Status: Live
Holding Hands Won't Be Enough
Chapter 45: Fox Den
Helsinki, 2000
"I don't want to go to the show, I've absolutely no interest…" Millie complained, holding the phone to her head with her shoulder as she stirred pre-made cake mix in a bowl.
"You have to come, no one else miserably complains at the back of the room with me quite like you do." he whined. She lulled her head back and stared at the ceiling, this was the last thing she wanted to do after her raunchy encounter with Jussi the week previously. She had managed to keep herself away from everyone, including Ville, with various excuses, terrified at the possibility that 'Big Mouth Jussi' could have blabbed.
"Jyrki, I can't.. I'm really swamped with my portfolio.." she replied, holding the cake-mix covered spoon up for inspection, she was about to lick the dripped mix from her fingers when a knock came at her door. "Oh, hold on a sec someone's at the door.." she balanced the phone onto of the wall cradle and meandered the short distance to the door.
"Portfolio my rear end." Jryki laughed, snapping his phone shut and pushing his way past, taking the bowl with him as he did, "Put on your glad rags and leave your apartment. It's been a week, what's wrong with you?" she turned and frowned at him, pushing the door closed and pointing the spoon at him angrily.
"Nothing is wrong with me. I'm just.. very busy." she answered, picking the bowl up from the counter; he tried to take it from her again, but she evaded and stood behind her sofa as a barrier between them.
"I know what happened the other night, I don't think you should let it effect you, I've known that you've been in love with Ville a long time for at least a year now and it hasn't effected me in the slightest."
"I knew that bastard would gossip!" she exclaimed, waving the spoon towards him.
"Only to me pumpkin," he smiled fondly, "from all accounts though you're an everyday seductress, he was quite the impressed gentleman."
"Oh please." she replied, rolling her eyes dryly.
"Matilda, come out.. please."
"I'm embarrassed." she admitted. He had slowly been inching towards her unnoticeably as they spoke, he was now close enough to reclaim the bowl and did.
"Because of Jussi?"
"Oh god no, I could have him eating gravel out of the palm of my hand… Ville."
"He doesn't know. Jussi has not, and definitely would not, have told him. I don't need to promise you that, you know him as well as I do." she sighed.
"But I've said it out loud now, that makes it real. I don't want to see him with this girl and be 'poor little lovelorn Millie', you know..?" he nodded softly and kissed the top of her head.
"You will never be, you'll be 'that beautiful if not slightly too skinny woman with her handsome pal Jyrki'. Now, go and put on a lovely dress, we don't want to be late." she chuckled and patted his chest. She appreciated having a friend like Jyrki to bring her back to earth. As she changed, she could hear Jyrki talking through the wall and laughed to herself.
"The first sign of madness is talking to yourself." she laughed as she walked across to the bathroom.
"I said, do you like living in a shoebox? This apartment seems smaller every time I come here. Or maybe the fabric is slowly filling it up?" he pondered, patting a large pile of materials.
"I love my shoebox because I don't have to share it."
"But that's what 20 year old females do, isn't it? Live together, share clothes.. talk about boys…" he teased.
"Evidently I have you and Jussi for the latter." she remarked, "And besides, you know I don't have any female friends. Just leave my apartment alone you, I love it. It's homey."
"It's like an eclectic fox den." he called into the bathroom.
------
"Oh, I hope you don't mind," Jyrki began, turning off of the main road into a familiar side street, "I said I would pick up Ville."
"Jyrki!?" she shouted, hitting his arm with the back of her hand.
"You definitely wouldn't have come if I had told you." he reasoned, calmly.
"You're damn fucking right I wouldn't have." she frowned bitterly. "Just let me out, I'll catch a cab."
"Don't be so ridiculous, we're here now anyway." he smiled, stopping the car at the bottom of Ville's building.
"Then I'll get a cab from up the road… you ass." she immediately let herself out of the car, clutching her shoulder bag in her hand with every intent on walking back to the main road, but before she could get ten steps away from the car, Ville and the girl appeared, Ville spotting Milly straight away.
