My eyes are red rimmed from crying as we sit across from each other at one of the few 24-hour diners open in Coeur d'Alene. The bored server hands us our menus, briefly pausing as she takes in my splotchy face. Waves of embarrassment crash through me as I take my menu and hold it in the hopes that it'll cover my tears. After a moment, the server goes away, leaving Baker and I alone at the table together.

"Well, I'm not eating anything here," Baker says with a small chuckle, and my eyes meet his over the menu. "That server clearly thinks we're in the middle of a fight. You should've seen the look she just gave me."

I cringe and set the menu down on the table, hiding my face in my hands as I groan. "I'm sorry, Baker."

"Sorry about what?" he asks, confused.

"I'm sorry that every time I'm with you, I seem to be falling to pieces," I reply as I wipe my hands across my face.

He laughs as he reaches across the table and puts his hand on my arm. "Summer, it's okay. Really. That's what friends are for."

Oh God. What I said to him at the lake... I wince. "That was a really shitty thing for me to say," I mutter. "I just... I kind of thought we were done after the projects were over, you know? I haven't heard anything from you, so I figured that was it."

He nods his head, and I'm sad to see his warm smile has slipped just a bit. "I get it. I mean... it makes sense. Things have been a little crazy lately."

"I can relate," I reply, giving him a tense smile. "Thanks for being there for me. Again. I promise I won't be like this the next time you see me."

"Summer, it's okay. Really." He hesitates for a second, as if wondering if she should say what he's thinking. "It was kismet, actually. That I ran into you tonight." My eyebrows furrows in confusion, and he gives me a tight smile of his own. "I think it's safe to say we both had kind of a rough night."

For the first time since running into him at the lake, I really stop and think about how he came to be there. I checked before I pulled in to make sure there were no cars. I was sure there was no one around. And I drove us to the diner. Which means he definitely didn't have his car on him tonight. Which means he was also alone in the dark at the lake. After a bad night of his own.

"Well, I told you about my night," I say with a what I hope is a sympathetic smile. "Now it's your turn to share. Why were you there all by yourself? What happened?"

He squirms uncomfortably in his seat as he stares down at his own menu for a second. The frown is back, tugging softly at the corners of his pink lips as his gray-blue eyes grow sad. "My dad got divorce papers in the mail today. And like... it's fine. My mom hasn't been around for years. But it was still somewhat of a shock. So I guess I was just out trying to clear my head."

My heart sinks just a little at the admission. "Baker, I'm so sorry," I whisper, and his eyes catch mine across the table. "Is your dad okay?"

His fingers tense over the menu a bit as he nods his head. "Yeah. He's okay. It's more me. I haven't seen her in so long. Ian doesn't even remember her. But they've always been married, even if they weren't together. I guess seeing the divorce papers kind of surprised me. Ian's at a friend's place, so he doesn't know. Honestly, I don't even know if it's worth it to tell him."

I nod my head. "Yeah, but I get why it's hard on you," I say. "I mean, whether she's there or not, she's still your mom. And it's never easy when your parents get divorced."

"How did you react when your parents divorced?" he asks me.

I shake my head. "My parents were never married. I was the consequence of a very brief and somewhat volatile relationship."

He makes a face. "Consequence?" I nod my head. "That doesn't seem right. It makes you seem like... I don't know. An accident or something."

I shrug my shoulders. "Well, that's kind of what I was. Am. An accident. I mean, my mom has never treated me like that. But if my dad thought I was so damn special, he would've been a part of my life. And he wasn't. So... accident. Consequence. Mistake. Whatever word you want to use. They all mean the same thing in my case."

The server comes over and sets down two glasses of water before asking us what we want to eat. She eyes me carefully, probably watching me for signs of abuse. I order the pot roast, mostly for the mashed potatoes. My guilty pleasure. Baker just hands her back the menu without ordering, and she walks away after a few moments, leaving us alone again.

"I'll share my plate with you," I say, and he waves his hand dismissively. "No, I'm serious. I really just wanted the potatoes anyway, so have at it or the rest is going to go to waste."

He shakes his head, that smile returning to his face. "You're impossible, Summer. What if I told you I wasn't hungry?"

I grin as I take a sip of my water. "I know you'd be lying to me. Seriously. We'll share. You deserve to eat without fear of a crazy server spitting in your food because she got the wrong impression of the situation. Besides, I don't even like pot roast."

"Then why did you order it?" he asks, surprised.

I shrug my shoulders. "I wanted the mashed potatoes," I reply simply. He still seems a bit confused, so I give him a sheepish grin and say, "I don't know. I guess mashed potatoes is kind of like... my comfort food. And I didn't see a way to order it as a side. So I just ordered the pot roast."

"So you ordered an entrée for the side?" he asks with an amused smile on his face.

I nod my head. "Yeah, I guess. Is that weird?"

He thinks for a second, and then he shakes his head. "No. Not at all." I give him a teasing glare, and he laughs. "Okay, fine. Maybe a little."

