MIKE || NEWT
he wants to apologize. its on the tip of his tongue, but somehow he’s too exhausted to muster the energy to give her a proper sorry. lips are pulled into a soft but thin line a smile that threatens to tremor coating them with a fragile facade of genuine happiness, he was happy to see her – she was the only semblance of normal he had left. “ – jess i know i goofed. “ he did, truly. carrie had stayed out half the night leaving him and his mom wide away near dawn worried sick, they’d spent two hours in his truck cruising forks small surface area looking for her before she turned up. same clothes from yesterday and twigs all in her hair, she’d nearly given their mom a heart attack. “ she’s – she’s good. hanging in there. “ its a short response before he feels a weak but real smile crawl against his mouth teeth showing, “ ugh yeah she’d love to have you over, i’d love to have you over. she’s making roast tonight anyway – and cooking distracts her so she’ll love to entertain. “
she wants to reach out and pull him to her, embrace him, hold him tight as if it could make the pain go away. he's hurting, he has every right to be, and she can't stand it. she misses his real laugh, his real smile, misses --- the old him. he's never going to be able to be that person again, but fuck she wishes he could. a mix of sunshine, a golden retriever, and eye roll inducing jokes. his apology is accepted, she can't stay mad at him. ❝ i'll help her out, if she wants, i mean i'm useless in the kitchen --- you remember the great brownie disaster from 6th grade ---- but i can chop stuff? ❞ she smiles but it's off. she doesn't know why things are sometimes so --- awkward between them. it doesn't happen all the time, but right now? it's intense and maybe it's because there are five million things she wants to say but all of them are stupid and better left unsaid. or maybe it's the fact that she feels like an absolute dick for being upset over such a small thing. whatever it is, she doesn't like it and it causes her to gnaw at her bottom lip, a bad habit but she can't help it. ❝ ---- how are you doing? ❞ her voice is soft and quiet, but also earnest. there's a clear message in her expression; 'tell me so i know how to help you'. she hates that she can't just fix things for him. this isn't a scrape on the knee that she can just kiss and put a bandaid on. all she can do is listen and be there for him and it's something --- but she wants to do more. she can't, she knows she can't, but the desire to be able to is strong and won't go away. it probably never will.













