11:45 AM - Jane and Bunny
The sit down brunch portion of the event hadn’t been quite as torturous as Jane had imagined it would be but there was still a fair amount of awkwardness. Even though it hadn’t gone all that terribly, her earlier conversation with Coldiron played in her mind during the meal. This translated into monosyllabic and stilted replies on her part but at least she had contributed. She had tried.
Jane kept sneaking glances at Bunny, trying to gauge her. After their last disastrous meet up, Jane had absolutely no idea what her former friend thought of her. She’d literally run away from Bunny, knocking over chairs in this very bar in an effort to get away. Looking back, Jane was ashamed in how she’d acted but she had gone into complete panic mode. Instead of fighting, she had gone in the completely other direction and fled. Jane couldn’t help but wonder if she had stayed and hashed it out if they would had mended fences. Even if there was merit to that idea, Jane couldn’t imagine fighting with Bunny in any way, shape, or form. It just didn’t compute.
Jane had spent the entirety of brunch surreptitiously observing Bunny’s behavior, trying to determine what each polite comment or inquiry meant while she simultaneously psyched herself up to talk to her. The fact that Bunny was, by far, the kindest and most considerate person Jane knew didn’t lessen her fear that she’d dismiss her, write Jane off as another close-minded cop, and go back to her pretty, picture-perfect life with Coldiron and never look back or regret breaking ties with someone like her.
Jane would never be able to forget and certainly never forgive the terror the Hellhounds had inflicted on Austin, no matter how many good deeds they did and promises they made. But maybe she could learn to make peace with things she could not change and, possibly, take a few scary, shaky steps in the direction of her own happiness. Bunny’s friendship was something she missed desperately and if she could fix that then maybe things weren’t so cut and dry after all. Jane took a deep breath and, knowing better than to expect a miracle, approached Bunny.
“Have you tried the maple bacon doughnut thingy?” Jane asked, her eyes downcast. Her voice sounded foreign and almost timid to her own ears; she cleared her throat and continued, trying to sound more like herself while forcing herself to meet Bunny’s gaze. “It’s really fucking good.”
At the sound of Jane’s voice, Bunny looked up, surprise plainly written all over her face and easy to read as a child’s primer. Coming to the brunch today at Bode’s invitation, she'd admittedly held a little worry over what she would say to her old friend, should their paths cross. A whole host of possibilities had laid out before her, some better but most worse, and finding themselves seated at the same table for the event had only increased that feeling of uncertainty mixed with hope that lingered in her heart. After the conversation over brunch had been so stilted and uncomfortable, it had seemed clearer than ever that Jane’s opinion of her hadn't changed. It hurt, still, to have lost the easy days of their friendship, but it was closure too. At least now the wondering was over. A person’s door shut on you, sometimes, and there wasn't a thing you could do about it but walk on.
But then again, maybe sometimes a person’s door eased open a crack when you least expected it. Bunny was sure glad she was here to see it.