Stranger Things Have Happened | Marcus Bontempelli

twenty.

The vibes were back to how they were when I first arrived at Tom's nearly two weeks ago. Josie had practically moved in and was commuting from Tom's to work most days and really only going home to pick up more clothes. After a long late night chat with Josie about the whole situation, it turned out that it was work getting her down so she was on the look out for a new job and her perspective was definitely a lot more positive.

Fall out from the Mitch blow-up was still slowly crumbling around me. Liv had been blowing my phone up with apologies and explanations as to why she told Mitch about the overdose. Most of them fell on deaf ears because I was still emotionally exhausted from it all. I hadn't heard a peep from Mitch, which led me to believe that he had no regrets over what he said.

The aftermath also included an unfortunate divide between Tom and Josie and Mitch and Emily. Before I'd arrived, they seemed relatively close because Josie and Emily got along like a house on fire. I obviously had no qualms with Josie catching up with either of them but Tom did which was making the whole thing a lot more awkward than it needed to be.

"Just let the dust settle, Jose please," Tom asked from his slumped position on the couch.

"What I do I say to cancel though?" Josie asked, her eyes darting over to me.

"Nothing. Don't cancel and catch up with your friend. Tom's just trying to be supportive and in the process mixing up who we're supposed to be angry at," I said sending her a reassuring smile, which she kindly returned.

"Thanks Cate. I just don't want Em thinking that we hate her," Josie justified earning a sigh from Tom.

"I don't really like her that much," He admitted and I shook my head at him.

"She's done nothing wrong. In fact, Josie catching up with her might give us some insight into what Mitch is thinking," I added with a raised eyebrow.

Josie nodded, "Exactly and maybe we can work all of this out,"

I couldn't hold back a scoff, "I wouldn't be holding my breath, Jose."

Josie had an unfaltering sense of positivity that I wish I had a slither of. The idea of ever talking to Mitch again boiled my blood but we'd been here before and managed to co-exist. Maybe that was the end goal: reluctant diplomacy.

Tom laughed lightly, "If he think he's stepping foot in here any time soon then he has another thing coming"

Josie shrugged and picked up her handbag before bidding us goodbye and leaving for her coffee catch up with Emily. Tom reached over for the TV remote and started channel surfing. We'd both submitted to the stormy spring day and decided that a day in would do us both some good.

My time back had been pretty full on and the few days following the Mitch situation mostly involved getting coffee from around the corner, the odd bulldogs boy dropping in before going to the gym with Tom and an on-going text chain between Marcus and I.

"Wanna watch a movie?" Tom mumbled from beside me and I nodded, going to Netflix to try and find a movie we both wanted to watch.

"Hereditary looks good," I suggested and Tom agreed.

Just as the movie started playing, a loud buzzing sounded from the apartment intercom. Tom begrudgingly stood up to answer it, pressing down on the talk button.

"Tom's palace, Tom speaking," He greeted earning a small chuckle from me.

"Tom, it's Liv. Please let me in so I can speak to Sully," She said frantically over the pouring rain.

"Go home, Liv. It's not gonna happen," He spoke back.

I stood up and walked over to Tom. I pressed the buzzer that unlocked the apartment building entrance downstairs and I pushed the intercom button.