Chapter Fifteen #2
“This isn’t working,” Rupert said, a snappy edge to his tone as he threw up his hands in frustration, an annoyed growl rumbling through his throat. It made me twitch, a strange feeling curling through my stomach. I knew it wasn’t directed at me, but it sure felt like it was.
“Don’t snap at me,” I said sharply, my hackles raised instantly. I didn’t know where it had come from but I didn’t like it.
“I’m not!”
“Yes, you are.”
Rupert took a deep breath, and I watched as he closed his eyes for a moment, squeezing his mouth together like he was trying to force himself to be calm. “I’m… I’m sorry, I’m just frustrated as fuck and terrified. She’s my baby, Milo, and I can’t find her.”
“I know, I’m worried too, but you…” My words trailed away from me.
I’d been looking around the room and wondering where the fuck she could be hiding, but as I spoke, an idea had suddenly slid into my mind, a memory of a video I’d seen late one night while I’d been scrolling mindlessly before I fell asleep. “I have an idea.”
“Where are you going? I already checked her room,” Rupert called as I dashed towards Lizzie’s room like my feet were on fire.
“Humour me.” I flicked the light on and strode over to the far end of the terrarium.
It was virtually flush against the wall, but there was a small gap where various plants had been slotted through and a few cables hung.
It was only three or four centimetres, not really big enough for anything to move through…
but potentially the perfect place to get stuck.
“Have you got a torch?” I asked, glancing over at Rupert, who’d followed me.
He pulled his phone out of his trouser pocket and flicked the torch on. “Here.”
“Thanks.” I took a deep breath to steady my racing heart, silently hoping I was right. Then I shone the torch into the gap.
And there, at the far end, curled up in a tiny ball between the wall and the back of the terrarium, was Miss Elizabeth Bennet.
“Ah ha! There you are! Young lady, get your butt out here right now,” I said with a bark of laughter as relief surged through me.
“Is she there?” Rupert asked.
“Yeah,” I said, not turning to look at him.
“She’s wedged in the back here. I think she’s asleep.
” As I spoke, said sneaky serpent lifted her head and looked at me curiously, her forked tongue flicking out to taste the air.
“Yes, I can see you, young lady. Don’t look at me like that, you gave your poor daddy quite a scare.
” She looked away and then tucked her head back in, apparently perfectly comfortable where she was.
“No, don’t do that. Elizabeth Bennet, don’t you ignore me! Get your arse out here right now.”
“What’s she doing?” Rupert asked with a relieved chuckle. He’d moved to stand right behind me, peering over my shoulder into the crevice. “Oh, she’s really wedged in there.”
“I don’t think she’s in any distress. Not that I’d really know, but she looks pretty comfy.”
“How are we going to get her out?”
“No fucking clue. Does this move? Can we pull it slowly away from the wall? Maybe just far enough for you to get your arm in and retrieve her?”
“We can try,” Rupert said slowly. “But what if she falls?”
“Shit, yeah. Er… do you have like a stick or anything we can get down there? A snake hook?”
“Somewhere but I haven’t used it in years.”
It was the best option we had so we decided to start with a stick and if not, we’d move the tank.
Rupert managed to find both a short snake hook and an old, long, wooden ruler, as well as a thick pair of gloves, on the off chance Lizzie got distressed and tried to bite him.
She wouldn’t do much damage, he said, but it was still painful.
Elizabeth, being a discerning lady, immediately decided she did not fancy hopping on either the snake hook or the ruler, and instead curled herself up tighter, despite Rupert’s pleas and promised bribery. Not that she could understand us, but it was the thought that counted.
Our only option was to move the terrarium.
Rupert went down the other end, which was slightly closer to where Lizzie was, and we carefully started to inch the tank away from the wall.
It was heavy as fuck and my muscles burned as we slowly started to shift it.
Lizzie watched both of us with suspicion as we moved it a few centimetres—enough for Rupert to wiggle his hand into the gap and stretch towards her.
“It’s okay, it’s okay, I’ve got you, my love,” he said softly, gently grasping her muscular body in his hand.
There was a split second where I wondered if Lizzie would react at all, but she seemed bored by this whole adventure and simply coiled herself around his forearm, allowing Rupert to carefully lift her out.
“Oh, my darling, I was so worried about you,” he continued as he examined her closely. “You gave me such a fright. Please never do that again.”
“I’m sure we can find a way to fix the plant in place so it doesn’t move,” I said with a grunt.
I’d been trying to move the terrarium back into place, but it was difficult on my own.
How Rupert had set this up without any help was baffling.
Did he have superhuman strength or something?
Those boxes of sweets had to be heavier than I thought.
“Thank you,” he said, offering me a small smile.
I shrugged. “No worries.”
“Seriously, Milo, I mean it. You kept me so calm and I really appreciate it, and I’m sorry I snapped at you. I… I don’t cope well under stress, especially when it feels like my fault or someone I love is affected and, well, I reacted badly.”
“You’re fine,” I said, walking over to kiss his temple and put my arm around him. “Anyone would react that way, especially when someone as precious as Miss Lizzie is involved.”
“Maybe, but that doesn’t excuse it. I’m sorry.”
“Stop apologising, sweetheart. We’re good.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, I’m sure.” I kissed his temple again, a warm feeling seeping through my chest. It was somehow both strange and unknown and yet deeply familiar. A comfortable feeling that sank deep into my body and settled there cosily. I didn’t know if I could really articulate it, or that I wanted to.
This was only supposed to be something casual. Fun. A way for both of us to let off steam and get what we needed. Rupert and I weren’t meant to mean anything to each other beyond friends.
But I had a sinking suspicion it was too late for that.
The ship of being just friends had sailed. And I had no bloody idea where we were going to end up.