the door behind her.
It was surprisingly normal. Nice, but not dripping with extravagance as the guest house and Deacon's home had been. After sitting outside for a couple minutes, Cait finally talked herself into parking the bicycle alongside the garage door, then marched herself up the stairs to his front door.
Ding-dong. His doorbell sounded funny. It made her smirk.
There was a sound from inside. Someone moving, then talking. The blind over the window moved, but it wasn't a person, it was a fuzzy black cat jumping up into them to peer out at the porch. In a few minutes, familiar eyes were much higher than the cat, as he'd gone to grab a shirt, what a shock, it wasn't the pizza he'd ordered. "Cait?" The door was still closed but surely she'd hear her name. The locks were twisted and finally the door opened. "Hey." He eyed her a minute, "What's with the smirk?"
Thank God he was wearing clothes. She took a small step back when the door was opened. Kyle got a smile, but she looked past him and to the floor where the cat had moved to now watch the door. "I didn't know you were a cat person."
"She adopted me." Yes, clothes. Gym shorts and a tank top. "Come on in." The place was clean, and not like a bachelor pad at all. There was real furniture, a decent tv without a video game console spread out to the coffee table and no headphones in sight. The walls were bare, except for two paintings that hung over the couch, and a few family pics on the mantle over the cold fireplace. "I thought you were the pizza guy."
"You sure?" Asked as she followed him in. "I don't want to interrupt...or anything." As if he was hiding a date somewhere. Her eyes moved all around the room, and it hit her just how much she'd wrongly judged him in the past.
They were both dressed casually, her in a pair of navy colored sweatpants and a thin, cotton long-sleeved shirt. Her hair was in a braid and she wore her black plastic framed glasses.
He nodded, "Yeah, I'm sure. You like pepperoni? It should be here soon-ish." He thought about it a minute, the way she asked if he was sure. "Like I'd turn you away. I was talking to the cat to get her fuzzy ass out from under my feet. She was looking for the pizza guy. When the bell rings, that means food."
"Sounds good," lying smoothly. Everything tasted like cardboard. It made her stomach hurt. She was living on the bare minimum right now. He might even be able to see the effects after a week of dealing with the news. Mostly she looked tired.
Not wanting things to feel awkward, Cait decided to just make herself at home, flopping down onto the couch, leaning on the armrest. "So. You like your new place, then? I remember when I finally got into my Brownstone. It was such a good feeling to have something of my own. Even if I didn't have any furniture." Chuckle.
He closed the door behind her, didn't even watch her walk over to flop onto the couch. "It's different." True story. "Quiet though, and I have a small garden spot on the roof. Want a drink? I have some of everything." He was rambling, apparently talking to the cat was all the company he'd had.
"No. I'm ok, I don't need anything." Waving her hand in dismissal. "Quiet's nice. You'll get used to it, I'm sure. Or you'll find something to fill the void." She'd very nearly said someone. And much as she didn't want to--couldn't go there, the thought of him finding a girlfriend was unappealing. Guiltily, she glanced down at the ring still on her finger.
"Crusty just kinda looks at me then wanders off to sleep somewhere. So it's find something, get someone to come over, go out, or have a mental breakdown." He wandered on off to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water from inside then walked over to sit in the chair, close but not too close. Twist of cap, then a drink. "How are you doing?"
Fingers were picking at a tiny hole near the knee of her pants. Looking up as Kyle sat back down, she noted he was drinking water. "I'm good." She was trying too hard. Even knowing he was seeking a genuine answer, Caitlin had no desire to go down that rabbit hole. "I go back to work tomorrow. Thinking of work made me remember what the note said. About me getting the business now? That's what I came over to talk about, actually. I don't...I don't want it."
He could tell she was lying. She wasn't good and it showed all over her face. "Well, it's just until a suitable replacement is found. They've been calling me."
Relief flooded her face, shoulders seeming to drop as tension was released. "Oh thank God. Because I don't want any part of it. I wouldn't even know what to do with it if I did."
"I don't even know what the hell he did." He took another drink then looked at her again. "You sure you are ready to go back?"
"That makes two of us." Short laugh, pulling at a loose thread now. The hole in the knee would likely be ten times bigger by the end of the night. "And I've taken enough time off. I need to pay my bills. My place is not cheap."
