It felt as if the world was sitting on Libby’s stomach, as if water was coming in at full force and there was no way to stop it. She was drowning. And she had caused all of it. That she knew. She was well aware that this had to be all her fault. She couldn’t blame anything or anyone, but herself, and that’s what made it all even worse. Libby was supposed to be someone that helped Lincoln through the pain, not be the one causing it. She could tell his eyes held a mixture of pain, anger, disappointment, and more emotions she couldn't even decipher, and they were staring right at her.

And did she want to seek him out over the last ten years? A part of her did, but she fought so hard to find her peace that she didn't want anything to jeopardize that, no matter who it was. Sending him the divorce papers was her way of hammering down the final nail in the coffin that held her past. It didn't cross her mind that Lincoln would ever find her, or want to find her after everything she did to him. Libby could process neither what she was feeling nor what she was thinking. Confusion, if nothing else, was consuming her. The fact that he'd be here in Merrock was so far-fetched in and of itself in her mind. "No, you don't have to do that. This is my mess," Libby spoke, her voice laced with confusion as a frown etched itself on her features. She was barely out of the aisle until his words stopped her, her head turning back to look back at him. "We should what? Talk?" she asked with an edge, but it was mostly harmless. Feeling too overwhelmed with everything that had occurred in the last few minutes, she took a breath and crossed her arms over her chest. Remembering that Lincoln wasn't just anyone, she let her face soften. It was almost basic instinct for her to express herself in the rawest, sincerest way possible when she was around Linc, because she still had that trust there. "Sorry, I didn't mean for it to come out like that." she sighed, pausing briefly before speaking once again. "I have no reason to be mad at you. I'm the one that left." Libby let silence linger between them as she bit her lip once again, perplexed. "Do you want to go back to my place?"

Merrock was a small town and its inhabitants loved to gossip, so Zoey already knew that there was going to be whispers about who the new guy in town was. "Homecooked meals made by your mom is such a comfort," she smiled at the other before shrugging her shoulders up a little bit. "Eh, the accent was a little clue. And the fact that I haven't seen you around before."

Merrock was kind of that town where everyone knew everyone, so it was always a treat whenever Xander could cross paths with someone he hadn't seen before. “Nice,” Xander spoke, leaning back against the booth he was in as he continued the conversation. “My mom’s a chef so I’m always biased to her food. I take it you’re a momma’s boy, too?”

stasia: hey :)