"Great to meet you both. If you have resumes, I'd be happy to take them. And make sure to grab a pen!"

Ray shook Kaitlyn's hand with a firm, practiced motion before doing the same to Elliot. Behind them, the bustling crowd of the Hartland University career fair filled the hall with a steady din of conversation. Once more, she thanked the Theranuc recruiter before handing him a sheet of paper. His eyebrows rose as he skimmed it. "This is certainly a lot of CS experience. Are you sure you're a Bio major?"

Kaitlyn gave him an amused nod. "I am. I really should have updated it with more of my lab work, but…"

…It's not like I'm actually getting a Theranuc job anytime soon. Not like I'd want one. My other options are good enough for me, and I suspect that working remote wouldn't be too easy in a lab position.

"Well, I'll certainly show this to some of our more tech-inclined folks," Ray chuckled. "Though I'm sure that our science division would be happy to have you as well."

As his attention turned to Elliot's outstretched resume, the man's eyebrows rose even higher. "That's a unique last name. If you don't mind me asking, do you have any relation to…?"

"Yeah," Elliot twirled his new pipette pen between his fingers. "We're related."

"Ah!" Ray's face brightened. "Well, especially nice to meet you then!"

"You too. Have a great day."

With that, the pair headed off, melding once again into the crowd of students milling about. The career fair was in full swing, meaning that the already narrow aisles were packed full. They stayed near the edges of the crowd where it was easier to maneuver, meaning that Kaitlyn didn't have to duck and dodge through the mess at the center.

Thank goodness. I know Elliot doesn't need to be on the edge like this, which just makes me appreciate it more. He's being pretty thoughtful.

"Interesting."

"Hmm?" Kaitlyn's head swiveled from side to side to ensure she didn't bump into anyone.

"You're not going to ask about what happened back there?"

Mentally, she cursed herself. Shoot. I should have, shouldn't I?

"What do you mean?" She asked innocently. The last time this had happened, not knowing had worked out well for her. Maybe she could replicate that situation again?

Her hopes shattered as Elliot gave her a look. "You know, you're an absolutely terrible liar. Honestly, I don't know if you could look more shady if you tried."

Kaitlyn's shoulders slumped. So much for that plan. Now she probably looked even more suspicious. Worse, Elliot's expression suggested that he was already coming to his own conclusions about her silence.

Dangit. Well… guess I have to fess up, huh?

"...Ok, fine," she admitted reluctantly. "Yeah, I already knew about your dad. I just… it didn't seem like something you really shared too openly, so…"

"...So you decided to try and pretend that you didn't know instead?"

"I was just trying to be polite!" Kaitlyn objected. "Respect your privacy and all that. It didn't seem like something you wanted to talk about so… don't make it seem like I'm some kind of weird stalker."

"Mm." Elliot looked over the crowd. "Well, regardless, I think that's the last booth I wanted to look at. Any more you'd like to see?"

"No, I'm good. We can head out whenever."

The pair made their way toward the exit in silence. Their once companionable conversation now seemed impossibly out of reach, given the gulf of unspoken distance that had suddenly opened. Kaitlyn couldn't help but kick herself.

Dangit. Dangit, dangit, dangit. I really messed up, didn't I?

She'd completely forgotten about that particular interaction. Learning about Elliot's last name for the first time had been straightforward before, when she was legitimately surprised by the revelation. But now that she did know, she should have planned for what to say in response.

Because it had slipped her mind, the conversations had caught her off guard. The result was her trying to fall back on what was familiar and saying what felt like precisely the wrong thing. Even worse, she still didn't know what the right thing to say would have been.

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Not trying to lie to him, obviously. Even if I weren't an awful liar, that's just not going to fly with Elliot. But what was I supposed to say? "Yeah, I know your dad's a big deal but I don't really care?" Yeah, like that will come off as genuine. Even if it IS true.

Maybe she should have brought the matter up earlier, on her own terms? Only, that also felt wrong. Elliot was pretty private about his personal life, and insisting on dragging its details into light had every reason to make him close up further. Not to mention that it might actually make her look like a stalker.

The more she thought about it, the more she realized it would be a problem. Her originally oblivious reaction had felt pretty key in getting the guy's friendship ending. If she couldn't replicate it…

…Maybe it's not a requirement for the romance ending. I mean, Ian's romance and friendship endings took pretty different paths. Or even if it WAS important, maybe there are other ways around it?

