[They don't speak again before he leaves Amelia's house that day, but he does leave behind an apology, written on a paper napkin and tucked between the flowers on the counter. It's not much, he reasons, but for now, it will have to do.
After that, he gives her space. It's strange, to go even a day without some kind of exchange between them; he feels her absence keenly and continually traces his steps and recounts his words and actions to himself, analyzing his mistakes from every possible angle. When finals come a few days later, they're a welcome distraction, and almost keep him busy enough to keep his mind occupied. She still slips in, of course, especially if he'd caught a glimpse of her in the corridor, but he doesn't have anywhere near the amount of time to torment himself as he would otherwise.
It's not often that he spares Tara the details of his life, but she asks him where Professor Steinbeck has gotten to, he keeps things brief— she had already known about how he felt, but he keeps Amelia's history and the various contributing factors of their disagreement to himself. Some of it is not his to tell.
After finals, there's but the space of three days before he and Tara are slated to head up the coast to Neverwinter for the conference. Tara had taken it upon herself to take over the planning while Gale contends with wrapping up the semester for his heavy courseload; she makes arrangements for a place to stay just south of the city, with an extra day or two on either side so that they can both take advantage of a long weekend away from Waterdeep. Though the conference was meant to be the highlight of Gale's year, he finds that he isn't looking forward to it the way he had been, and even reworking his presentation is not enough to distract him entirely.
Things start to come apart the day before they're meant to leave. Tara has a sudden family matter that she can't ignore, but encourages Gale to drive up without her regardless, promising that she'll follow the next day and that their trip can then proceed as planned. Gale is resistant at first, insisting he doesn't mind waiting a day, but Tara is more stubborn still, and manages to use a tone of voice that Gale has never once dared to disagree with.
In the end, he drives those two hours up the coast on his own. As a result, his Friday evening is a bit quieter than planned, but the truth is that neither he nor Tara would have opted for anything much livelier had they gone forth with their original plans. The airbnb that Tara had booked is as charming as it was hospitable, and he settles in easily enough, taking time to become acquainted with the kitchen as he puts groceries away.
Eventually, he finds a place to make himself comfortable in the sitting room with a book and a cup of tea, though he feels as though he's simply turning pages. It's rare that he isn't able to focus on something like reading, but even now, with nearly two weeks having passed since he'd given Amelia cause to storm out of her own kitchen, he cannot stop thinking about what he wishes he had done differently— how things ought to have been, instead.
Perhaps he was destined to never get this sort of thing right.]
through the storm we reach the shore
After that, he gives her space. It's strange, to go even a day without some kind of exchange between them; he feels her absence keenly and continually traces his steps and recounts his words and actions to himself, analyzing his mistakes from every possible angle. When finals come a few days later, they're a welcome distraction, and almost keep him busy enough to keep his mind occupied. She still slips in, of course, especially if he'd caught a glimpse of her in the corridor, but he doesn't have anywhere near the amount of time to torment himself as he would otherwise.
It's not often that he spares Tara the details of his life, but she asks him where Professor Steinbeck has gotten to, he keeps things brief— she had already known about how he felt, but he keeps Amelia's history and the various contributing factors of their disagreement to himself. Some of it is not his to tell.
After finals, there's but the space of three days before he and Tara are slated to head up the coast to Neverwinter for the conference. Tara had taken it upon herself to take over the planning while Gale contends with wrapping up the semester for his heavy courseload; she makes arrangements for a place to stay just south of the city, with an extra day or two on either side so that they can both take advantage of a long weekend away from Waterdeep. Though the conference was meant to be the highlight of Gale's year, he finds that he isn't looking forward to it the way he had been, and even reworking his presentation is not enough to distract him entirely.
Things start to come apart the day before they're meant to leave. Tara has a sudden family matter that she can't ignore, but encourages Gale to drive up without her regardless, promising that she'll follow the next day and that their trip can then proceed as planned. Gale is resistant at first, insisting he doesn't mind waiting a day, but Tara is more stubborn still, and manages to use a tone of voice that Gale has never once dared to disagree with.
In the end, he drives those two hours up the coast on his own. As a result, his Friday evening is a bit quieter than planned, but the truth is that neither he nor Tara would have opted for anything much livelier had they gone forth with their original plans. The airbnb that Tara had booked is as charming as it was hospitable, and he settles in easily enough, taking time to become acquainted with the kitchen as he puts groceries away.
Eventually, he finds a place to make himself comfortable in the sitting room with a book and a cup of tea, though he feels as though he's simply turning pages. It's rare that he isn't able to focus on something like reading, but even now, with nearly two weeks having passed since he'd given Amelia cause to storm out of her own kitchen, he cannot stop thinking about what he wishes he had done differently— how things ought to have been, instead.
Perhaps he was destined to never get this sort of thing right.]