Sidequest for Love by L.H. Cosway

His gaze cut to mine. “I wasn’t acting like—”

“What a great idea. Thank you so much for offering to help, Afric,” Michaela interjected enthusiastically. “Now, get going, you two. Most archives close at five, so you don’t have a lot of time to get there.”

She practically shoved me out the door, and then Neil and I were left standing on her front stoop, staring at one another like the most awkward pair that had ever existed.

“You don’t have to come,” Neil said, averting his gaze.

“I want to come. We need to talk.”

“I’m not sure I’m ready to talk.”

“Is that why you ignored my voicemail?”

One eyebrow rose. “You mean the one you left me at three in the morning rambling on about how you were sorry but also not sorry?”

“Yes. That one. Though that was only one part of what I said. I was mainly apologising.” I paused, inhaling a deep breath and channelling as much sincerity into my voice as I could muster. “You have no idea how sorry I am. I meant what I said about grovelling. Whatever you need from me, I’ll do it.”

There was a flash of emotion in his eyes as they locked on mine. I nearly fell over from the intensity of his gaze, and I yearned to know what he was thinking. We must’ve been standing there locked in a stare-down for a while because Michaela opened her living room window and stuck her head out.

“Why are you two still standing out there? Didn’t you hear what I said about the archive closing at five?”

My eyes flickered between Neil’s. Feeling unsure, I reached out and touched his hand. “Do you want me to come with you?”

His eyes closed for a second, his reply little more than a whisper. “Yes.”

Just like that, my spirits lifted. There were a hundred helium balloons beneath my feet, propelling me into the air.

“We’re going,” I said to Michaela before motioning for Neil to lead the way.

We walked quietly in the direction of the nearest Tube station, and I let Neil lead us onto the appropriate train. There weren’t many seats, so we ended up sitting side by side, our backs to the window.

His elbow brushed mine, and he coughed, pulling it back. “Sorry,” he muttered.

“You don’t need to apologise for brushing my elbow,” I said, then leaned close to murmur in his ear, “I’ve always liked it when you touched me.”

His Adam’s apple visibly bobbed in his throat as he swallowed. He looked a little embarrassed, so I relented and changed the subject.

“What’s the game plan for dealing with the old geezer? Do I need to charm him? I think I have some lipstick in my bag that I could put on.”

He cast his gaze to mine, his eyes running over me, and I felt his attention like a physical caress. “That won’t be necessary.”

I reached up to pull the elastic from my hair. “I can let my hair down,” I said as it fell around my shoulders. “Men like it when women wear their hair down, right?”

My hands were in the process of fixing my hair when he caught my wrist. I froze, sucking in a harsh breath as I glanced up at him. There was a storm in his eyes. “Don’t do that,” he said, voice thick as he let go of my wrist, and my hands fell into my lap.

“Sorry. I forgot for a second that you hate me right now and I’m supposed to be grovelling for forgiveness.”

Something I said made him frown. “What makes you think I hate you?”

“Well, you never responded to my voicemail for a start,” I reminded him, shoulders hunched. I felt defensive. I couldn’t help it. In the grand scheme of things, it had only been half a day, but I was hurt that he hadn’t made contact. Hadn’t he promised me just last night that he wouldn’t abandon me as the others had?

“I’m mad at you, Afric. That doesn’t mean I hate you.”

“And you have every right to be mad. Yes, a part of me is glad I was drunk enough to tell Leanne about Annabelle, mainly because it means we never have to see that bitch’s face ever again, but I’m also so, so sorry for doing it. It was a dickhead move. I am a dickhead.”

“I’m the only dickhead in this situation,” Neil said, exhaling. “And you’re right. A part of me is glad that you told Leanne and the secret is finally out in the open.”

“What is it then? Are you mad about the hacking?”

“I would be if it weren’t for the fact that Leanne gave you the go-ahead. It’s her relationship that would be affected if those screenshots ever saw the light of day.”

“So, what then?”

Neil’s jaw moved in a weird way, his expression broody. “What you did was fucked up, Afric. I need some time before I’m ready to forgive you for it.”

All those helium balloons I mentioned? Someone just stuck a pin in them. Several moments of quiet passed before I spoke tentatively, “Since you’re still working, I take it you didn’t get fired?”

At this, several emotions flickered behind his eyes, the most notable being guilt. “Yes, Callum and Leanne insisted I stay on.”

“That’s good news.”

He shook his head. “I’m going to resign. I just need to find a suitable replacement, train them up, and then I’ll hand in my notice.”