The Night Watch ✓

20 / that friday feeling

There was a sweet moment of relief every Friday when the clock ticked over to five and Bree knew that she couldn't be bothered by her job for the next two days, free to spend the weekend with her friends and family, and it was with a smile that she finished up the last email of her inbox bang on time. Though she had been scheduled for an open house on Sunday, Petra had begrudgingly agreed to trade with her, so the next couple of days were wide open to spend the way she wanted. Evan had messaged her with the details of a house he had found in Parker and Price's listings, and she had arranged a last-minute viewing for Saturday afternoon.

There had been moments of calm throughout the day when Bree's mind had tried to wander back to Kit, her brain scolding her for hurting him and reminding her of what she had yet to do, but every time that happened, she replaced the thoughts with those of her brother. He was due to arrive within an hour, and she was out of the office as soon as possible after five o'clock with her bag over her shoulder and her keys in her hand. Strutting down the pavement, her ponytail swung against her neck and she let go of the week's anxieties as she got behind the wheel.

The way she saw it, the weekend actually marked the beginning of a new week. She liked to start off on a good note, rather than the drag that was Monday morning, and celebrations began as soon as she left the office on a Friday. When her flat came into view ten minutes later, her spirits lifted as she allowed the unfavourable week to slip out of her grip and vowed to make this one better. The first port of call was to help out her friends, and today she didn't feel as nervous as usual about the prospect of being in charge of Sarah. The girl was growing on her, and it helped that she was so easily entertained by books that she couldn't even read.

Recalling yesterday's conversation with Maddie, Bree smiled and turned into her space, letting out a sigh of freedom when she got out of the car and relished in the late summer breeze. Early evening was her favourite time in August, the month coming to a close as September loomed ahead, and the imminence of autumn. Bree's favourite season. She swooned as the leaves changed colour, every shade of green becoming rich reds and oranges before the onset of brown, and she reverted to a child at heart, kicking the piles of leaves and resisting the urge to jump in puddles in her heels.

Gaia was sitting at the kitchen table, a knife in one hand and a red pepper in the other, slicing away when Bree stepped inside, and for a moment she stared before dropping her keys onto the counter and stepping out of her heels.

"What're you doing home so early?" she asked, shedding her blazer and pulling out the seat opposite Gaia, who shrugged.

"I didn't go," she said, as though that was normal, but it was the opposite. Gaia took as few days off as possible, and even those were only ever because of illness, when she didn't have the energy to drag herself to her office. But she had been fine when Bree had spoken to her that morning, and she seemed fine now.

"Are you ok?" Bree asked, eyes imploring her friend. Gaia smiled, her eyes sparkling.

"I'm great," she said. "What's the point of forcing myself to go to a job I hate and come home in a bad mood when I could take a day off instead and relax?"

Bree's concern morphed into a grin. "That's the spirit," she said. She had been trying to instil that into Gaia for a long time now, that it was occasionally healthy to take the odd day off, and she was listening at last. "What've you been up to?"

"I tidied," she said. "My room was looking pretty disastrous. And I went for a coffee. And I just sat there and read my book for two hours straight, with my phone on airplane mode, and it was glorious."

Bree's chest warmed, her eyes sparkling as her grin grew. She couldn't remember the last time Gaia had really let her hair down: for the past couple of months, even when she let go for the evening and drank a little too much, her drunk self was a worrier too. But after a single day of treating herself, she looked better already. Her eyes were bright, her cheeks blossoming, and her lips were painted with a natural smile.