"Milly!" he called, she spun on her heel and turned to him with a large false grin.
"Hey!" she cooed, "I was just coming to buzz you." she laughed, "But here you guys are!"
"Finish your portfolio?" she looked at him quizzically for a moment before remembering that was her excuse for not seeing him since the party.
"What? Oh! Yeah… done and done." he was smiling at her and nodding, her eyes were drawn to the woman awkwardly standing behind him. Ville noticed and it clicked that he'd left his date standing alone on the street.
"Oh, this is Tara." he explained, standing next to her, placing a hand on her shoulder, "Tara, Milly, Milly, Tara.." she couldn't hide it very well and simply offered a simple 'Nice to meet you' and a smile at Tara, who reciprocated with an unimpressed smile. "Right… shall we go?"
"Hmm, yes, lets." she replied with false enthusiasm, walking back to Jyrki's car, she could see him flashing a smug smile through the windscreen.
------
"I can't believe you did that." she growled as they stood at the bar waiting to be served. "Such a jerk."
"Matilda darling, if you could see what I could see, you'd see how amusing that was to me." she held up two fingers to the bartender, Jaati, before sliding a note closer to him. Quick as a flash he had produced two half-filled glasses of whisky and pushed the note back towards her. She pushed it back and he refused, so she stuffed it into his tip jar with a wink.
"You're too good to me." he beamed, blowing her a kiss. Up until three months ago she had worked in this bar as well, she had been the bar supervisor and though she was younger than a good portion of the staff, the most being a 5 year age gap, they respected her immensely as she had treated them purely as friends. She handed a glass to Jyrki with a look that read, 'You don't deserve this.' plastered over her face.
"Don't be so pissed off. Loosen up, let's have a good night." he raised his glass between them and stared longingly at her until she relented and clinked her glass against his. He gently sipped on his liquor, whereas she downed hers in one. He cocked his brow and she scoffed.
"Where's Jussi?" Jyrki burst out laughing, he knew it was only a matter of time with her being faced with Ville and Tara that she would require her hardened drinking partner.
"He's on his way, kulta."
"I don't want to go to the show, I've absolutely no interest…" Millie complained, holding the phone to her head with her shoulder as she stirred pre-made cake mix in a bowl.
"You have to come, no one else miserably complains at the back of the room with me quite like you do." he whined. She lulled her head back and stared at the ceiling, this was the last thing she wanted to do after her raunchy encounter with Jussi the week previously. She had managed to keep herself away from everyone, including Ville, with various excuses, terrified at the possibility that 'Big Mouth Jussi' could have blabbed.
"Jyrki, I can't.. I'm really swamped with my portfolio.." she replied, holding the cake-mix covered spoon up for inspection, she was about to lick the dripped mix from her fingers when a knock came at her door. "Oh, hold on a sec someone's at the door.." she balanced the phone onto of the wall cradle and meandered the short distance to the door.
"Portfolio my rear end." Jryki laughed, snapping his phone shut and pushing his way past, taking the bowl with him as he did, "Put on your glad rags and leave your apartment. It's been a week, what's wrong with you?" she turned and frowned at him, pushing the door closed and pointing the spoon at him angrily.
"Nothing is wrong with me. I'm just.. very busy." she answered, picking the bowl up from the counter; he tried to take it from her again, but she evaded and stood behind her sofa as a barrier between them.
"I know what happened the other night, I don't think you should let it effect you, I've known that you've been in love with Ville a long time for at least a year now and it hasn't effected me in the slightest."
"I knew that bastard would gossip!" she exclaimed, waving the spoon towards him.
"Only to me pumpkin," he smiled fondly, "from all accounts though you're an everyday seductress, he was quite the impressed gentleman."
"Oh please." she replied, rolling her eyes dryly.
"Matilda, come out.. please."
"I'm embarrassed." she admitted. He had slowly been inching towards her unnoticeably as they spoke, he was now close enough to reclaim the bowl and did.
"Because of Jussi?"
"Oh god no, I could have him eating gravel out of the palm of my hand… Ville."
