The Writer's Love Affair

Episode 29: Exception

Episode 29: Exception

It was suffocating.

The air around the four individuals despite them being in a vast space.

It wasn't a mystery to know that it was on behalf of the two people who refused to even acknowledge each other with mere eye contact.

The more Leslie gathered the little details of their tense relationship, the more she noticed something striking.

It was how much the woman—Marley she'd been called—looked more like Christopher's type than she did.

She was adorable; in that girl next door kind of way.

Her dark hair was styled in a simple but neat updo. The clothes she wore were elegantly laid on her—a bright green dress with a parka jacket to compensate for her ignorance of the cold weather. Her lips were almost nonexistent because of how small they were and her nose was as cute as a button.

However, despite her high school sweetheart image, there was something unsettling and wicked that slithered beneath the surface.

It felt like she had dark thoughts bubbling up inside of her the entire time she looked at Christopher.

In her mind, his interaction with Chantel on behalf of this random woman did indeed prick her like a thorn to her side.

Therefore, Leslie's perception was spot on.

Who the hell are you? She seethed internally, holding back from having her scorn for Leslie come to the surface.

Marley had never seen Christopher out in public with a woman for almost four years now. It wasn't the fact that she was even making his acquaintance, but the way he defended her was very abnormal.

He wasn't the type to put himself out of his comfort zone for anyone. Not even his own family. She knew that much about his introverted thoughts and actions.

Plus, it was shared knowledge that he had to have a bond with someone for that to even have a possibility of happening.

So just what did the two of them have?

She felt an uncomfortable burning sensation in her chest as they stood so closely beside each other.

He had even grabbed her hand!

Marley closed her eyes and reminded herself that she was to act appropriately.

As much as she was affected by the presence of him, it wasn't ideal for her to show it now.

Christopher was a figment of her past.

Thus, she gave a bright smile to Chantel who returned a confused expression because of it.

"Didn't you say that you had something important to show me? Let's go to my office. We can look at it together there." She said to her supposed friend.

"I didn't—"

Marley grabbed her by the arm and disappeared into the back where the owner's space was.

Leslie noticed the smallest fraction of a breath leave Christopher.

It was in relief.

She tried not to display what she had pieced together within that interaction; or a lack thereof.

Emotionally indifferent people, cold hearts and attitudes, her mind discerned cleverly — the words so silent they were whispered like a secret.

"Leslie, I'm so sorry for what Chantel has said. You really shouldn't take her words to heart. Even though she's legally an adult, she unfortunately doesn't act a day over five years old." Noah stepped up with an earnest appeal.