The town was buzzing with the hustling of bodies along the cobbled street. Young kids weaved in front of Kelsey as their aspirated parents shouted after them, cussing their names beneath their breaths. Dogs barked in the distance as their owners struggled to keep them from pulling on the lead.

  Kelsey pulled her coat tighter across her waist as her eyes spotted the rusted red sign of the cafe that stood in the centre of all the commotion. Faded green tables and chairs sat outside the front, the paint weathered and peeling from the frames.

  Sat to the left of the entrance with his head hung low and knee jerking nervously beneath the table was Jake. His face ashen and his blonde hair usually expertly styled was now hidden beneath a green beanie. His eyes surveyed the people passing by, looking up through his lashes as if not to be so obvious that he was searching for someone in particular.

  Kelsey's feet halted her progress. She knew that if she was to turn back, now would be her only chance to do so. Yet her feet didn't move. She was frozen to the spot, her heartbeat pounding in her ears as the sounds surrounding her muffled to a dull hum, the people themselves morphing to nothing but blobs of passing colours.

   Jake's eyes found hers. She saw his posture straighten in the chair and the brief pause before he decided to give a subtle wave. Regaining composure she continued on her path, the crowds of people parting to allow her to keep within Jake's eye line.

  He meekly smiled at her as she approached the seat opposite his own. Pulling it back slowly the feet scraped against the concrete, adding another layer to the already awkward introduction.

       "I got you a hot chocolate." Jake rushed, gesturing to the paper cup on the table in front of her. His brow furrowed as he stared down at it. "You always used to order that whenever we went out. I don't know if you still like them but I thought I'd just-"

        "Thank you." Kelsey interrupted, placing her bag between her chair and the wall and taking her seat, pulling the lukewarm cup towards her turning it between her two hands.

   Jake's shoulder's relaxed seeing her accept the drink. Reaching for his own he lifted it with an ease such to suggest he'd already drank the majority of the contents.

       "Sorry for being late. I was just checking out of my hotel." Kelsey explained, her eyes restlessly jumping from face to face, trying to avoid the gaze of the man sat in front of her as much as she could.

       "Oh." Jake's voice sounded weak, a faint whisper to Kelsey's rush of adrenaline that was circling her body. "You're leaving today?"

  Kelsey raised the cup to her lips, the sugary drink filling her mouth as she nodded. Lowering the cup she finally met his eyes, the distance between them seeming mere inches apart. His glassy eyes stared intently at her, dark circles hung below them. He looked like nothing she'd ever seen before. Almost broken. Suddenly the anger and hate mellowed inside her. Clearing her throat she put the cup down and folded her arms on the table top.

      "I'm heading to the station after this actually." her own voice surprised her, it's calming tone causing an instant effect on Jake, his lips twitching in the corners hinting at a relaxed smile.

      "I guess I should make this quick then." He joked, leaning in on his elbows, his fingers playing with the loose label on his cup.

  Kelsey's heart hammered against her chest, the words she longed to hear seemed to be balanced on the tip of his tongue.

      "I'm truly, incredibly sorry Kelsey." He looked up at her through his thick eyelashes, his eyes noticeably red and glossy. Clearing his throat, he lent back tilting his head to the sky to avoid looking directly at Kelsey and loosing all his composure. "I messed up bad. What I did to you-" He paused lowering his head, eyes once again meeting hers, his waterline glistening with the telltale signs of tears threatening to spill. 
       "No. The way I treated you, was nothing short of utter disrespect. You deserved so much more than I gave you."

  Kelsey sat in shock, her mouth open wanting to react but the words remained stuck and unable to surface.

       "We were kids, sure. But my therapist has helped me understand that was not an acceptable reason and was just an excuse I used to justify my shitty actions rather than confront the truth."

Kelsey's body went numb. Therapist? Jake has a therapist? Her breath hitched and she unfurled her arms, her body feeling as if it was experiencing a drop on a rollercoaster.

