Fascinating Villains

{40} - Accident

I slide my right middle finger down the page of my finances notebook, still amazed by what Foul Play and I have accomplished. In a handful of weeks, I have donated more money to charitable organisations than most people will in their entire life.

I glance at the confirmed transaction on my laptop's screen, inking the details into the assigned boxes, beginning with today's date: February 1st, 02/01.

The money I am using is not from yesterday's activities, I always wait for the coast to be clear, which Cheryl is tasked with deciding. Although Gotham City's banking institutions are not very pervasive, it is wiser not to attract attention with reckless expenses involving new money. They might start asking questions, merely hoping to collect a "fair" sum in exchange for their discretion. Also, while they might not warn the police, that does not mean that law enforcement will never investigate my account, justifying my careful methods even further.

The sound of Persephone's running faucet ends, emitted by my cellphone's speakers. I am sitting at the small desk in my bedroom, and my phone is resting on it to my computer's left.

"'Kay, I'm done. So, if I'm still following, Scott invited Colin and you to his engagement party, and you were saying you wouldn't mind going, but..?"

I hear a ripping sound coming from her environment.

"What are you making?"

"Pasta, but keep going! I'm all ears."

My bedroom is plunged in artificial lighting, because I closed the blinds and curtains as a precaution, plus the unrelenting rain outside makes the afternoon seem like nighttime.

"I can't, you're making me too hungry," I taunt her.

"Shut up, Tan-tan! Just tell me!" My long-distance friend half-groans, half-laughs.

"How can I tell you if I'm supposed to shut up?"

I close the tab of UNICEF's website, hearing her scoff over the clicking of a wooden spoon against a solid surface.

"I just think it's weird that he invited us, the couple, you know? He didn't invite Colin, then Tanza, his coworkers. He invited his friends who are partners, at least that's how it felt like."

"I see... Did you get an individual invitation?"

"No, that's the thing, his fiancee sent us both the same one and it has our two names on it. Is that weird? I mean, Scott and Mi-Young are kinda strange, sometimes, but... I don't know, that's why I'm asking you."

"Well, isn't Colin basically the most awesome boyfriend known to humankind?"

"Yeah. He is... Perfect, as close as you can get to it."

"Okay. And this Scott guy's closer to me in age, right? I think treating people as a unit once they get together is just an age thing. Y'know, he's in another mindset, his love life or whatever is completely different. Did you consider that?"

I sigh. "I have, I know he's just excited for Colin and I, in his mind we're meant to be or something..."

"You think you are going to break up before the party?"

Unease ripples through me as she gently speaks out what I dread.

"What happens, then, Seph? And what if Scott's whole thing gives Colin any ideas? I mean, he's older, what if he feels the pressure to rush into something with me that neither of us want?"

Persephone chuckles, reassuring me, "If he proposes after seeing one card, no matter how amazing you are, he's not in his right mind. You'll be better off. Just do what feels right, and if Scott doesn't want you by yourself at his engagement party, so what? Don't go to the damn thing and have some real fun instead. Go roller skating or buy something nice or watch a movie and go to your favorite restaurant..!"