#she sat on my lap and proceeded to tease me for a solid hour until

[weevil-wallflower]

Theodore’s self-appointed mission

Warnings: Drugging, murder, suicide mention, a lil bit of gore.

Wordcount: 3,498

A/N: To say goodbye to October, I decided to write a little story for the last day of Goretober with the prompts: serial killer + drugged + nightmare + bleeding out + death. All the characters that I used are my own. I didn’t do a good job of describing them so you can see what two of my main OC’s look like below.

Left is Zinnia & right is Theodore. Enjoy the story uwu.

Her body was wracked with shivers as she tried to lock the barn doors. But alas, her hands shook so badly that she gave up, and instead, hid in the further back corner in the darkness, behind the haystack and hoped her date wouldn’t find her. Was this punishment for what she did...?

The barn doors whipped back and forth due to the howling wind outside. The resultant banging reverberated in the barn. The woman clamped a hand over her mouth to muffle her frightened whimpers and blindly stepped backwards. Her back came in contact with something solid which she thought was the wall at first. But the rational part of her mind reasoned that she was nowhere near the wall. She knew this barn like the back of her hand. Her mind kept screaming at her to run but her body was frozen in fear. She had only managed to turn around and pleadingly glance up at him when her life flashed before her eyes.

-- A FEW HOURS EARLIER --

“Oh my God, Zinnia I swear I will kill you if you--”

“--Oops. Too late!” Zinnia cut her boyfriend off when she scored a win in the multiplayer video game, they both were playing. “Can’t kill me when you’re dead, Teddy.” She couldn’t help but tease, especially when Theodore, or Teddy as she liked to call him, pulled such a cute face whenever he lost. Her smile dimmed quite a bit when she watched him pull out his phone and stare intently at the screen. She knew what it meant.

“I’m so sorry, luv. But I have to go to work in a bit.” He looked at her apologetically, which did nothing to stop her disappointment.

“But you said you’d spend the entire day with me! Do you know how rare that is?” She whined and sprawled on his lap with that pout he always found so adorable. And rare it was indeed, considering both of them had fulltime jobs.

“I know honey, but you know how working in a hospital can be…” Her boyfriend looked down at her, gently combing his fingers through her long hair. “I can spare an hour if it’s any consolation. How about a cup of tea? I could seriously use one after that horrible defeat.”

“You just need an excuse to drink tea,” Zinnia giggled as she got off of him, which turned into full-blown laughter at the look of mock annoyance he shot back at her while walking towards the kitchen, “Don’t get sassy with me you tiny little pixie!”

Very soon, Theodore returned with two cups of tea and handed her one before sitting down next to her. “Six teaspoons of honey, just as you like it Milady.”

“You know me so well,” She happily accepted the cup and they both sat there, in comfortable silence, drinking their tea.

After she’d drank more than half of her tea, her cup was midway to her lips for another sip when a feeling of intense drowsiness washed over her. She reached over to place her cup on the table, the little movement enough to make her head spin. She frowned and clutched at her forehead, her eyes screwed shut.

“What’s wrong?” Theodore immediately looked concerned as he placed down his cup and directed all his attention towards her.

“I-I don’t kn-know. I feel tired and d-…dizzy a-all of a sudden,” she replied in a slurred voice, “m-maybe I…need to lie d-down.” She tried to stand with the intention to walk to her room, but it aggravated her dizziness even more. Her lashes fluttered as she felt faint. She would’ve fallen if not for her boyfriend.

“Hey, easy there,” he steadied her with his hands on her shoulders. “I’ll take you to your room. I told you that you haven’t been getting enough rest…” he chided.

She barely managed to nod before losing consciousness. Her limp body slumped against his. But Theodore did not appear to be worried about her sudden loss of consciousness one bit. Instead, he placed his arms around her and gently picked her up, holding her close to his body. He entered her room and lowered her into the bed. He tucked the blanket around her securely and leaned down, kissing her on the forehead before leaving the house.

