Morgan watched Andie from the kitchen, a worried frown slashed across her face. In her hands a steaming cup of coffee. Andie sat in the living room on their yellow couch, her grey MacBook opened on her lap. She was scrolling through job listings within the Chicago area that fell in her job experience.

Andie had returned late last night much to Morgan’s surprise. When she opened the front door, Andie immediately melted into a pool of tears and said “you were right” as she pushed herself in with her suitcase rolling in behind her. Of course, Morgan had kept her room, and she settled in immediately. But it was the following day and Morgan had an unsettling feeling within her stomach as she watched her friend from the kitchen.

Andie was miserable, but from what little information Morgan had coaxed out of her last night she discovered that nothing transpired between her and Eric to warrant her abrupt departure. Apparently, it was Morgan's fit the day prior that had been the convincing thing that sent Andie packing.

Morgan frowned to herself as she recalled how she felt about her behavior. She wanted to tell Andie that it was an overreaction, that she felt triggered by an unpleasant childhood experience but in no way meant that Andie couldn’t experience it in her own relationships. Looking back at how heatedly she had reacted, Morgan felt utterly ridiculous. And now her friend was paying the cost.

Taking a deep breath, Morgan set her coffee down and approached her friend.

“Andie?”

“Hmm?” Andie hummed in response without lifting her head.

Morgan sat down in a nearby armchair. “I wanted you to know that I don’t feel good about any of this.”

Andie’s eyes lifted from her computer. “About…me being here?”

“No, not that! Of course, I love having you here. I’ve missed you so much. It’s the reason why you’re back that I don’t feel good. I… can’t help but feel that you’re only here because of the mess I made the other day.”

A frown darkened Andie’s face and she turned her eyes towards her computer. “You meant well, Morgan. And I had been thinking about leaving since Eric and I started dating.”

“Why?”

“Because it was scary being vulnerable with someone who had hurt me so badly once upon a time.”

It was Morgan’s turn to frown.

“But… he was trying to make all of that up to you, wasn’t he?”

Andie’s eyes lifted from her computer once again. “I thought you hated him. Why are you advocating for him now?”

“I’m not advocating for him. I’m advocating for the relationship you two shared.”

“That makes even less sense. You hated our relationship more than you hated him.”

“I didn’t hate it, I just…” Morgan sighed and covered her face with her hands while she took a deep breath before continuing. “I was worried for you. I was projecting my resentment and my insecurities on you, and it wasn’t fair of me, because you were perfectly happy before I said anything.”

She had Andie’s attention now.

“But you were rightfully upset, Morgan… and I needed to hear it. What Eric and I were doing, it… it wasn’t right.”

“I don’t think that’s true. I think that everybody is different, and I think that you were happy for the first time in a very long time, and nothing should take that away; not even my crummy opinion.”

“I can’t just ignore the voice of reason.”

“I don’t have a voice of reason, Andie. I have the voice of someone who is still dealing with her own childhood issues. Unlike you, who finally have the opportunity to put all that behind you and be happy.”

Tears were welling in her friend’s eyes now, and it broke Morgan’s heart to witness it. She reached for Andie’s laptop and set it aside so that she could hold her friend’s hands.

“Look, I know I said a lot of things the other day that contradicts everything I’m saying now, but my response then was purely reactionary. I had no idea the effect it would have on you. If I had known that you were going to drop everything and return home to be miserable without Eric then I would have done a better job at keeping my mouth shut. I can’t tell you how regretful I am of all of this. If you wanted to return to him, you would never have to worry about what I’m thinking or feeling about the relationship you and Eric had. I truly just want you to be happy.

Andie cried softly to herself. “Even if I wanted to go back now I don’t know if I can. Eric must feel so betrayed right now. We were working through this—my anxieties—and instead of talking to him like I was supposed to, I left without a word. He may not forgive me for this.”

Morgan considered it for a moment, but she honestly couldn’t see Eric refusing to forgive her. She imagined he must be worried sick and just as miserable as Andie was. In fact, she wouldn’t be surprised if he was on his way here right now.

“Would you like me to call and talk to him? I promise to be nice.”

Andie shook her head.

“No, I think I need to think for a bit.”

Morgan offered a half-hearted smile. “All right… Can I get you anything?”

“Do you have any tea?”

“No, you took it all with you when you moved to Florida…”

Andie frowned at the memory.

“But I’ll go down to the corner cafe and get you a cup, all right? I’m not really enjoying my homemade coffee this morning. I wouldn’t mind getting some from downstairs.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes,” Morgan answered with a smile, rising from her seat and moving into the kitchen where she picked up her wallet and keys. “I’ll be right back,” she called back to Andie who replied with a tearful smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

Feeling no better than she had before their conversation, Morgan left their apartment and traveled the twelve stories down the elevator. She only had to walk half a block to reach the cafe which she entered with a foggy mind distracted by the memory of her conversation with Andie.

