Chapter 31

Saturday and Sunday went by in a flash and Owen returned to work the following Monday with a spring in his step. The date on Saturday happened without a hitch and Sunday was Sunday. He was sent away by Boss Mike to help the other team. Adjustments needed to be made with the scaffolding on their end and they couldn't afford to waste too many people on it. Thus, the Handyman was sent to do what would ordinarily take several people. 

Halfway through the shift, lunch arrived. A can of soda in hand, he approached the one person he was close to: Frank, identified by his shaggy brown hair and the tiny wrinkle under his left eye.

"Thanks for the food the other day, Frank. I owe ya." Owen handed a can of ginger ale. Chuckling, Frank took it. He sat on a fleet of stairs with Owen opting to stay standing. 

"No need," Frank responded. "You saved our boss."

"All in a day's work."

Pssssch! Pop!

Frank took a sip, sighing. "My wife made way too much shit that day. You're fine."

"We're square when I say we are," Owen joked.

"So stubborn." Frank shook his head. "Ah, by the way, you were the one that took care of those bozos outside, right?"

The bozos outside. He hid his face with a drawn-out sip of the can. "Right. That." 

"Great work! No idea what you said to them but they haven't loitered anymore."

He kept sipping on his ginger ale. 'I guess the emo girl sent the message. That's comforting.'

The Royal Lions were the newest gangsters in the Bay and the wider county. They were local and growing in number fast. From what Owen heard, their primary source of income came from betting tournaments. More than likely, they had one strong fighter who the whole put their savings into and profited. 

But that wasn't of any concern to Owen. He shrugged and said, "Gangs are simpler than you think. A lot of them just don't like to be complacent. You give them a warning and the lower-levels will shoo away."

"Ha! Back in my day, gangs were ruthless across the board. This new generation is going soft."

"Isn't it better for gangs to be getting soft?"

"They used to make things exciting. Walking the streets was like a war zone." Frank shook his head and clicked his tongue dramatically. "You wouldn't understand."

"Okay, boomer."

"Hey!"

His thoughts suddenly wandered. Looking up at the completed ceiling, he was reminded of home. "I do wonder what they're doing," he said in a tone that no one was supposed to hear. He forgot, however, that Frank was directly beside him.

"The Royal Lions? I dunno, don't lions eat deer?"

"...sure."

His thoughts weren't on the Royal Lions, it was Isabella and Ophelia, his two girlfriends. The words had just slipped. He wanted to sigh. Frank noticed his plight and suddenly began talking with excitement.

"Ha! I have a funny story to tell you. There's going to be a rare blue moon tonight," Frank said, smiling, "and I plan to take the kids but my youngest said—"

***

Ophelia sat on the couch, flicking between WuTube videos. "There's nothing to watch," the blonde muttered, pulling her knees to her face. A sigh left her. "So bored when I wake up early…!"

Bags were under her eyes. Usually, she woke up around the same time Owen returned from work. Last night that did not happen because of the movie she was watching. Ophelia didn't notice Isabella was sitting next to her until she breathed a little too loudly.

"Oh! Isabella!" Ophelia almost flinched. "Hey, hi! How are you? You're up!"

Isabella didn't speak. She pointed a finger at the TV screen in front of her. Ophelia blinked and got the controller to follow her finger. Eventually, Ophelia settled on a video of a woman making an alternate version of the new Nintendo console. Ophelia clicked on it and found herself enamored. She loved arts and crafts videos.

Ten minutes later, Ophelia noticed a bowl of popcorn in front of her. She didn't think and simply pulled it into her lab, munching on the popcorn with a big smile. Another ten minutes passed and she saw a glass of water. "Don't mind if I do."

As the video ended and Ophelia picked out another video from the same channel, she received a chocolate bar on the table. At this point, Ophelia didn't question it. She yoinked the bar of chocolate and began eating. "Mmm! Yum!"

The person responsible for all the gifts was obvious. A quiet, reserved, and nerdy individual that talked only when her own hobbies were mentioned. A short-haired brunette that was bad with her words and worse with her feelings. This was Isabella's way of apologizing for her short temper. Ophelia was okay with that.