Mara twiddled her hair nervously as she watched Mick talking to the doorman. She didn't want to be here, she really didn't, but she couldn't say no this time. It wasn't as simple as "are you free on Tuesday?", where you could invent plans that would get you out of it. No, this time he had asked specifically when she was free, and she had to go.
The restaurant was fancy, and Mara didn't like that. Fancy meant expensive, and Mick wanted to pay. As they were led to their table, she gazed at the immaculately laid out cutlery, the dim lighting, and the array of expensive looking sculptures. It was all a bit too much, and she was already counting down the seconds until she could leave.
"Just in case you're wondering," Mick said with a smile on his face. "This is nothing compared to what I have planned for our anniversary."
Two weeks, five days.
Mara smiled at him weakly, so as not to invite him to say anymore. She hated not telling him, but she was scared, she was so scared. But by now she knew that she had to break up with him. Not today, she couldn't do it on an official date. But soon. It would have to be soon. It would hurt him, she knew that, but the longer she waited the more it would hurt, and the more insane she'd go.
Her charade was starting to fall through though. It had taken Mick a while to notice, but he could tell that something was different. He remembered when she looked so pleased to see him each day, how she'd grab his hand as they walked down the road, and how she'd beam so widely after he kissed her. She was still friendly, she still seemed happy to talk to him...she was just so distant. He tried not to let it bother him, but throughout the night he noticed more and more that she wasn't herself...and he didn't understand why.
Mara still hadn't worked up the courage to tell Jerome what was wrong. He'd tried of course, for the last three days to get it out of her, but she told him the same thing every time. 'Not now, later.' It only made her more nervous, there was a constant feeling of being sick to the stomach every time she saw Jerome and Mick talking, or even sitting in the same room together. Jerome was never someone you were sure if you could trust, so she always feared he would tell Mick, tell him that something was wrong. And then he would ask, and it would be horrific.
She waited while Mick paid for the meal, which was of course horribly expensive. They left the restaurant, and he placed an arm around her waist, drawing her in closer. She tentatively placed one in return around his, though it felt wrong, it felt fake. They walked back relatively quickly, and both of them remained quiet. Mara was awkward, and Mick was once again confused. This wasn't Mara, something was different, something had changed. He would have been upset, but he constantly assured himself that she was probably just tired, and that she loved him. That wouldn't change, right?
It was gone ten o clock by the time they returned, but Trudy had given them permission. And to be honest, it was common knowledge now that Victor wasn't as bothered as he used to be about his ten o clock rule. Mara assumed it was because now they were older, more mature. However, most of the rest of their housemates knew that after the incident with the cup, he had lost the will to do a lot of things. Though Mara and Mick had never found out about Sibuna, and since there had been no more meetings for nearly a year, no one felt that they needed to know any more.
Mara's heart began beating heavily as they entered the hallway. She knew what was coming. Mick would kiss her goodnight, and she'd be flooded with guilt, and the whole experience would be horrible. He looked at her and smiled briefly, and she remembered the adrenaline she used to feel when she used to see this smile.
He leant his head down towards hers, so that his blonde hair brushed against her forehead. He kissed her lightly, and although he couldn't be happier, Mara just needed to escape. She waited until a second or two had passed, and then pulled back, smiled quickly, and walked quickly up the stairs. She tried to tell herself that he wouldn't have noticed. She had still kissed him, so he couldn't complain, could he?
Though Mick was now curious, even more so than before. He walked slowly back to his room, thinking about when the goodnight kiss lasted several minutes. But it's probably nothing, he thought. She's just pretty stressed at the moment with school and things.
Jerome had heard them come back into the house, and had managed to watch their farewell exchange without being noticed. He witnessed Mara pull back, and then run away as if Mick had been trying to attack her. He saw the look of bewilderment on her boyfriends face, and thought he might have got it all figured out. He only needed to confront her about it.
Smiling slightly, he scanned the hallway with his eyes, searching amongst the shadows and the silhouettes, until his eyes met a small, brown handbag. Mara's. He chuckled to himself, walking over to pick it up, assuming that Mara hadn't remembered to hold on to it in her desperate plight to escape Mick's clutches.
"Are you alright, Mara?" Patricia asked as the door burst open to their room, revealing a somewhat distressed girl on the other side.
"Yeah, just...didn't want to be late for curfew..."
Patricia rolled her eyes, wondering internally how much of a goody two shoes you'd have to be to worry about breaking curfew after you had permission to do so.
"Right, well at least you're back, cause I need to borrow your phone. I need to text my dad back, but I ran out of credit..."
"Yeah, sure...have mine..." said Mara, head still reeling from the disastrous evening. She reached for the empty space under her arm where her bag usually hung, and swore to herself. "Hang on, must be downstairs."
She peered out of the door slightly cautiously, worried that Mick may be upstairs for whatever reason. Seeing no one, she crept down the stairs, and began checking the floor.
"Looking for something?"
She jumped out of her skin, and as she shot upright she saw a figure in the doorway, leaning casually against the doorframe, and twiddling her bag in their hands. There was no doubt that it was Jerome, she had recognised him instantly from the voice.
"Talk to me." He said, turning on his heels and walking into the living room. She was undoubtedly annoyed, but also fairly thrilled to be up late with Jerome. He had obviously picked up the bag, obviously wanted to talk to her.
She sat beside him on the sofa, trying to ignore her increased heart rate and the desire to move even closer. He was looking at her with a familiar expression. The slightly crooked smile and the slight glint in his eye.
"I know." He said matter of factly, raising an eyebrow slightly.
"Know what?" she said, slightly mesmerised by his smile. She hadn't even considered what it is he might know.
"Why you're acting funny." He said, smiling more as she twigged, and bit her lip. "I mean, I knew it was to do with Mick. But watching you tonight-"
"Wait? You were watching me?"
"That's not important. The important thing is, you flinch when Mick touches you, you run away when he tries to kiss you. Looks a lot like guilt to me."
She sighed, shutting her eyes in resignation.
"So I think," he continued. "That you must have cheated on him."
"Wait, what?"
She was stunned, she was so sure that he knew. She looked at him, still sat there with a knowing expression on his face.
"Well there's no other logical explanation..."
"Do you really think that I'd do something like that? I definitely haven't cheated on him! It's just..."
"Just what?" he said, somewhat victoriously. "You said you'd tell me, anyway. And I can always go and share my findings with the meathead himself..."
"No!"
She looked at him, and when he only raised his eyebrows further, she sighed again.
"Fine. I need to break up with him, I just don't feel the same way anymore. But he's so lovely to me all the time, and, and...I can't."
Jerome was a little bit stunned. He'd never even considered this, but it somehow made sense, looking back at her behaviour over the last few days. He'd always assumed Mara was so head over heels in love with the idiot that they'd stay together for as long as he wanted to."
"Well that's an interesting development. Tell me, Mara. Am I the only one that you've told?" he said, and she nodded. "Well...I feel rather privileged now."
He threw her bag back towards her, standing up at the same time.
"Well, I have what I came for. Time for bed, I think." He said, walking out of the room.
"Wait! You have to promise not to tell Mick!"
"Ten pounds." He said, sensing an opportunity for money when he saw it.
"What? I can't pay you ten pounds!"
"Then I can't promise anything..."
Chuckling to himself, Jerome left the living room, leaving Mara practically paralysed with fear, petrified of what was in store. She had to break up with him, she had to. And she had to do it before Jerome told him.
