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A Second Chance (Agnores x Candira)

Evan's apartment was a nice little place. There was a bit of a smell to it, but he'd explained that it had been his cat. Well, it wasn't terribly strong, and she'd been in worse places herself. It looked pretty clean, if not cluttered, and it reminded her a little of the night he'd invited her back to his room. Shaking the thought out of her head she took a seat and tried to seem nonchalant and very cool. It wasn't working on the inside, but she seemed pretty relaxed on the outside...she hoped.

She smiled as he offered her the wine. It would have been rude to refuse anyway, but at this point the alcohol felt like a life line. "That would be nice," she said, her voice sounding just as cool as she could make it.
 
Evan smiled, noting that she seemed just a tad less calm than she had at the party. He pulled some wine glasses from his cabinet and poured a glass for her and for him, carrying them both into the living room. He passed her one of the glasses as he sat down next to her and took a sip, setting it on the table in front of him. "Not the best, but you can't complain with free wine. It was a gift from when I became head chef." He smiled at her and leaned back in his seat.

"Hope no one is gonna hate my guts because you went to a guy's apartment and had a few drinks with him," Evan said, nodding. It was his (probably not so) subtle way of confirming if she was single or not, even though Evan hadn't quite decided if he wanted to try anything even if she was.
 
Sophie smiled at Evan, taking the glass she was handed. He seemed to be apologizing for everything before she had a chance to say anything at all. It made her wonder if maybe he was nervous, too. She supposed that he might be, after seeing her for the first time in years. But he had been the one to leave--not her. So why would he be nervous about it? She took a sip of wine and raised an eyebrow at his question. Why would anybody hate him for that?

"I don't know who would. It's not like you dragged me here," she said, trying to joke. And then it hit her that he was confirming that she was single again. Hadn't she made a point of letting him know earlier? Was he thinking of trying something or just trying to be considerate? Another sip of wine--this time lingering a bit. "So, this is where you live now. Is it far from work?" she asked, hoping to keep the subjects to something safe.
 
Evan smiled to himself, then nodded to her question. "Kind of. Not super far, but far enough its not an easy trip if I forget something." He leaned forward and grabbed his cup, realizing by her response to his earlier question that he might of made things awkward for her. He took a drink then went to sit the cup down, but decided against it and brought it with him as he leaned back. He smiled at her, awkwardly searching for a conversation topic. He was drawing blanks, though.

"Uh...do you still talk with Amy at all? Know what she is up to?"

It wasn't that Evan really cared, he was just very unsure on what to talk about with Sophie. Conversation back in college had been easy, simple. Things had progressed at a fast rate, then, but Evan wasn't convinced that was a bad thing. Had Lissa not been a thing in his life, their relationship might of worked. And they might have shared this space rather than Evan living alone. He shook the thought from his mind, blushing a bit, surprised at how far his mind took that thought. This was gonna be a strange night. He took another drink.
 
Sophie nodded, thinking back to her own apartment. She could easily walk to work if she wanted to, but she often worked odd hours, and sometimes had to go on errands, so a car was handy. Besides, she didn't really want to walk home when she ended up working at night. Something about it just didn't seem safe or smart. But that was another story. She was about to say as much when Evan asked about Amy. It took a moment for her to remember which woman he was talking about when she realized that he only knew of one Amy that she knew.

And why would he ask her? "No. I haven't really talked to her since I moved out of our dorm room. We haven't kept in touch. I think it's for the best, really. And Drew and I have grown apart, too. That's definitely for the best," she said, taking another long sip. "But then I guess I don't need to remind you about that fiasco. It's all settled and over with now. We're still friends, but we don't really keep in touch beyond facebook." And why was she going on and on about it when she knew that he didn't really like talking about it?

God this was awkward. Maybe she should finish the drink and then leave. She'd find a polite way to excuse herself and be on her way. Or she could try to see what else was happening in his life...Maybe. Why was it suddenly so difficult to talk to him?
 
"Ah, I see." Evan smiled, took another sip, then leaned forward and set his drink on the table. "This isn't as easy as it was back in college," Evan admitted, smiling as he hand went to the back of his head again. He rested his arm on the arm of the couch, his head still planted firmly on it. "I wonder what changed." Evan said, thoughtfully. He felt that he knew what had changed, but if this could start an actual conversation, something that he and Sophie could actually connect on and re-start their friendship over this silly awkward crap, he would go for it.

