Money Trail

Chapter 20: Depression

Chapter 20: Depression

“I'm getting the feeling that something happened.” Warren said into the icy air. Not icy as in cold, icy as in frigid and unwelcoming and decidedly angry.

And he could trace the source of that anger right to the fairy who was irritatedly smashing keys on her keyboard with no regards to how the piece of equipment might survive the abuse.

“Ilia threw a hissy fit.” Dallas told him.

Both of them were again sitting in the computer room watching the two tech geniuses work. Well, what they were calling work. Ilia was actually doing her best to snap her keyboard in half with only the power of her fingers while Josh was busy throwing her cautious and tentative glances, as if afraid she might turn her ire on him if he made too much of a presence of himself.

“I did not throw a hissy fit you-”

“-ass?” Dallas cut her off, then laughed when she began mumbling darkly as she turned from him and went back to her keyboard destruction.

It was the strangest thing. Anytime in the past when a woman had been mad at him, they had usually done their best to avoid him and even when they did meet him, they did their best to make the meeting as uncomfortable and painful for him as possible. And though Ilia was indeed giving him the freezing cold shoulder, and she did snap at him whenever he gave her half a chance, she was doing nothing to increase the space between them either physically or emotionally. She hadn't yet tried to cripple him with words or beat him with fists. She lashed out verbally at times, but he couldn't really sense any intent to harm behind the words.

It was more like that of an animal defending itself, fighting to stay safe. Desperate and terrified.

And it was only making him happier. Just a bit more, he was sure. He felt close, like he was coming up on the edge of a cliff or a storm was just appearing on the horizon. He could see the end but it wasn't quite there yet.

And it was exciting.

“So...yeah.” Warren looked a bit confused but not nearly as troubled and scared as Josh was. Clearly, the air he was walking on after meeting Brooklyn was still thick in his heart and was unaffected by Ilia's bad mood. “Um, so we're definitely taking Christmas day and eve off?” he asked. He had already asked the question but he was trying to break the atmosphere that had settled in around them.

“Yes, me and Ilia are driving to her sisters house tomorrow.” Dallas answered, watching Ilia closely.

She didn't react to the words. Normally, a person would have rescinded the invitation by now, but Ilia had not, still telling him that she already told her sister that he was coming and she didn't want to let the family down or be a liar. Like her father, Dallas thought. Proving to Dallas that she was simultaneously trying to push him away and hold onto him all at once. “We won't be back until late that night.”

“Great.” Warren smiled. “I promised Brook I would take her out to dinner on Christmas Eve.”

“Wow, a date on Christmas. Aren't you two moving a bit fast?” Dallas asked, joking.

However, Warren's face fell and he looked suddenly alarmed. “Do you think? You don't think she thinks so do you? Should I cancel? Should I-”

“Woh, calm down.” Dallas cut him off, chuckling. “I was kidding. She clearly likes you just as much as you like her.”

“Yeah...” as if the words were magical, Warren's face lifted back into a stupid smile and he looked off into the distance as if imagining the bookworm. “She's great isn't she?”