Well.
Nothing really turned out the way he wanted it.
He barely saw Daisy more than he'd used to. She was always busy with school or friends. Though he did cherish the occasional visits. He would kill for more time with her.
Oakston was a nice enough town and all, but as much as he hated to admit it, Alec missed Broadchurch. Wait. No. That was wrong. He actually pretty much despised Broadchurch. But he did miss Ellie.
Not that he didn't have any friends here. There was Victoria, in the house alongside his. She was an okay neighbor. A little too nosy for him. But okay.
And there was the guy in the other house, on his left side. Had he forgotten his name already? Ugh.
Okay, so maybe he didn't have friends here either. But he was closer to Daisy. And that was what mattered.
Alec gave a grunt, settling down at his desk, long fingers around the handle of a mug of coffee. He was allowed to have it now, and he'd now become somewhat dependent on it, unable to function without a cup of the steaming liquid in the morning.
He'd been unable to find a job, at least not one he'd be good at. But at the same time, he wasn't exactly in the need of money just at this moment. He was off fairly well, at least for the next couple months. So he'd become something he would have never seen coming.
An author.
A bloody flipping author.
Trying to write a murder mystery.
He could practically hear Ellie mocking him.
And it was going well. He poured himself into his work, the way he always had. But it wasn't as stressful, now. He didn't actually have to catch a killer. There wasn't the risk of letting someone down.
He wasn't a failure.
And so he enjoyed it, to some extent. He'd gotten a CD player and used it frequently as he wrote, and he'd gotten a new pair of reading glasses because he'd cracked his old ones. He was already on the seventh chapter, and he'd only been out of Broadchurch for two and a half weeks.
But he also had a nagging feeling. Loneliness. He hadn't given or gotten a phone call from anyone he'd known back in Broadchurch. He'd only have wanted to talk to Ellie anyway. But still.
He leaned in close to his laptop screen, typing furiously. Best distraction he'd been able to find so far, writing.
Though he denied it, Smith was growing more and more fond of his partner. Even with her ridiculous jacket and that fluffy hair. But he just couldn't risk it. He needed to solve this case, to put his past behind him. And then, that would be it. He'd leave. He couldn't bear having his heart broken again.
What was he turning this into, a romance novel? Absolute crap. He deleted his past couple chapters, which had sounded all pretty similar. His main character slowly falling in love with his police partner. But always too afraid to show himself. Keeping himself distanced and gruff.
Pretty rubbish storyline, he thought. It'd be better if he could just figure out how to get them both together without making it too cheesy.
He pushed himself back away from the desk with a sigh. He'd rewrite the chapters tomorrow.
For now, he'd go out. Take a walk. That always helped.
….
Ellie pushed along the stroller, Tom alongside her. They'd wanted to get away from Broadchurch, just for the weekend. Ellie thought it might be good, for some family bonding time. Oakston had seemed just perfect. Completely away from the sea. Different from Broadchurch, but not too expensive to travel to.
They'd checked into the local hotel, and now they were just out for some fresh air. See what was in the area.
Ellie had heard there was a park around somewhere, but despite walking around for the past half hour, they'd been unable to find any such thing. She spotted a man with his back to them, looking off into the woods. "Sir! Excuse me, sir?" she called out. "Would you be able to point us to the park?"
He turned around, and she froze, mouth open. Same scruffy face. Same stupid haircut with his bangs in his eyes.
He was practically mirroring her expression, purely shocked.
"HARDY?" she exclaimed.
"…Miller?"