"I realize that." The cat jumped up to his lap and started a motorboat sounding purr. "Just know you've got help if you need it, okay?" He noticed that she wasn't ever really looking at him, instead focusing on her pants. "Going to tell me what is on your mind?"
Now she looked up, actually looking surprised. "I just did. I was worried I'd have to run a business I didn't want."
"Sorry hun, but I'm calling bull****. The only time you've made eye contact was at the door." He wasn't even trying to be a dick, just concerned about her.
Sighing, annoyed, she shifted to fully face him and planted her elbow on the arm rest so she could put her chin in her hand. Brown eyes locked with Kyle's eyes purposely, eyelashing batting a few times. "Better?"
"Smart***." He took another drink but didn't look away. "I just care about you, and you should know you can talk to me about stuff." Understatement.
Though her eyes remained on his face, her free hand had found that little hole again. "Which...I appreciate. I really do. But I'm fine. There's nothing to talk about. Nothing can change. I have to live with the choices I made. That's life. Only thing I can do is move on."
"What choices?" Lucky for her the annoying doorbell sounded again, and the cat hopped to the couch, over here and squeezed back into the blinds.
He was up and holding one finger toward her. "Hold that thought." The door opened after he looked out and the pizza was taken, in exchange for cash that was sitting on a small shelf near the door. You'd think he ate out of a box, often. The door was pushed closed, locked and the pizza box was put on the coffee table. "Shoo her, she's a crust fiend." Pointed at the cat, then he was into the kitchen looking for plates and returning.
Her back flattened up against the back of the couch as the cat passed her. She'd never really been a fan of the things. Neither had Deacon. Awesome. Now she was more sad. "Um. She looks like she's ready to commit murder if I won't share."
"No, she will wait patiently until you get to the crust. Want me to put her outside?"
"And then she'll spring." Cait smiled, but shook her head. "No, it's her house. I don't mind. I can share. I don't eat the crust anyways, so it works out."
Plate and napkin was held out toward her. "You were saying something about a choice?"
Both were taken. "I was just meaning generically. We all make choices in life. And you've got to live with them. That's all." Shrugging as she got her pizza, the brunette sat back and eyed her plate. Her stomach started to roll.
He took a bite, watching her as he chewed. "You know," swallowing and then wiping his mouth. "nothing is anyone's fault but his."
That made her think of the previous night's clash with Cris. Caitlin sniffed, but didn't mention it. Instead she took a tiny bite out of her pizza.
"I've been thinking about it and what I could have done, if anything. I did everything I could." Another bite taken, thinking of things that he'd had time to process, but been unable to share with anyone who may or may not understand. "If I hadn't gone back to see my niece born, maybe things would be different? But, for who? Again, I'd be the one not seeing my sister's kids until they were a year old or whatever."
"It's Cris' fault."
He paused mid-bite. "Why is it his fault?"
"If he'd told me about those texts sooner, none of this would have happened."
"How long did he have them?" He rolled his neck to the side for an audible pop.
She could have sworn they'd gone over this already. "Like, the day Deacon disappeared."
Not that he could remember. Everything had been a blur. Closeness. Apart. Distance... then death. "I heard from him while I was in Chicago. Just like him to call me when he knew what I was doing and why."
"And then there's me, who just gets left in the dark. Constantly." Frown. Absently plucking the pepperoni off her pizza, but not actually eating anything.
"What was Cris's reasoning for not telling anyone?" He watched her pick. "And when is the last time you've actually eaten?"
"I don't remember." Nostrils flared in frustration and she picked up the pizza to take a large bite. "Happy?" Around a mouthful of food. Cait chewed for several moments, then swallowed. "Something about wanting to believe he wasn't that stupid. Hoping Deacon would just tell me himself."
Happy? No. He could be, but there was a time for that, and this wasn't it. He only nodded as she spoke and took another bite. "Deke was like a pit bull. He'd set his mind on something, and that was his focus."
A careless shrug of one shoulder. "Let's not talk about Deacon." So far she'd taken two bites of food, but it was already getting tossed around in her stomach. Cait worked the crust away from the rest of the pizza slice, then wiped her hands on the napkin. "Here, kitty..."
He watched her and nodded. "Just sounded like you had a bit of self blame, and I don't like that. Nothing was your fault." The cat of course came over to take the offered crust and disappeared under the coffee table to enjoy her treat. "So, moving on..."
