Chapter Text
They lay on the bed, both breathless. Neither of them said anything. After a while, Lim got up and took a shower, then stared at Melendez. “You should go."
"Why? We're not a couple on a high school campus. No one is going to catch us."
"You have Claire. She’s waiting for you."She said bitterly.
He raised his eyebrows in surprise, "What makes you think that? I'm her mentor and friend, that's all. Nothing happened between us."
"You often sit together at lunch and go bowling together. Isn't that obvious enough?" She continued bitterly. "At least next time you guys go out on a date together you can keep your voices down."
He grinned. A jealous Audrey was really cute. " Aud, the truth is that Claire and I had lunch together because I wanted to ask her how to get back together with you. We went bowling together because she offered to trade. And Claire and Dash are dating."
She was suddenly speechless, her heart beating crazily as a blush rose to her face.
Seeing the look of embarrassment on her face, he cupped her face and looked deep into her eyes. " I was never moving on. I think we are never really over . Maybe you don't have second thought , but I do ."
He placed her hand on his chest so she could feel his heartbeat.
Feeling the sound of his steady, strong heartbeat, her tears came to her eyes uncontrollably. She tried to calm herself, her voice trembled as she said, "Neil, I thought at first that breaking up was the right decision. I thought that if I could just get away from you for long enough, I could forget about our relationship and solve all the problems at work. So I didn't go to meetings. I even avoided you by following your schedule. But I still feel sad and lonely when I come home late every night and see an empty apartment without you, without the smell of your cooking. Sometimes when I am in the hospital I forget we broke up, expecting you to come and bring me a piece of cake in your break gap as usual. Even after a month, I still get jealous inside when I see you sitting with Claire in the cafeteria because I still can't stop loving you. I confess that I was having second thoughts. I still have feelings for you and I just can't stop it. I know now that the decision was wrong. This is all my fault." More tears slid down her face.
Neil brushed his hand over her cheek and wiped away her tears. "Audrey, it’s not your fault. It’s mine. I've been reflecting on what went wrong between us. I'm sorry that I attributed the death of a patient to our relationship before and put the blame on you. I confessed that I was unbalanced inside because of your promotion before and that's why I was being such an asshole to you. I think I was a real arrogant jerk before. But I've since realized that you're more important than the position. I can't lose someone I've loved for ten years just because of my ego."
She gave him a pale smile, tears glistening on her face. She whispered, "Actually, I've been thinking how we got to this point too. I know there's a lot I need to change. I'm willing to face all the misunderstandings and conflicts between us. But, sometimes I really don't know if we can ever go back to being like we were before."
Neil held her hand tightly and said , "Audrey, I don't want any more misunderstandings between us. I know that the problems aren't just between you and me, there are a lot of external factors. I'm willing to make changes for you, and I'm willing to work with you to solve all the problems between us."
"Do you remember when I asked you 'Are you having second thoughts?' earlier? I wasn't just asking you, I was asking myself as well. I already had the answer. I can't accept meeting you in the hospital every day and not being able to talk, discuss cases and joke with you. I couldn't accept watching you bring encouragement and support to everyone and not being able to be one of them. I can't accept that our ten-year relationship ended so flatly, that I can no longer play a role in your life, that I can't be a part of your life." He looked at her seriously. "So, will you give us a second chance?"
She hesitated for a moment, then nodded and pulled him into a kiss.
After a long moment, her forehead leaned
against his and she looked into his eyes. “I’m willing to.”