The Tenth Night
Edwin Stunntis
As soon as the door closed behind them, Veronica dug her nails into Edwin's arm and pulled him to a stop. "I told you to get there on time. I specifically said not to be late, so what do you do? Turn up five minutes late and expect me not to get angry at your insolence," she snapped, moving closer to the man who was attempting to shrink away from her.
"I'm sorry," he mumbled. "I--I just was running late."
She snorted. "Because of what? What on earth did you have to do that was so important that you had to turn up late to a meeting that you should have been on time for?"
He knew he couldn't tell her the real reason behind his lateness, and he definitely knew that an excuse such as traffic would not be accepted. She had offered to pick him up at a meeting spot but he'd declined it, babbling on about him being watched and how he didn't want anyone to be able to follow them to the place. This had made her hang up the phone on him. If there was one thing that Edwin hated the most about Veronica, it was when she hung up the phone on him, especially when he was talking about something important like the feeling of being followed. Just because she didn't believe it didn't mean that it wasn't real, and he had contemplated bringing it up at the meeting but instead had decided not to, reasoning with himself that if he still felt like someone was watching him the next time they had a meeting, he'd bring it up then and alert the others to the potential danger they might all be in.
Nails digging deeper into his arm was a reminder that she was still waiting for an answer. "I thought I had lost my list," he lied, looking up at her face. "It fell from my board and went under the table so I couldn't see it."
She let go of his arm and placed a hand on her forehead. "Honestly, can you do anything?" She sighed, looked at the time on her phone and glanced over his sitting room. "I have to get going."
"Can't you stay?" he pleaded. They hadn't had a night together in such a long time because Ian was now home every night, climbing into bed next to the woman Edwin loved and being able to hold her in his arms all the while he was forced to sleep alone and hope that she would be able to come round the following morning.
"What have I told you about whining?" she chided.
"I just miss you. We haven't been together in so long."
She glanced at her phone again. "I know. Listen, it's only a little while longer. Once he's dead we can change your living arrangements. After all, he's your uncle and the only family that you keep in contact with so it won't be weird or even suspicious if you move in to help me with the boys. Don't worry about anything, I have it all planned out." Veronica gave him a kiss, one that reminded him of when he was sixteen and first met her, before she pulled away and left his house, leaving him alone.
Without anything else to do, he shuffled to his sofa, laid down and pulled the throw from the back of it down onto him before he closed his eyes and tried not to think about the fact that his uncle was going to die.
"I'm sorry," he mumbled. "I--I just was running late."
She snorted. "Because of what? What on earth did you have to do that was so important that you had to turn up late to a meeting that you should have been on time for?"
He knew he couldn't tell her the real reason behind his lateness, and he definitely knew that an excuse such as traffic would not be accepted. She had offered to pick him up at a meeting spot but he'd declined it, babbling on about him being watched and how he didn't want anyone to be able to follow them to the place. This had made her hang up the phone on him. If there was one thing that Edwin hated the most about Veronica, it was when she hung up the phone on him, especially when he was talking about something important like the feeling of being followed. Just because she didn't believe it didn't mean that it wasn't real, and he had contemplated bringing it up at the meeting but instead had decided not to, reasoning with himself that if he still felt like someone was watching him the next time they had a meeting, he'd bring it up then and alert the others to the potential danger they might all be in.
Nails digging deeper into his arm was a reminder that she was still waiting for an answer. "I thought I had lost my list," he lied, looking up at her face. "It fell from my board and went under the table so I couldn't see it."
She let go of his arm and placed a hand on her forehead. "Honestly, can you do anything?" She sighed, looked at the time on her phone and glanced over his sitting room. "I have to get going."
"Can't you stay?" he pleaded. They hadn't had a night together in such a long time because Ian was now home every night, climbing into bed next to the woman Edwin loved and being able to hold her in his arms all the while he was forced to sleep alone and hope that she would be able to come round the following morning.
"What have I told you about whining?" she chided.
"I just miss you. We haven't been together in so long."
She glanced at her phone again. "I know. Listen, it's only a little while longer. Once he's dead we can change your living arrangements. After all, he's your uncle and the only family that you keep in contact with so it won't be weird or even suspicious if you move in to help me with the boys. Don't worry about anything, I have it all planned out." Veronica gave him a kiss, one that reminded him of when he was sixteen and first met her, before she pulled away and left his house, leaving him alone.
Without anything else to do, he shuffled to his sofa, laid down and pulled the throw from the back of it down onto him before he closed his eyes and tried not to think about the fact that his uncle was going to die.