His mind was still focused on Zinnia while he drove to his destination. He knew very well what he did was wrong. He drugged her tea. But he had to. What he was about to do was extremely risky. Not risky in a sense that he was afraid of doing it or afraid of being caught. Oh no, never that. He had been doing this for many years. He had an entire decade of experience on his hands. What he truly feared was Zinnia finding out what he does. What he has been doing all these years before he met here. Because if she somehow did, it would scare her away. And he would lose her. That is what he was truly afraid of. Which was a very new feeling to him. Never before had he ever been worried about someone finding out his secret. He would simply dispose of those who did. But not Zinnia. She was different, despite him mistaking her for being like those other women when he first met her. The more he got to know her over the past year, he realised just how different she is and how much he loves her. He didn’t know what he would do if he ever lost her. Thus because of what he’s about to do, he had to find a way to make sure she would not be even remotely suspicious of him. He would be gone the entire day and hoped the drug would keep her under during that time. He would be able to do his job efficiently without having to worry about her.

~

Theodore met with his “date” Tiffany, at her family’s farmhouse. The blonde woman insisted that their first one be in someplace intimate. He inwardly scoffed in disgust. An “intimate” dinner with him despite her having a fiancé and knowing that he has a girlfriend. Women like her, those willing to betray their partners, whether it be for wealth or sex, they clearly did not deserve the life they were given. They only end up hurting their loved ones. And for Tiffany, it was the former. Seeing how much money he earned as a neurosurgeon, she was willing to deceive her loving fiancé just for the sake of that. She first met him in the hospital he’s employed in when she visited her ill mother. He rejected her advances at first, even telling her that he has a girlfriend. But that did nothing except make her more determined. So here he was, sitting at a table across from her, having a “very lovely” dinner date at her family’s farmhouse. He was already starting to miss Zinnia. He felt utterly miserable and just wanted to go home and cuddle his sweet girlfriend…

“Theodore? Hellooo!” He was snapped out of his thoughts by Tiffany waving a hand in front of his face, her blue eyes stared at him a bit suspiciously. “You there?”

“Oh of course. Where else would I be?” He tried at a convincing smile, despite how forced it felt. It was convincing enough though, as Tiffany just giggled and said, “You looked a bit lost there. Anyway--”

“--Oh, looks like we need more wine. Let me go and fetch it for you.” He did not wait for her response before leaving his seat and striding towards the kitchen. He could not bear this any longer. He had to finish it.

Once there, he pulled out a pair of elbow-length nitrile gloves from his trousers pocket and proceeded to put them on before grabbing the largest chef knife he could find. But he was hasty, unfortunately, and didn’t think about the fact that Tiffany could’ve followed him, which she did, evident by the shocked gasp he heard from the door’s direction. “Theodore…what are you doing?”

No point in denying now. “I’m sorry, Tiffany. But I must do this.” With that, he started to walk towards her, the knife held threateningly in his hand.

The woman’s flight or fight response kicked in and she fled. In her panicked stated, she made the biggest mistake of her life, one that will cost her. She left her phone lying on the dining table where they both previously had dinner, as she dashed out of the farmhouse, heading towards the barn. ‘Maybe I can hide there…’

As soon as Tiffany hid behind the haystack in the far back, she inwardly cursed as she realised, she had left her phone back at the house. Nor did she have the keys to her car. She had no way to call for help and wouldn’t be able to escape on foot. ‘Not without him chasing me down,’ she shuddered. All she could do was hide and hope he won’t be able to find her. She had no way of predicting that Theodore of all people could turn out to be a psychopathic murderer. He appeared so normal.

 ~

Theodore cursed and gave chase when she ran away. It was his own fault. He was too careless. Too impatient. But perhaps it would turn out to be a good challenge. He noticed her phone on the table while exiting the house. Perfect.

