'Have either of you seen Nugget?' Suki asked tentatively, approaching Stacey's bap van

'No sorry.' Stacey replied.

Eve stayed silent.

'Well, if you see him please can you let me know?' Suki asked, hopeful.

'Sure.' Said Stacey, having already heard about Nugget's disappearing act. Eve, again, silent.

'Thanks.' Suki nodded, unsure what else she expected really. If they hadn't seen Nugget was else were they going to say. What else was Eve supposed to say? It's not like she knew what was really going on.

As Suki walked away Stacey watched Eve's eyes follow their land lady walk back towards the Minute Mart.

'Don't even think about it.'

'I didn't say anything.' Eve sighed.

'I am telling you right now do not go running after her. Not after what she's done to you.'

'I'm not,' she shrugged. 'Doesn't mean I like seeing her upset though.'

'Yeah well she doesn't have a problem upsetting you.'

'It's complicated.'

'So you keep telling me.' Stacey rolled her eyes. 'Look, if we see or hear anything about Nugget then fair play. But we haven't. And it's not your mess to sort out.'

'I know.' Eve replied quietly, looking down.

'I wish you could get over her mate,' said Stacey, walking over to give Eve a hug. 'And not because I think she's a witch, but because I want you to be happy.'

'Thanks,' Eve gave her a small smile. 'Me too.'

———————————————————————-

She knew she probably shouldn't have offered to go to the Minute Mart when Stacey said they'd run out of milk, but there were a lot of things she probably shouldn't have done that she's done anyway. And thankfully, Stacey didn't think anything of it due to the massive line of customers in front of her.

She walked in the shop as Suki was serving someone and headed straight to the fridge.

The customer walked away from the till just as she approached, not making Suki's eye.

'Just these two please,' she said, placing the milk on the counter.

'3.40.' Her ex lover replied.

Eve scrambled in her pocket for the change before handing it over.

'Any news on Nugget?'

'No,' she said flatly, not looking up.

'Are you….' Eve trialed off. 'Okay?'

There was a brief pause between them as she saw Suki's eyes move up, but not enough to meet her own.

'I'm fine.'

'Are you sure?'

'Not your problem remember.' She said shortly.

'Your choice not mine.' Eve replied quickly.

'Eve,' she sighed.

'What?'

'Please stop,'

'I wouldn't be here if you hadn't come over to the van in a state earlier and worried me.'

'I wasn't in a state.'

'Fine.' Eve sighed. 'But I know you're upset.'

'My grandsons missing of course I'm upset.'

'I know, I'm sorry.'

'It's not your fault he's gone.' Suki said with a bit more guilt than she'd have liked.

Eve caught it.

'Why is he gone?'

'Eve, I said stop it.'

'Okay, fine.' She sighed. 'Thanks for the milk.'

Suki watched her turn for the door, and stopped her just as she grabbed the handle.

'Wait,' she said both defeatedly and desperately at the same time. 'I-'

'What?' Eve asked, rooted to the spot.

'I, erm…' Suki breathed. 'It's my fault he's gone.'

Eve sighed, looking down.

'Forget it,' Suki shook her head. 'Forget I said anything, really.'

'You can talk to me.'

'I know.' She whispered. 'But we shouldn't.'

Eve didn't speak but merely turned the lock on the door and flipped the sign on the door to read 'closed'.

'Eve,' she said cautiously. 'What if Nish or Vinny-'

'Where are they?' Eve asked.

'I don't know,'

'I can hide,' she shrugged. 'And you can be on the phone to someone about Nugget?'

'Okay,' she nodded before tentatively moving from the till round the corner to the stock room, ushering Eve to follow.

There was a felt distance between them, so different from all the other times they had been in the small area together.

'What's going on?' Eve asked, the milk still in her hands.

'I told Nugget that Ravi killed Ranveer.'

Eve's face reacted before her brain, a display of shock covering it. 'You did what?' Her eyebrows raised.

