Entangled (Phoenix 1)

CHAPTER 8

Things were still uncanny between Justin and Fiona after that day. Justin intended to catch Fiona and finally talk to her the next day, but she left for Emily's place much sooner than he wanted her to. She seems to be doing everything she can to avoid him at all costs.

But could he really blame her?

He hoped that he would be able to speak with her on Sunday. It is about time he lets go of all his fear and clears everything with his wife.

Fiona, on the other hand, had a lovely date with Max. He was such a sweetheart. She had a pleasant time after such a long time. She didn't want to go back to Azkaban. It felt no less than a prison. Sure, he didn't expressly voice out the limitations, but it felt that way to her. As a result, she decided to spend another day with Emily before returning to work on Monday.

Justin was bummed when he received a text from his wife informing him that she would be staying at Emily for another day, to which he simply answered, 'Okay.'

A revert text from Justin was no less than a shocker to her, as he never replied back. If it weren't for a blue tick on the messenger, she certainly would have never known that if he had even read her messages.

On Monday, when Justin saw his estranged wife, he felt something inside him that he could not recognize. But an instant smile appeared on his face.

Fiona looked content, more than she ever appeared when she was in the house with him. However, he could not ignore the fact that they barely ever saw each other in the house since both of them tried their best to steer clear of each other. He doesn't want that anymore. He couldn't continue this childish behavior forever, so he decided to take a leap of faith.

Unfortunately, this was not as simple as it seemed. None of them had been able to relax due to the backlog of work. They didn't even have seconds to spare, let alone full minutes, to have a decent exchange of words. He needed time, not to prepare himself, but to have a proper conversation with her.

It was Wednesday afternoon, lunch hour, when James walked into Justin's work by entering his office without knocking. "Dude, I am tired, and I need food. We are going to get something to eat."

"Let's order in. I have got a lot of work to finish." He told his best friend without looking up from his computer screen.

"No, we are leaving. We are taking at least an hour off. My eyes are on fire now, and my brain is jammed." James was adamant, so he dragged Justin to a nearby restaurant.

They were both waiting for their sandwiches at Sip & Dip café when Justin noticed Fiona walk in with Emily by her side. She was wearing black-framed glasses, which is a rare sight because she hardly wears them.

'Damn,' he thought.

She looked prepossessing in them. He could hardly keep his eyes off her, and this didn't go unnoticed by James, who had a mischievous smile on his face. After a long time, he was finally beginning to see some hope for them.

To Justin's utter surprise, he heard his best friend calling out Fiona's name louder than anything else. Emily frowned when she saw that it was James who called Fiona, and then she glared at Justin. If looks could kill, then Justin would have definitely died then and there.

Fiona, however, cursed 'shit' under her breath when she saw it was James who called her name.

He was waving at them frantically with both his hands. Moreover, it doesn't take a genius to know that it was Justin who was sitting in front of him. His back was facing her until he turned around and saw them. Fiona has been avoiding Justin since that call, but it looks like she won't be able to do that successfully now. Both Fiona and Emily walked towards them.