As soon as he stepped out into the porch, he spied an axe not too far away, innocently sitting among a pile of chopped wood. That suited him well. ‘Much better than the knife,’ The man thought as he replaced his knife with the axe. ‘Now where could she have run off to?’ He looked around, inspecting his surroundings. The farmhouse was quite isolated. No sign of life aside from the farm animals. She couldn’t have gone far without him noticing. There was a barn not too far from the house. He had a feeling that’s where she ran off to.

 ~

Tiffany had no idea how long she had been waiting. It had been some time, considering her eyes had somewhat adjusted to the darkness within the barn. Her body shook with fright and each passing minute made her more distressed. The howling wind outside did nothing to calm her nerves. She didn’t know what to do! She couldn’t decide whether she should make a run for it or continue to hide here. Lost in her thoughts, she didn’t see nor hear Theodore come up behind her with an axe until it was too late. She had only managed to turn around and let out a scream when he swung the axe at her and managed to strike her in the neck, severing her carotid artery. Almost instantly, blood gushed out of the gaping wound. Tiffany collapsed on the crimson pool her blood had created. As she lay there, her blood continued to gush out in time with the beating of her heart. At first, it came thick and strong, flowing through her fingers as they clasped the ripped flesh of her neck but no matter the pressure she applied, the blood still seeped between her fingers and oozed under her hand. After a few moments more, the blood still continued to flow out of her rapidly paling flesh, but the pulses were slower, weaker. She gurgled, trying to call out for help but alas, her breathing became slower with each passing second until it stopped completely. Her blood-soaked hand fell limp and her eyes stared vacantly up at the roof.

During that entire time, Theodore stood over her, keeping his eyes on her to make certain that she doesn’t survive. Not that there were any chances of her surviving after sustaining a fatal injury like that, but he liked to be thorough. He finally looked down and took notice of the blood splatters on his clothes. ‘Great. Just brilliant. I’ll have to dispose of this suit as well.’

“Tiff, you here?” A man’s voice called out from the barn entrance. “You’re not in the house, I guessed you’d be here…”

Theodore whipped his head towards his direction. ‘Damnit!’ He quickly but silently moved towards the other side of the barn, taking cover behind the hay bales. He spied a barn rope conveniently hanging from a beam which gave him an idea. ‘I just might be able to pull this off.’ The lack of any light inside the barn helped to keep him hidden as well. Glancing from around the corner, he spotted Jesse, Tiffany’s fiancé. He’d met the man a few times when he came along with Tiffany to visit her mother at the hospital.

“Tiff, you…” Jesse stepped deeper into the barn and shined his phone’s flashlight on the woman’s gory body. A chocked gasp escaped him. “T-Tiff…” His body trembled and his hands went slack from the shock causing him to drop his phone. That was when Theodore attacked. He stealthily walked behind Jesse and used the barn rope as a garrotte by twisting it around his neck, cutting off his air supply. Jesse’s mouth fell open, a strangled scream escaping him before he was rendered silent as the other man tightened the rope even further. Eyes wide with fear, he flailed his legs and struggled wildly but Theodore’s grip was too strong to escape from. Not to say that Jesse wasn’t a strong man himself. Standing at well over 6’2”, he would’ve successfully escaped if Theodore didn’t have the element of surprise and over a decade of experience on his hands.

Jesse clawed his fingers at the rope uselessly, his thrashing becoming more frantic, more desperate as his lungs started to ache for air. His movements slowly turned sluggish and his mind grew hazy, the edge of his vision going dark. Soon enough, his breathing stopped completely, and his body went limp. Theodore lowered him into the ground and wasted no time as he went about tying a noose around his neck. He threw the other end of the rope over one of the hanging beams and pulled until Jesse’s body hung at a reasonable height, finishing off with securely tying that end of the rope around one of the wooden pillars. Of course, he also moved one of the wooden stools under his hanging body to complete the whole “suicide scene”. And finally, he picked up the axe and forced Jesse’s limp hands to curl around its handle before placing it back next to Tiffany’s corpse. Now whenever the police would conduct their investigation, they would have enough “evidence” to conclude that Jesse murdered his fiancé before committing suicide. It was brilliant.

