Nevermore

Precog

Wearing his self-enforced uniform of blue jeans, white vest and a red flannel shirt James preened satisfactorily at his reflection in the corner shop window before crossing the road and stepping into The Eagle pub. Yet again the dukebox was playing 'When Irish Eyes Are Smiling' and the lingering smell of stale beer and furniture polish welcomed him at the door.
Slipping behind the bar he noticed Sally bent over with her back to him as she stacked the fridges one by one. He lurched forwards and slipped his hand up her skirt. She whirled around, the fight suddenly going out of her eyes as she registered James and his accompanying leer. Mumbling "fuck off" without meeting his eye she abruptly fled the bar to collect empties. A few of the regulars witnessing the exchange chortled at the sight of the disgruntled barmaid scuttling off before returning to their beers. Half an hour passed by with nobody moving or talking. Just staring defeatedly at the middle distance.
Jameses jaw clenched as Granger sloped through the door in a smart grey suit paired with over-polished brogues, settling himself at the bar before waving indiscriminately with a crisp twenty pound note. Here we go again. It was almost as if Granger knew when he was behind the bar just so he could get James to serve him and make a point in his own passive aggressive tosspot way.
Granger had always sunk to the back of the crowd at college - doggedly following him around no matter how many times he tried to ditch him. After college was over and they went their separate ways little Granger got lucky with an idea for a startup. An idea he had back in their a level business class. An idea James laughed at and refused to be a part of. Which is why Granger was here. Just to make a point.
James had been the one everyone assumed would do well. James even bragged that he would be like Richard Branson one day - taking the world by storm and becoming a millionaire in his own right. And yet... James was the one still working at The Eagle.
Granger waved the twenty pound note and smiled broadly at him
"Double whiskey and coke mate"
James felt like smashing the nearest bottle and slashing Granger in the face. Instead he busied himself behind the bar, mouthing through clenched teeth "I am not. Your. Mate!" His face was a tranquil mask when he turned to face Granger once more and handed him his drink, snatching the twenty out of his fingers.
"Granger! What are you doing here?" He asked in mock surprise, as if he had only just registered who was standing in front of him. Granger puffed out his chest proudly.
"Well, just visiting my parents..." he started humbly "have to head back for a conference tomorrow. I'm the key-note speaker"
James pretended to dry some glasses in the hope of avoiding further conversation but Granger ploughed on.
"You know - every time I come in I'm surprised you're still working here."
Jameses eye twitched involuntarily
"Thought you'd started some tech company out of your parents garage or something? Take it it didn't go well then?"
James bit his inner cheek. No it hadn't bloody gone well and by the look of the smirk on Grangers face, he knew it. He had taken out a loan with the bank and promised his parents a return on their equal investment as soon as his start up had inevitably skyrocketed. After all if bloody Granger could make a success of himself, why couldn't he? Trouble is, clients could smell lack of experience mile away. Unsurprisingly his IT consultancy had folded within the year.
"Oh well, these things happen" Granger grinned into his glass, taking a long gulp before adding "its interesting to see who else made it though isn't it?"
Jameses ears pricked up.
Granger slapped a shiny copy of Tatler down on the counter "My wife was reading an article in here when I saw the picture over her shoulder and recognised her. Couldn't believe it, but it really is her. Started some cosmetics company and now she is literally rolling in it."
Jameses stomach lurched but he was determined to appear uninterested "Oh yea?... Who?"
"Jo Willis"
James felt like throwing up. He glanced at the magazine but refused to give Granger the satisfaction of picking it up and scouring the article. So that was why he was here.
Granger continued "well, anyway..."
Granger finished his whiskey with a smack of his lips
"I'd best be off" he got to his feet and walked over to the door making a point of drinking in the shabby pub before adding with a wince "look after yourself, yea?"
James grabbed the magazine as soon as Granger was out of sight and flipped greedily through its glossy pages to a dog eared article on page forty two. There she was. Jo. Only, she looked so different. Gone was the haunted, uncertain look that had constantly flit across her face. Gone were the circles under her eyes. Gone was that gangly foal-like person with the long hair he loved and hated in equal measure - replaced by someone older. She looked confident in an emerald green maxi dress that wrapped around her tiny waist and added depth to the long dark hair that framed her peaches and cream complexion. She had settled into her features with time, cheekbones and rosebud lips now prominent. The scar on her forehead was nowhere to be seen but maybe they edited that out. James idly wondered what she had told them. Childhood accident probably, he smirked to himself. Pleased that every time she stared into the mirror at least a part of him stared back at her.
He felt disgusted, transfixed and mortified all at once. Unable to tare his eyes away from the page as he gorged on every word about this familiar stranger. Jo was living in some fancy arse townhouse in Highgate now, having spent the last ten years working solidly on her makeup line which was launching in selfridges this September.
"Oh fucking really?" he thought bitterly, "good for bloody you"
His stomach lurched as he read the next section. The interviewer had asked why Jo moved to London 'She smiled to herself before answering - "there were things holding me back, and as soon as I left that all behind me... just look what happened"'
James couldn't believe she had referenced him. His own words.
He could see Jo, the old Jo, standing in front of him as if it were yesterday. She had deep, dark circles under her eyes and shivered slightly as he screamed at her. It had been his usual tirade, he had bellowed about how she had made him hit her and how he hadn't wanted to. That she was bad for him and made him do terrible things. Things that made him look like a bad person - but he wasn't. She was toxic. She was the problem. His fist had itched as she looked at him sadly with tears rolling down her cheeks. He had screamed at her that she was being manipulative for being upset. After all he had said he was sorry and it was her fault he slapped her in the fist place. She made him crazy. The truth was he had been pressuring her into having sex with him for months but the frigid prude wouldn't do it. He threatened that if she didn't have sex with him then he would just have to go out and find someone that would. It would be all her fault if he cheated on her. She would be forcing him to. Only, secretly he already had the night before and now he just needed to cut the bitch loose. After all, he was about to start a tech venture and he didn't need dead weight that wouldn't put out cramping his style.
"Look," he had said in a lower voice "You're the reason I'm still living in this shit hole town. You're holding me back and you always have... It's over."
The strange thing is that she had seemed eerily calm. But then, Jo didn't fight back any more. She just picked up her handbag and left. He had been so confident in his impending success - all thought of Jo Willis had been erased from that moment on.
But now...
"there were things holding me back, and as soon as I left that all behind me... just look what happened"'
She was in Tatler, she was a success, she looked - he conceded begrudgingly - stunning, and she'd even referenced his last words to her. His spirits lifted slightly as he put this all together. Clearly she still wanted him. This had to be some kind of cry for attention. She'd done all this to get it. Why else work so hard? She was proving herself worthy. Why else stand there with her tits out in a magazine like that unless she wanted him to notice her? To pursue her?
James Licked his lips and traced the curve of her body with his finger.
After all, he conceded, she was his little Jo. This was all some horrible mistake. They belonged together. Ego had ripped them apart and fate was putting them back together. They were meant to be.
He scanned the article once more before picking out the detail he needed.
"Highgate..." he mumbled thoughtfully to himself before pulling his mobile phone out of his pocket and tapping it into the search engine.