worlds collide.

Sitting there, having Juliette open up to him about her father was having Frank’s walls swaying. Not in a romantic way, not really, but he couldn’t help but wonder what Juliette would think of him if she knew the truth of why he had ended up on her couch, bleeding out. Wondered what she would say if she knew the truth of his name, of his past, of his crimes that blurred the line betweeen right and wrong. It wasn’t as if he killed innocent people. Hell, he killed the very people whom killed innocent people. But still, there were those out there that condemned him for his actions and Frank didn’t care. Not one bit.

“Smart,” was the only comment that Frank offered when she set their plates down. Juliette was smart to only take an apartment she could comfortably afford, she’d be out of debt in no time and into a nice apartment in no time. A safer one, too. Frank never had been one that needed to care about safety but he could only imagine that it was something in the back off Juliette’s mind. Maybe he needed to be around a bit more, just to make sure nothing bad happened to Juliette.

Frank downed his food in record time, letting out a satisfied grunt as he leaned back in his chair. He frowned slightly as he sipped at his wine before settling, his eyes trained on the table in front of them. He didn’t look up when he spoke, his admission enough to send his heart racing. It was a small admission, nothing particularly exciting but it was more the act of letting Juliette see a small side of him that had him unnerved. “Playin’ guitar. I don’t get to do it often but shit, I like ta when I can. That or a good book. Get lost in it for hours...” Frank trailed off, shrugging. He looked to the side, his jaw clenching. “What ‘bout you?” His weak attempt at getting the attention off of him.

Juliette would have been astonished at the rate in which Frank finished her food if she hadn’t seen it before. She had seen many military vets, police officers, and firefighters down their food as if there life depended on it. Even when they had the time to savoir their food, muscle member and old habits died hard. She just smirked at him and said, “Well I would ask if the food was any good but I’m not sure if you even tasted it.”

“You play guitar?!” Juliette asked excitedly. “So do I! Well, not very well. I picked it up from my brother. He was in a band for a few years while we were in high school. I can play like—maybe—two songs at best. Both are Johnny Cash I might add.” Juliette was grinning at him now as if they were bonding. Juliette had a habit of getting too excited when she finally had something in common with other people. It was hard for Juliette to keep friends, especially at her age. She wasn’t the type to go out and party and run the roads. Juliette lived a pretty quiet life, apart from all of her time that was spent in the Emergency Room.

Juliette blushed and looked down at her plate. “I don’t do much really. Just work. When I’m not working I’m just sitting around here. Maybe reading, maybe writing. Watching shitty television. When I was still in college I loved to go hiking and exploring the trails upstate. But I haven’t been able to do any of that in a long time. Plus, I never really have anyone to go with me anymore, since my brother moved to Oregon. It’s not safe to go explore the wilderness up there by yourself as a small girl.”

"S'good," Frank answered simply when Juliette commented on how quickly he had eaten. Hell, he couldn't remember the last time he had a genuine home cooked meal that had been laboured over. Most of the time, it was frozen tv dinners and fast food that Frank was genuinely and wholeheartedly fucking sick of. Even when he cooked, it never really was something that he spent time on. Cooking had always been something that he had enjoyed but now, it was something that he just didn't have the energy or the motivation for. Food was fuel, nothing more, nothing less.

Nodding as Juliette mentioned Johnny Cash, Frank couldn't help but grin. "Good taste," he complimented her with a quick nod of his head. Frank nodded as Juliette continued to explain how she missed hiking. An offer to accompany her almost slipped past his lips but Frank caught it at the last moment. They weren't anywhere near close enough to allow for such a thing and Frank, keeping him company was dangerous. Just feeding Frank supper once was dangerous enough that he was already swearing off ever doing this again. Not that he could or would tell Juliette.

"Go with a group o' girls... or get a guide. They have 'em up there. Shitty to have to pay but sometimes it's worth going in a group," Frank said, hoping his fofer would be enough to get her out of the house. So that she could enjoy herself doing something she had so clearly enjoyed at one point in her life. "Tell you the truth, I miss fishin'. Go campin' with the wife and I'd catch us something to eat that night. Break it down and she'd make the best damn fresh fish I'd ever had in my life," he said, a forlorn look overtaking his features.

Frank looked away, gritting his teeth together. "Somethin' nice about being close to nature and immersing yourself. Not relyin' on anyone to feed you, take care o' you but yourself," he said, almost dreamily as he turned his attention back to the table between them. Now that he had mentioned Maria, there was a burning pain in his chest that he couldn't shake, that made him just want to tuck tale and run out of Juliette's apartment.

“Good, I’m glad.” Juliette replied. “It’s been a while since I’ve cooked for someone. Kinda missed doing it.” It was true. Juliette had been on her own and single for quite sometime now. She hadn’t had very good luck with relationships in college, and now, it was a slim to none chance of her being in one due to the crazy hours in which she worked. She looked across the table at Pete, giving him a small smile as he began to tell her to go with some friends or get a guide. She looked down at her own plate, beginning to feel embarrassed. How was she going to tell this man that she had no friends?

Juliette cleared her throat and pushed her food around on her plate, still not making eye contact with the man in front of her. She bit her lip before she spoke. “I’d have to go with a guide seeing as I don’t really have any friends to go with.” She mumbled. She took another bite of her food before she was brave enough to look up at him. “But if I get to where I wanna go badly enough, I’ll just have to save for a couple of months before I can go on a guided tour.” Juliette offered him another smile, hoping that she wasn’t putting a damper on his evening.

But when he started talking about his wife and his kids, Juliette felt the shift in the air. Something had happened, and although he wasn’t saying it, she knew something had had to of happened. Not just that he was separated from his wife and didn’t get to see his kids… But Juliette knew they were gone. Juliette, however, was also smart enough not to poke and prod and ask what happened. Now wasn’t the time for that. If Pete ever felt like telling her, he would. And if he didn’t, then it wasn’t any of her business. “Yeah, that sounds nice.” Juliette commented as she looked at him. “I’m sorry, though. You don’t have to say anything else about it.” She hoped that it would relieve the man a bit, not having to relive anything that happened to him.

Frank was a bit surprised when Juliette mentioned not really having friends. In hindsight, he really shouldn't have been surprised at all. She was a nurse; he wasn't sure the hours she worked but he could only imagine that she worked strange hours and long hours; leaving her no time to do anything but sleep and eat and maybe enjoy herself a little bit while relaxing in her apartment. Frank wondered what that'd be like, to not run out at the first sign of a fucker needing to be killed. Their lives weren't that different but still, there was a massive difference that he couldn't deny. Juliette saved lives, Frank ended them. But he didn't end just anyone so did that count for something? He sort of hoped that it did.

He would never be out of his kids' lives if he could help it, even if Maria had left him, there would have never been a day when Frank didn't see them for a few minutes. Hell, that idea was almost preferable to the reality that Frank now had no choice but to live in. Swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat, Frank chewed on the inside of his lip as Juliette apologized. He was so sick and tired of apologies but he knew, or maybe it was that he hoped, that Juliette was clueless to who he really was. What he really did outside of this apartment building.

Clearing his throat, Frank pushed away his empty plate. "Prolly should get goin'. Don't want to overstay my welcome," he said, flashing the young blonde a small smirk. Frank sat up a bit more, eyeing Juliette for a moment. "Next time I drop in, I'll bring you a real good bottle of wine, alright? So you don't have to bother drinking that piece of shit wine out of a box."