Always (Sequel to 'Maybe', a Thomas Brodie-Sangster fanfiction)

Chapter 2

The rest of the morning was peaceful; soon after our coffee, Thomas went to his new job, and then I got ready for work. "Love you," Thomas said, kissing me before he left. "Have a good day at work," I replied.

I relaxed on the couch. I had an hour until I had to go to work. To help support the apartment we rented, I got a job at Walmart as a cashier. I felt bad that it was the only contribution I could make towards our new life, but no professions interested me.

Just then, there was a knock at my door, interrupting my thoughts. I got up from the couch to answer. I opened it slightly, only to face an empty hallway. I opened the door fully, then checked the halls. Nothing. I was about to close the door when a white note on it caught my eye. I inspected it. Shock filled my body. An eviction notice. They're giving us 1 week to pack up and leave. It didn't make sense.. Every time I asked Thomas if he paid the house bills, he said yes.. But why would he lie?

I ripped the note off the door and lay it on the coffee table. A headache began forming behind my eyes. I glanced up at the clock. I'm going to be late! I hurried up from the couch and put on my uniform. I grabbed my car keys and ran out of the apartment. I struggled to start my car. Its engine finally sputtered to life.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Here's your change, ma'am," I said. The older woman thanked me, and then slowly left the store. I started ringing up the next persons' items. Three packs of beer. "Hello, may I see your license?" I asked. "Uh sure," the man said. He dug through his pants pocket, a look of uncertainty on his face. Finally, he pulled out a card, presumably his license. I glanced at the two faces; the one on the card and his in person. Seeing the resemblance, I scanned the card then gave it back to him. Out of curiosity, I asked, "What are you doing with all of this beer?" I saw a slight smile on his face, then he replied, "Just having fun, that's all."

I slid the last pack through the scanner, then bagged his items. "That'll be $86.94," I said. The mans' eyes got wide, then he pulled a $100 bill out of his wallet. I gave him his change. He quickly grabbed his bags then left the store. No other words were exchanged. I didn't even have time to tell him to 'have a nice day'. Not that I wanted to, anyway. It's just something that's expected of a cashier, maybe even required.

Slowly, the day went on and I was finally able to leave work. I arrived at our apartment, Thomas wasn't home yet. Worry gnawed at my insides. He was usually home by now. I sent him multiple text messages, but never got a reply.

After a long wait, the front door opened, and Thomas slowly walked in. He looked beat up. "What's wrong? Are you alright? Where were you?" He ignored my questions and slumped onto the couch. I sat down next to him. He sat with his head down. "Sorry I attacked you with questions, I was just worried," I said. He looked up, dread evident on his face. "Brooke, we need to talk," he said. I nodded, my ears ready for whatever he had to say.

"Stuff happened at work today and..," he paused, then continued, "they fired my arse." Those last words slapped me in the face. "They.. what?" He got up from the couch, and his face slowly turned red. "My boss is such a bloody idiot! I was trying to deal with a customer.. but he thinks I can be two places at once.. and I just lost it!" I scooted closer to him and put my arm around him. I desperately tried to comfort him. "It's okay," I said. He shook it off. Then his eyes met the eviction notice that I placed on the coffee table this morning. "What the.." he said. "An eviction notice?!" he yelled. I shivered. I'd never seen Thomas this mad. Then his eyes met mine. "Why didn't you tell me about this earlier?" he said in a harsh tone. "I didn't think it was the right time.. Plus I didn't even have a chance," I weeped.

He faced the note again, his face red as a tomato. I had to say something. For him and to assure my self being. "It'll be okay, we'll figure something out," I lied. Just then he shot me a glare. "How the hell can you be so calm about this?! I just lost my job and now we have an eviction notice! And don't even tell me you're going to save the day with your shitty job at Walmart!" His words stung through my heart. Anger started to boil up inside of me. "I'm trying to help any way I can! Isn't that good enough for you?!" I yelled, tears starting to form in my eyes.

"Yeah, well you'll rethink that when we're living on the bloody streets," he murmured. I could barely process everything that just happened. I got up from the couch and stormed into our bedroom before I could say anything else. Thomas resumed sitting on the couch, head down. That was the first time we fought since we were married. Thomas was always a calm guy, so fights were never an issue.

About ten minutes later, I heard a knock on my door. I wiped away my stray tears, and said, "Come in." Thomas slowly walked in. His face was no longer red. He sat on the end of the bed. "I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have said those things. Things have been really hectic lately," he said in a soft tone. I looked up at him, "I'm sorry too." He caressed my cheek, and soon I was sitting on his lap. "What are you sorry for? I was the one being a douche," he asked. "It just scared me, we've never fought like this before," I said. "I know," he said, then continued, "Am I forgiven?" I nodded, and then he kissed me on the cheek. "We'll figure this out together," he said. I nodded and lay my head on his shoulder, his arms wrapped around me. Eventually I fell asleep.