The Formidable

3

The clockwork started again. Jase groaned at the piercing sound of his alarm's high pitched ringing, cutting through the peace and snapping him into consciousness.

Shower, breakfast, dressed.

As he grabbed his keys before heading to the club, the light above his breakfast bar went out with a quiet tink. He stared at it for a second, as if it would miraculously replace or mend itself. Unsurprisingly, it didn't and his schedule for the morning changed.

The hardware store was near empty, with a handful of elderly couples searching for garden plants or materials for their retirement projects. Jase scoured the bulbs, cursing himself for not making a note of the kind he needed when a feeling he'd only felt a handful of times in his life bolted through him. It was as if an electrically charged elastic band had been squeezed over his shoulders and rolled down his body. The hair on his arms stood, his fingertips numbed as they hesitated over one of the fragile glass lights.

It was the voice that hit him first. One he'd heard so many times before, both in person and in every dream since. Suddenly, his Italian shoes were heavy and uncomfortable, as was the air around him. It took a substantial effort to turn and locate the source of the voice.

Why was she here? Why was she back in London?

"Mia, come here, please," Madison ordered softly from the top of the aisle, her eyes fixated on Jase. It seemed she was experiencing the exact same feeling. He managed to draw his attention away from her long enough to notice the toddler that had stopped in the space between them, wild curly hair pulled up into two bushy bunches secured with yellow bows. The little girl hesitated, weighing up her options and coming to the conclusion that he was a stranger, turning and flicking her legs out to the side as she ran back to Madison in that way only toddlers ran.

For a second, he was sure Madison would walk away. Like she should. Walk away and pretend she didn't know him, hadn't seen him. But she didn't. Instead, she took the first step forward.

"Hello," he said once she was a few feet away, immediately feeling weird about his greeting. It felt too formal for someone he had once known so well. Madison seemed to notice, smiling and looking him up and down, taking in his attire.

"A suit? That's a far cry from the grey joggers you used to kick about in." Confident as ever. Jase nodded, he couldn't do anything else. It didn't seem like Madison had aged, only filled out, more than likely due to having a kid and living on a real balanced diet as opposed to the gluten free toast and the odd plate of freezer food. She had a shape now and there was a healthy glow to her skin. Jase hadn't realised until now how thin she'd gotten in the house.

"They're still in my wardrobe, it's just not a good look to wear to work." Her brows twitched upwards.

"Work?"

"I run the club," he informed. Talking to her felt illegal, which was ironic that it made him nervous considering of all the things that could possibly make him feel that way, illegal activities weren't top of the list. Madison nodded slowly. Jase couldn't tell what she was thinking, but then he never could.

"It's good to see you moving on to something else," she said, caution evident in her voice, a question. Jase chuckled but swerved the question. He didn't want to talk about the ins and outs because it was a never ending rabbit hole. Madison didn't need to know how the club came into his hands and what was happening at the house.

"Me moving on? You've got a kid." He nodded to the toddler who quickly turned her head into Madison's neck, grinning shyly and making Jase return the same cheesiness. He'd set out the statement to gauge whether the child was Madison's or if she was babysitting. Madison smiled, too. She neither confirmed, nor denied.