Partners In Crime

7• The verge of exploding

=3 days left=

Two questions played on repeat like a broken record:

"Why?"

Marina had this one bubbling in her stomach the entire morning after, and she tried to get rid of it in a few sessions hunching over the toilet bowl, but it just didn't go away.

Why Erin of all people? Although she could see the logic. She'd go for Erin as well, most definitely.

But she knew Erin wasn't Alex's type. He liked dangerous girls, mysterious girls. He wasn't one for the sweet. So really, what sickened her was that he could be making a completely incompatible match and would make himself very unhappy. She cared like that.

And then, "How?"

How in the hell was it already three days until the wedding and all they had so far was possible family conflicts to stir up and dirt from Erin, as well as a failed-successful party. Nothing concrete had happened. Just...things.

Solana's father had noticeably been around a lot where she was, always in her periphery and it was already compounding onto the serious migraine she'd been carrying all week. But there was no time to deal with it. She'd figure it out later, but for now, paracetamol, which she'd been taking every morning like a prescriptive pill.

In a funny turn of events, she was standing by the coffee machine in her room, making coffee while Theo pretended to be asleep behind her, like she wouldn't notice her own trick. The sun shone coldly outside the window, hinting at a rainstorm.

Her brain kept flashing images of Erin and Alex in bed together at this very moment while her mind was on the verge of exploding. Good for him, probably.

"Ooh, I want tea." Theo grunted, mimicking the process of just waking up.

Marina wanted to punch him.

"I think-you used up all the little tea sachets, Theo," she said, "you might have to go to the Tea Parlour downstairs."

He groaned in frustration. "Go get some for me, will you? My hangover is killing me."

She bit her lip.

"I'm not your secretary," She said quietly.

"What?"

"I'm-Not really no. I also have a hangover too."

"Yeah but you're used to them by now, so it's not that big a deal for you."

And the way he spoke, the contents of what he spoke, really shook something inside.

"Get your tea yourself, you prick. I'm busy," she snapped.

"Whoa whoa whoa." She heard him rise from his sheets, his weighted movements causing the mattress springs to make sound. "Where the fuck is this coming from?"

She thought for a second that he was going to come up behind her. She quickly turned around to protect herself.

His face was like fury. Sickeningly, it was the same expression he'd use at work whenever someone disappointed him.

"You've been so uptight recently, Marina. Now I know you're the maid of honour, but you need to watch how you speak to your boyfriend."

"Are you? Are you even my boyfriend, Theo?"

"Fuck's that supposed to mean?"

"I saw you! I saw you last night. Do you think I'm stupid or something?"

He put on a fantastic display of fake ignorance.

"What the hell did you see, Marina? Nothing happened!"