𝐏𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧' 𝐆𝐮𝐲 ➺ 𝐵𝓇𝒾𝒶𝓃 𝑀𝒶𝓎 & 𝒬𝓊𝑒𝑒𝓃

8. Poodle

Another mouthful of cornflakes brought me a minute closer to nine o'clock. I carried my bowl around the flat, spooning cereal into my mouth while simultaneously searching for my lecture notes and worrying about Emma. I felt guilty for neglecting her the previous night, forgetting that she was staying at Sinclair Road with Roger. I should have called to check on her.

Apologising was a reflect for me, even in the smallest of situations. It reminded me that I should have properly thanked Brian in particular for his kindness at the pub. No one, except Emma, had ever tended to my panic attacks like he did.

With that in mind, I made my way to the phone in the hallway, placing my cereal bowl down on the unit. Shamelessly, I had taped Brian's number to the wall next to the phone. Of course... It was purely for business purposes.

A small smile played on my lips as the phone rang in the distance. I almost expected no one to answer until I heard crackling and a soft "hello" from the other side.

"Brian," I said, recognising his voice. "It's Maria."

I could hear the smile in his voice as he perked up. "Maria, hello, love. How are you doing?"

"I'm doing much better, thank you. I just wanted to apologise again. I feel really bad for leaving you all hanging like that..." I trailed off, letting out a laugh.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to apologise until it's drilled into your brain?" he chuckled.

"Quite a lot. I'm a hard person to convince," I smirked, feeling proud of myself for being so comfortable around somebody relatively new.

"I'll keep that in mind," he said with a chuckle. "But seriously, you never have to apologise for something like that, Maria. It's not something you can control. Besides, we managed to secure a deal with The Britannia, so we didn't miss out on an opportunity. So please, I'm begging you, stop worrying about it. Please."

Perhaps he's right, I thought, letting out a deep sigh into the phone, likely catching Brian off guard on the other end. Running my hand over my face, I leaned against the wall, absentmindedly tangling my finger in the telephone wire.

"Fine," I mumbled, looking down at the mess I had made with the wire and my finger. "How did you manage to get in?"

"It turns out they needed their speaker system fixed, and you know, since John is educated on that sort of stuff, we put two and two together, and we left with a deal," he explained.

"All's well that ends well, I suppose..." I murmured, earning a chuckle from Brian. "Well, I'm glad you got something out of last night. If you won't let me apologise, at least let me thank you for being there. You really helped."

"I think it's only fair to help a friend in need during their most distressed moments," he said, his words laced with a hint of humour but still genuine. "You are my friend, right?"

"Yes, I'm your friend," I laughed, nodding. "But I'll be your dead friend if I don't make it to this lecture on time. Sorry to cut this short, but I have to be in uni at nine. Precisely."

"Don't let me stop you. You better sprint to that lecture, love. It's ten to now."

"Cheeky bastard. I can walk quickly enough."

"Okay, okay, I apologise. Go to your lecture. I'll see you around, alright?"

"Okay," I began, starting to lower the phone, but then quickly pressing it back to my ear. "Brian?"

I heard a distant "oh" from the other end, accompanied by crackling. "Yes?"

"Is Emma alright? I'm assuming she stayed the night?"