Oh, but she was. This was entirely her fault. It was just easier to blame Cris for the egregious tragedy she'd caused. A breath was taken. "I don't know how late I should stay," Cait said, looking at the door. "You kinda already covered what I came over here to discuss."
"Stay here as long as you want. If you are worried about getting home, I can get you there." He watched her look at the door. "There's no rush, is there?" Something was eating her and he wasn't going to push, yet. "So, ya know anyone hiring?"
"Aren't you going to take over where Deacon left off?" Head swiveled around to shoot him an incredulous look.
"Left off with what, exactly?"
"I dunno. I have no idea what he did, remember?"
"You think I'm gonna go out and start picking fights with vamps?" He snorted. His thoughts turned to all the things that Deke paid him to do and how little that she actually knew about the guy she was going to marry. "No, I am done with anything he did."
The look he received was dry, eyes rolling. "I figured you'd have more brains than to follow in his footsteps. But just leaving his company altogether? I mean, all the money...who is supposed to know what to do? They'll probably come in and change everything. Rename it. Like he was never here." Aaand they were back on Deacon. That lasted real long.
"That's not my problem, Caitlin. I know that may seem harsh, but I could care less what becomes of that shithole. I told Kristi that not everyone is bound by, or attracted to money."
Why did he have to say all the right things? She found herself suddenly wishing she'd met him first. But before the thought could really take hold, the guilt set in. Caitlin wondered if she'd ever be able to think about anyone in that way ever again. "Are you even upset that he's gone?"
"Part of me thinks he's still alive." Said quietly as he leaned back in the chair.
Lips press into a thin line as she drops her gaze to the ever-growing hole in her sweatpants. "I've wondered why a body hasn't shown up."
"No, I mean over the years he's just up and vanished. Or, gotten himself into stupid shit that he's scraped by and out of."
"So what, he's just...out hiding somewhere, letting us believe the worst??
"If that were the case, we'd have heard something by now."
"So you're hoping] he's alive. Not that you actually believe it." He couldn't be faulted for that, but Cait was glad he clarified. The anger that had risen in her momentarily at the thought of Deacon doing such a thing...
"Like before you met him, after the ex killed King? He just vanished. I assumed he was dead then. Four years later, my phone rings."
Those couple bites of pizza threatened to make an appearance once more. Caitlin stared at Kyle, working hard to contain the wide range of current emotions, all of which flickered across her face one after the other. "Four years?"
"This time feels different." The looks dancing across her face said plenty. "I feels more real."
He'd better be dead. The things she'd do to him if he let them go through all this for nothing...
Cait shifted on the couch lifting her hand from the fraying hole to press her palm over a spot on her forearm near the bend of her arm. "I just keep telling myself there's nothing I can do about it now. I just have to go forward. Get things back to normal."
"You've got to move on, at your own pace of course. Don't let anyone rush you." Yeah, if Deke showed up or called, she wouldn't know because Kyle would kill him.
"I'm fine," reminding him.
Brow slid upward a tick. "You can tell that to someone who might believe you."
"What's it going to take for you to believe me?"
He just shook his head. "Lets see. The look of 'holy **** I need sleep' off your face? The fact that you ate two bites of pizza and the rest of it is picked at and strewn across your plate to look like you ate something? Maybe some new sweats without a growing hole in the knee from stress picking?"
Her mouth closed, jaws tense with frustration at being read so easily. She'd been trying to put up a front and had failed miserably. In one fluid move, the brunette was on her feet, wiping sweaty palms on her pantlegs. "I guess I'm going home to take a nap and change," muttered, heading for the door.
He watched her and didn't move from the chair. The cat though? Helping herself to Cait's plate. She left she's done, right? Kyle pressed his lips into a hard line. "I like you and I've learned to pay attention over the years to what's going on around me, and with those in my company." Not to mention those he cares about. "You don't have to leave, Cait... I am not trying to upset you, but I know you aren't 'fine.'"
Hand on the doorknob, her forehead tipped to rest against the door as he spoke. Caitlin, caught in a whirlwind of so many emotions and promising choices, just sighed. "If you knew what I knew, you wouldn't like me anymore. So just....just stop, ok?" The door got yanked open. "Just stop," warning him again as she hurried outside, closing the door behind her.