Danni felt hysterical, but she was managing to keep the worst of it from spilling over. At least he was listening to her. Zachary hadn't called her crazy, at least not to her face, and seemed to be interested in what she was saying. That was something at least. The rest of the table was still occupied and she hadn't touched her plate once since it arrived. Honestly she had forgotten all about it and she would feel bad about it later. Blake had brought her here and she wasn't being a very good guest; she didn't ask for these kinds of things to happen though.
"He has the tattoo Zachary." She answered, pulling down the sleeve of her cardigan to reveal the only tattoo she's ever gotten. A small Saturn tattoo in honor of what she thought was her late best friend. "He has the spaceship."
"The tattoo...?" Zachary asked, looking down at her wrist; of course he knew what she meant. He'd gone with her when she got the tattoo in memory of Connor. "You're sure? Same placement and everything?" Danni looked to be spiraling, he knew it well, but he wouldn't dare call her crazy for this. He knew she was still grieving, and grief from a loss like she'd been going through was incredibly hard. It made people see or hear things that other people wouldn't believe; he'd heard Elliott's grandmother talk about the signs people see after loss, through animals or sometimes even people. It was meant to be, as she'd said, a sign from those who were gone that they were okay and the person was there to help them move on. Or so she'd said. Zachary wasn't entirely sure how much he believed that himself, but he trusted Elliott's grandmother knew from some experience.
"We can go if you want. Or...at least get some air. I don't mind."
"Yes, the same wrist. The same exact placement." She replied, once more pointing to the tattoo on her wrist. It wasn't like she had been seeing things, at least she didn't think so. Now she was questioning herself. Maybe she had been seeing things? There wasn't anything wrong with her eyes, but her brain was another story. A lot was wrong up there. Was this a new symptom of her depression? It was going to suck if it was, she couldn't do this.
"I'm not seeing things. I'm not." Danni knew what she saw, she didn't want to think she was completely losing it. "I don't know."
"I never said you were seeing things," Zachary told her carefully, frowning a little. He couldn't say anything more, as their waiter returned to check on them. It would have been rude to talk about him right in front of him, and Zachary didn't want the attention. Cam, or Connor as Danni believed, came with refills for a few of them, chatting for a moment before he left them alone once more. He'd finally gotten a better look at his face and actually heard his voice this time (he'd been zoned out the last time he swung by); there were similarities, sure, but Zachary couldn't say for sure either way. He saw what Danni meant though, and even caught a glimpse of the tattoo.
"We can go outside," he suggested again; he wasn't sure what else would work. They didn't have a way home besides Blake, and the last thing he would offer was to get into a ride share.
Danni shook her head, it felt like she was doing that quite a bit tonight but it couldn't be helped. She wanted nothing more than to go confront Connor but what would that do? If he had survived the accident and didn't want her to know he was alive then he wasn't likely to admit it was him. All she would do was embarrass herself. Maybe going outside was the best option but she was trapped in the booth. Zachary was on her right side, Blake was on her left. There was no way to get out. Sure she could ask Blake to move, she just wasn't in the right mindset at the moment. All of this had really thrown her for a loop. "I don't know."
Zachary paused for a moment, trying to come up with the best way to handle this despite everything else going on. He reached for his phone, sending a text to Blake with his free hand to get him to look up at him. Of course, Blake did and Zachary gave him a look that he knew he would be able to decipher; one that quietly said to move and get up without making a big deal or saying anything. He nudged Danni towards the edge of the booth once Blake was up, following her out and taking the lead; he grabbed onto her arm gently, tugging her in the direction of the door. Once they were outside, he turned to face her. "You're sure it's him? And not just someone who conveniently looks like him?" He asked again, hoping to get more of an answer now that it was just the two of them.
Danni felt robotic as she moved. If not for Zachary she would have no clue where she was headed. The cool night air hit her in the face, cooling her down and clearing her mind. She still felt crazy, but she didn't feel as crazy as she had in there. It was easier to think, easier to breathe. Now that she was outside she felt okay, but her mind was still in chaos as she tried to make sense of this whole situation. Zachary was right in the fact that their waiter could just look like Connor, but the tattoo was too much of a coincidence for her to simply believe this wasn't him. "Zachary, how many people are going to have the same exact tattoo in the same exact spot? I know it's him." She answered, sounding sturdy for the first time since stepping out of the restaurant. Maybe she was crazy, but she really felt like there was something here.
"Why would he be under a new name? An entire new appearance? Or, better question, why would he let everyone think he's dead?" Zachary asked, watching her for a moment. If that was Connor, it made no sense to him why he was doing anything that he was doing. Wouldn't he have recognized them? Opted for another coworker to take their table? It felt strange to him, and he knew Danni felt the same way. "The tattoo is...weird. But he didn't even acknowledge us in a familiar way. I'm not so sure it's him." He didn't want to break Danni's hopes; he knew she'd secretly wished it was all a lie and she would wake up to Connor alive. But he knew he had to be real with her at the same time. "I...know you want it to be him. But what if it isn't?"
"I don'tknow, Zachary." Danni had all the same questions, but maybe the answer was a bit more simple than she realized. There was a reason for everything, her mother had always told her that. Even if the reason wasn't a good one. "Maybe he...maybe he doesn't care about me as much as I thought he did." It hurt to think so, but what else could explain the lack of acknowledgement? The lack of recognition? Connor had been her best friend for such a long time, but after he started dating Bailey he came around a lot less. What if it wasn't just the fact the she didn't want him around her, but that he didn't want to be around her? If only she could just go in there and ask him, she wasn't sure she had the strength in her to do so. To find out that he never cared about her, or Zachary. The three of them had been reasonably close. "I just know that's his tattoo Zachary..."