 ~

Zinnia was lost. Wherever she looked, she could only see a vast, grassy field. She had been walking for so long, but nothing changed. After what felt like hours of aimlessly wandering around, she was relieved to see a familiar figure in the distance. It was Theodore, standing still with his back to her. She started in his direction called out to him, but he remained silent and unmoving. When she stood right behind him, one hand reached up and held his shoulder to gently make him turn around. What she saw made her gasp and take a step back, shocked to silence. Theodore stood in front of her, holding out a human heart in his blood-soaked hand as if offering it to her. It was his own heard, bloody and still beating as steadily as ever. The gaping hole in the centre of his chest, gushing out copious amounts of blood was evidence of that. It spilt to the ground, staining the grass a deep crimson.

“W-What…what…is this…?” As soon as she began to speak, her lips trembled, and tears stung her eyes. It was a horrible sight, but no matter how much she wanted, she couldn’t look away.

Theodore stared at her so intensely, it felt like he was looking into her soul. He spoke up in a monotonous voice. “You’re the one, Zinnia. You did what no one else could. You stole my heart.”

“N-No one else…?” The young woman shook her head in confusion. She had no idea what he was talking about. Her added confusion wasn’t helping with her rising anxiety. “What d-do…what do you--”

--At that moment, she happened to glance down, unable to maintain eye contact with his unblinking gaze any longer. Instead of the grassy field, they both stood upon a (bed of corpses? Or something). Whimpering in fright, everywhere she turned, she could see nothing but dead bodies. Bloody and torn up, some missing limbs. Of the few she was able to identify, most were women; some men.

“They all failed…”

Theodore’s voice faded in the distance as Zinnia’s eyes snapped open. Heart pounding, she noticed she was laying in her bed, which she did not remember doing so in the first place. Slowly, she sat up in a sitting position and hazily looked around the dark room feeling as though she was still in a dream. Her body shook and her breathing was shallow. Whilst she tried to calm herself, she slowly lifted a hand to see why her cheeks felt wet. It was tears. She had woken up crying.

‘Teddy!’ She was fully awake now, filled with worry for her boyfriend as she remembered the horrifying image, she saw in her nightmare. He wasn’t in her room and one glance out the window confirmed it was night-time now. She scrambled to get out of bed as fast as she could to look for him. ‘He’s gotta be okay!’ Her mind kept chanting as she searched for him all over her house. But with every minute that passed, her anxiety increased. She couldn’t find him anywhere! He should’ve been back from work by now. Zinnia’s dream had left her feeling worried about her boyfriend and now she was full-on panicking. Her body trembled, and her heart felt like it would burst out of her chest. She felt like she was suffocating. She slumped against the wall where she stood and just dropped down to the floor and curled in on herself, wrapping her arms around her knees and resting her head over them with her eyes closed tightly.

The young woman took deep breaths to try and calm herself down, when she heard a flutter close by, followed by a chirp, “Zee!”

Zinnia lifted up her tear-stained face and turned her head to see her cockatoo right next to her on the floor, looking up at her with a tilted head as if to see if she was okay. “Oh Tweety…” Having a familiar face close to her, even if it was her bird, helped her calm down.

She continued to sit there for the next few minutes, gently stroking Tweety’s soft feathers from time to time. Finally, she stood up and did what she would’ve done initially if she wasn’t so distraught and panic-stricken. She got her phone and called Theodore.

 ~

Just as Theodore was done setting up the “murder-suicide” scene, his phone went off. Frowning, he checked and to his surprise, it was Zinnia. The drug must’ve worn off. It took him a bit longer than expected due to a minor setback, aka, the fiancé. But it all worked out in the end. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself down, the adrenalin still rushing through his blood, before accepting her call. “Hey, luv! Ho--”

“--Theodore, hi! I-I must’ve dozed off and I c-can’t believe it’s been the whole day! I woke up and you weren’t there. I just…I just got worried…” She chose not to mention her nightmare.

