Hey y'all, how's it going? I know it's been a while please don't hate me!
The pair stood outside the biggest house they had ever seen. Long sloping lawns were laid out just beyond the wrought iron gates they stood in front of and in the distance the shape of a grand mansion could be seen.
Nick listened as Sara buzzed the intercom set into the wall beside her. He heard her state her name and reason for visiting but he wasn't surprised when the gates remained stationary. Who would let in a woman who had just said:
'Hi, I'm Sara Sidle and I'm here to shove my foot so far up Mindy Cash's arse that she will have toes poking out of her mouth.'
Sighing, Nick gently removed Sara from her place at the mouthpiece and stated his name in an emotionless voice. He felt, looked and sounded empty, but the gates grinded open all the same.
It took a good 10 minutes just to reach the front door and Sara couldn't help but gasp at the wild peacocks running free or the bubbling fountains that ran into estuaries that in turn disappeared into the fairy tale forest bordering the path. It was amazing. Nick didn't notice.
But finally the walk ended and they knocked the brass knocked against the royal blue door. Shortly the sound of heels clacking across marble rang out and the door swung open to reveal Mindy dressed in sweats and a tank top. She smiled at the pair and ushered them in, directing them to the lavish sitting room on the right.
Once they were settled and drinks were brought in, silence fell, a heavy silence that threatened to smother all who crossed its path. Sara broke it unable to take seeing Nick looking so blank and lost. She spoke.
'Hello, I'm Sara Sidle, a friend of Nick's. Do you mind if I ask you a question?'
'Hi, I'm Mindy, it's a pleasure and no of course I don't mind. Fire away.' She smiled a smile that lit up her beautiful face and showed off her dimples.
'Did you by any chance talk to a medium height man with blond tipped hair and possibly wearing a leather jacket in the last few days?'
'Yeah I did.' She was still smiling.
'What did you say?' It was Nick who spoke this time, his voice gruff from the tears that had recently passed through his system. Mindy looked at him in slight shock not expecting the despondent tone.
'Nick, are you Ok? You sound awful, has something happened? Are you in trouble?' She stared imploringly at the man but it became clear he was simply waiting for her to answer his question rather than pondering hers. She sighed.
'Well, I bumped into him two days ago. He was acting really weird and asking about us so I told him all that normal stuff we say. I think I even hinted something about soul mates and engagements, I mean the man looked so lost I thought I would throw him a bone or something, to please his editor you know. Is that why your upset, that I deviated from the script because I promise I only vaguely hinted, I swear.'
They had known Greg had spoken to Mindy, he had mentioned it to Sara, but it was worse than they had expected. The one upside was that it was clear that Mindy had had no idea who Greg was and she hadn't done it on purpose, she had simply confused him with a reported desperate for a scoop.
Nick finally looked up into Mindy's bright blue eyes.
'Mindy,' he croaked 'that wasn't a reporter, that was my boyfriend… ex-boyfriend now I guess.'
That horrible silence crept back up as Nick's breathing hitched uncomfortably on the last word. Mindy's mind whirled as she tried to make sense of what she had been told. Then slowly it dawned on her and her eyes widened taking in the ruined man on her sofa and the icy, stoic friend sitting beside him comforting her co-worker.
'Oh my God.' She whispered 'What have I done?'
Right, so this chapter is here because I thought it was kind of silly for Greg to just believe the tabloid junk, this way he has what he believes is substantial truth. Thanks for reading.