Ellie dissolved into sobs as she leaned against someone’s arm, both her hands clutching others, and what felt like years of resentment, anger, self-doubt, and self-recrimination flowed out of her.

8

“So a club contract, huh?” Angel asked, plopping down on the couch next to Michael and peering at the laptop he was using.

Michael sighed inwardly. This was what he got for coming over to Patrick’s to work on Marquis stuff. He’d called out sick, not really caring whether or not he’d get a good reference from the job. They didn’t really need him at this point anyway, he was just sitting around doing nothing, so he might as well be at home working on something for his future. He hadn’t realized Angel and Lexie would be there as well and, while some of their observations were welcome, they kept dropping hints which he recognized as avenues to open a discussion about him and Ellie.

Apparently Angel had now lost her patience with the hints and his luck had run out, because Patrick had gone into the kitchen to help Lexie make lunch. No chance of ignoring her by talking about business with Patrick anymore, unfortunately.

“Yes, pest, a club contract.” He tapped the mouse pad, pretending to be totally engrossed in the design sketches on the screen.

A pointy finger in his side had him yelping and swatting at her hand. “Don’t ignore me.”

“As if I could,” he muttered.

“Why a club contract? Why not just ask her out on a date?”

“Do you think she’d go out on a date?” Curious, because he hadn’t expected that suggestion, he stopped pretending the screen had all his focus and turned towards his favorite pest. She was leaning back against the back of the couch, her hair piled in a messy bun, with one hand on her baby bump. Today’s t-shirt was a Star Wars themed one, with the Death Star over her bump and the words “That’s No Moon” with a background of stars. While her stomach wasn’t big enough to really fill out the Death Star yet, it wasn’t hard to imagine it getting there. Which was both weird and wonderful, knowing she was growing a tiny human being inside of her. Sometimes he wondered what their lives would be like now if he hadn’t dated one of her best friends and they’d ended up dating instead... but he knew it wouldn’t have worked. Angel liked pain with her pleasure, but not to the levels Michael enjoyed giving it.

“I have no idea,” Angel answered matter-of-factly. “I just want to know why you didn’t bother to try.”