"You say 'I love you, boy'
I know you lie
I trust you all the same
I don't know why

'Cos when my back is turned
My bruises shine
Our broken fairytale
So hard to hide.."

-Many of Horror, Biffy Clyro 3

Freddie sits at a table for two at an Italian restaurant. The chair opposite him is empty. He checks his mobile for the eighteenth time since sitting down twenty minutes before. Effy hasn't replied to his texts and missed calls. It's raining heavily outside, maybe she got caught in the rain which is why she's taking so long..

"Um.. is there any chance of you ordering anything soon?"

Freddie blinked and looked up at the bored looking waitress standing by his table. "I'm not ordering till she comes."

"Riiiight.. and who is she exactly?"

"My girl-" could he even call her his girlfriend?- "My girlfriend."

The waitress nodded and snapped a bit of chewing gum in her mouth. "Aww that's a shame.. seems all the cute ones are taken."

Freddie's attention snapped to her, just like her chewing gum. "Wha?"

The waitress smirked. "Nothing honey."

She walked away, leaving him very confused and bored. Where was Effy?

Across town, Effy sits on a barstool at a busy bar. She's not talking to anyone. She's left her mobile at home, she'd cracked the screen by mistake when she'd thrown it yesterday. The rain outside doesn't make her feel any more inclined to leave, despite the fact Freddie was expecting her. Freddie..

Effy downed a shot of vodka down her neck. After the catastrophe with the mirror, she'd woken up from her collapsed heap and ran out the house towards safety. Her place of refuge was this bar just away from the harbour and she wasn't planning on leaving any time soon. She needed to escape from this claustrophobic monster that she and Freddie called 'love'. Effy didn't want to hurt him, she really didn't. But if they weren't together, he wouldn't be hurt either. He shouldn't want her.

Effy sensed a man of about twenty-four was looking at her from across the bar. Looking up, she challenged him with a vacant look. He was tanned, had black hair.. he looked like an older version of Freddie.

Freddie.

The Freddie lookalike got up from his stool and wandered over. "You okay there babe?"

Effy nodded. His eyes searched her, taking her in. As usual, Effy had cast her spell through no fault of her own. Her sheer enigma had captured him, just like what had happened with Cook, with Freddie. He watched as she took another shot and closed her eyes savouring the taste.

Her eyes opened when he nudged her hand with his. His hands were big, rough and calloused, like Freddie's. Silently, she took his hand and brought it up to her lips. He watched her, transfixed, as she gently kissed his thumb.

Ten minutes and two shots later, she was in the bar toilets, up against the sink. Her eyes were screwed up tight and her underwear was round her ankles.

The Freddie lookalike was up against her and kissing her neck.

He was helping her escape.

But all she could see was Freddie. Even when she closed her eyes and tried to block out this guy's breathing in her ear, all she saw was Freddie.

He was probably in the restaurant now, still waiting for her, waiting for her to stop fucking this guy. This guy may look like Freddie but he wasn't the real thing.

No one was like the real thing.

Before she could hear his satisfaction echo in her ear, she pushed him away. "NO!" she shouted, tears streaming down her cheeks. She ran out the toilets away from him and out the bar.

She was escaping back to her place of refuge.

Freddie nearly had a heart attack when his bedroom door burst open and in ran a hysterical Effy.

"I'M SORRY, I'M SORRY!" she wailed, throwing herself at him.

"What, about missing the restaurant date? Ef, I'm over it.." Freddie said into her hair.

"NO! NOT THAT!" she shouted, sobbing into his chest. "I-I-I'M SORRY!"

"Hey, shhh.." he soothed her. "Why are you sorry?"

"F-F-For everything," she hiccuped.

Freddie cupped her face with his hands. Effy couldn't believe what she'd just done. How could she? What was wrong with her? She didn't deserve him.

"W-W-Walk away now or I'll ruin you," she murmered. She didn't mean it as a threat, she meant it as a word of warning.