[Kitsumi]

Meanwhile, out in the living room, Jack was in a similar position: elbows on his knees, head in his hands. He hated seeing Callie so worn down and defeated. She was such an incredible woman, beautiful inside and out. How could anyone have wanted to hurt her, the way that he had?

[Kitsumi]

Jack wished that he knew how to help his friend. He wanted to see her laugh and smile, the way that she had before she had ever met him. She had been so hopeful and full of joy. Now she seemed bitter, and her walls were definitely up. Even with Jack, who had known her since kindergarten.

[Kitsumi]

Lost in his thoughts, it took a moment for Jack to notice the loud buzz coming from the front door. He quickly jogged over, pushing the intercom button. Once he had confirmed that the person at the door was the pizza delivery person, he pressed the button to open the front door of the building.

[Kitsumi]

Callie bolted upright when she felt the door at her back vibrating from Jack's knocking. "Callie, pizza's here," he called through the door.

"Okay," she said, crawling away from the door, hoping that he wouldn't guess what she had been doing. "I'll be right out. Just gonna change my clothes really quick."

[Kitsumi]

After she had exchanged her jeans for pajama shorts and donned an oversized t-shirt, Callie exited the room. To her surprise, she noticed that candles were lit in the living room, the television was showing the title screen for her favorite movie, and Jack stood in the middle of it all - holding a wine glass of code red mountain dew.

[Kitsumi]

"I thought you could use a night of self indulgence," the man said. "If you want to be alone, I can go to a friend's place for a few hours. Or if you want some company, I'm here for you. Just let me know what you need, and I'll do my best to accommodate."

[Kitsumi]

The sound that escaped Callie's lips was half sob, half laughter. "I should have known you would pull some kind of cheesy shit like this," she said, shaking her head. But the smile on her face was impossible to hide, and showed how happy she was. "Would you mind staying... please?"

[Kitsumi]

"Of course," he said, handing her the wine glass. "After all, I've totally been wanting to watch this movie."

Callie rolled her eyes, knowing that he hated horror, although it was her favorite genre. "Oh, yeah, sure," she said sarcastically. "You know, you don't have to lie to make me feel better."

[Kitsumi]

"I would never," Jack insisted, winking playfully. "Here, you go sit down on the couch, and I'll bring your pizza and breadsticks to you. One slice or two?"

After a pause, Callie shrugged. "Ah, what the hell. Make it three slices. I'm gonna treat myself tonight."

Jack grinned. "That's the spirit!"

[Kitsumi]

Once again, the two found themselves together on the couch. Only this time, Callie was kind enough to sit up and allow Jack plenty of room. Rather, she couldn't eat her pizza while laying down and was therefore forced to sit up and do it, giving him the chance to claim his own spot.

[Kitsumi]

Eating pizza comfortably beside her best friend, not worrying if there was sauce on her face or if her bites were too big, Callie realized just how much she had missed this. Her ex had tried to isolate her from everyone she loved and trusted. Now she realized the reason behind that.

[Kitsumi]

If Callie had remembered what it was like to feel safe with someone, she would have realized how unhealthy her relationship with him was. Her unhappiness would have been so much more noticeable if she could remember what happiness felt like. So he had isolated her, so that all she would know was his torment.

[Kitsumi]

But she was free now. She didn't need to keep dwelling on the past. Yes, she had made a mistake, and had continued to make things worse for herself by staying in that situation. But if she chose to keep focusing on those mistakes, and feeling bad for herself, she would be the one keeping herself from happiness.

[Kitsumi]

"Hey, you okay?" Jack's voice broke through her thoughts, causing Callie to look at him. "This is like, one of your favorite scenes, but you aren't even paying attention."

"Sorry," she replied. "I was just thinking."

Grabbing the remote, the male paused the movie. "Do you wanna talk about it?"

[Kitsumi]

Callie shrugged. "Honestly, I'm not sure how to explain it," she said. "I guess I was just thinking about how I'm free now. I can let myself feel happy, and I don't have to keep beating myself up over the past."

Slowly, Jack began to smile. "That's right," he said. "Absolutely right."