'He killed Ranveer,' Suki whispered, tears forming in her eyes which were giving Eve an almost pleading look.

'Rewind,' Eve shook her head, putting the milk on the closest shelf to her. 'What about-'

'Denise,' interrupted Suki. 'Denise found the footage on Ravi's laptop,'

'Of you…?'

'Yeah.' She nodded. 'But she said after I'd left Ravi came and Ranveer was still alive, and then Ravi…'

'Finished him off?'

'Yeah.'

'But that wasn't on the USB? I don't understand?'

'I know.'

'Shit.'

'I know,' she whispered. 'I didn't do it.'

'Oh love,' Eve murmured, fighting the urge to reach a hand to Suki's arm.

'But now… now Kheerat's in prison for something neither of us did. And I Ravi is out here taunting me, he got Kheerat's leg broken but it's alright he's been moved now to a safe prison where he won't be hurt but I don't know how I'm going to get him out without getting Ravi…' she began to cry.

'Shhhh it's okay,' Eve breathed, wrapping her arms around Suki who had already fallen into her chest. 'It's alright.'

'It's not,' Suki shook her head against her.

'I know, I know.' Eve soothed, moving one hand to stroke her hair gently.

'I don't know what I'm going to do.'

'What made you tell Nugget?' She asked quietly before placing a kiss on top of Suki's head.

'I knew it would rattle him. And it did. But now Nugget's gone… I never meant to hurt him this way.'

'I know you didn't.'

'And now Nish is telling me I have to treat Ravi like one of my own but how can I? He was willing to let me take the blame for a murder I didn't do and he's the reason Kheerat's spending his life in prison.'

'Yeah well, maybe if Nish knew?' Eve began before tightening her grip on the woman in her arms. 'Or what if he already knows….'

'What do you mean?' Suki asked, pulling away to look up at her.

'The usb footage, it didn't have Ravi killing him on it,'

'Yeah…'

'So who clipped it short?

Suki's eyes widened. 'No,' she breathed, shaking her head. 'No, no, no!' She pinched the bridge of her nose. 'What am I going to do?'

'I don't know,' Eve replied, slipping her fingers through Suki's.

'If Nish knows…. Then he's let Kheerat go to prison knowing it's Ravi.'

'And he was willing to let you go to prison too.'

'Fuck,' she shook her head. 'I don't know what to do.'

'He might not know,' Eve offered.

'But there's no way of knowing unless I confront him.'

'You can't do that,' Eve shook her head, squeezing Suki's hand. 'I won't let you.'

'I know.'

'Just try and find Nugget. Don't rock things with Nish. If he does know, then his loyalties are clearly lying with Ravi and god knows what he would do to you.'

'I know.' She nodded.

'Keep me in the loop.'

'Okay,' Suki nodded, leaning to rest her forehead against Eve's. 'I still love you.'

'You know I love you.'

'I'm sorry.' She whispered, tears forming in her eyes again.

'I know.' Eve breathed.

'Maybe one day…' Suki looked at her hopefully.

'Maybe.'

'Thank you, for being here. I don't deserve it.' She said quietly, before leaning to kiss her softly. Eve responded in a way that made Suki ache for this whole mess to go away so that they could be together.

Eve's finger brushed Suki's cheek softly. 'We can't keep doing this,'

'I know.'

'If Vinny found us it would be game over for you.'

'I know.' Suki nodded. 'I'm just so tired of living like this.'

'You made your choice.'

'And I'm trying to figure out how I get out of it. I'm not expecting you to wait, but know that I am trying.'

'Okay.' Eve nodded. 'I should get back to the Van, Stacey will go apeshit at me for how long I've been. She's already warned me off checking up on you.'

'She's a good friend.'

'I know.' Eve nodded. 'Right, I'll get going.' She let go of Suki's hand and picked up the milk she originally came in for.