Disclaimer: I don't own The Mysterious Benedict Society
Chapter 10 (Reynie's POV)
Taking in a breath and then slowly releasing it I let my thoughts gently whirl. My eyes were studying a slightly worn yellow folder that contained the important details and paperwork pertaining to the case I had received just this morning. It was late afternoon now, and Mr. Benedict's courtyard was pleasantly shaded by the usual large elm tree.
Work as a private detective wasn't at all unlike the hours one might spend with a book of puzzles or riddles. It was simply a matter of gathering and properly assembling the pieces into one complete picture. Into an answer that explained all the questions, so that the case could be filed away as solved.
Letting go of a slight sigh I closed the folder before placing it back down into my briefcase. Most people would say that the biggest difference was that books filled with riddles were meant to amuse children, whereas the work of a detective directly related to real life. As I had learned earlier than most, in real life, there was always something to either gain or lose. And a mystery or a secret often highlighted that aspect of life more than anything else.
To my new client, a diamond studded bracelet worth quite a sum, was what he stood to lose. His mystery, his secret, could only cost him that...
But mine... I realized mine could cost me so much more...
I leaned my head back until I could see the golden yellows of the elm's branches. Autumn was one of my favorite times of year... For the beauty I saw in nature, and for the stream of pleasant memories it held. Memories of my friends... That's why it seemed so wrong when I had to leave in the fall of that nearly decade ago. It would only be for a matter of months I knew; to attend to pressing health concerns with Amma's mother. But still it seemed so unfair a time... We had finally escaped danger and we...we were all together at last. And more than anything I wanted those happy moments to last forever.
It was silly since I knew it was only a temporary move. It would just be until Pati's treatments were complete, until she was strong enough to return home again. I wrinkled my nose as a wave of old emotion washed over me. I had never felt so torn... I knew Amma and Pati would need me, that my place was with them... But as far as I was concerned, it would mean leaving the rest of my family behind...
They weren't happy to hear the news, but they all seemed so brave... As if our months apart were nothing to worry about... Again I was confronted with the worry that I really didn't mean as much to them as they undoubtedly meant to me... They were being so brave... But I...I felt desperate to cling to our friendship with all my might... Was I being overly possessive of them...? Was I too dependent...?
Letting my eyes fall shut I frowned as I realized those questions still remained unanswered. My life wasn't a case I could yet mark solved... And all the lemon juice letters Kate had sent me during my time away...well they were all filed away inside of me...
They were another piece of the puzzle... Another detail of evidence that reminded me of everything I stood to lose to this mystery...
I was getting lost in a tunnel of thoughts and worries when I suddenly heard a loud rattling coming from the briefcase sitting next to me. As if expecting some danger, my eyes jolted open before I leaned up to see what was the source of the noise. Unbelievably...seeming as bold and beautiful as she always did, Kate was suspiciously jabbing at my briefcase with her foot. "And what, dare I ask, is in there?"
Putting her hands on her sides she stared down at me with an unflinching frown. "Exploding calculator, a laser pointer, maybe even a pencil or two?"
I wasn't sure what to say... In fact I don't even think I knew how to speak at all. She had completely avoided me at breakfast hadn't she...? She hadn't said a word since dinner in the restaurant last night. Had Constance told her...? She must have... Then why...?
Staring up into Kate's ocean blue eyes I felt my whole body cringe as if bracing for a shock. If she knew...then she could reject me. Maybe this was just her way of working up to it...?
I guess my heart was more or less showing on my face, because Kate's expression suddenly softened as if she'd just realized she'd accidentally slapped me. "Hey...are you alright?" She asked as one of her eyebrows raised in concern. I knew I had to say something so with a few shaky nods I mumbled out a faint "yes." I hoped that single word wasn't a lie, but as it was...I couldn't tell myself.
Grinning in her usual way she seemed to believe my less then convincing reply. I knew one smile was hardly proof of anything, but all the same I couldn't help but be encouraged by it. After this morning I was almost sure I'd never see it again...
Plopping down next to me on the bench she balled her fists and drummed them restlessly against her knees. For a second I thought she might have been nervous, but I knew it was never easy for Kate to sit anywhere without fidgeting.
"No really," she began as she turned to look at me. "What's in the briefcase?"
Letting my eyes move to the object we were discussing I hesitated just long enough to regain my composure. "It's...it's for my case files." Leaning into her hand and beginning to vibrate her leg in time with some unheard rhythm, she nodded. "Oh for work, yeah I figured that."
To my horror an awkward silence started to settle around us. I should have been much too afraid to take my eyes off of the briefcase, but summoning courage that surprised me, I slowly looked over into her eyes. For that instant...that instant that felt like a brilliant eternity, we simply looked at one another.
Her blue eyes weren't simply glowing with their usual cheerful intensity...no there was something softer just beyond that. Something I wasn't sure I'd ever seen before... It was a certain gentleness that seemed to set all my fears aside. Inside my heart I felt a calmness set in that seemed so out of place. Yet...that warmth felt righter then anything before ever had...
In reality I had more to lose than even I first imagined, but at least in this moment...I wasn't afraid. For all the venerabilities that loving someone seemed to press upon you...there was also no greater feeling of safety...
Taking in a deep breath I slowly smiled at her. "Kate I..."
But my words then trailed off. It wasn't that I felt my courage waver... No...somehow I was sure I could have told her everything right then. But something told me I didn't have to... So instead I chose to simply do what we had always done...enjoy each other's company.
Reaching to unsnap the latches on the briefcase I brought it up to sit on my lap. "I'm having trouble figuring out something about this mystery... Would..." I smiled softer at her. "Would you mind helping me?"
Something in her face beamed. Something that filled my heart with hope.
"Fire away Reynie!" She resounded as she reached to playfully punch me in the shoulder. Like always, the punch was hard enough to make me cringe. But I was sure that no amount of pain could have taken the smile off of my face...In reality...I knew that I would have happily braved the threat of death itself all over again...
Yes...if just to assure this moment would never...ever have to end...
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