Just Between Us #Wattys2019

On Wednesdays We Run Out of and Into Arms

I look at Bennet, who looks at the ceiling and sighs.

Finn and Scorpio exchange looks amongst themselves.

Arcadia is on her phone, and Harley is in the kitchen grabbing a drink.

"This is not going to work." I break the silence.

"No shit." Bennet agrees.

"I still don't understand why Cleo wanted to leave. We didn't do anything wrong." Harley said, holding a glass of wine, taking her seat.

"She felt like we were treating her unfairly. She thought we didn't give Ivy a fait try." Arcadia tried to make sense of it.

"Ivy was cheating on her. For fucks sake, we did her a favor." Finn affirmed.

"She's heartbroken." Scorpio weighed in. "Give her some time to heal, she'll be back."

I sighed and looked around. "Guys, we really can't keep doing these meeting at my place. It's been two weeks, we have to find a different spot." I used my apartment also as a studio, and needed my space freed up to work.

"You know we can't do it at my place." Bennet said.

"How about we do it at a Starbucks?" Harley suggested.

"It's too full. I'm not sure we'll even be able to hear each other." Arcadia complained.

I sighed. "Oh! Finn, I'm going to visit Juliet this weekend, can I borrow that cute white shirt you have?"

"How long are you staying for?" Finn asked.

"Only the weekend. She has to get back to training." I explained. Juliet was my cousin, and childhood best FRIEND. She was in an army area; she helped with guns and mechanical stuff. It was her last year of training and then she'd start working; and the working was tough, but as usual, she was tougher. Every once in a while she popped back here to see me, and I went there to see her. The girls already knew her.

"Of coarse. What's mine is yours." Finn said.

And then we all went silent.

"Anybody got any news on Cleo?" Scorpio asked, as usual breaking the estranged silence.

"Nope. She's been A-wall." Said Harley.

We all looked around the room, discouraged.

"Anybody got any news at all?" Scorpio insisted. We all stood quietly. "This is not like you guys at all! Come on! Everest, how's Baby?"

They all looked at me. I shrugged. "I wouldn't know."

"You haven't spoken to him since England?" Harley asked.

"No. He tried calling and texting me like, a million times, but I never answer. In fact, I've blocked his number."

"Everest!" Bennet protested. "Don't you think you might be over reacting?"

"No." I answered coldly. "This is a deal breaker. Imagine we get on with the relationship. We get married. One day, when our love is kind of shaky and we've fallen into the black whole of routine, we disagree about something and begin to argue, and then BAM! He slaps me! No way I'm going to live that life. I'm done with Baby. That's final."

Arcadia chuckled, "Don't you think you're blowing this out of proportion? He never hurt you, and I don't think he ever would. You don't even know why he did that."