In Pursuit Of ✔

A New Normal

Over the next few days, Henley fell into a routine that slightly resembled a normal summer break. She got up between eight and nine every morning, drank coffee, watched movies on Freeform and FX, read out on the porch, and went for walks in the warm, summer air. Meals were simple and not uniform; she usually ate small portions throughout the day and only had a full sit-down meal in the evening. Over dinner, she and Nick would have polite conversation, neither of them ever really saying anything.

Of course, there were constant, stark reminders that Henley was not spending a normal summer vacation in a country house in Texas. She would jerk awake at least once every night from nightmares, they were always the same, and then would spend the rest of the early morning trying to get a few more moments of rest. Her only companion was constantly up and down the basement stairs, keeping an eye on the security cameras. He was also working a lot more; now that they weren't moving around, Nick could set up a small office space. He was in constant communication with the San Francisco office, but wouldn't tell Henley any of the details of what was happening with her case.

Regardless, Henley much preferred staying in the Texas safe house to bouncing from hotel to hotel. She had lived in cities for her entire life, and so spending a little bit of time away from all the business and noise was nice. Most days, she sat on her favorite chair on the front porch reading her book for hours on end, and would usually end up staring at the long grass waving lazily in the breeze, lost in her own thoughts.

Nick usually stayed inside during most of the day, but four days after they arrived at the house, he came out to join Henley one afternoon on the porch. She only had ten pages left in her book and was eager to finish them. Thus, as he sat down on the chair next to her, she completely ignored him.

Just under ten minutes later, Henley closed the book and turned it over in her lap so the cover was on top.

"You finished?" Nick asked in disbelief, staring at the large volume in her lap. "It's been less than a month since you started that thing."

"Well, it's not like I've had anything else to do," Henley said, drily. "And it's good. Maybe if one day every second of your life doesn't involve work, you'll try to read it."

Nick held his hand out, and Henley handed him the book. He flipped through it. "Maybe one day."

"Is there anything new with C.O.D.E.?" Just because Nick wasn't telling Henley any details doesn't mean that she wasn't curious.

"Yes, and no." Nick leaned back in his chair. "I came out here following your advice. I need to clear my head for a bit."

"That didn't answer my question."

"Yeah, I know. They have a lot of theories and are following a lot of leads. But it seems like whenever something gets close it falls apart. If I'm being honest, we still don't know who's behind the threats to you and your family. Hell, we don't even necessarily know what they want exactly. Whenever I've asked, I get the same answers of 'information from our networks' or 'whispers suggest.' Nothing concrete."

Nick seemed to realize that he had been venting and, in the process, let out more information than he intended. "Sorry," he said, "There's nothing you can do about it. You shouldn't worry about it."

"It is my life," Henley said. "In case you haven't figured out by now, I like to know what's going on." Fortunately for Nick, Henley was satisfied with the knowledge she had just got and was willing to let the subject drop. Regardless, Nick had said something that sparked a different curiosity. "Speaking of my family," she began, "do they know what's happening with me?"