Riddle me this...

Chapter seventeen

Nina awoke to the soft sheets of the single bed in Edward’s spare room and relished the moment. She had been back on the streets for a day and a night now and still she hadn’t slept rough. Nina had the feeling that this would be the last night of luxury and so she clutched at the sheets as she stretched, yawning, as the smell of bacon wafted into the room. She had a choice now, lay in bed and enjoy the sheets or see what all the commotion was in the kitchen. 

Her stomach grumbled on cue and she threw back the covers and climbed out. Nina pulled her clothes back on and wandered through the door. Seeing Edward with a purple apron on was enough to make her chuckle.

“Nice apron.”

He spun round slowly, pulling at the hem of the apron with one hand and grasping the spatula with the other. He was curtseying.

“Bacon?” He asked, standing up straight again.

“Yes please!” Nina beamed, taking a seat on the stool that sat in front of the island in the centre of the kitchen.

Edward turned back to his cooking and finalised the breakfast: buttering the toast, placing two slices of bacon and a handful of scrambled eggs on her plate and sliding in front of Nina with a smile.

“I wasn’t expecting bed and breakfast.” She admitted as she forked a generous amount of food.

Edward shrugged,

“It was the least I could do.” He took his own plate and stood the other side of the island. He was hunched over with his forearm resting against the cool wooden top. Nina stopped eating and watched Edward, how could this man be such a gentleman and not expect anything in return? After hearing the rumours about him: that he was a self-indulgent, self-centred control freak who had an unhealthy obsession with riddles, Nina was pleasantly surprised that he hadn’t turned out to be any of them. With regards to his riddle loving nature, well, Nina thought, everyone had a hobby.

Edward looked up and caught Nina’s gaze, they paused for a moment, smiled at each other and then Nina returned to her food.

“So what are your plans for the day?” Edward asked.

“I was thinking maybe go and check out some old haunts, I used to live on the streets and it would be good to visit some old friends.”

Edward nodded.

“What about this evening?”

“Probably nothing special, Selina and I used to go round the bars and see what we could get for free but after last night’s catch up session I think I might pass on the drink.”

“So I couldn’t interest you in going out for dinner again?”

“Oh.” Nina paused, a bit speechless, she had thought that Edward had lost interest, after all she had been vulnerable last night and had felt completely unappealing.

“Is that a no?” His smile faltered and a flash of worry appeared in his eyes.

“No, I mean it’s a yes, I would like to go to dinner with you again, I just hadn’t expected you to ask.”

His smile was back, he was leaning over the counter on both his arms now and Nina hadn’t realised how much of the gap he had closed.

“I smell bacon!” Selina sang as she wandered into the room with her arms in the air in celebration.

Edward leant back and stood up straight.

“There’s some left in the fridge if you’d like to cook it and there’s some eggs left in the pan.” His voice was cool, calm. The warmth of his voice had disappeared and his smile had vanished into a harsh line.

“If you would excuse me ladies, I am required to be elsewhere. If you need anything, help yourself, please don’t steal any more of my belongings Catwoman. The front door automatically locks when you shut it and you have thirty seconds to vacate the premises before my traps are armed so I would advise a quick departure if and when you do leave.”

He spun on a heel and left the room.

Nina stood, motioning to Selina that she would be back in one second and followed Edward.

“Edward what are we doing about tonight?” She spoke softly, causing him to stop in his tracks.

“Meet me here at seven?” He spoke without turning round.

Nina nodded, realised he couldn’t hear a nod and mumbled a quick “yes”. Edward’s shoulders relaxed and he walked away.

“Someone’s grumpy in the morning.” Selina smiled as she sat down on the sofa with her bacon sandwich and begun to dig in, relishing the taste on her tongue before gulping down the whole thing in three or four bites. If someone knew how to eat it was Selina.

“But that’s the thing, he was cheery when he made me breakfast.”

“He made you breakfast? Well that’s unfair! Why did I have to make my own?” She paused and then shrugged, “I don’t think that man has ever liked me, not since he left the GCPD.”

“I didn’t know he worked for the police.”

“Yeah, forensics department, or something like that. They fired him after they realised he wasn’t on the same page as everyone else, mentally speaking. And there was that incident with the body parts.”

“Body parts?”

“Story is, he didn’t like the guy who examined the bodies so he got him fired by putting body parts in his locker.”

“That’s a bit extreme.”

Selina shrugged.

“They were parts of a dead body, the deceased don’t care what happen to them after they die. You ask me, the GCPD are a bunch of tight asses who can’t take a joke.”

“So where are we going today?” Selina added, putting her plate onto the coffee table and standing up to stretch.

“Maybe we could visit Butch? I heard what happened to him with Zaaz but he’s alright now isn’t he?”

“Depends on what you mean by alright. After he left the Pengui- I mean Oswald, he’s kind of a bit of a rouge.”

“So is that a yes or a no?”

“I may owe him a favour and I’m a bit anxious as to whether he’ll cash in if he sees me. But since he was your friend then alright, yes, we’ll go and pay him a visit.”

Nina nudged Selina as they shut the door behind them,

“You never know, he might buy us lunch.”

Selina’s eyes sparkled and Nina let out a loud chuckle.

“How are you not 50 stone?”

Selina shrugged and stepped out of the Riddler’s lair and back onto the streets of Gotham.