She Will Love You Through All The Lies

Kate sat across from Tara at a two-person round table outside of a little cafe along the street. She could feel Tara's eyes boring into her, reading her, studying her. She looked up and gave a half-hearted smile. It's not that she didn't want to be here right now, it's that she didn't want to be here and talk about the one thing she was completely unsure about. The one thing she wanted to avoid.

"So," Tara began, narrowing her eyes slightly. "How're you and Brian?" Kate diverted her eyes once again and simply nodded her head. "Kate," Tara set her hand on her best-friends', "look at me hun."

Kate looked up and took a breath. "I don't know." Tara raised her eyebrow in a questioning manor. "We were almost non-existent to one another for the last while... last few years. I never understood what I did wrong... he just kind of ignored me." Kate looked down into her hands. "A few nights before he came home, he started to call me regularly and then one day... he just shows up first thing in the morning."

Tara nodded her head. "He was so anxious to leave; he booked the first flight he could and then rushed to the airport. I could barley get an explanation from him." Tara smiled slightly, "all he said was, 'Kate' and then just took off."

The waitress came and delivered them their food before either of them could speak again. They decided to take a break from their conversation and focus on their meals. Kate's cell phone began to vibrate in the pocket of her hoodie. She set down her fork and dug in her pocket for her phone, pulling it out and answering it without looking at the I.D.

"Hello?" she asked softly into the phone.

His heart melted. "Hey Kate."

She smiled and mouthed 'Brian' towards Tara. She stuck up her thumbs and gave a cheesy grin.

"What's up?" she asked, slightly confused why he was calling. Tara and she had only been gone shy of an hour.

"Just got out of the shower," he mumbled. "I'm working on my laundry now." He sighed and then huffed to himself, "where the hell are the dryer sheets?"

Kate laughed softly, "On the self beside the dryer, they're un-opened."

"Ah-hah!" She heard Brian cheer in victory. "Found them!"

"Is that why you called, to ask where the dryer sheets were?" she smiled into the phone and heard Tara let out a snort of laughter.

"Not exactly..." he paused, "when are you coming home?"

She tilted her head to the side, "I'm not sure when." She bit her lip and blinked, "between four and five?"

"Perfect!" Brian cheered again. She could hear him moving the dials on the washer and dryer.

She furrowed her eyebrows together and bit her lip. She didn't like to be confused or left out in the dark, but with Brian, that's how things normally always were. She had grown used to it over the years, but that didn't mean that it still didn't drive her completely mad.

"I'll let you get back to your lunch," Brian voiced into the telephone after a few moments of silence from Kate's end. She nodded her head and then rolled her eyes, realizing that Brian couldn't see her gesture.

"Okay," she mumbled. "I'll see you when I get home then."

Brian smiled to himself and walked into the kitchen area. "You bet." He switched the phone to his left ear and grabbed the fridge handle with his right. "Love you, Kate."

She picked up her fork with her right hand and stabbed a piece of cheese. "Love you too, Brian."

Kate set her phone down on the table in front of her plate the same moment that Brian placed the house phone back in its rightful cradle. They both smiled to themselves, Kate entirely confused as to why she was particularly smiling, Brian on the other hand, anxious to see his wife's reaction once she got home.