❝𝙄 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙛𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙢𝙮 𝙛𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙮 𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙡 𝙢𝙮 𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙗𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙝.❞
Thea Hargreeves had already experienced loss in her short life, but her family was something she was determined to keep together and close to her heart. No matt...
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"Here, it takes all the running you can do to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that!"
⊱ .⋅ ✯ ⋅. ⊰
"Are you going somewhere, Darling?"
The sweet words stopped them both in their tracks, Thea and Five turning their heads towards Mrs Malkins who was stood in the doorway of the foyer, staring at them. Thea cursed under her breath and with a pointed look at Five, she turned to smile sweetly at the older woman.
"I've just heard some devastating news, Melissa," she said with false sadness. She moved closer to the woman and took her hands into her own, cupping them as she stared into her eyes imploringly.
"My brother has returned after being missing for so long – don't you remember when I told you of my lost family?" At the nod from Mrs Malkins, Thea went on. "Well my sister has just been found but she's in the hospital! Oh, it's so awful, Melissa, I must go and see her at once!"
Am I laying this on too thick? Why do I sound like a maiden from the victorian era?
She took a peek at Mrs Malkins but was surprised to see her wide-eyed, the woman evidently riveted by her fake story. She clutched onto Thea's hands tightly. "Well, then we must go, my dear! I will drive you there at once."
"No!" she said before she could stop herself.
Quickly masking her panic into a face of vulnerability, Thea moved closer into the woman's space and allowed a thumb to stroke her clasped hands, slowly. "I mean, I can't ask that of you, Melissa. Please, would you allow me the afternoon free to go and reconnect with my loved ones?"
The woman looked a little reluctant to let her go and so, with pursed lips and a furtive glance in Five's direction, Thea swallowed her pride. Her expression became shy, a touch of embarrassment colouring her cheeks and she bit her lip.
"Perhaps...I mean, maybe afterwards, we could have dinner together? You, me and Edward..." Thea turned her face away from the woman as though abashed by her words.
Five was staring back at her with a brow raised and Thea grimaced back, continuing her act with whatever remained of her shredded pride. "I'd really enjoy...a night to ourselves. Just the three of us."