Kaitlyn chewed on her lip. She certainly hoped that was the case. Otherwise, it might be better to avoid the career fair entirely.

I'll have to think of better ways to approach that situation. I did flub it pretty bad, in hindsight, so I don't doubt there's better options. Still… if I can't manage to get it right, then maybe I'll have to rethink a lot more than just this encounter.

Sighing inwardly, she followed Elliot to the door.

***

"Welcome in, honey! Have a seat, I'll be right with you."

Kaitlyn waved to Chella as before settling in at her usual table. The woman bustled about the dining room in a flurry of activity, serving and collecting all manner of plates, menus, orders, and everything else in between.

It's a bit busier tonight. Maybe I should've called ahead to reserve a seat… Something to think about in the future.

As she waited, her gaze took in the restaurant's front area and the diners that occupied it. A familiar crowd of boisterous and hungry patrons filled the tables with companionable conversations and laughter. But despite the now familiar homey environment, something felt off. It took a moment for her to recognize what it was.

…Where's Philip?

Initially, she'd assumed that the raven-haired server was merely busy in the back. However, as time went on, he never appeared. Her confusion only heightened when Chella came over to her table.

"Hope you're having a good evening, sweetie," Chella beamed at her, producing a chilled pitcher of water and pouring some into Kaitlyn's cup. "We're always glad to see you. Anything I can start you off with tonight?"

"Yeah, of course. I'd like the bruschetta please. But…" Her brow furrowed in confusion. "Is Philip out or something? I've never seen you serving this many tables."

"Ah, yes." Chella's face fell. "He's… not in today."

Kaitlyn blinked in surprise. "He's not? Is he sick or something?"

Serena's birthday was still weeks out, so it didn't make sense for him to be gone yet. She also couldn't remember a single other day that the guy had missed work like this, not in all her loops working here.

Chella's expression mirrored her own. "I'm just as surprised as you. The truth is… well, we don't know."

"You don't know? What do you mean?"

The woman spread her hands helplessly. "We simply don't know. He wasn't in yesterday either, and I haven't heard a word from him about it. That's what's really got me worried."

Kaitlyn's frown deepened with every word. She's right to be worried. That's… completely unprecedented. Is he ok? Did something happen?

When she voiced her concern, the portly woman shook her head. "I wish I could say. Maybe he's ill, but that's never kept him away before. Why, my husband's had to chase him out of the kitchen and send him home a few times! So the fact that he won't even pick up his phone… well, it's enough to make a woman's imagination run away with itself."

He's not picking up his phone, either?

"Oh, but look at me babbling." Chella gave a long sigh. "I shouldn't be troubling you with all this. I'll put that bruschetta in for you and bring back some bread to get you started."

"Right! Sorry to keep you."

With that, Chella whirled off to see to the rest of her customers. Still, her words left Kaitlyn more than a little disturbed.

What's going on?

It was easy to see how Chella's thoughts had run away with her. It was hard to keep herself from imagining worst-case scenarios of Philip in the hospital or in a deep coma. Still, even more than what had happened, the even bigger question was why? This was a completely new development unlike anything she'd encountered when actually pursuing his endings. So what had triggered it?

…He could have just quit. I mean, I did leave him some pretty massive tips. Maybe he's just spending some time with his family, cutting back on work? It really doesn't feel like his style to just walk out, but…

Frowning, Kaitlyn pulled out her phone. There wasn't too much she could do about it right now. But at least she could confirm a few things.

Kaitlyn: Hey! I saw your flyer. I'm interested in getting some tutoring for Calculus. Are you available?

She shot off the message with a tap of her thumb. It wasn't likely to work. They had never been in contact this time around, so this message might as well have been from a completely random person. If the guy wasn't answering Chella, then the chances he'd respond to this were incredibly slim. Still, she'd never known him to delay in responding, especially when tutoring was involved.

The meal continued uneventfully, with Chella far too busy to make more than idle conversation. Every few minutes, she checked her phone to see whether Philip had miraculously responded, but to no avail. It was as silent and still as a rock. The worry ate away at her to the point that even Scarra's food tasted flavorless in her mouth.

Ok. Seriously. This is going to haunt me if I don't do something. Maybe it's completely overstepping, but… if this is somehow my fault…

With a sigh, Kaitlyn pulled out her phone one more time—this time, to message one of her suitemates.

Kaitlyn: Hey Val! Sorry to be a bother, but I have a massive favor to ask. Can you give me a ride?