Carter checked his wristwatch. "Well, credits are rolling. I should probably hit the road."
"Alright, I'll walk you out," Felix said.
They left the condo together. When they exited the building, Carter spotted Fawn walking towards them.
"Hey," Carter called out with a grin. "My friend totally has the hots for you."
Felix immediately tugged hard at Carter's sleeve, whispering frantically, "Don't say that to her! Seriously, don't embarrass me in front of her!"
"Does he?" Fawn asked, stopping in front of them with a mysterious smile.
"Yeah, he talks about you non-stop-"
"Carter!" Felix whined, his face burning. He turned quickly to Fawn, his hands up defensively. "Fawn, I'm so sorry, just ignore what my friend says! It isn't true, I still have feelings for Nova—"
"That girl you paraded in front of me at the grocery store?"
Fawn's smile vanished, her voice cutting through the air coldly.
Felix swallowed hard. "Yeah. Her."
"She treated you like garbage," Fawn said flatly, her voice cutting straight through his excuse. "I don't know why you're wasting your time on someone who couldn't even manage to be polite to your friends."
"Fawn, she has every right to be furious with me," Felix defended weakly. "I completely screwed up, and I said things I shouldn't have—"
"Then she should be mature enough to accept an apology," Fawn countered, crossing her arms. "People make mistakes, Felix. It doesn't give her a free pass to treat you like that."
"Yeah, but we've known each other since the military base—"
"But you don't work with the military anymore," Fawn interrupted, her gaze narrowing. "Instead, you work for Jacob. If anything, you see more of me now and less of her."
"But we go way back," Felix protested, "and I only just took this job—"
"History only goes so far, Felix," Fawn said, taking a step toward him. "If she actually valued what you two had, she'd be trying to close the distance, not letting you drift away."
Carter chuckled, nudging Felix with an elbow. "Hard to argue with a solid critique, man. She kind of nailed it."
"Please," Felix muttered, flustered. "I'm trying to fix things with her. I know she'll come around eventually."
"She won't. Not when she treats you the way she does. Anyway, I'm heading in. See you at work."
Fawn left to enter the building.
Felix's eyes snapped to Carter. "Why would you say that to her out in the open like that?"
"Relax, man. I'm helping you out. You'll thank me later. I'll come by another night for the movie."
Carter left him there, and Felix swallowed hard, unsure if Fawn had been defending him… or just reminding him how far he'd fallen.