Dirty Break (18+)

In Which Hook and Line

Lydia couldn't remember a time that Andrea had not been willing to meet her at the pub to drown one sorrow or another. It was one of the, but by no means the main, reason that she loved her best friend. That love grew and grew as she started in on her third cocktail of the happy hour deal she had thrown her money at.

"I wish it had worked out for you, Lyds. I mean I knew that it wouldn't, but I still hoped."

They clinked their glasses in solidarity.

"I just want to be a success, Andrea. I made such a big deal out of making this show and now I feel like I'm falling at every hurdle and bitching about everything."

"So stop bitching!"

From anyone else, she would have taken offence. As it was, they shared a solemn high five and ate some of the nachos they were using to counterbalance the alcohol.

"You've worked so hard for this, Lyds, but this isn't your one shot. They've never given you the chances you deserved before so it's all a learning curve; if this is a hit then woohoo - if not then you get up and try again."

"I know you're right - and I don't have any intentions of giving up - it's just that I basically forced them to give me this chance and I wanted to prove my worth. Ugh, I'm being stupid. I'm going to visit the ladies and order the next round of bad decisions."

                                                                              ***********   

Thankfully alone in the ladies bathroom, Lydia splashed cold water on her face and reasoned with herself silently in the soap-splashed mirror. She was young and she had all the time in the world ahead of her. She had time to make mistakes and bad choices, to fuck up and fix it and find her way. Suitably chastised and ready to approach the night with a better attitude, she made her way back out to the bar and ordered another round. It was only when she returned to the table that she realised Andrea wasn't alone. It took her a moment to recognise the man sat with her, but she placed him as the man from outside of the prison when they had gone to get their exterior shots. Andrea looked perfectly happy chatting to him, so Lydia approached them slowly, giving them time to notice her and halt their conversation.

"Lyds, this is Conor - you remember him from the prison? He happened to be here and saw us so he thought he'd say hi."

Lydia greeted him and slid into her side of the booth.

"I was just asking Andrea what two lovely girls were doing outside the prison at that time of the morning,"

"Did she tell you?" Lydia didn't quite understand the way the lilting Irish accent mixed with his twenty-a-day gravelly voice made her want to be confrontational, but it did.

"Nah, I think she thought that was up to you. I am very interested, mind."

"I'm making a TV show about the prison. We were just getting some exterior shots for it and needed it to be fairly quiet, hence why we were there at stupid o clock. On that note, however, I could ask you the same question. In fact, I am."

His grin was disarming but not to her taste. There was something in him that reminded her of Leon; not in looks or voice or demeanour, but just the way she knew that he would stand for no bullshit and always go after what he wanted. She was half worried and half intrigued that he seemed to be classing her best friend as something that he wanted.

"Would you believe I was out for a run?"

Lydia saw little reason to distrust him, but the answer certainly didn't ring true.

"Considering you were smoking when I gave you my card," Andrea answered, "not really."

Conor laughed and leaned back in his seat, laying one brawny arm again the back of it, fingers a hairsbreadth away from Andrea's neck.