[center][sub][right][b]Timestamp:[/b] Four weeks after the Boston restaurant fiasco[/right][/sub]

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[color=gray][indent][indent]There were days when Mika wished he didn’t have such a soft spot for his nephew, Raf. But he always had a soft spot for kids and especially a kid that he held very close to his vest. Call it the Uncle Badger instinct or whatever people want to call it. If anyone asked him, he would lie straight to their face, but Mika would do anything for his nephew, as well as his mother and Mika’s adoptive sister (though that doesn’t take away from how much he loves Ley). Whether it meant going into scary parts of the southside to get her a special kind of cream or going northside to fetch her that damn sandwich she apparently can’t proceed her obviously eventful day without. She was a pain in his ass sometimes, but given recent events, he could swallow whatever temporary annoyances he may have to sooth her rising panic any chance he could.

[color=635687]“Yeah, the things I do for that sister of mine.”[/color] 

Whenever Mika drove into the northside, there was always something interesting in a very culture shock kind of way. The way the roads felt underneath the bed of his truck, how his tires felt going along the pavement. In the southside, whenever he was running errands (specifically picking up little things from Phil’s Junkyard), the wear and tear and lack of maintenance was obvious. It was somewhat the same on the northside roads, but the vibration wasn’t that noticeable. Mika’s truck had off-road tires, so it didn’t pose any danger to his tires, but he just always found it pretty interesting.

As he made his way down Central Avenue, Mika pulled his truck just across the street from the Godmother’s Sandwich shop. He rubbed his eyes before he jumped out of his truck. He was showing signs of mental and physical exhaustion over the past few weeks. Between juggling his time at his apartment whenever Hyde felt like needing him for something and making sure his mother was secure in her apartment, Mika was dividing his time up at Edge, working as a bouncer, [i]and[/i] making sure Ley wasn’t freaking out too much because she found out about Hyde.

Suffice to say, HB’s life hasn’t been dull as of late.

And speaking of his sister, she was on one of her sandwich binges again. But not just any sandwich. Oh no, she had a very specific request: three of Cat’s special toasted pastrami cabbage sandwiches with extra mayo and on Italian bread. Now, usually Mika would tell her to get it herself, but circumstances were different. Anything he could do to help her feel better, well damn it Mika was going to do it. Besides, he was kind of hungry himself and a meatball sub with extra cheese and sauce had his name on it.

When Cece walked into The Godmother that afternoon, it had been with the intention of picking up the to-go order she’d placed in advance fifteen minutes prior and leaving as fast as she’d walked in. The first part of her plan had been executed flawlessly. Her order had been awaiting her arrival behind the pick-up counter, and she’d only had to endure less than three minutes of polite small talk before she’d been free to leave. Now armed with her sandwiches, sides, and drinks in the car, the young woman was ready to surprise Niles with a little lakeside picnic she’d secretly put together for them. She had been so caught up in her excitement about her upcoming plans that she didn’t notice someone approaching the deli door as she was exiting.

Mika walked towards the entrance and his hand was about to push the door open, but just as he did, it opened and dinged him right in the face. [color=635687]“Motherfucker!”[/color] Mika grunted in Russian, holding the spot between his eyes where the edge of the door had hit rather firmly. [color=635687]“Watch where you’re going!”[/color] he cursed.

[color=C81935]“Oh my God! I’m so sorry!”[/color] Caitlin heard herself say, placing her to-go bag on top of the nearest patio table and rushing to assist the person she’d accidentally injured. But when she realized who it was and the manner in which he was speaking to her, she stopped in her tracks and took a step back. [i]Of course it would be him, of all people…[/i]

In a span of a few short seconds later, when he looked down at who he was cursing at, his stomach had twisted itself after he realized it was Cece. [color=635687]“Oh…hey, Cece...”[/color]

[color=C81935]“Hi Mika,”[/color] Caitlin heard herself say meekly, instantly shifting her eyes to her shoes as her body tensed up. Her demeanor quickly changed from apologetic to anxious, bracing herself for another nail-biting scene like the one from four weeks ago.

There was a building tension inside him. No longer turning knots, his stomach sank as he hadn’t prepared for this moment, especially after she had apparently blocked him from her social media accounts (or so he assumed, since he couldn’t view her shit anymore). [color=635687]“You seemed like you were in a rush or do you always go around hitting everyone with doors in a very violent manner?”[/color] Mika cracked a smile, trying to hide the incredible tension he felt at this moment.

If this encounter would have taken place before the night she and Niles started dating, Caitlin might have answered with a smile of her own and a playful comment to match his. As hurt as she'd been after the breakup, she wasn't the type of person to hold grudges. Unfortunately, Mika’s own actions from earlier in the month had changed the way she would react to his presence in the present day. 

[color=C81935]“I’m really sorry about that,”[/color] was all she could bring herself up to mutter instead, glancing up at him for the most fleeting of seconds while fighting back the overwhelming wave of guilt and anger washing over her. Guilt at the decision she’d taken to cut him off from her life as much as she could after the dinner fiasco a few weeks prior, by blocking him from all of her social media profiles. And anger, because she couldn’t believe how nonchalantly he was addressing her after he’d purposely ruined her date and embarrassed her in front of everybody at that upscale Boston restaurant. No matter how hard she tried, Cece was sure both feelings were painted clear as day all over her freckled face.

