Chapter 4 #2
They stopped at Marks DR, okay?” Puzzled silence. “Too long, didn’t read?”
Eris let out a huff that sounded a bit like a laugh and got to work.
The smell of the sizzling meat was awful despite the vent running at full force. Denny opened all the windows and lit a few candles, praying it’d go away fast. Bringing the steak to the table, Eris shot her a judgemental look that said ‘Overkill.’
Denny accepted it. She’d been called worse.
Once the pungent reek had dissipated, the meal became more enjoyable.
Eris finished her steak in no time and even agreed to try the salad.
She didn’t show much appreciation for it until Denny suggested she try it with olive bread.
She was, however, much more enthusiastic about Denny’s chia-seed chocolate pudding, which she didn’t hesitate to accept seconds of.
Denny didn’t know what to think of this girl.
She acted like an injured animal who didn’t trust the human it depended on to survive.
Denny was dying to find out more about her, but she had to contain her feverish curiosity if she didn’t want to scare Eris away.
She couldn’t scare Eris away. Anyone who’d been through what Eris had would’ve called family and friends to let them know they were okay and where they were.
Eris hadn’t called anyone and no one had looked for her.
If Denny had gone missing for just a few hours, her parents would’ve mobilised Interpol to find her.
“Do you really have nowhere to go?”
A harsh side-eye cut right through her. But right there, under the surface, she was able to spot what she was searching for: a glimpse of uncertainty that vanished in a blink but was definitely there.
It was all she needed.
“Okay, here’s the deal: you’re welcome to stay here for as long as you need, but I never want to catch you stealing again.”
Eris’s shoulders shook in a low chortle as she sucked the spoon. Even without hearing her voice, Denny could easily get what she was thinking: ‘Yeah, I promise you won’t CATCH me.’
“Rephrase: you won’t steal again.”
An overdramatic eye-roll was all she got, but she knew surrender when she saw it.
“You must have some sort of place, though, right? Some belongings, a nook where you sleep?”
Eris’ eyes, made even more absurdly bright by the fresh liner, narrowed at her. It was one of those times Denny didn’t know how to interpret her reaction. She was almost certain Eris was alone out there, but it didn’t necessarily mean she was homeless. Maybe where she lived wasn’t safe or sanitary.
The very foundation of the values Denny had grown up with was kindness. It cost nothing. It was never the wrong answer. Besides, despite barely knowing her, she had an instinctual soft spot for this girl.
After a long reflection, Eris got her phone out, typed something, then handed it to Denny. Maps was open on an address in Croydon.
“This is where you live?” Checking the street view, Denny saw it was a terraced house, old and unkempt. “Do you share it with other people?”
A gingerly nod.
So Eris wasn’t homeless, after all. But when Denny had asked if she had anyone who could look after her, her reaction had been unmistakably glum.
“You don’t get along with them.”
Eris looked away with a shrug.
Denny nodded resolutely. She had already made her decision, anyway.
“Since you’ll be staying here for a few days, you might want to fetch a change of clothes and some home comforts? I can drive you.”
Scoffing, Eris stretched across the table and tapped on the ‘public transportation’ icon.
The route that appeared wasn’t much different from what it’d have been by car.
Over an hour from Marylebone, with several changes.
“Are you sure? It’d be easier to just—” Eris impatiently tapped the icon again, shooting daggers at Denny as if she’d just said something unreasonable.
“Alright, alright. I’m still going with you, though. ”
Eris arched her brows. Denny wasn’t sure what that meant, but clearly caught the scepticism.
“My aunt said you shouldn’t be alone for long, for good measure.” Glower. “Hey, you’re the one who refuses to get a proper checkup! You have no say in this.”
Eris started picking at the cuticle of her thumb. She didn't look happy, but didn’t argue.
And maybe—just maybe—her surly expression was a little bit endearing.