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Duncan loved Gwen. He had no problem with that, with them. He wanted to be with her, in all her pasty glory. He loved waking up next to her in the mornings, loved spending time with her, loved everything about her.
He just wished it had started differently. Duncan knew he had cheated on Courtney. Knew it full well, knew that he was in the wrong. And he regretted it. Regretted hurting her. He hated remembering her face when she had found out. How broken she had looked, how heartbroken she had been. How furious she’d gotten.
He had known he had fucked up. He knew that, he lived with that. He regretted it.
He knew he should have broken up with her before starting anything. But he was a teenager. He was seventeen. Seventeen year olds, especially those who have been in and out of Juvy since they were fourteen, aren’t known for making the best life choices.
But that isn’t an excuse when somebody else is suffering because of the choices you made.
Duncan loved Gwen. Had loved her for five years, and was sure he would love her for more. But he needed to make up for his past actions.
So, he texted Bridgette, the only one of them who had actively made sure to keep in touch with everyone. He asked for Courtney’s number, saying he wanted to make amends. She had agreed.
He told Gwen his plans. She had agreed. She always wished she had been able to make amends with Courtney, having felt so guilty. But she wouldn’t reach out. Maybe it was pride. Maybe it was nervousness. Maybe it was because she knew Courtney didn’t want to hear from her.
Duncan understood that. He also understood that he needed to do this. Otherwise, he would never get over his guilt. He sent a simple text, nothing special. He knew she lived somewhere in L.A, same as him and Gwen. He was willing to drive for a bit, if it would ease his guilt.
Hey. It’s Duncan. I just wanted to talk, to make things up to you. Coffee?
Less than five minutes later, he had gotten a response.
Fine. Starbucks. Monday, noon. I’ll text you the address.
It wasn’t much, but it was a start.
Because while Duncan loved Gwen, it didn’t mean he liked how they had started.