Strings of Fate

99- Options and obliviousnhess | get ready as fast as possible and practically drag Bellamy downstairs to the kitchen. | want to make up with Megan as fast as | possibly can. | stop in the kitchen doorway, confused when | don’t immediately hear Megan. | can hear her but not see her. A moment later she pops up from the floor. She was apparently kneeling and the bench blocked my view.

“Hey! | was just watching the breakfast muffins in the oven. | always overcook them a little so | wanted to keep an eye on them so they would be perfect for you.” Megan smiles atin an excessively cheerful manner. Okay, that has got to be fake.

“Why are you acting happy? You were upset a minute ago.” | ask warily. This level of cheerfulness is almost creepy. Just because | had a single bad night, it doesn’t magically make her hard times go away.

“You're right. | was upset, but then | thought about it while making the mix for these muffins and I've decided to forget about being annoyed and look at the bright side. So | am going to move straight on to being excited.

Having you here all the tis going to be fun, plus I'm fairly sure it's going to do wonders for Bellamy’s mood too which is a bonus for me.” She answers, satisfaction and teasing in her tone. | glare at her and move to my usual seat by the bench. Bellamy sits beside me. I look to him to say something to Megan but he just-shrugs. | guess a little as he watches he doesn’t exactly disagree. His smile falls my face.

“We do still need to figure out the arrangements. Do you need your own room?” He asks. He keeps his expression fairly blank but | can hear the anxiety creeping into his tone. Before | can decide on an answer, Megan chimes in.

“Why would she need her own room? Won't she be staying with you anyway?” She turns to 1. me.

“Won't you?” She demands. | stare at her at a loss for words, not exactly sure how to explain without completely embarrassing myself. Bellamy intervenes.

“| offered her one because she should have a choice. She hasn't moved in because she was ready to move in, she’s here because someone threatened her, vandalised her hand caused her to get injured. If she decides to stay withit will be because she wants to be there, not because she’s scared to stay at hand doesn’t have a better option.” He tells 1/4 99- Options and obliviousnhess her, his voice dead serious. Megan looks slightly horrified.

“I'm sorry Ry, | didn’t think about it like that. | was just excited to have you here.” She looks like Logan on the rare occasions he gets in trouble. Like a kicked puppy, all big eyes and sad face.

“It's okay Megs, really.” | turn to Bellamy.

“Can | think about it? I'll let you know by the end of the day, I just want to be sure of answer.” | tell him. | want tto think but | can’t imagine moving to a different room. It’s awkward, but | think sleeping somewhere else wouldn't fix the problem. It might just make it worse. Imagining having to actively make the decision to go to his room or invite him to mine if | want to spend twith him sounds awful Up until now, we're mostly stayed night because we happened to be in the splace and it was easier, or by accident. | know to an extent that’s not true. | could have said no on the times Bellamy hat 2sed to stay over But | didn’t, so that probably means | do want to stay with him, right? | want to south through my thoughts, but | think mostly I just need to take the tto work up the courage to admit | want to stay with him. It’s sooner than | anticipated, but Megan is right that it was bound. to happen eventually.

“Of course you can. Just letknow when you're ready. And you can always change yo mind later.” He assures me. | smile at him. Megan sighs tically. She is leaming on the bench, her head on her hands watching us with a dreamy expression.

“You guys are so cute. I'm kind of jealous.” She sighs again. | raise an eyebrow.

“Tealous of us?” | ask doubtfully. She shrugs.

“Sure, awkward banter and flirting. It’s adorable. | roll my ever “You're delusional.” I tell her. Then I smirk.

“Besides, if you're in need of sawkward flirting | could always just call Damien over.” | tease. She freezes and turns red.

“Oh, the muffins!” She suddenly declares, turning away. She grabs a towel and pulls a tray of muffins out of the oven. They smell good, although they look a little past golden browEL.

99- Options and obliviousnhess “Shit.” She grumbles.

“I did it again. | always get distracted.” | watch as she burns her fingers pulling them out of the tray, dropping one on the bench before flicking it back up onto a plate. Eventually she pushes two plates in front of Bellamy and I and a third for herself.

“Eat up, they should still be okay, | caught them in time.” The muffins she has made are scombination of eggs, bacon and cheese. There are sspices and things but | have no idea what else. Either way, they taste good enough that | go ahead and burn my tongue eating them too fast. Once he finishes, Bellamy kisseson the cheek and excuses himself to his office to make scalls. He is probably going to talk to Alex and the rest of the team at spoint too. Actually, now that I’m thinking about it, | should message Shaun back. He did ask if I could check in when | was ready. | grab my phone and send off a few quick messages replying to Aaron, Shaun and Darrien.

“So, | missed messages in the group chat yesterday. Anything interesting?” | ask. Megan shrugs.

“More of the same. Apparently the cute bartender is totally spelling people’s drinks though. It’s legal but only technically. Harry says that she only does it in a helpful way though so it’s probably okay.” She shrugs and | frown.

“Spelling people is okay? What kinds of spells?” | ask.

“Not sure... He mentioned that she mostly gives out nice spells to cheer people up and stuff.” “Mostly?” | comment. She shrugs again.

“Right... and what about Darrien? Have you spoken to him since lunch yesterday?” | ask. Megan seems to shrink back a little.

“No.” She admits in a quiet voice.

“Why not? | thought you were okay with him courting you? You let him pay for stuff, that's meant to mean you're okay with it, right?” | question. Megan bites her lip and takes another bite of food before answering.

3/4 Emergency calls only MOOV 99- Options and obliviousnhess 075% 11:52 “I'm just scared, | don’t want to get hurt again. | didn’t even know he was interested.” She says. | raise an eyebrow.

“Are you sure? Because | noticed his interest, and you are far more socially competent than | am.” | point out.

“I thought maybe, after my wedding when he was looking after me... but then he never said anything. Then again, | wouldn't have wanted to hear it.” she muses and | nod my agreement.

“Well yeah. That's why he waited.” | agree. Megan turns tosuspiciously.

“How long have you known?” she demands. | shrug.

“Oh, I don’t know. Probably since the first twe went dress shopping?” | answer. Megan groans.

“That's embarrassing.” She turns contemplative.

“If I asked you about my strings, would you tell me?” She asks, curiously.