‘She really is worried.’ He couldn’t help but smile. She only called him “Theodore” when she was either serious or worried. “Honey, I’m alright. I’m so sorry for making you worry. There was a minor setback during the surgery but I’m making my way back home now.” He replied in a soft, soothing voice, a huge contradiction to what he did mere minutes earlier.

Zinnia breathed a sigh of relief. “Okay, okay…good. I’ll make dinner the--"

“--Oh no, dinner’s on me tonight. It’s the least I can do after making you worry.”

“Yeah…I’d like that. I’ll be waiting, Teddy.”

Ah, there was that sweet smile in her voice. It automatically made him smile as well. “I’ll be home soon. I love you.”

“Love you too!”

After the phone call was over, he glanced at his blood-splattered clothes for a second time. That wouldn’t do. He can’t go to his girlfriend looking like this. He will have to drive to his house first to get cleaned up. And without wasting any more time, he left soon after disposing of any evidence that he was here. After all, she was expecting him for dinner.

~

A/N: I hope you enjoyed uwu

Credit for the pictures goes to these wonderful picrews: Link 1 & Link 2

[fa-nfiction]

Thunder #28

September 18th, 2015

“If you’re here on behalf of him, I’m going to kindly ask you to get the fuck out.”

Yasmin’s eyes widened slightly at my unusual greeting, but I kept my resolve and stared at her as if her being here was the most unlikely thing to ever happen. Of course, she looked like a goddess as usual, and here I was, my hair in a greasy mess and with coffee stains on my pajamas.

“And a good morning to you, too, Cassandra. Damn.” She wasn’t put down by my insult and strode directly past me and into my living room. I followed suit, dumbfounded.

“I brought breakfast. Croissants. And a bagel for baby T. Where is the little rascal? Asleep, or?”

“My mom is taking him for a stroll. And thanks. He’s not eating solids yet, though.” Again, I looked at Yasmin dumbfounded, wondering what she was even doing here.

“Ah. More food for us, then. Should I put on a kettle?”

“Yasmin, all of this is … it looks amazing, but … why are you here? Did he send you?”

She shook her head and went into the kitchen to heat up some water.

“No. I’m just here to see you. How are you?”

I scratched the back of my head while looking at her. I’d always loved her spontaneity, but her way of going into people’s kitchens to make coffee could be a bit … direct.

“Um … Alone. My mom helps me all that she can manage, but …yeah.”

She nodded while unpacking the bread from her grocery bag.

“Yeah. I know.”

I swallowed hard at the thought of last week. That day had been so chaotic and stressful, I didn’t even know where to begin. Teddy had woken up as I’d exited the pub, and naturally, he’d proceeded to stay awake for almost 22 hours after that. It was as if he knew Richard had left, and that we were alone now. Of course, that was probably my sleep-deprived mind that had made up these speculations.

“There. Coffee and bread. You look like you need it, Cassandra.” Yasmin handed me a tray filled with breakfast, and gratefully, I breathed in the scent before taking it with me to the living room.

“I guess he filled you in?” I asked as I took a bite of the warm croissant and thanked the French for inventing this piece of heaven.

“A bit. He was really … yeah.”

“I don’t need to know, Yasmin. I don’t want to talk about him.”

She nodded and took a sip of the coffee.

“I knew about Richard. That something was up. He came into the pub one day.”

Her words almost made me choke on the bagel I was eating. As I’d coughed up the crumbs, I looked at her, bewildered.

“Huh??”

