Modern - Chapter 11

I was a bundle of nerves all day at work. After messing up an important memo for my boss, I had to work extra hard to keep my mind on my job and get everything done properly. Thankfully I didn't make any more major mistakes and managed to finish up the tasks Mr. Crawford had left me.

When 5 rolled around, I hurried to my car and sped home, hitting a lucky stream of green lights. Arriving a few minutes earlier than usual, I quickly changed out of my uncomfortable work clothes and into a pair of worn jeans and a cute, flowery blouse. Unsure how long I had before Derren put in an appearance, I did a speed clean of the living room and kitchen areas.

Since I usually kept them pretty tidy, it didn't take long to get them ready for company. Now all that was left to do was sit and wait. I picked up Mom's locket from the table. It was a beautiful, round gold locket. The front was carved to look like a flower with a diamond in the center. I had worn it on its delicate gold chain around my neck ever since Mom gave it to me for my high school graduation gift. She had said that it was an heirloom passed down through generations of women in our family and that it was said to help the women of our family overcome barriers to true love.

It sounded silly, but apparently one of my great-great-great-something-grandmothers or something like that used it to signal her location to her true love after she got taken from him. Another great-great-something-grandma used it to warn her beau of danger before he got shot by a group of roving bandits.

Even though I had no way to confirm these stories, I had always felt very attached to the beautiful locket and its history. Inside, it carried pictures of the original owners: a handsome blond man and a beautiful brunette woman dressed in the style of the Georgian era.

Unfortunately, the chain had broken a few months ago. Because it was an antique, I wanted to make sure it was fixed properly. The appraisal I had gotten was quite hefty, so I was saving for it. Hopefully, barring unexpected expenses, in another two or three months I would have enough to get it fixed without cutting into my emergency savings.

I was still holding the locket, running my thumb over the smooth back repeatedly while I considered the possible outcomes of my chat with Derren, when he finally arrived. He knocked and I quickly stood and walked to the door.

Letting him in, I said a quiet hello and led him to the couch. He sat as far from me as possible and I felt my heart sink.

Apparently whatever had come between us, it was over. He was going to end our friendship. I could see it in his eyes, the sadness tinged with acceptance and regret. I almost broke the tense silence between us, but I decided that since he was the one who wanted to end things, I wouldn't do anything to make it easier on him.

He finally cleared his throat. "Emmy. . . we can't do this."

"Why?"

"I just- we're coworkers. It would never work."

"You can't be friends with your coworkers?" I asked, raising an eyebrow and glaring at him.

"It's not that. I- I don't think I could be just friends with you. I have a feeling my relationship with you is going to be all or nothing."

"So you prefer nothing," I said, my voice tight with unshed tears.

"It's better this way."

"Because you're worried I'm the bad guy?"

His eyebrows shot up and he flinched. "Where did you get that idea?" he asked in a strained voice.

"That's what you said last night when I asked why you stood me up. You said you were going to text me but forgot, then added that you were worried I was the bad guy. What does that even mean?"

He shook his head and donned a very false expression of confusion. "No clue. Ramblings of a crazy drunk man, I guess."

I sighed. "Well, obviously I did something to get on your bad side. Since you won't tell me what it is and I can't fix it if I don't know what it is. . . you're right. This would never work." I felt the tears I was trying to valiantly to repress start to slide down my cheeks and turned away so Derren wouldn't see.

"What is that?" he asked after a minute of strained silence.

I glanced at him and found him looking at my hands. I looked down as well and realized that I was still holding the locket. I held it out so he could see it better.

"It's a family heirloom," I answered in a scratchy, quiet voice. "My mom gave it to me when I graduated from high school."

"May I?" he asked, holding out his hand. I placed it carefully in his large palm and watched as he examined one of my dearest treasures.

"The chain is broken," he eventually said, passing it back to me.

I managed to hold in a 'well duh', instead saying, "Yes. It's the original chain. They're both antiques, so it's a bit expensive to get it fixed. I'm-" I stopped and cleared my throat. "I'm saving to get it repaired. It's just going to take another month or two."

For some reason, I felt like this commonplace conversation carried a lot more significance than one would expect. My suspicion was confirmed when Derren shot me a relieved smile and began laughing. He laughed almost like he was having hysterics or a mental breakdown or something and I was starting to wonder if I should do something to get him help before he finally stopped.

"You can't afford to get your necklace fixed." He spoke in a happy, excited voice.

"I already said that," I answered grumpily.

"But this is perfect! There's no way you could be the bad guy if you can't afford something so small!"

". . . What?"