"He doesn't know. Jussi has not, and definitely would not, have told him. I don't need to promise you that, you know him as well as I do." she sighed.
"But I've said it out loud now, that makes it real. I don't want to see him with this girl and be 'poor little lovelorn Millie', you know..?" he nodded softly and kissed the top of her head.
"You will never be, you'll be 'that beautiful if not slightly too skinny woman with her handsome pal Jyrki'. Now, go and put on a lovely dress, we don't want to be late." she chuckled and patted his chest. She appreciated having a friend like Jyrki to bring her back to earth. As she changed, she could hear Jyrki talking through the wall and laughed to herself.
"The first sign of madness is talking to yourself." she laughed as she walked across to the bathroom.
"I said, do you like living in a shoebox? This apartment seems smaller every time I come here. Or maybe the fabric is slowly filling it up?" he pondered, patting a large pile of materials.
"I love my shoebox because I don't have to share it."
"But that's what 20 year old females do, isn't it? Live together, share clothes.. talk about boys…" he teased.
"Evidently I have you and Jussi for the latter." she remarked, "And besides, you know I don't have any female friends. Just leave my apartment alone you, I love it. It's homey."
"It's like an eclectic fox den." he called into the bathroom.
------
"Oh, I hope you don't mind," Jyrki began, turning off of the main road into a familiar side street, "I said I would pick up Ville."
"Jyrki!?" she shouted, hitting his arm with the back of her hand.
"You definitely wouldn't have come if I had told you." he reasoned, calmly.
"You're damn fucking right I wouldn't have." she frowned bitterly. "Just let me out, I'll catch a cab."
"Don't be so ridiculous, we're here now anyway." he smiled, stopping the car at the bottom of Ville's building.
"Then I'll get a cab from up the road… you ass." she immediately let herself out of the car, clutching her shoulder bag in her hand with every intent on walking back to the main road, but before she could get ten steps away from the car, Ville and the girl appeared, Ville spotting Milly straight away.
"Milly!" he called, she spun on her heel and turned to him with a large false grin.
"Hey!" she cooed, "I was just coming to buzz you." she laughed, "But here you guys are!"
"Finish your portfolio?" she looked at him quizzically for a moment before remembering that was her excuse for not seeing him since the party.
"What? Oh! Yeah… done and done." he was smiling at her and nodding, her eyes were drawn to the woman awkwardly standing behind him. Ville noticed and it clicked that he'd left his date standing alone on the street.
"Oh, this is Tara." he explained, standing next to her, placing a hand on her shoulder, "Tara, Milly, Milly, Tara.." she couldn't hide it very well and simply offered a simple 'Nice to meet you' and a smile at Tara, who reciprocated with an unimpressed smile. "Right… shall we go?"
"Hmm, yes, lets." she replied with false enthusiasm, walking back to Jyrki's car, she could see him flashing a smug smile through the windscreen.
------
"I can't believe you did that." she growled as they stood at the bar waiting to be served. "Such a jerk."
"Matilda darling, if you could see what I could see, you'd see how amusing that was to me." she held up two fingers to the bartender, Jaati, before sliding a note closer to him. Quick as a flash he had produced two half-filled glasses of whisky and pushed the note back towards her. She pushed it back and he refused, so she stuffed it into his tip jar with a wink.
"You're too good to me." he beamed, blowing her a kiss. Up until three months ago she had worked in this bar as well, she had been the bar supervisor and though she was younger than a good portion of the staff, the most being a 5 year age gap, they respected her immensely as she had treated them purely as friends. She handed a glass to Jyrki with a look that read, 'You don't deserve this.' plastered over her face.
"Don't be so pissed off. Loosen up, let's have a good night." he raised his glass between them and stared longingly at her until she relented and clinked her glass against his. He gently sipped on his liquor, whereas she downed hers in one. He cocked his brow and she scoffed.
"Where's Jussi?" Jyrki burst out laughing, he knew it was only a matter of time with her being faced with Ville and Tara that she would require her hardened drinking partner.
"He's on his way, kulta."