Siobhan anxiously sat in the car as Roger drove. She was desperate to get to the nursery on time for the her third meeting with Vivian. Marjorie was back now, so Siobhan had returned to her usual job at head office, back under the constant scrutiny of Roger.
The blonde had spent the morning carefully curating an excuse to go to the nursery for an hour, something she was now prepared to do every week to speak to Vivian. When Marjorie returned, she had offered to conduct the meetings, but — of course — Viv had insisted on Siobhan.
As she pulled into the nursery, she checked the time; 9:27. Getting out of her car, she sped walked into the building, ignoring Agatha's greeting as she turned the corner of the corridor. To her surprise, outside the room, stood Vivian and Jamie. Siobhan hadn't seen the small boy since the night she drove them home. "Hello Viv, and... Jamie," she said with a smile, and a slight look of confusion, turning her attention to the boy as she said his name. Vivian realised Siobhan's confusion, and so she explained, "He threw up the other day. Not allowed in for 48 hours. He's not sick though, don't worry. I told him Mummy had an important meeting and he had to come too."
The perplexed look on Siobhan's face faded, as she began to unlock the door. "I brought his iPad, he won't be a bother." Vivain reassured. "No of course, it's fine. Come on in."
Vivian thought it wise to introduce the two, "Jamie, this is Siobhan." "Th-S-Sivvon," Jamie repeated, Vivian chuckled, turning to the other woman, "He struggles with his S sounds." The blonde smiled and turned her attention to the little boy, crouching down to his level, "How about you call me Bonnie? That's what my grandpa used to call me," she said to him, trying to sound happy, but Vivian could tell that it hurt to say, almost as if it was something she hadn't thought about in a while.
Jamie skipped into the room, iPad in hand, singing to himself, "Bonnieee bon-bon!" Siobhan cracked a smile and Vivian laughed, "Bless him." she chuckled, sitting down.
"I like that... Bon-Bon." Viv said with a smile, placing the coffees on the table, and also taking a seat next to the blonde. "Me too," She replied, before taking off her jacket.
Glancing at the jacket as Siobhan took it off and laid it next to her, Viv smiled, realising it was the same jacket Siobhan was wearing when the two first met, "Managed to get the coffee stains out then?" she joked.
Siobhan playfully rolled her eyes and the two women began talking. Their conversation was still rather one sided, but it was enjoyable for both of them. Siobhan liked asking questions and learning more about her new friend, and Vivian loved being a safe space, telling Siobhan all about her. She could tell she was helping the blonde — if even very slightly, and she wanted to continue.
The meetings always seemed to fly by, and it made Siobhan upset that she could only talk to her only friend once a week. "See you next Monday Bon-Bon," Viv giggled as she used her new nickname. Siobhan felt a warm feeling in her stomach, knowing that somebody had cared enough about her to give her a nickname, and she loved it.
But as the two women parted ways, the blonde felt the happiness and safety of the meeting disappear as she spotted Roger's car in the car park.
Putting on a fake smile, she got into the vehicle, greeting her partner. "I hope the wait wasn't too boring for you."
"No, it was fine." Roger replied sharply. "You're late, though. You said 10:15. Check the time Siobhan, what time is it now?"
The blonde couldn't help but despise this man. No matter how happy and chirpy she was, he was always horrible. She reached into her jacket pocket, grasping her phone in her hand. Surely she couldn't be THAT late?
Siobhan lifted the device out of her pocket, pressing the button to turn it on. As she clocked the time (10:21) and went to apologise, she noticed a small piece of paper stuck to the screen. Frantically, she picked it up and grasped it tightly in her other hand, hoping Roger hadn't had his eyes on her.
"What was that?"
Siobhan's heart dropped. She knew exactly what it was. Yet, "Nothing," was all she could think to say.
"Don't give me that bullshit. What was that paper Siobhan, don't play games with me." The man snarled at her. "If you hide it, it's going to be so much more difficult for you."
If it were anything else, Siobhan would give up here. But she couldn't give it to him, she couldn't open her palm and reveal Vivian's number. It would wrap her up in Roger's sick games, and that was the last thing she ever wanted to happen.
Siobhan flinched as Roger grabbed her wrist, pulling it towards him, "You know I'm stronger than you, I don't understand why you bother."
He grabbed a hold of her fingers, which concealed the paper she so desperately wanted to vanish, and began to pry open the blonde's hand. Fear washed over Siobhan, but it wasn't fear for herself, it was fear for Vivian. What Roger would do when he found her number is something she tried so hard not to think about in this moment. However the thoughts became increasingly difficult to ignore as he snatched the paper from her, staring daggers into her eyes before unscrunching it.
"Siobhan Elizabeth Serpent." He hissed, causing her eyes to widen in fear, "Tell me this is not a phone number."
The blonde looked towards him, locking eyes with his menacing stare.
"Nothing to say?" Roger spat. Before leaning towards the terror-stricken blonde, "I fucking knew it, those nights you came home late... that house you drove to... You scheming little bastard. How DARE you go behind my back!? Have you no respect for me, for the life I've given you?"
Siobhan cowered in fear, leaning back slightly away from him. "I'd never cheat on you. Of course I appreciate everything you do for me... it's not like that." she muttered, trying to calmly diffuse the situation, something she knew by now was a hopeless thing to try.
"No?" He replied sarcastically, "What's it like then?" As the blonde opened her mouth to attempt to explain, to give some excuse, Roger interrupted, "I don't want to hear it Siobhan. Just tell me what disgusting prick this number belongs to."
Siobhan's heart sank. She couldn't. Even though she knew it was too late now, that Vivian was part of this, she wasn't going to just give up on her. No matter how hard Roger tried, she swore to herself to protect Vivian. And so, she stayed silent. She just prayed he wouldn't take it upon himself to find out, no matter how unlikely it was.
"Oh of course," Roger raised his voice, "Protecting him! Fucking pathetic you are."
The man turned on the engine and began to drive out of the car park. "You know Shibby, you make it so much harder for yourself," Siobhan scoffed in her head at the casual use of that nickname. She hated "Shibby", and he knew it. That's why he used it.
Still, the blonde stayed silent, and as Roger put his foot on the accelerator, speeding down the road, Siobhan tried to calm down.
"Fucking slut," The man muttered under his breath, as tears formed in her eyes. She began to comfort herself, trying to talk herself out of the panicked state she was in.
As Siobhan spoke to herself in her head, she realised something; she wasn't hearing her own voice. Siobhan wasn't the one comforting herself. It was Vivian in her head. "Don't panic. Just breathe. I promise it will all be okay in the end Bon-Bon."
———
a/n: me when ally predicts the plot😒
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
