𝓑𝓔𝓣𝓦𝓔𝓔𝓝 // 𝓣𝓗𝓡𝓔𝓔.𝓕𝓘𝓥𝓔

𝟎𝟎𝟏: 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭.

"Topper can I take this off now?" Saylor groaned as her eyelashes brushed against the T-shirt which was currently wrapped around her face to cover her eyes.

"Not yet." Topper responded as he made the final turn arriving at their destination.

"I know where we are." The Routledge girl revealed hoping it would allow her access to her eyesight.

"I - Er." The nerves began he had managed to gaslight himself into believing didn't exist made an appearance as he rubbed his clammy hands down his cargo jeans. "Just keep it on please."

The tone of his voice sparked confusion within the blonde girl, he sounded nervous, almost scared. In turn she began to feel the same way, why would he blindfold her just to take her to her house, and why was he nervous about it?

Topper opened the passenger door and undid her seatbelt before grabbing her hand and leading her out the car taking extra care to make sure she didn't knock her broken arm on anything as she blindly left the car.

Once they reached the perfect spot in the garden where she would be able to see the entirety of the damage he caused he slipped his hand from out of hers and placed them on her shoulders so she would stop.

"Okay, i er-" Topper took a deep breath trying to think of the right words and avoid rambling. "I want you to know that I'm so so sorry, I was just so hurt and i- god this is harder than I thought."

Saylor couldn't take the suspense anymore, he had taken her to her house whilst blindfolded and was now apologising for god knows what, so she did the reasonable thing. She ripped the shirt from off her face.

"Oh" Saylor blinked in the hopes that once her eyes reopened the pile of ashes and broken beams would suddenly morph back into her childhood home.

It didn't.

Silence, the two stood in complete silence.

Saylor was trying to work out what is what she was actually feeling about the situation and Topper was watching her with his bottom lip held tightly between his teeth desperately waiting for her to say something... anything.

"Lor-"

"You burnt down the Chateau." Saylor nodded to herself fully coming to terms with the situation. "Why?"

"Sarah promised me, she promised...." Topper shook his head not wanting to replay the memory of the promise he stupidly trusted the Cameron girl to keep. Luckily for him Barry had filled her in with the messy situation between him and Sarah, everything except what he had done to the Chateau. "But I saw her, she was with him... and I just, I snapped, - i"

"It's okay" Saylor turned to her best friend placing her hand on his forearm. "No one was hurt, right?"

"No." Topper rapidly shook his head. "No one was hurt."

"Okay."

"Okay?" Toppers eyebrows pinched together in disbelief, how was she brushing it off like he hadn't done anything wrong, like he hadn't burnt down a home that had been in her family for generations.

"I mean, it's not like a new hobby or anything is it? This isn't the start of your life long career as an arsonist?" Her voice was lighthearted, she was trying to calm his anxiety.

"Saylor I burnt down your house.. your home" 

"No, you didn't. This place hasn't been my home in years. You burnt down a house, a house filled with memories of what once was and what could never be again." Saylor decided to take it as a sign, a sign that that part of her life was over and what had happened was to ensure she wouldn't go back simply because it's what she had grown used to.