It was eight-thirty in the morning when Fiona heard a knock on her door. She was startled by the sound, as Justin had never once talked to Fiona in the house in the past few weeks. She kept the comb on the dressing table, which she was using to do her hair, and opened the door.
"Good morning." Justin greeted her with a smile. Fiona could clearly see that he was a little nervous.
"Good Morning." Fiona greeted him back, returning the gesture.
"I just came to tell you that breakfast is ready," Justin told her.
"You made breakfast for me?" Fiona asked with wide eyes. She was stunned by his gesture.
"Yes, so, come on fast. We will eat together."
"You didn't have to do that," Fiona told him while Justin led his wife towards the kitchen.
"I wanted to. It is nothing grand. Just simple Egg Toast." He said,
"Thanks, Justin." Fiona gave him a full smile. She really appreciated it. This made Justin's heart melt.
He never thought that a smile could have such an impact.
"So, how much black do you like in your coffee?" Justin asked her while making a coffee.
"No black. I like it with milk and two spoons of sugar." Fiona told him.
"Okay. Can you just pass me the milk?" Justin requested her. For a minute, she went blank, as she had zero clue about anything in his kitchen.
When Justin saw Fiona freeze, he called her name. "Fiona? Are you okay?"
"Yes, sorry. Milk?" She asked him hesitantly.
"Yes, milk - in the fridge." He told her slowly.
"Right, in the fridge. I will get it for you." She said this while slowly walking towards the refrigerator.
Relief set in when she saw that the packet was right in front of her when she opened the door. With a hesitant smile, she handed it to him.
"Thanks."
After a few minutes of silence, when Justin noticed that Fiona was deep in thought, he asked her in concern. "Are you alright?"
"Yes, I was thinking about work. Sorry." She covered.
"Work? And people call me a workaholic. Anyway, here is your coffee." Justin said while handing over the cup.
"Thanks." She replied.
Following some light discussion, both of them departed for work together. It was unusual for Fiona to be with Justin in a friendly way. He was really putting an effort, or more like, behaving naturally amicable towards her. The silence in the car was also not uncomfortable, and music was blasting all through the ride.
As they reached their destination, both bid goodbyes and proceeded towards their room. Fiona was about to settle in and start working when her best friend, Emily, barged in.
"Where the hell is that good-for-nothing husband of yours?" Emily looked beyond pissed.
"In his cabin, maybe? Emily, what's the matter? What did Justin do?" Fiona asked her worriedly.
"That dimwit is not in his cabin." Emily exited Fiona's room without further explanation.
"Why do I feel Emily will not care that Justin is our boss and will assault him?" Adrian asked her.
He wanted to laugh, as it is not always when an employee dares to threaten their boss. But, knowing Emily for a little while, she has guts.
"Because she wouldn't. I need to go and make sure no one lands in jail or in a hospital." Fiona turned to Adrian and dashed out in search of her best friend.
She was glad to find her before her best friend discovered her husband. Emily was pacing around Justin's cabin, furiously uttering colorful words.
"Em, what's wrong?" Fiona asked her again.
"I am going to murder that gorilla," Emily exclaimed.
"Gorilla?" Fiona asked her with an open mouth, even though she was amused at her friend's choice of words. "Calm down. Let's talk somewhere else."
Before Emily could respond, Justin and James entered the room. Even before anyone could comprehend anything, Emily pounced on Justin. Fortunately, James pulled her back before she could hurt his friend, who hid behind Fiona.
"You moron, you jerk face, you dinosaur, I am going to kill you." Emily barked.
Fiona really wanted to laugh out loud as it felt déjà vu to her. Instead of James, it was Justin who was hiding behind her.
"Jeez, Em. Stop attacking me like a wild animal." Justin pointed while still standing behind Fi, grabbing her shoulder as a shield.
"Oh, Justin. I am going to be your worst nightmare. Stop hiding behind my friend's back, you monster." Emily managed to get free from James' grip and ran towards Justin, who in turn tried to get far away from his wife's crazy best friend.
Just when Emily was about to catch him, Justin again went behind Fiona and tightened his hold on her, making her a sandwich between predator and prey. Justin was back hugging Fiona by clasping both his hands in front of her stomach.
"Guys." Fiona tried to talk to both of them, but it was useless.
By holding Emily's waist with both hands, James was eventually able to pull her back.
"Em. What the hell did Justin do?" He tried to ask her.
"He tainted my nephew's minds. Because of him, Max is calling me... Urg." Emily wanted to punch Justin, but James had a stronghold on her, and, whereas Justin was concerned, his grip on Fiona was getting tighter just as Emily tried to move towards her.
"That's a joke. That poor kid thought that I was Voldemort and considered my home an Azkaban. I at least made you look good in front of your nephew." Justin retorted.
"What the hell did you say to Max last night, Justin?" Fiona asked him while turning her head towards the left. With their position, it was impossible to look at Justin's face.
"I just told Max that his aunt is a..." But Emily interrupted him angrily.