Mika offered her a small shrug as he rubbed his temples. [color=635687]“It’s whatever.”[/color] Despite his outward demeanor, it still hurt like a bitch. He had his eyes closed for a few moments as he continued to massage between his eyes and when Mka opened them, he finally had the chance to really [i]look[/i] at his ginger ex. It was unlike her (at least as far as he knew her) to show anger so forward. [color=635687]“You seem…mad.”[/color] Mika guessed, almost trying to lure her to say whatever she was thinking. There was a part of him that probably knew, but best to let her say it.

His last words made Caitlin finally look up from the floor to lock eyes with his: her blue stare suddenly blazing with the pent-up resentment she’d been carrying with since that night. [color=C81935]“You say it like you don’t know why that could be,”[/color] she replied with an uncharacteristic scoff. [color=C81935]“But, unlike you, I don’t want to cause a scene. So I think it’s best if I go before you decide to humiliate me in front of everybody again.”[/color]

[color=635687][i]She’s still mad about that?[/i][/color] 

He kept rubbing his temples, but now it was for a different reason. Before it was because she whacked him in the face with that damn door, but now it was the frustration he was feeling. How did a person hang onto something so trivial for [i]this[/i] long? [color=635687]“Right, because you prefer to just shadow block people from your socials.”[/color] Mika sighed, finally looking at Cece. 

The redhead couldn’t help but scoff again, shaking her head in disbelief. Who did Mika think he was, anyway?! How could he feel entitled to any explanation regarding what she did or didn’t do, especially after what he’d done? [color=C81935]“I don’t have to justify what I do with my socials to you-- or anything else I do, for that matter,”[/color] she snapped, frowning deeply at him. [color=C81935]“You deserve the same amount of explanations you gave me when you broke things off: [b]none[/b].”[/color]

As he stood there, Mika felt like he was at a literal crossroads, because somewhere in him knew she was right. As far as she knew, he broke up with her without really telling her why. He didn’t blame her for feeling so angry at him. Maybe that was part of his frustration. He was projecting his own anger at himself onto her, going for cheap shots like her blocking him. It bothered him, but he didn’t need to say that. He could go for more cheap shots now, but that wouldn’t serve any purpose, or at least none that made sense for him to do [i]now[/i]. He went for cheap shots at the hotel because she was with that tool Niles, but he wasn’t anywhere nearby.

So maybe there was a different approach Mika Zima could take that didn’t involve reverting to his old asshole ways. [color=635687]“When you’re right, you’re right.”[/color] He gave her a sigh of partial defeat. [color=635687]“I don’t deserve any explanation, but maybe you do.”[/color]

Mika’s answer to her statement took Cece by surprise. Was she finally about to get the answer to the age-old question that had haunted her since that August evening nearly a year before? Whatever it was, she knew she didn’t want that discussion to keep happening in front of The Godmother-- especially with so many people that knew her and her family potentially lurking about. The last thing she wanted was for word of her encounter to get back to anyone in her family-- or worse: back to Niles. God only knew how he would react if he heard she’d talked to Mika again.

[color=C81935]“Before we even go down that road, maybe we should go talk somewhere more private?”[/color] Cece proposed to her ex, shrugging her small shoulders.

[color=635687]“Good idea.”[/color] Mika looked at his ginger ex for a few seconds, trying to come up with a place but he couldn’t think of any solid ideas. Any place he thought of was Southbound and that was the whole fucking point of never telling her the reason why he broke her heart all that time ago. [color=635687]“Since you suggested it, your call where you wanna talk.”[/color]

Caitlin was quiet for a second, thinking of a place they could speak out of sight from prying eyes. There was only one place in town that she trusted they could go to and would be provided with absolute privacy. But given the memories the location harbored, she wasn't sure whether Mika would want to go there or not. [color=C81935]"We could take a trip down to O'Halloran's Creek?"[/color] she offered, the hesitation thick in her mild-mannered voice.

[color=635687]“O’Halloran Creek, huh?”[/color] A small laugh escaped through Mika’s partially opened lips, a half-grin never leaving his face. Before everything went to crap between them, the two of them spent a lot of time at the creek that became one of their favorite go-to spots. Back when they had dated, they kept their relationship out of the public view (more so on Mika's request than Cece's), but enjoyed what time they could spend with each other there. The creek had been their safe space-- their little piece of paradise away from the dangers and worries of their hometown.

Surely Cece knew that when she suggested it. 

[color=635687]“Yeah, that could work. At least we know we can talk for as long as we want about whatever we want without having to worry about a thing.”[/color] That nostalgic feeling of fondness came through in his voice. [color=635687]“You have your car around anywhere?”[/color] He asked, pointing to his truck across the street. [color=635685]“If not, I don’t mind giving you a lift.”[/color]

Caitlin bit her lower lip and gave a quick glance around the vicinity, searching for any familiar faces who could turn into potential little birdies taking information back to her family or boyfriend. When she was sure they weren't any, she turned back to Mika and nodded solemnly. [color=C81935]"My car's parked out back, but I think your truck would be the better option. I haven't been to the creek since… You know, since back then, so I don't know how the dirt road to reach it is holding up. I don't think my little Jetta could compete with the mud, the rocks or the craters,"[/color] she said with a small laugh.

Mika huffed a gritty laugh. [color=635687]“Yeah, you got that right! I mean, yeah your Jetta is nice and all, but for dirt trails, you might as well drive it straight into a mud puddle.”[/color] Another laugh from Mika as he started to walk towards his Toyota Tacoma, with Caitlin and her takeout bag of food tagging along.[/indent][/indent][/color]