The Anubis Club

Take Me Home: Chapter 2

"Whoosh! This humpback whale swims right by me." Willow said expressively, almost dropping the stack of DVDs in her hand. "And I've never felt so scared in my life, you know? And then that's when it hit me... That's what I want to do. This is what I want others to do. That's why the second I got back to Liverpool..." She whipped out a business card that read Willow Travels.

"Wait, you own it?" Fabian asked.

"Yep! Went to the bank, got a loan... pieces fell right into place. Anyways, what about you? I thought you went to... uh..."

"Oxford." Fabian supplied.

"Oxford!"

"I actually just graduated." Fabian shrugged and scratched the back of his neck. "I hated it there. It was like, all theory and stuff... I was on this like, one way highway, so I was like, rest stop, please!" He laughed at his own joke.

Willow looked around the store with a raised eyebrow. "So, this is a rest stop?"

"Oh, yeah." Fabian nodded. "This is totally temporary."

"You know what you should do?" Willow said perkily. "You should travel! See the world-- find your humpback whale. Well, come see me, okay?" She put the DVD's back on the shelf. "Everybody's at work or school. Perfect time for Fabes to shine." Willow gave him one last wink and exited the store.

Fabian exhaled a slow and slightly struggled breath he didn't even know he was holding in. Everyone he knew was doing so well, and he was stuck shelving DVDs in alphabetical order in a Blockbuster, lost in the 90's and early 2000's. I mean hello, he thought. Even I have Netflix now.

And then out of the corner of his eye, he saw the familiar swishing of bronde hair. It beat against both of her shoulders, and for a moment Fabian was stunned.

And then he ran.

He ran out the back, tearing off his vest and whipping it at the ground. He slammed into the door, raced through the coffee shop he'd accidentally entered, ignoring curse words and glares from customers.

"Crap, crap, crap." He said to himself as he tucked in his shirt and looked at his hair in every single storefront window.

Until he finally reached the Blockbuster.

He casually strolled inside and picked up a copy of The Breakfast Club. Smiling fondly at it, Nina glanced sideways at him.

"Excuse me." She pointed at the DVD rack.

"Wha-- oh, I'm sorry." He moved over slightly and out of her way.

"Hey, don't I know you?" She furrowed her brow as if trying to recall exactly who he was.

I was only in love with you. "Nope, don't think so."

"No, no, I do. I know you from somewhere. Oh, you went to Amun, didn't you?"

Great fucking detective skills, Nina. Sibuna would've done so well with just you. "Yeah, I did. That must be it."

"Wow, so did I!"

No shit. 

"I actually think you were in my homeroom..."

"Really? Wow, weird."

"You were the really smart kid!" She smiled. "It's me, Nina!"

"Fabian Rutter."

The expression on Nina's face didn't change.

So much for not forgetting your first love. He thought bitterly.

"I knew I knew you from somewhere... Cool! It's so weird seeing everyone. I saw Mick earlier this week."

Oh, so Mick gets a special place in your mind, not me?

"Yeah, wow. He's actually dating my best friend... Kind of weird."

"Oh, Patricia, right?"

JESUS FUCKING CHRIST, ARE YOU TROLLING ME? He wanted to scream, but he kept his cool. Maybe working at the video store was doing him some good.

"Yeah, that's right. So, uh, what are you up to?"

"Oh, well, I recently graduated from Yale..."

"Wow." Fabian reacted, genuinely excited for her.

"Yeah. I got awarded this internship at DLA, though, so I'm back. Oh-- it's a law firm."

"I know what it is..."

"Oh! I didn't mean to o--"

"No, it's cool. I'm actually in the same business, so..."

"Really?" Nina raised a perfectly penciled eyebrow. "Where do you work?"

"I'm at CMS." He lied easily. Sibuna prepared him, he knew it.

"Oh, that's funny. I didn't know they had an office in Liverpool."

Fabian opened and closed his mouth like a small and desperate fish. "Uh... not too many people know about it, actually. I know it's weird."

"Right... so, are you coming to Mick Campbell's party tonight?"

"I'm not sure... Are you?"

"Well, yeah." Nina said obviously. "And you should totally go, it was pretty good last year. Word is, someone's going to ride the Ball tonight." The edges of her mouth quirked into a smile. 

"Where are they?" Nina rang the bell at the cash register impatiently. Fabian touched her hand gently as she was about to hit it for the third time-- and also hit his last nerve.

"I'll pay for it." He grabbed a bag and stuffed her movies into it.  "Just take it, go. I'll wait until this... jackass gets back."

"Oh, really? Thanks!"

"So maybe I'll see you tonight... Neila?"

"Nina." She corrected with a smile. "It's Nina."