"Justin told him that I am a big softie. Like a god damn teddy bear, and to test that out, your nitwit husband also suggested my innocent Max to pull my... To pull my cheeks. Max legit told me, 'Aunt Em, your cheeks are so fluffy.' And now he is calling me Aunt Fluffy."
Fiona and James both laughed at this.
"I didn't tell him to call you Fluffy. That was entirely Max's idea. A good one, I must say. But I just wanted to get back at you." Justin explained, but he was laughing inside.
"Now, I will get back at you. James, you bloody let me go," Emily tried to get out of James's hold, but he just bent outwards, causing her leg to move in the air.
"Okay, Miss Fluffy. How about Justin makes you a deal for three months of Cheerios?" James made an attempt to calm her down.
"Not happening. In fact, for protecting that idiot, you will compensate me for another four months of Cheerios. And you, Justin, I am going to..."
"I will do anything you want. One favor, no questions asked." Justin told her immediately.
Messing with Emily is toxic. But his last statement did get Emily to back down.
"Three favors. You are going to be my very own genie." Emily negotiated. This made Justin frown at her.
He whispered in Fiona's ear for advice. "Do you think she will negotiate further?"
"Nope. This is the best you are going to get."
Justin gave the nod. He still had Fiona in his arms. He had his face resting on her left shoulder.
"It's a deal," Justin said in agreement.
"You're going to kick yourself for messing with me, Justin. Welcome to your private hell." Emily locked her gaze on him with a smug look.
"Him? He just cost me four more months of Cheerios. This is what I get for saving you." James sighed and rolled his eyes. But, to be honest, the entire scene was ridiculous.
"What about all the time I saved you? Anyway, get her out of here, dude. She terrifies me." Justin pleaded with his best friend.
He had enough of Emily, the psychopath, for a lifetime. He thought that his Grams was a lunatic, but Emily just surpassed that to another level.
"You should be scared," Emily said to him. But before she could say anything further, James dragged her out of Justin's cabin.
Once both their friends were out of the room, Justin carefully examined the area around Fiona's head to make sure there was no trace of Emily or any possibility of her barging back into his cabin. He stayed hidden behind Fi the entire time.
"Emily is not here, Justin." Fiona tried to assure him when she saw Justin's apprehension.
"Are you sure? She didn't leave her soul behind to haunt me, did she?"
This made Fiona chuckle.
"Yes and No. I am pretty sure Emily's soul is now with James."
Justin exhales a sigh of relief. After a few moments, they both realized the position in which they had been standing.
Fiona cleared her throat. "Um, Justin?"
"Hmm?" Justin didn't want to just leave his hold on her yet.
He loosened his grip on her, but didn't entirely let go of her. This gave Fiona a chance to turn around. But, in order to stay on her feet, she had to clutch both of his shoulders.
"I... I should probably, um... I should go back to work now." She stated this nervously.
"What? No." He tightened his grip, bringing Fiona even closer to him than she was before. "What if your maniacal friend comes back? I am not letting you go. You are my safety shield from now on," he told her.
Emily did scare him, but not as much as Fiona leaving him. The feelings he has been developing for his wife are worth all the fear and nightmares Emily will inflict upon him. Especially when Fiona just couldn't stop herself from laughing at his last statement. Her smile is contagious and lovely.
Justin continued, "I underestimated her. She scares the shit out of me."
"Well, you did influence Max. I have to give it to you. The stunt you pulled was epic. Getting Emily riled up is easy, but after what just happened, that is something not many can achieve. You have reached a new level of awesomeness."
"I don't know if that was a compliment or..." Justin was in a dilemma.
"It was me wishing you all the best. You just landed yourself in your own little hell. Granting three wishes to Em? She is going to ask for it when you least expect it." Fiona patted his shoulder in sympathy.
"Crap!" He muttered. "And James is never going to let it go. I just got him to pay for an additional four months of Cheerio's for your best friend."
On the spur of the moment, Justin rested his head on Fiona's left shoulder blade. This made Fiona stiffen.
It might look like Justin was hugging his wife to an outsider, but this was not the case. Fiona did, however, lose her stiffness after a few seconds, which didn't go unnoticed by Justin. He may have been testing the waters, but the connection that he shared and felt with Fiona was way more comfortable than he could have ever imagined.
"On the bright side, you are a free man. For now at least," Fiona tried to steer her feelings.
"That I am." Justin moved his head from Fiona's shoulder. "All Thanks to you. You are an excellent human shield." Justin teased Fiona, which earned him a punch from her.
But their moment was cut short as Justin's phone rang.
"We should get back to work," Fiona said.
"Yes, we should," Justin said after releasing Fiona from his partial embrace. Before Fiona could open the door, Justin called her name, which made her whirl around.
"Fiona, please know that my doors are always open for you. Never, ever hesitate or even think twice about coming here or approaching me." He told her.
Fiona could see he was sincere. In response, she nodded her head with a grateful look.
Justin was sure as hell was not making it easy for her to sustain her decision.