#charles.

after her few hours at the library booth passing out reading calendars and minding the free books, bee was relieved of her volunteer duties. she wouldn't have minded continuing to stay under the awning, but she was, day by day, growing into someone who could wander and find friends. someone who, could maybe, consider herself as a part of the community here.

"you'll be proud—" she greeted, a far less refined way of saying hello that she'd been learning from her housemates. it was still strange in her mouth, to start a conversation and know that it was going to garner a response. her voice caught attention, she was worth listening to even if she wasn't saying the most well-formed thought. "only one book in this bag."

She'd asked him to coffee because being in public and away from liqour seemed like the best circumstances to reuinite under. Temple knew that she needed to keep a clear head if she was stepping back over this line--this Charlie-shaped, line.

He seemed surprised to hear from her on the phone and given the circumstances it was hard not to see why. Temple had deleted his number years ago as part of SSA. Sex was like any addiction and he'd been too much of a barrier at her attempts of getting her life back in order. The only talking they'd done on the phone was to set a time and place, neither addressing the passage of time between them.

But seeing him in person would be... harder. Temple watched him scoot into the booth, caught without words for much longer than she liked to be around him.

Eventually vowels and consonants returned to her and she could form something close to a coherent thought. "You got old."