Mistakes Made ✅

Chapter 12: Being Useful

A/N
I just wanna say ... Thank you all for reading this book so far! It really means a lot to me. Your votes and comments give me so much motivation to continue :'D

"I've got good news for you,"

Normally, Errol would simply brush it off, taking it merely as something that was not quite worth paying attention to. But perhaps it was in the comparatively upright way Jordie delivered the sentence. Although he sounded monotonous for someone professing they had "good news" to share, Errol could pretty much pick out the deeper impetus behind the deadpan complexion. 

"What?" said Errol, making sure there was nobody queuing up behind Jordie waiting to make an order.

"Can we do it outside? This place is too noisy,"

"It's called a public place for a reason, Jordie,"

A groan sounded from Jordie's throat; an impulsive trait of his that Errol had grown reasonably accustomed to during the past week in which he'd been residing in Jordie's apartment. It happened often in the mornings, when Jordie would walk into the living room and stub his toe against any low furniture. Gratefully enough, for Errol's case, the boy growling out imprecations at seven in the mornings saved the use of alarm clocks . And for some reason, Errol found it fairly amusing, especially when he was the one who tended to get under Jordie's skin. He knew he was playing with fire, but Jordie was comical when he was angry.

"Fine," the boy huffed. "So, outside? At the back?"

"What's this, like a sort of a sparring contest? Didn't realise we got through Round One,"

Jordie pursed his lips together, apparently holding back a snide remark. "D'you want to hear it or not?"

A sigh escaped through Errol's mouth. "Yes. But if it's a long one, I'm pretty occupied right now,"

"You pretty much weren't doing anything for the past thirty minutes,"

At this, Errol's eyebrows rose, a grin crawling to his lips. "Been observing, have you, senpai?"

The latter's ears turned a shade of crimson, his eyes narrowing at the process. "You're annoying," Jordie stated.

"Not my fault you shoved me under your roof, thereby having to endure ... you know, me,"

"So when's your break?"

Errol glanced at the clock mounted on the wall beside him, showing him that it was almost six in the evening. Outside, he could make out that the sky was already darkening, judging by the headlights turned on in moving vehicles and lamp posts flooding the street into a golden hue. "In five minutes,"

"I'll meet you at the back,"

"Suspicious ..."

"Errol."

"All right, man." Errol chuckled.

As soon as Jordie was out of sight and earshot - the boy simply entered the parlour without as much as ordering the cheapest beverage - a presence beside Errol indicated that Abeela had arrived to make another one of her commentary remarks. It wasn't that difficult to deduce, really. After months of having her as his co-worker in the staff, it had become a known fact - a general one, precisely speaking - that she would be most likely to pop out of nowhere beside Errol.

"You better tell me what the good news is," said Abeela without as much as glancing at Errol.

"Nosy,"

"So I've been told,"

"Can I ask you something?"

"You just did,"