She ordered their drinks and received them immediately after paying. With a warm foam coffee cup in hand, Morgan thanked the barista before turning to exit the cafe.

“Morgan?”

She stopped and turned.

“Theodore?”

Morgan watched as Eric’s friend approached, his palms lifted warily in surrender as if he thought she might whip out a gun and blast him with it.

“I just want to talk.”

Squinting with confusion, she looked around for Eric.

“Where’s Eric…? Shouldn’t he be the one to coax Andie back home?”

A reluctant frown appeared on Teddy's face and realization dawned on Morgan. She almost laughed, but she opted for rolling her eyes.

“You’re the distraction, aren’t you? Eric’s upstairs right now, talking to Andie, and you’re down here to keep me busy so that Eric can have a word with her without my interference.”

With an exasperated shake of her head, Morgan turned and stalked towards the nearest vacant table. She put the coffee cups down and took a seat, waving a seat across from her.

“Let’s talk.”

Teddy looked at her as if she were tricking him, still, he didn’t waste the opportunity to follow through on keeping Morgan with him so that Eric could speak with Andie. He followed her and then lowered himself to the seat. She almost smiled at his wariness but found herself distracted by how terribly handsome he was. She suddenly felt very envious of Andie for even knowing such a handsome man. Meanwhile, she had made the absolute worst first impression a person could make upon meeting somebody, and she wasn’t sure she would ever reverse the opinion he must have of her.

While she was appreciating his classic southern looks—sun-kissed skin, blue eyes, and sun-bleached hair—he was also scrutinizing her but he looked less pleased with her as she was with him. After clearing her throat and taking a much-needed sip of her scalding hot coffee, Morgan turned her eyes patiently to his and waited for him to start spilling whatever lengthy piece he had prepared for her.

“Well,” he cleared his throat as well as if this was uncomfortable for him. “I am here to tell you that you have created quite a mess.”

Morgan frowned and her eyes lowered. “I know.”

“You know?”

“Yes. Since Andie arrived last night I realized how badly my actions have affected everyone.”

Teddy pursed his lips thoughtfully. The chair beneath him creaked as he leaned back and folded his arms over his chest. Morgan squirmed beneath his thoughtful stare.

“What?” she barked defensively. “I am not a complete pain in the ass.”

“I know,” he replied patiently. “I wasn’t expecting you to be this cooperative though.”

“Cooperatively sitting here with you, you mean?”

“Cooperatively admitting that you were wrong,” he corrected.

She glared at him. “Don’t get used to it.”

He chuckled despite himself but it didn’t melt Morgan’s icy glare. He sobered and tilted his head as he studied her. "What changed your mind?"

Morgan wasn't one to unveil much personal information, but this was a conversation she would likely only ever have once in her life, and it was important to her that it was explained properly. She wanted to be honest, if not for herself then for Andie.

"I recognized my behavior as a response to my own issues, not Andie's. On my way home I replayed everything she had told me—or tried to tell me—and felt less appalled by all of it once I removed myself from the situation."

"That was very big of you."

Morgan shrugged off his compliment, disturbed by the fluttering she felt within her belly. "And then when she showed up at my door last night, her utter misery drove the point home that my reaction had been over the top."

Clouds rolled over the sun, briefly making the inside of the cafe brighter than the outside. Morgan lifted her head and met Teddy's studious stare.

"So, then, you're all right with Andie returning to Florida to live out her life with Eric?"

"If that's what she wants."

"And you have no opinion on the sort of relationship she and Eric share?"

"It doesn't matter what I think. As long as she's happy."

"But you are thinking something," Teddy countered. "I am very intrigued by your opinion in all of this."

Morgan scowled, thinking that perhaps he was trying to play a game with her. "Why do you care what I think?"

"Because," Theodore leaned forward, clasping his hands on the table as if he were conducting a business meeting. "I think you have a very skewed idea of what Eric and I do and what Andie willingly partakes in."

"Maybe I do," Morgan replied with a shrug. "Does it matter? As long as I'm not causing anybody any trouble with my opinions, who cares if my ideas on the subject are skewed?"

"You would rather have the wrong idea about something instead of fully and clearly understanding it?"

Sighing, Morgan tossed her hands up in the air. "Again, does it really matter? I'm not partaking in it."

"But your best friend is. The one who you were so ballistically concerned for the other day. Don't you want to understand what she's involved in? Or at the very least, don't you want to understand her?"

A grouchy frown slashed across Morgan's mouth. She was very resentful of him because he was absolutely right, she needed to better understand her friend. It bothered her that she hadn't thought of it first.

Clearing her throat to match the business-meeting-like vibe of their discussion, Morgan straightened her spine and tossed her hair over her shoulder.

"Very well," she answered professionally, holding her cup of coffee between both hands. "Why don't you explain it to me?"