His eyes fell on her again and he smiled. He couldn't get over how pretty she was, or the fact that he had slept with her once. Someone like her, with someone like him. Evan couldn't help but be amazed at that. And yet, here they were, not even able to hold a true conversation. Back then it had been so easy, Evan had been charming and easy to talk to. He wasn't sure where that Evan had gone, but he kind of wanted him back.
 
Sophie sighed softly as he mentioned it not being as easy, nodding in response. It certainly wasn't. Why was it so much harder to talk to him? Was it because their relationship had taken a turn for the worst and he'd disappeared? Was it because she'd never tried terribly hard to figure out where he'd gone to? She'd never gone after him, and she still thought it had been for the best, but, if she had, would things be easier between them?

She watched him for a long moment and said, "I wonder that sometimes. I wonder why you never really said good bye, either. I figured you'd done what you thought was for the best, but it stung a little. I guess our history--not really having closure is what makes it harder." She shrugged and leaned back, taking another sip. "I don't know what to tell you because I don't really understand what happened--even now."
 
"What happened back then, you mean?" Evan asked, tilting his head to one side. There was a part of him that really didn't want to talk about all that even now, but the other part of him felt that she needed some explanation. "What happened between us at college was....a big mistake, on my part. You see, I was still hooked onto my first love from high school, who had told me when we split up that she would be back for me. I thought I loved that girl. I was just misguided, though, I found out. She didn't come back to me until after I had left, and when she did she was nothing like I remembered. I had worked her up all in my head."

He paused to take a drink, then continued. "When I met you, we clicked pretty well. We moved really fast, but everything was right. That night, I just had a really bad dream that pretty much sums up my internal conflict: I still had feelings for this girl I barely knew anymore, and my very strong feelings for you. The dream showed me that I would end up hurting you the moment I had the chance to get with Lissa again." He paused once more, sipping. "I didn't know what to do with it, so I hid behind my walls and ran at the first chance. It isn't an issue anymore, though, because I had my chance with Lissa...and damn, was I an idiot. Passed up somone like you," Evan nodded to Sophie, "for someone like her." He shook his head and took another sip.

Well, that was a lot more than he had ever told anyone.
 
Sophie stopped drinking her wine, staring at Evan for the longest time. Seriously? He was an idiot. But at least he knew now what he'd been missing out on. And she was fairly certain that some of his college regrets were linked to her. Well...it kind of served him right, didn't it? Still, she couldn't deny that she could understand. If something similar had happened to her, then who was to say she wouldn't have done the same thing?

But it hadn't happened to her. And instead of treating her like a human being with feelings, he'd let her go without a thought. She was, understandably, a bit bitter. But she was somehow willing to forgive him if he would just try. But would that really be wise? Maybe this trip wasn't such a good idea.

"So being with me was a mistake...I see." And that was a perfect way to take it out of context. "Well, that's good to know." And the hurt was back. It stung as though he'd let her leave him quietly just yesterday all over again.
 
Evan stared at Sophie, surprised. The whole 'out-of-context' thing seemed more like Lissa's gimmick, and Evan had thought Sophie was better than that. It irritated Evan to have to deal with this again, and it showed in his voice when he spoke. "Maybe it was bad phrasing on my part, but I'd appreciate it if you don't take things I say out of context. No, being with you was not the mistake. The mistake was letting some girl from high-school get in the way of me being happy." Had he been less irritated, he might have even said, "get in the way of being with you."

He sat his drink down and gave a hefty sigh. He didn't look at her, still trying to push down his irritation and return to his normal, casual self. Evan had left Lissa because of her ability to turn things in her favor just by using phrases out of context. He had hated every second of it, and having it come from someone he considered so much better than Lissa just irritated him worse. He closed his eyes before he glanced over at Sophie. He tried to think of something to say, but couldn't.
 
Sophie sighed and put her head in her hand. "Look, I know that's not what you meant. Just...being here brings up the memories of when we woke up and you treated me like I was..." she stopped, shaking her head. "I'm not sure why it's all coming back now. I swear I was over it." She looked up again and frowned. "I'm sorry I turned that against you. It was mean and really unfair. I just...It hurt a lot to be turned away like that, and then after we sort of...exploded...you left. And you never really said goodbye."

The artist sighed and set her drink on his coffee table, only half-finished. "I never looked into it because I thought it must have been what you needed. I was trying so hard to forget you because it was clear that you didn't want me. But it never really worked. You were probably the best relationship I had for the longest time, and the way it ended was a crushing disappointment." The hurt in her eyes was back and she was sort of regretting coming here.
 