         "Jake." She whispered, blinking rapidly.
         "-the truth being that I was a complete dickhead our entire relationship-"
         "Jake."
         "I thought I'd done the work on myself and was healing. But seeing you with my brother." He paused kissing his teeth, a dry laugh choking him up. "Well everything went out the window." He swiped his eyes with the palm of his hands, taking a deep breath. Streaks of liquid glinted on his temples from the motion.
         "I reverted back to that dickhead and I'm so, so very sorry."

   Kelsey stared on at the crumpled man before her, he was a stranger that she'd never laid eyes on before. A man willing to let his raw emotions free and she could see the pain that he was inflicting on himself with each word that left his lips. A soft silence fell between them.

         "You've been seeing a therapist?" Kelsey said quietly, careful not to let her surprise sound harsh.

          "Yeah." Jake replied, "That morning you left, something in me broke. Whether it be the realisation of my own self destruction or just the anger that consumed me. But I spiralled." He swallowed hard, this part clearly tough to talk about. Guilt welled up inside Kelsey, he was hurting. Like a wounded animal he'd lashed out. Seeing her and Sean together had ripped that wound wide open again.

           "I'm sor-"
           "Don't you dare." Jakes eyes snapped to hers, cutting her off mid apology. "You don't have a single thing to apologise for."

           "You're hurting, Jake-"
           "And it's all my own fault." He leant forward reaching for Kelsey's hand, she pulled back slightly causing him to stop. Redirecting his hand to his lap he fidgeted with the hem of his jumper, sighing deeply.

          "I hurt you, Kels. I hurt you both mentally and physically. I'm undeserving of any forgiveness."

          "Don't say that." Kelsey's voice grew strong. "I may not be able to forgive you now, but maybe one day things could even out between us."

          "Please, don't. I've wrecked my life completely, false hope is not going to help anytime soon."

  A sharp laugh left Kelsey's lips as she leant back into her chair.
           "Your past behaviour hasn't ruined your life, Jake. No need to be so dramatic." She joked, causing a genuine smile to flicker across his face.

          "Well I've just been kicked out of university so my prospects aren't looking too good." He replied, eyes wide as he recounted the reason. Kelsey's brow creased as she waited for a further explanation.

          "I owed the local dealer and he came and smashed up my digs. which caused an investigation and them to kick me out due to having drugs on the premises." Kelsey stared wide eyed, Jake shook his head and laughed to himself. "I fully spiralled one night because I thought I saw someone who looked like you on a night out."

           "Oh for fucks sake, Jake." Kelsey laughed, trying to hide her expression behind her hand.

           "No you can laugh." Jake reassured. "It's actually helpful to see you make light of the situation."
           "You're an idiot."
           "That I am."
           "So is that why you came back home?"
  Jake closed his eyes and nodded.

           "You can't go having a relapse every time you see a redhead." Kelsey joked, the tension between them now lightening. His smile spread, revealing two dimples embedded in his cheeks. Raising both hands he looked back at.

           "I can't make any promises."
           "You're an idiot." Kelsey repeated herself sighing deeply.

           "Thank you, Kelsey." Jake smiled, his face gaining more colour as he started to relax. "Thank you for actually hearing me out. You didn't have to agree to this but I'm grateful you did."

            "I think we both needed the closure." Kelsey replied, taking another swig of her hot chocolate that was cooling rapidly. "Sounds like you're on the right track though. Don't be discouraged by everything."

           "This really wasn't supposed to be you helping me here." Jake laughed. "But that's just the sort of person you are Kelsey Owens." He smiled leaning forwards, his voice barely a whisper. "Sean has no clue just how lucky he is."

    Kelsey flicked her hair in a joking manner, a carefree laugh leaving both of their lips.

           "I suppose I should let you go now." Jake said, pushing his chair back and standing up, stretching his arms out as he did so.

           "I think it's time." Kelsey agreed, gathering her bag from beside her and standing up from the table. "Thank you once again for the hot chocolate."

           "Admit it." Jake scrunched his nose up. "You're no longer a fan of hot chocolate."

