Chapter Text
“She’s everything I ever wanted, but I don’t want to risk losing her as a friend,” Frank confessed to his friend. His hands are covering his face as he tries to hide his expression. Frank felt a sense of guilt for trying to move on and finding someone new. The guilt he felt was the burden he would bear, failing to protect his family.
“Tell her!” Curtis replies, seeing the conflict in Frank.
Frank lifts his head, his eyes meeting Curt’s. “That’s the thing… She doesn’t know who I truly am. Sarah finds out, and she’s on the next flight out of New York.” Frank tries to argue back with his friend.
“You truly think she doesn’t know?”
Frank's eyes widened with the question. Sarah was aware of his past and what he had done. It seemed like she didn’t care and he had failed to notice. His past was one thing and what he was still capable of doing was another.
“I don’t know Curt, Sarah… She’s a complicated woman. I haven’t felt this way about anyone in a long time, not since-“ he stops himself, not wanting to bring up the memories of Maria and the kids.
“Why don’t you invite her to come to one of the meetings?”
“I see what you’re doing,” Frank laughs, not sure if a vet support group is the best way to introduce Sarah to Curt.
“If you’re so worried about how she’ll react when she sees the real you, then leave it as a friendship.”
“It’s not just that,” Frank confesses, his fear lingering still. He was scared that it would happen again and didn’t want anything to happen to Sarah. Lots of people wanted him dead, his enemies, and those he hurt. Nothing would stop them from going after her if they knew.
“They’re all dead and the world thinks your dead. You’re a free man Frank. No one will hurt her.” Curtis tells him, almost as if reading his exact thoughts.
The army vet thinks on it, unsure if he truly believed those words. The fear still remained and he wasn’t sure when it would go away. Frank gets up, placing his hand on his friend’s shoulder. “I’ll sleep on it.” He replies, thanking him for the talk. Although he didn’t say it often he appreciated the talk between them. It was the advice he needed and the one person who never judged him for what he had done.
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With a flower bouquet in one hand and a bag of takeout in the other, he heads towards her apartment, ready to confess. Or so he thought. Frank felt nervous knocking on the door, trying to seem as calm as he could. He suspected that Sarah would feel his nervousness. Sarah was quick to notice things and nothing genuinely stayed hidden from her.
When he had suggested bringing her lunch, he hadn’t considered how anxious he would be. Of all the things he had done in the past, this was the first time he was truly nervous. No amount of shootouts he had been in had prepared him to express his feelings to her.
He knocks again, slightly impatient after a couple of seconds that passed.
“Frank!” Sarah says as she opens the door. A warm, big smile appears on her face when she sees him. He smiles back at her, glad that he was still getting the same look from her. The one where he knew she felt the same way about him but the fear of saying anything stopped him. The smile that said she was glad to see him and looked forward to seeing him each and every time.
Sarah’s voice is cheerful, her gaze remaining on him. He almost forgot to hand her the flowers as he stared nervously. Frank nervously chuckles at her, forgetting for a moment why he was there.
“You look great,” he quickly says, handing her the flowers. He hadn’t even asked her what her favorites were but decided to go with a mix of flowers. She takes them, thanking him for the small gift. The smile on her face remains as she heads toward the kitchen to put them in a vase.
“They smell great,” she comments, filling the vase with water.
“I'm glad you liked them,” he replies, placing the food on the counter. His eyes watch her as she moves around the kitchen, grabbing a pair of scissors. He watched her as she cuts the plastic around the bouquet and placed the flowers in the vase.
“How’s your day been?” He questions, hating himself for picking that as the small talk. Sarah chuckles, maybe picking up on his actions.
“Quiet. Yours?”
“Just the same.”
It gets quiet between them, both looking away.
“I think we should eat. You know before it gets cold.” Sarah says, helping him take the food out of the bag. They eat in silence for a bit not sure what to say. Sarah comments on the news, bringing up some court cases. He wasn’t really paying attention, the words just sounded like words with no meaning. Frank starts to tap his leg repeatedly, not meaning to stare at her.
“Can I tell you something?” Frank questions, his eyes watching her face.
She nods, waiting for him to ask her as she continues to eat.
“Can I- Well I-” He laughs, struggling to get his words out. Frank never thought he would be in this situation again, let alone in her apartment risking it all.
She chews on her food quietly, leaning into the table. “What is it?” She asks, raising an eyebrow.
“You make it really hard,” he laughs, taking a bite of his food.
“I don’t know what it is you’re accusing me of, but I’m sure I’m innocent.” She laughs, her eyes not leaving his face.
“Sarah,” he pauses, taking a deep breath. “Can I take you out sometime?”
She smiles and nods her head. “I thought you would never ask.”