Evan shook his head, unsure on how to respond to Sophie. She had been hurt and he had been conflicted. He felt it was too late to apologize, but what else could he say? It was likely if he were to tell her the truth, she would just assume he was telling her all of it just to make her feel better. That would have been one of the goals, true, but that didn't make the information itself any less true. He let out a big sigh, conflicted. When he had finally settled on what he should say, there had been several seconds of hard silence.

"Look, I don't know what you want me to say. Sorry? I feel like its too late for that. I had some issues I needed to work out, and I wasn't sure how to do that. I did want you, Sophie, I really did; that was what created all the conflict anyway. You were the best relationship I had ever had and to this day I regret letting it go like I did. I don't know what else you want me to say, Sophie. I really don't."

He was regretting inviting her. What else could have happened by more disaster? At least now there could be some form of closure. He had completely ruined everything with Sophie, and that was that.
 
Sophie sighed and let his apology wash over her. He seemed genuinely sorry. And she wanted to forgive him so much. She wanted to at least be friends with him. But the fact that they'd been in the best relationship either one of them had had together, it seemed a shame to not go for more. But She wasn't really sure if she could take it again. Or if he really wanted it.

She shook her head and sighed softly. "I don't know what I wanted you to say either. I don't know if there's really anything you can say. I just needed to get it off my chest. Look, I'm sorry about all this. But you can't know how bad it's been to not know what it was about me that..." she shook her head and smiled a little. "I feel better now that I know. Thank you for telling me what happened."
 
"No worries," Evan said, nodding and taking up his drink and finishing it off. He wasn't sure what to do right now. He had told her more than he ever intended, and had learned more than he really wanted. Part of him thought of trying to hint about her leaving, but that seemed too cheap, and he felt it would bring back all the hurt from their college days. What would he do while she was here, though? Would he make a move? Would she even want that? Evan found himself missing his old days where he could just go for things and not really worry about the repercussions.

"So, what now?" Evan asked, looking towards Sophie. "Do we try again? Dating, I mean. Or is it too late, and we just call it a night? I am not really sure what to do here." Evan admitted a lot. He was being a little bit forward, probably more than he should be, but he just blamed the drink. After all, he had finished his.
 
Sophie was at a bit of a loss. How did you tell someone that you wanted desperately to date them again but were absolutely terrified of being rejected again? Without sounding like a total basket case. She wasn't really sure if they should date again based on this awkward meeting. Maybe they could try to have a normal conversation first. That seemed like the best way to go about things. But dating was quite an interesting notion. And he'd brought it up, not her. Why close that door when it had just been opened?

"I don't know what we should do, to be quite honest. I'm a bit out of my depth here, believe it or not," she said, hoping to lighten things up a bit. "I can't say I never want to date you again. But I think it'd be hard to do because we can't really carry on a conversation without feeling incredibly awkward." She smiled and stood up, smoothing out her dress. "How about we try to be friends first, this time. Slow things down and get to know each other all over again. I bet a lot has changed, right?" But a lot was the same, too. Like the way looking at him from a certain angle made her heart flutter a little. Why did he have to be so handsome?

"Or would you rather just chalk this up to an odd meeting and never see me again?"
 
Evan thought for a second. "It might be hard to stay just friends for a while with the history we have." He stood, smoothed out his suit, and smiled warmly at Sophie. She was just as beautiful as he remembered, if not more so; he was going to find it hard not to fawn over her and lavish her with praises and sweet things. It was just his style. Still, she had a point; a lot had to have changed in their lives. After all, they were no longer in college and were working adults now. They could do this.

"But," he began as his smile widened, and he held out his hand like he had just met Sophie. "My name is Evan, nice to meet you." He gave a little chuckle, knowing how silly that must have seemed. He took the time to let his eyes take in everything about her appearance; her dress, her girls, her golden skin, her hair as it framed her face. He was so lucky to have his second chance with this girl. What did he do to deserve this much luck, he wondered.
 
She blinked at him for a moment and blushed when she realized what was happening. Laughing it off, she took his hand in hers and shook it. "Hello, there. I'm Sophie." She smiled and then let go of his hand. "Well, stranger, it's been a hell of an experience meeting you again, but I think I'll be on my way. I have to work tomorrow and we're getting a new set in." She smiled and brushed an errant strand of hair behind her ear. "I'll see you around, Evan. Maybe stop by some time if you can. I'd like to show you were I work. Maybe I'll come around for pizza again."

