Consulting Fangirl

Chapter 2: Mai

“Thanks, Danny.” I mumbled, accepting the steaming cup of tea the man handed to me. My neighbor, Dan Walters, was my second best friend in the world, mainly because if I called him my first best friend, Katie would gauge my eyes out. Or his. So, he gained the royal title of ‘Second Best Friend’, despite the fact that I felt closer with him than Katie. He was my neighbor, for one thing. I saw him every day. Secondly, he was the coolest guy you’d ever meet. Dan owned one of the biggest bookstores in the city, so he was allowed to bring home as many books as he felt like. On one hand, it was great to get free books to crave my reading addiction, but it did take the surprise out of Christmas and birthdays since I always knew what I would get. 

“How are you holding up?” he asked, though we both knew it was obvious. I sat numbly, staring ahead, trying and failing not to think of him. This man had become my life, but now he was dead. He was gone and I was alone. To be fair, he was never with me, but it felt as if a part of my heart had been wrenched from my chest.

After waking up on my couch an hour after I passed out with a worried Dan hovering over me, I hadn’t done much but sit and stare and drink tea.

“I was there.” I whispered hoarsely, my throat raw from crying. “I saw the ambulances and coppers. I thought it was just some random bloke. I never thought-“

Dan rubbed my back lightly as I choked out another sob. It hurt, losing an idol. I looked up to Sherlock. He was so intelligent and brave and loving- other people wouldn’t classify him as loving, but I saw the way he was around John. I saw the protective look in his eyes when he was with John Watson, and I knew that he cared. He cared about John and his landlady and likely other people too.

“It’s not true.” I mumbled, my voice brimming with a cold determination. It wasn’t true. It couldn’t be true.

“What do you mean?” Dan asked slowly, concern in his voice. He must have noticed the white-knuckled grip I held on the cup, or the fire in my blue-green eyes.

“He’s not a fake.” I spat, anger burning in my heart as I stared at the posts online: supposed fans who turned against Sherlock.

“I know him. Not personally, no, but I know what kind of person he is. He’s brilliant. He wouldn’t have ‘invented’ Moriarty.” I said sarcastically, storming from my spot on the couch and into the kitchen.

“All right, all right. I’m sorry. I don’t know what to say. Even if he’s not a fake, there’s no way to prove anything. He’s gone. What can you possibly do?” I knew I shouldn’t be mad, but I was the type of person who hated being told I couldn’t do something. When my mother told me I would never survive alone in London, I moved away from home and into the city just to prove a point. Now, I was angry with Dan even though he didn’t deserve it.

To keep my anger at bay, I turned away from him and grabbed my coat.

“I need a smoke.” I said angrily and slammed the door shut behind me, leaving an exasperated Dan inside my flat.

I knew it was hard to sustain a smoking habit in London, but I couldn’t help it. It was another of the things my mother told me not to do. I probably had a problem with this whole ‘defiance’ thing, but I wasn’t too concerned.

I inhaled deeply, taking a long drag of the cigarette. The smoke in my lungs helped calm my nerves, but I still felt the sting of pain. It hurt more, though, knowing that I wasn’t the only one grieving. Poor John, and Mrs. Hudson, as well as everyone else who admired him. He had many fans, and now many people around the world are grieving his death. Even London felt different, somehow. It felt empty. Lifeless.

As I pushed the smoke from my lungs and out my lips, I watched the sun rise over the London sky, and I cried one last tear before crushing the butt of the cigarette into the balcony and walking back inside.

Once in the flat, I noticed Dan passed out on my couch and resisted the urge to laugh, despite everything. He fell asleep easily, even in stressful situations. If only I could sleep. I hadn’t slept since before. Before my life changed forever. Before I found out he was dead.

I rubbed my eyes wearily, feeling the weight of tiredness dragging my eyelids down. I couldn’t sleep, though. If I slept I would dream, and if I dreamed I would dream about him.

To keep myself awake, I made myself a cup of tea and sat on the couch overlooking the windows that framed one wall of my flat. The sunrise was just peeking over the buildings, giving me enough light to appreciate the beauty of London. It didn’t feel right, though. It didn’t feel like home, knowing that he wasn’t living anymore.

Dan woke up after an hour to find me staring at the window with a cold, half filled cup of tea in my hand. It wasn’t half full, though. It was half empty. It had to be. The cup would never be half full again, at least not in my eyes.

“Mai, come on, you have to go to work,” Dan whispered, his voice gentle and calm. I nodded numbly before standing up and walking him to the door.

“Are you going to be okay, love?” He asked nervously, observing my blank eyes and slack face. I nodded and flashed him a fake smile. It didn’t reach my eyes, though. He knew, I could tell, but he didn’t comment. Instead, he simply nodded and left, closing the door behind him.

I took a nice, long shower to try and wash away the dried tears and pain in my head, but it didn’t help much. Nothing worked. I brushed my teeth, washed my face, and dried my short brown hair: I even applied some make-up to try and hide the bags under my eyes from the lack of sleep. I never wore makeup, other than some lipstick of course, so this was unusual for me.

I made it to work without any sort of incident, or breakdown, which I took as a good sign. Maybe, just maybe, I could make it through this without crying all over the customers and making an idiot of myself.

Katie greeted me with a hug the second I entered the door to the café. I swallowed down more tears and forced my eyes to stay dry. Though Dan was (in my head) my best friend, Katie understood my love of Sherlock. She felt the same way, so I could tell she was in pain too.

“Oi! No hugging, ladies, it’s work time. I want to see you sharp and happy,” our boss, Collin, shouted from across the café. I managed to keep the profanities to a minimum, but Katie wasn’t so lucky.

“Whatever, asshole.” She mumbled. Collin, however, had excellent hearing, despite being a middle-aged man with no hair and a belly wider than my flat, which wasn’t as much of an exaggeration as you’d hope.

“I heard that!” He called, making Katie wince. This was normal, though. Collin could yell at her all he liked, but no one else would take the job, so he couldn’t fire her.

I wrapped the apron around my waist, fluffed my hair up a bit to make it look nicer, and, with the best fake smile I could muster, walked out to face the customers.

Nothing happened for hours. It wasn’t until late in the afternoon when I noticed him. My heart fluttered in my chest when I saw him walk across the threshold. He took a seat next to the window, his eyes lifelessly staring out the window.

Before Katie could steal this chance from me, I grabbed my pen and notepad and walked over to his table, choosing to leave the fake smile off. He didn’t need it. He didn’t deserve my lies, not now.

He looked up at me as I approached. His eyes were emotionless, lacking the kind sheen they once held. His shoulders slumped and he clutched a cane tightly in his right hand, something I had never seen him with before.

“Hello, Dr. Watson, what can I get you today?" 

A/N Hey guys here's chapter 2. Please please PLEASE comment and vote, I love to hear from you :) If anyone has any suggestions for who you see Mai as (an actress or even a picture of someone you found) I would love to see them! :D I'm having a tough time finding someone for her.