          "God no. Much prefer the bitterness of a coffee nowadays." Kelsey laughed. Jake shook his head, scuffing his shoes on the pavement, his smile still plastered on his face. He turned to Kelsey, his shoulders raising as he buried his hands deep into his jean pockets. 

          "Goodbye, Kelsey."
          "Goodbye, Jake."

   With a nod he walked away, taking away the weight that had burdened Kelsey for years with him. The animosity and resentment dissipating into the air around them.

                                                                                       ........................................................................................................................

     The sound of the boot shutting brought Kelsey back to reality. Sean smiled at her as he carried her bag over his shoulder.

         "What time's you train due?" He asked, wrapping his free arm around her waist as they walked towards the station entrance. Kelsey leant into his warmth, savouring every second before she had to leave. Inhaling the dark, musky cologne that he wore, clinging on to every detail to take with her back to London.

         "13:30." She answered, staring at the clock above the train departure board as they entered the train station. To her dismay it reminded her that she only had 10 minutes left. Seans hand lightly squeezed her waist in comfort. Kelsey sensed that he too didn't want the hands on that clock to move another minute.

He looked down at her, warmth in his eyes as he held her tight.
         "We better get that ticket then."

   Kelsey stood on the platform, her hand linked tightly with Sean's. She could see her train approaching from the distance, the sound of its wheels turning keeping in time with her breathing.

         "It won't be for too long." Sean's voice soothed, his thumb rubbing small comforting circles against her hand. "I've left you a present in your bag to remind you of me till I get back."

    Kelsey turned to look at him intrigued, the mischievous glint returning to her eye that Sean loved so much. He held back a chuckle.

          "You managed to put something else in that bag and get to shut it again."
          "Believe me, it was a struggle to do so."
          "Can I know what it is?"

    Sean held her face gently in his hand, cupping her cheek in his palm causing her eyes to flutter shut momentarily.

         "Wait till you're on the train." He replied. "That way you have the entire duration of the journey to attempt to close that bag again."

   She rolled her eyes at him, the train entering her peripheral vision as it pulled into the station. They both took a deep breath.

         "Just another week or so, Kelsey." Sean whispered to her. "Sounds like Jake needs some support here."

Kelsey nodded.
        "He needs you, Sean." Kelsey smiled. The sound of the doors sliding open and footfalls of the passengers leaving surrounded them both. "I'll be waiting patiently."

  Sean lowered his head to hers, his lips brushing hers delicately before he applied more pressure, his hand tangling in her hair. They pulled back gently, Sean planting one last peck on Kelsey's lips before straightening up.

         "I won't keep you waiting long." he smiled taking her hand once more and leading her to the train door.

  Kelsey pressed the button, the doors parting to show the interior of the train, the faded fabric chairs and scuffed plastic tables greeted her sympathetically. Stepping aboard she turned back to Sean, taking her bag from him she dropped it by her feet and wrapped her arms around his neck, his hands wrapping around her waist holding her tightly against him.

   A sharp whistle sounded from the platform causing them to break apart. Taking a deep breathe, Kelsey's head felt clearer than it had in years. Stepping away she let the doors slide between them separating her from Sean who stood back on the platform. Grabbing her bags she moved down the aisle to find a free seat beside a window.

   The train jerked as it began to move, taking her seat Kelsey watched as Sean walked alongside the platform, a small smile on his lips as the wind blew his blonde waves in his eyes. With one hand in his jacket pocket he waved with the other, his figure growing smaller as the train picked up speed. Kelsey felt the tears well up but refused to let them fall. She waved back and settled down in her seat for the journey back. Her bag beside her, teasing her with whatever surprise Sean had left within. Kelsey eagerly reached for the zip, tugging it in a haste.

   The bag opened, revealing an overspill of navy blue fabric.

   Kelsey couldn't hold back the tears this time and allowed them to fall down her cheeks as she pulled the football shirt out of the bag and clutched it to her chest tightly.