Hey everyone! I hope you like this chapter. Please let me know what you think. Honestly I really love reading what you all have to say. Thank you for reading,
-Aislin
"No," Happy said.
"What do you mean no? You can't just say no. I haven't even said anything yet," Toby begged her.
"I can honestly save you the trouble of even speaking, and just say no," Happy shut him down.
"But-"
"No, not today." She said pushing him out of her work area. She was not in the mood for other people today. She had been being too social lately. She needed to spend some much needed time around machines. They weren't hard to understand like people were. They do a job, and that's that. They don't dawdle around the task at hand, they just get it done. She liked that.
It wasn't like she didn't love Toby. Of course she did. Not as loudly as he admitted his love for her, but she did. Her love was quiet. She didn't have to tell him she loved him. He knew that she did; she just had her own way of showing it. She just didn't want to talk to him today. She needed a break.
"Happy?" He asked three hours later. "Do you-"
"No."
"Happy, you can't just say no. We are getting married," He complained. "You gotta talk to-"
"Away," She commanded as if he were the dog.
"But you don't even-"
"Stop."
"But you need to-"
"Out."
"Happy, I won't take no-"
"Shush."
"Happy, I'm serious."
"Leave."
"I swear to God, I will get you to come-"
"Bye."
She was considering going home now. She was done working and she was ready to sleep. It had been a refreshing day for her. No people, no interruptions, no explanations.
"Happy," Toby said automatically cutting himself off in case she was going to make him go away again. She always went through these moods. Some days she just wasn't ready to make contact with the world. Days like this didn't really happen as often as they used to, but every once in awhile she still cut off the world and everyone in it. Just because these days were inevitable didn't mean he wouldn't going to try.
"Yes?" She asked without looking.
"Happy, you need to eat something," He informed her.
"What are you my mother?" She rolled her eyes. She quickly placed her attention back on her project.
"No," he corrected. "I'm your husband-to-be, but I can't be that if you die of starvation before our wedding."
"I am fine," she assured him.
"What is the last thing you ate?" He questioned hoping she would realize that she wasn't, in fact, fine. He hadn't seen her eat anything, let alone leave her work station, in over 8 hours. She was working herself too hard for his liking. Afterall, if she tore herself, he didn't know he would be able to live through it.
"I ate an apple," She stated simply.
"At breakfast," He added.
"So?" She asked.
"So?" He said in disbelief. "So? So it's 9 pm and you at breakfast at 9 am."
"And your point is?" She rotated her right hand in a circle to tell him to get to the point.
"Human beings need to eat," He placed his hands on her face and tried to get her to look at him. He needed to interrupt her work. "You don't have to be a doctor to know that."
"I am fine," she repeated refusing to turn away from her work.
"You are not," He argued.
She didn't respond this time. It wasn't worth arguing.
"Ok, Happy, I didn't want to do this, but you give me no choice." And in an instant she was being thrown over his shoulder. Either he was stronger than he used to be, or she was lighter than she used to be.
"Put me down, Doc," She growled. She kicked her legs and pounded her arms against him
"This is for your own good, Happy," He grunted. "Would you mind not injuring me?"
"Put me down!" She repeated.
"The things I do for you, Happy Quinn," He sighed walking towards the car. "You're getting dinner with me and that's it. You can go back to your work tomorrow."
"I want to work now." Her words were those of a child.
"Too bad."
"Now isn't this better?" He asked her. They were sitting across from each other at a diner. They had finished their dinners minutes before. Happy was giving him the silent treatment. He had even had to order for her. It wasn't as though that was hard. He knew everything about her.
"You're gonna have to talk to me eventually," He informed her. Pointing to the ring on her finger he added, "Together forever, remember?"
She rolled her eyes in response. "You know I have no problems filling up the conversation on both of our parts. I've done it before. I'll do it again," He chuckled.
"You know you're feeling better now that you have eating. I know you appreciate what I do for you," He told her.
"Don't shrink me," She ordered.
"There's my Happy," He responded happily.
They were sitting next together on the sofa watching TV just before they went to bed. Her legs over his, as they always were. His arm around her, as it always was. The dog laying his head on Happy's feet, as he sometimes did. She reached up and kissed him on the cheek.
"Thanks," She whispered into the darkness. This was her way of saying 'I love you', and he knew it.
"Anytime."
