ᴛʜᴇ ʀɪᴠᴀʟꜱ ᴄᴏɴᴛʀᴀᴄᴛ

₀₁₁

𝘙𝘏𝘠𝘚 𝘔𝘖𝘖𝘙𝘌

I CLOSE THE DOOR AFTER we stuff our boss into the front seat of a New York City taxi. Wren and I hop into the back of it and we give the driver the address to Fernando's house.

After we'd pried the information from Fernando's drunken state, we'd finally gotten the address to his house. And learned that he had a crush on Gloria?

Anyways, when the car started moving, Wren and I slumped onto the leather seats. I rest my head on the seat behind me and feel a puff of breath fan across my collarbone. When I look down, Wren has her eyes closed and her cheek pressed to the seat. Her chest inflates and her eyes open when she exhales.

Mint green eyes meet mine and I stare into them. The lights of the city reflect off of them and i'm almost lost in her eyes. Almost.

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When we arrive to Fernando's estate, we pull him out of the passenger seat and push him onto his pathway. He grumbles and groans as he struggles to walk to his door.

The outside light turns on and an elderly woman with hair curlers comes out of the house with a cane.

"Fern? Ferny is that you?" She croaks out.

"Yeah ma! It's me!" Fernando shouts back.

I almost laugh at the awkwardness. Yet it was the most simple thing i've ever seen Fernando do; grab onto his mother's shoulder as they stumble inside the house.

Wren and I get back into the car and the driver starts driving to our next destination.

The taxi stopped at an intersection in the city and unlocked the doors. "This is all I can go. I'm low on gas and can't legally drive other passengers around with it. Safety hazard." His accent was thick.

I handed him the money that was owed and got out of the car. Wren slid out of the seat, her dress riding up her thigh. Then she slammed the door. I couldn't tell if she did it on purpose or not.

"Where's your house? I'll walk you." I stuffed my hands into my pockets, walking alongside Wren.

"Not far." That's all the information she gave me. So I complied and followed wherever she went.

She was right. It wasn't too far. We walked into a modern apartment building and took the stairs up to the top level. Wren fished for her keys out of her handbag and unlocked the door.

Wren walked into her apartment and turned to face me. Her expression was still blank but not uninterested. I awkwardly tilted my head and she copies my action.

"Listen. About tonight, I just wanted to say that I-" Before I could finish, something furry jumped onto her shoulder. It's eyes were an evil green color and I make a sound that could have passed as a scream.

As I calmed down and realized it was a cat, a demonic animal nonetheless, I noticed Wren's face. My throat tightened and my heart skipped.

She was smiling. And then she was laughing.

My chest gave a weird tug and I watched as she laughed. Her whole face lit up when she smiled. Her teeth shining and eyes creasing. And her laugh. God her laugh was perfect. Simply one of the most beautiful sounds i've ever heard. And I had been the cause of it.

When her laugh died down she reached for the cat and placed it in her arms, rubbing it's head. The ugly thing purred and rubbed against her.

Wren's eyes flicked toward me, like she had forgot I was there. She cleared her throat and looked down at her cat.

"Mr. Moore, this is Puff, Puff this is Mr. Moore." She held the cat out and I flinched.

A ghost of a smile crept back onto Wren's face and I looked down at Puff. Puff looked up at me. I narrowed my eyes at Puff, Puff narrowed its eyes at me.

Okay. If this is how it was going to be.

Puff jumped out of Wren's arms and slowly pranced away. I looked from the fluffball and up at Wren. She was still slightly amused by the whole situation and I was still heavily distracted by the airy sound of her laugh that was still floating in my mind.

I cleared my throat and took a small step back. "I have to get going."

"Oh, of course. Night." Wren was shutting the door when I mumbled 'goodnight'.

After the door closed, I heard the small click of the door locking and made my way out of her apartment building. My mind still hasn't caught up to the events that just happened. Talking, dancing, planning, smiling, laughing. God, my head hurt.

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