My jaw falls open as I give him a playful shove across the small table. "Don't laugh at me!" I say as I laugh at myself. "Oh come on. Are you going to sit there and tell me you don't have a comfort food?"

"Yeah, I do," he replies, still laughing. "But I don't think I'd order something I don't like just for the small side of mac and cheese. I'd just... ask for mac and cheese."

I wrinkle my nose. "Mac and cheese? That's your comfort food?" He nods his head. "Huh... okay."

"What?" he asks. "Are you seriously judging my comfort food, Lumen?"

I shake my head. "No. I just don't think I've ever had mac and cheese that isn't... you know... Kraft." His eyes widen in surprise, and I giggle. "My mom isn't much of a cook, Baker. She tries. She really does. But she sticks to the basics for the most part. And my stepdad hardly cooks at all. I've pretty much survived on flash frozen dinners, spaghetti, and Beth's mom's cooking."

"You've never had real mac and cheese before?" he says, aghast. I shake my head, and he groans. "Oh Summer. I think this is the first time I've ever felt bad for you."

"Really?" I ask, fighting a laugh. "Telling you my dad died of a drug overdose and my mom is a meddling queen who can't cook for shit didn't do it already?"

"Someday, you'll have to let me cook mac and cheese for you," he says. "Real mac and cheese. Because anything from a box doesn't count."

"Okay, then, mac and cheese snob," I reply, smirking. "Tell me, what makes a good mac and cheese?"

He reaches for his glass of water and takes a small sip before explaining. And I think it's hilarious that he has to prepare himself this way. "Okay, so first, the noodle is important. You wouldn't make mac and cheese with angel hair pasta noodles. I use shells, because they catch the sauce just right. And you have to have at least three kinds of cheeses in the sauce. Colby, cheddar, and pepperjack for me. It has to be creamy. Like, really creamy. Dry mac and cheese deserves the trashcan."

"Wow," I say.

He nods his head. "This is serious shit, Summer. Mac and cheese is no joke." The smile has returned to my lips as he takes another sip of water. "And last, it has to be baked. With bread crumbs. Adds a tiny bit of crunch to the whole thing that just makes it," he kisses his fingers, and I laugh. "Ian says I make the best mac and cheese."

"Guess you'll have to call me next time you make it," I say, and he smiles.

"I definitely will," he replies.

A few moments later, the server comes by and drops off the plate of pot roast. I ask her for another set of silverware, and she comes back a minute later with a set that she places on the table before walking away. I slide the second set of silverware to Baker before opening mine and separating the potatoes from the pot roast. Then I take a bite of my potatoes as he scoops up a bite of the roast.

We eat in silence for a couple minutes, and when I glance up at him, I see how focused he is on the food. He's scarfing it up so quickly that I wonder if he's even tasting it. I swallow a bite of my potatoes as I say, "You know, I used to hate eating in front of people."

He stops eating for a second as his eyes flicker back up to meet mine. "Why?"

I shrug my shoulders. "I don't know. I think it started with Ollie. We dated for a while. I mean, you know that. And whenever we'd go out to eat, he'd just watch me. It was kind of creepy. Like he was turned on by the way I'd eat. So I just stopped wanting to go out with him. And that kind of morphed into me not really wanting to eat in front of anyone."

Baker makes a disgusted face. "Jesus, that guy sounds like a real winner, huh?" I stare down at my potatoes, trying to block out the memory of Ollie's hand down my shirt as his other made to undo his belt.

"You know you saved me that night, right?" I ask, still not daring to look up at him. He doesn't say anything, so I continue. "Ollie was going to rape me that night. I know it. He can deny it all he wants, but I know. If you hadn't called when you did...." I trail off, because that thought still scares the shit out of me.

He reaches across the table and places his hand against my arm again. My eyes meet his, and I see how sad they are. "Sometimes we're in the right place at the right time. I'm just glad I was there."

I nod my head, the tears stinging my eyes again. "I feel like... like I'll never be able to repay you for that," I say shakily.

He gives my arm a gentle squeeze and smiles. "You'll never have to." Then he releases me and goes back to his pot roast. He throws a wink my way as he places another bite in his mouth. "That's what friends do."

Author's Note:
You know what's so frustrating? I've had to put this story aside for the last few months because I've felt so uninspired. I've had a lot going on in my life, what with dealing with my mom's passing and some work drama. And the second I start Nano, Summer decides she wants to speak. I had to force my 1,667 words tonight, but this chapter was the easiest thing I've written in a long time.

Summer and Baker have an easiness about them that I just love. I feel like their chemistry is off the charts. What do you all think? Do you like them together? I'm going to try to post another chapter soon, but I'm not sure when. I am hoping to finish Vale's story very soon, and then this will be my sole focus. I'll sprinkle in some chapters here and there when I can though, to keep it alive.

Anyway, I'll be back very soon! Stay safe and healthy, my dears!
XOXO,
~Aly