“He came in from the street. Said that he could remember me from back in the hospital. Asked if I was still your friend. I said yeah. He went on to ask me about Michael, if I knew him and all that. I told him he worked there, too. He was really strange … asking me about Michael’s hours and stuff. I was quite suspicious, as you can imagine. I mean, the way they fought back then … I didn’t really think he wanted to chat with him and share a pint, if you know where I’m getting at. So I told him to fuck off. But it all makes sense now, kind of.”

I looked at her in complete disbelief. Richard had planned it long beforehand?

“When was it?”

“Ah, don’t make me remember … way back. A month ago or something like that.”

I could feel my hands beginning to shake at her revelation. I could hardly believe my own ears. And yet, everything began to make sense. The way his demeanor had changed, they way he’d suddenly turned into the kind, loving father figure … it was all a ruse. Because he had been planning this long before I even knew what was happening. I’d fallen completely in love with him - again - during this month, and he was already on his way out back then.

My emotions started to boil within me, the bitterness, sadness and anger returning all at once. Suddenly, the bread tasted like sand, and the coffee tasted like gasoline. I cringed at the thought of him - of the both of them - and my knuckles turned pale at the way I clenched my fists.

“Wh-why … “I cursed my voice for being filled up with tears. Richard didn’t deserve anything but my anger. “Why didn’t you tell me?” I blinked away the wetness from my eyes and looked at Yasmin.

“That’s why I came here, Cassie. To apologize. I should have said something back then.”

“Damn right you should.”

“I know. And I’m sorry. I didn’t want you or Teddy to have to go through something like this.”

I shook my head and tried to look forgiving. She didn’t know any better.

“It’s just … everything has been sort of chaotic for me. I haven’t really kept in touch.” She put her hands in her lap and said.

“Yeah, that’s something you should work on. I’m not another one of your girls, you know. I’m your friend. The fact that I had a baby is not an excuse to not send a text from time to time.”

My voice came out in an unintentionally bitter tone. Yasmin hadn’t deserved this, but I didn’t have anyone else to turn it towards.

“I will. And I’m sorry again, Cassandra.” She looked genuinely apologetic. “And I’m not living that life anymore. I’m seeing someone. Kind of serious, even.”

Well, that’s today’s next biggest surprise.

“What?”

“Yup.” She nodded and I thought I could see a blush creeping across her tanned cheeks. Impossible!

“I’m blown away. Good thing I’m sitting down for this. Who?” I was curious as all hell.

“She’s really wonderful. It’s a bit low-key though, she hasn’t told her family yet. So we’re keeping it down low.”

“Awww. Wow. That’s really something, isn’t it?”

Yasmin nodded and finished the last bit of her bread. “Yeah.”

“Well, I’m so happy for you! But you know. Don’t break her heart. Or have your heart broken. Don’t cheat on her. Don’t leave her when she has given birth to your baby. All of that jazz, you know.” I said as the bitterness returned to my mind. “Actually, save yourself the fuss. End it now, and live happily ever after. Or wait. That’s me I’m talking about.”

Yasmin looked at me, her grimace now turned into one of confusion and slight disappointment.

“Yeah, that was depressing. Thanks for that, Cas.”

“You know I hate that name.”

“Right now, I really don’t care.”

The look in her face made it very clear that I’d gone too far. The fact that Yasmin - the Yasmin, the infamous Yasmin, the female version of Michael - was actually in a relationship, was headline-worthy. A thing to be celebrated. Not something that deserved my bitterness.

I wanted to apologize, but a knot was forming in my stomach. I was going to be alone forever. Alone, bitter, and angry forever.

“I didn’t mean to … I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s cool. I have to go to work anyway. Michael needs me there.”

I swallowed at the sound of his name and tried to not let her see it. I hated the fact that he still had this effect on me.

“Sure. It’s … um … it was nice seeing you. Have a good one.” She nodded and was gone.

