Unravel // Van McCann

18. Enjoy Your Lunch

It was 2:47 AM and I was wide awake, staring at the ceiling. My body has since gotten used to sleeping on the ground since she's been with me for weeks now. Has it really been that long?

I was mulling over last night's conversation trying to figure out my next move. I had to talk to her parents but wasn't sure how if she wasn't going to tell me. I could ask Theo but something changed. He's suspicious of why I'm interested in his case and I don't want him to know I'm hiding her so I had to tread carefully.

-

Despite sleeping less than I normally would, I was functioning just fine thanks to good ol' Yorkshire tea and fags. I was stood outside my work building having a fag before heading up. When I was done, I stubbed my cigarette and discarded it.

For some reason, I was anxious and nervous today which is never a good combination. My plan to find her parents' address was reckless and I was worried I'd be caught snooping around. I had to act quickly.

Luckily my colleagues are used to seeing me over at Theo's cubicle all the time so it's nothing new. The thing is I planned to stop by when he wasn't around. I took the lift up and as soon as the doors opened, I made my way towards my desk. Normally Theo would greet me as soon as I came in. I know he knows I'm in because I'm making as much noise as possible but he's not turning around to say hello. His attention was on the screen ahead and he was typing away pretending not to notice.

I never really knew what his problem was. Did he honestly think I was trying to take his case? I've known him for over a year now. He should know that I'm not like that.

Our conversation played over and over again in my mind and I couldn't figure out where I went wrong. After some thought, I figured it was Theo being Theo and that it was only a matter of time before things returned to normal. I grabbed my mug and trudged past his desk but I stopped to see what he was up to. If he's not going to talk, maybe me starting the conversation will cause him to open up.

"Good morning Theo," I called. Theo turned to look at me and smiled.

"Good morning Van," he replied.

His attention went back to his screen and his smile disappeared which I found odd. Usually he'd ask how I was doing. Determined to figure out what his problem was, I stayed put, racking my brain for more things to talk about.

"Is it a busy day for you today?" I questioned.

"Yeah, quite busy. I've got two interviews to conduct. Luckily I have Mark helping me so we can feed two birds with one scone." His eyes never left the screen when he replied to me.

"Don't you mean kill two birds with one stone? Is this saying unique to Americans?" I could see Theo grinning at my daft question.

"Don't you think that saying is morbid? Feed two birds with one scone is more animal-friendly."

"Since when did you become a saint?" I joked. "Could've sworn the other week you were cursing the bloody seagulls for trying to eat your chips!" Normally Theo would laugh but he didn't this time which meant I was bothering him and it was time to go. "Alright, I'm gonna make some tea."

I continued on towards the break room glancing back at Theo to see if he was looking at me. He was still staring at his computer to my dismay so I trudged on. I filled the kettle with water and prepared my mug. When I walked back, Theo was gone but he didn't go too far. He was over at Mark's desk most likely filling him in on the plan for today and what questions to ask. I've been here over a year and am now realizing that I never really talked to Mark. All I know is he likes his coffee black. I'm pretty sure there's coffee in his blood because the only time I come across him is in the break room, and he's always making coffee.