With that, she reached for her purse and then started toward the door.
 
Evan smiled as she grabbed her purse and waked to the door. He followed her, just a little behind, and an idea floated into his head. Yup, he had too much to drink. He didn't try to stop himself, either. "Sophie," he said, reaching out for her arm. He grabbed a hold, lightly, to keep her from leaving. He moved close, his hand coming up to her cheek as he leaned down and kissed her, lightly, and quickly. He wasn't sure, suddenly, how much the alcohol had guided him to do this. It certainly helped keep him from NOT doing it, but still.

He only hoped that Sophie didn't mind.
 
To his credit, he didn't just let her leave. This time, he was walking her to the door. She couldn't be caught up in memories of the last time she'd left his place. She was nearly to the door when she felt his hand on her arm. She came to a halt, looking back at him. She blinked up, still enjoying that he was a bit taller than her. And then he kissed her. It was light, and it was fast, but it was definitely a kiss because her brain shut down and her legs went just a little numb.

She stared up at him and watched in awe as he pulled away, his hand still resting on her cheek. It had been a few years, but the same feelings of warmth and happiness rushed through her now as they had the first time something like this had happened. Whether or not she had wanted it to happen now, it had. And she was hard-pressed to be mad at him for it. So she smiled and leaned a little into his hand before she turned away, hiding the smallest of blushes. "So we're those kind of friends," she said with a smile?
 
That went well, Evan thought. Even as she turned away, he couldn't help but smile. He was glad this wouldn't become something else that he regretted. "Only if you want," Evan replied, smiling, crossing his arms. "Still going to leave?" He wasn't sure why he asked that, or what they would do if she didn't, but there was part of him that didn't want her to go. The other part knew that she should. Especially with the whole "Take it slow," thing. He wondered what she would do, deciding to completely go with what she decided.

This will turn out well, he hoped.
 
Sophie smiled as he told her that was only if she wanted. She wondered what might happen if she decided to stay longer, but she couldn't help but feel like they'd fall back into their old ways of moving too fast. She wasn't so sure that was a good idea. "I think I should. As nice as it is to kiss you, I think maybe we should play it safe for now and take it slow." she smiled up at him and leaned up to kiss his cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow, if you're up for it." With that, she gave him her number and decided to go home. "I don't suppose I could get a walk to my car?"
 
Evan stored her number in his phone and smiled at her. There was Sophie, doing the smart thing. He nodded to her question. "Sure." He gathered up his keys and locked his door after they had both stepped out, slipping his keys into the pocket and walking with Sophie towards her car. "Well, that was pretty awkward," he stated. "The conversation, anyway," he corrected, realizing quite quickly what she might think he was referring to.
 
Sophie chuckled at his quick correction, starting up her car as they neared it. "Yeah. But I mean, that's to be expected, right? We haven't seen each other in so long, and we didn't really part on the best of terms. But we sorted it out pretty well, I think." She was about to mention something about feeling grown up, but realized that only children say things like that. Nice save, Sophie. So she smiled at him and put a hand on his shoulder. "We'll be better next time, I think." Before long, they reached her little two door and she said goodbye again, thanking him for the wine.

"I'll see you soon, I hope."
 
Evan smiled, and then a thought occurred to him. He considered not saying anything because it might seem fishy to her, but then he didn't wanna wake up and see a news report about how she had crashed. "Hopefully," he replied to what she had said, then continued. "Say, Sophie, how much have you had to drink? I don't wanna sound like I'm trying to keep you here or anything, but I don't want you getting yourself hurt, either." He nodded, then looked at her with concern on his face. It was genuine concern, after all.
 
The artist paused, trying to remember. She'd gotten here safely enough. But she had had a drink or two at the party. Nothing that had really affected her significantly. Though, she hadn't eaten in awhile...The wine might backfire a bit. She didn't feel loopy or unable to drive at all, but it was hard to tell sometimes...Maybe she'd better wait for awhile. It wouldn't be a bad idea to soak up the alcohol with something of greater substance either. And Evan had been drinking too. She supposed she could call a cab and just pick up her car tomorrow, but that seemed silly to her, too.

"Hmm, well, I didn't finish the wine, but I had maybe two drinks at the party...Maybe I should hold off for a bit." She smiled. "Thanks for worrying. Maybe you can walk me to a place for something to eat and soak up the alcohol and we can come back and talk a little more before I go." That felt like the right thing to do.
 
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