( … )

Of all the craziness and turmoil and unforeseen events that having Teddy had caused, the best one was the change that had happened within my mother. Having a grandchild had meant the world to her and in turn, to me. For the past couple of months, she had struggled every day to muster up the courage to leave my father and the abuse he’d put her through. Day by day, she’d grown stronger, until finally, it was settled. She left him and used her savings to buy a flat only a couple of blocks away from me. Now, she lived in Kenmare and visited as often as she could. She had been busy with the separation and everything, and I hadn’t told her a lot about the whole Richard-and-me-and-suddenly-Michael ordeal. Being my mother, she understood. And somehow, she knew a lot more than I thought was possible. She’d known from the beginning that Richard wasn’t Teddy’s biological father. She’d told me to shout at him when he didn’t partake in caring for him. She’d shouted at the sky with me and held me as I cried out the sorrow of him leaving. She’d heard about Michael - well, not the entire story, but a lot of it - and about our encounter at the pub.Wisely, she’d said nothing. I was too angry to think about it or about him. But having her here, with me, meant everything to me. Teddy loved her too, of course. He’d giggle happily every time she’d come by. The fact that she took such good care of him even meant that I could go out to run or visit my friends. Although this time was crazy, I found a bit of solace in that. 

( … )

“Hey.” Yasmin said as she entered the pub through the back door. Michael looked up from the newspaper and greeted her hello.

“There’s a … HUGE … bag of nappies out in the back. Care to explain?” Yasmin said while checking her phone briefly.

“Yeah. I bought them.” Michael didn’t look up as he replied. “And now I’m reconsidering. So I thought I’d bring them here.”

“Yes, the Lord knows we have a lot of babies coming in.” Yasmin teased him and went on to finish the bar work before the guests would begin arriving.

“I don’t know what to do, Yasmin. I’m lost here.” He finally put down the newspaper, realizing that he hadn’t read a single coherent sentence during all this time. Everything in his head was about her. Her, and Teddy. He’d held him so briefly, fed him and felt the boy falling asleep in his arms. As if he somehow knew that this was where he belonged, that this was his father. He could see himself within his face. Something about the mouth, something about the tiny nose, and of course, the hair and the eyes. Their colours were completely similar to his own. He imagined that the resemblance had been this visible right from the start. He imagined that it had made the other guy - Richard - feel hurt, and a small, bitter part of him rejoiced in that fact. But the joy soon died out, when he remembered that he was now alone. And that he had been alone all this time.

“I don’t know how to help you, mate.” Yasmin went to sit down on the opposite side of where he sat. “What about London?”

Michael shook his head and rubbed the bridge of his nose between his fingers.

“I’ve already cancelled it. Called him yesterday.”

“You’re staying here, then.”

He nodded and let out a sigh. This hadn’t been the plan.

“I’m happy, Michael. Really.” She leaned in and patted his arm. “This place would never be the same without you here.”

“Thanks.” He smiled until he remembered how miserable everything felt. “Still don’t know what to do, though.”

“About the nappies? Cassie?”

“No, about the impending war in the Middle East, Yasmin.”

“Cheeky asshole. You asked for help, you know.” She glared at him and tried to look angry at his sassiness.

“Sorry. Yeah.” He held up his hands in defeat. “What would you do? If it were … you and mystery girl?”

“For starters, I wouldn’t fuck it up royally like you did.”

“I deserved that. But in case you had.”

“I’d try with every romantic trick in the book. Put the nappies at her door with a note on it. Give her her favourite candy. Something like that.”

“Would it work?”

“On … my girlfriend? Nah.”

“Why?”

“She’s strong. Confident. She’d never take me back, you know.”

“Just like Cassie.”

“Yup. Just like Cassie.”

“Guess we like’em like that, huh?”

“Yup.” Yasmin raised her eyebrows and sighed. “They’re gonna be the death of us.”

“Cheers to that.” Michael raised his glass of water as a toast and looked at his friend. “Treat her well, okay?”

“Always.” Yasmin smiled back at him, but he didn’t smile back. She tried to remember a time when she’d seen him happy.