"Don't say that," Zachary immediately said, shutting down that idea. Neither of them needed to deal with Danni doubting her entire friendship with her best friend she'd been in love with for years, especially with the uncertainty of getting an answer. Connor was, as far as they knew, dead; there was no way to tell that if Danni started to doubt their relationship now. Even if Connor was there and their waiter, things didn't add up; if he'd never actually cared for either of them, there would have been more telling signs throughout their friendship. Zachary picked up little intricacies in his friends behaviors and in their demeanors, he'd always been good at that but to him Connor had always been genuine. Sure he'd entered Danni's life after Connor and joined their already strong friendship late, but Connor was welcoming and warm even to him who'd been dealt every bad card that made him hesitant of new people. He sighed a little, nodding. "Okay. Say it's his tattoo. What are we supposed to do then? Keep coming here? We...can't confront him about it."
Danni didn't know what else to think. Before Bailey Connor had always been there for her when it mattered the most, but what if he had resented all of it? It was hard to not think like this, logic went out the window when she felt this panicked. They could stand here all night arguing about it, but there was no way to get any answers without talking to the waiter. She didn't even know where to begin, how did one bring that up in a conversation? This guy could completely embarrass her, there was no winning. And coming back? She didn't go out on her own to begin with, and how was to explain why she didn't want to come here again? Zachary already seemed to think she lost her mind in some way, she didn't need the others judging her too. This was a messed up situation and she had no idea how to answer. She just stayed silent, looking through the glass of the restaurant towards their waiter. It makes no sense, but it has to be...
"I don't know what you want to do, Danni. You have to talk to me. Are you...sure you want to stay here for the rest of the meal?" Zachary asked after a long moment of silence that passed between them. Even through his abusive relationship with Bailey, Connor had always put Danni first and made sure she was okay before he did himself. Which...sounded oddly familiar but he chose to ignore that fact for later. "Blake won't mind. He'll come back with us. Elliott...he'll take care of the others." He knew their friends were going to have some questions if and when they left early. They always did, and as much as he knew they meant well, Chad and Mae could be horrible gossips; it was just how they were. If they heard anything about what Danni was telling him, he knew they wouldn't be able to keep their mouths shut. Not that they were going to treat her badly for what she was thinking about Connor and the waiter, no they were too chatty and would wind up saying something to him this time. Zachary tried once more. "Do you want to go or stay?"
Danni didn't seem to hear a word Zachary said as she moved back towards the entrance of the restaurant, her gaze on the waiter. She couldn't shake the feeling that she knew him, that he was Connor, and how else was she going to find out unless she talked to him? Even if he denied it, that would be some sort of answer right? That he didn't care? What if it isn't him though? What if Zachary is right and I'm wrong? That would be embarrassing, she wasn't sure what she would do then. There was no use in guessing what would happen, these thoughts didn't even seem to deter her as she approached the waiter though, catching him just before he vanished into the back where she was sure he had more orders waiting to be delivered to waiting patrons. What she should say she had no idea, wishing she had taken more time to think about it before she came over here, but it was too late to turn back now. "Connor? How are you still alive?" She blurted out before she could stop herself, looking at the guy in front of her. He looked so familiar; his hair was different sure, but his eyes...they looked the exact same...
"Danni, wait一" Zachary said frantically, trying to reach out to grab her before she left him behind but she was too fast for him. His breath caught in his throat as a familiar surge of panic came, his legs moving him after Danni before he even realized it. He saw her in the distance, passing by their table and catching the attention of Elliott in particular. Once he spotted Zachary, he excused himself to meet him halfway. Zachary tried to peer around him, to see where Danni had gone, but Elliott held him in place. He briefly heard something about him needing to sit down, letting himself be led back to the table though his eyes never left Danni and their waiter.
Their waiter, Cam, had been on his way back from bringing the check to one of his tables and another's food when someone stood in front of him. She blocked his way to go bak and take his break, though he wasn't going to be rude; that wasn't like him. Plus, he quickly recognized her from one of his tables. "Um, hi? I think you have the wrong person, my name's Cam. Is there something I can do for you?"
Danni couldn't understand. Of course she heard the words that left his mouth, but it made no sense. How could someone who looked so much like someone she knew, not be them? Their hair was different sure but dye existed. Her hair was way too dark to ever experiment. Bleach was pretty damaging she heard. Why she was thinking about that now she didn't know; things were blurring together in her head and she didn't know if she wanted to throw up or cry. Both maybe. "No, you have the Saturn tattoo. Only Connor has that tattoo." She felt ridiculous; tomorrow she would wake up and feel embarrassed about this, but her mind right now told her that this was Connor. That this had to be Connor. "You have to be him, you look exactly like him...and the tattoo..." Maybe this was just some bad dream. She used to have a lot of them in the months after Connor died. It's been awhile since she's had one and most of them had been seeing him die in multiple different ways, but maybe the stress she's been under lately had something to do with it. The only problem was that it didn't feel like a dream; she didn't know which possibility was worse. Her having nightmares again, or the fact she was harassing a possibly innocent guy.