backtotheo

[backtotheo]

theo nodded solemnly. "i know. i plan to donate half the profit of the streams of our latest single to charity." he wasn't actually seeing much money from that, but it sounded good. and they were just fucking around, right? like always. "something to wash all that down with," he answered, snapping his fingers when he thought about it. he hopped down when her washer beeped, because that meant his dryer was about done. it trilled out half a minute after the washer and theo dumped his things into a cart before returning to his spot and beginning to fold haphazardly. "milkshakes from the place on 5th or do we go for that new brewery on bowery? sweet or savory?"

She dramatically put a hand over her heart. "You're so sweet. So giving," she commented before pretending to wipe a stray tear from her eye. The washing machine behind her let out a buzz to signal that the load was finished so she forced herself up in order to switch things over. "You're going in so many different directions right now. I'm not mad about it, but we'd need a plan." Sydney got her laundry swapped to the dryer and easily got things going again. "We get the popcorn from the movies on 6th, pizza from that little spot on Bleeker." As she worked through it in her head, she confirmed the ideas with Theo. "Gotta get those cookies and cream cupcakes from that one place on west 4th. What else do we need?"

[backtotheo]

theo pointed his fork at her like he was wielding a sword. "i'm holding you to it, though. this isn't over." but if he was being totally honest? he needed to take a breather, too. his feelings for caroline were big. he loved her...as a friend. and maybe as more than that? but after his mom, he had some unresolved abandonment issues. he thought making her his fiancée would help. maybe it would have. he just never had the chance to ask her. and now? the couple of weeks they'd been in each other's orbits but not talking had been hell. now that he had her back in his life, theo wanted to keep her there in whatever way he could. he could bury his feelings. he'd gotten good at that over the years. fake it til you make it was all part of the up-and-coming band job description. he'd be fine.

he raised his eyebrows expectantly, shoulders slumping at her response. "they're good for you!" he let his fork clatter onto his empty plate, reaching back to fold his hands behind his head. when the waitress brought the fresh glass of milk over, he reached across the table for one of the remaining chocolate chip pancakes, folded it into a burrito-shape, and dunked it into the milk before popping it into his mouth. "delicious."

She truthfully didn't know what he was going to say. Part of her could see him accepting her request, softening to the obvious emotion written on her face and behind the words that used to happen often. But the other part knew he could press more. Knew that with the two of them, it was typically a back and forth until one of them either gave in to benefit the other or cracked and spit whatever it was out. "Thank you," she said softly. A raincheck she could work with. It meant that eventually, if he brought it up again, she could find another way to dance around it.

The way he reacted brought a smile to her face. He was completely unfazed by her sarcasm and questioning. Caroline made a big show of leaning in to accept the bite he now offered to her. It hadn't crossed her mind to do anything but let him feed it to her. Even if she knew the friendlier, more platonic route would have been to take the fork herself. As she chewed, she pretended to be thinking about it. "I'm still standing by my opinion that cooked blueberries leave a lot to be desired." She'd been bringing her glass to her lips when he mentioned the milk, causing her to pause for a second before continuing as if he hadn't said anything. "I hope you know you're drinking that," she finally added in once he had put in the new drink order. "Milk doesn't deserve to be on its own. It needs something with it! Cereal, cookies, chocolate flavoring. Anything to make it acceptable!"

[backtotheo]

"she showed up at my adoption event in the fall." he held up his phone again. his lock screen was a photo of the orange tabby lounging in a patch of sun in his apartment. "but she has like twelve roommates and not enough space for him, so i somehow got roped into letting him crash. his name's cheeto. he eats everything." theo nodded, setting his phone face down after setting it to battery saver mode, just in case they were stuck here for the long haul. "i mean, i had a few. but then we ended up living in the same neighborhood and now it's all just..." he held both hands palm up, the universal sign for fucked.

theo didn't really even know what he wanted to happen. he'd put up walls when caroline got too close because he was afraid of getting abandoned again, but he also didn't really see the point in pursuing anyone else just now. he really didn't want to see caroline with another partner. did that mean he wanted to try again? maybe. but he was too afraid of getting left behind hurt again to even try. "i've got nothing but time. band practice is cancelled." he leaned his head against the wall and exhaled low in his throat. "how long have we been in here? it feels like hours." or days. weeks, probably.

the excitement at their shared heartbreak maked cecil grin in spite of himself. "how'd that happen? sharing a cat?" he leaned over to look at the picture, smile widening at the sweet little creature. "i don't know if i could do it. maybe it'd be easier with a few years difference, i don't know." he took a deep breath. "not easy readjusting your life when you had all these... plans."

at the question, cecil checked his phone, pensive. "i'm on 70%. benefits of getting stuck on my workplace, i guess." his eyes find the fast food bag. "though i guess in a way we both are, huh?" he grabs another fry. "if you've got time to kill you can plug it in at my desk and hang out for a while. once we're free from this tiny steel prison." he looked around. "eventually..."

[backtotheo]

theo picked at the label on his beer, just for something to do with his hands that wasn't picking at his own fingernails. he leveled her with a long look while he took a swig from the bottle, setting it down a little harder than was really necessary and going back to picking at the label. "you don't seem that drunk," he pointed out with a blank stare. he ripped the paper off of one corner and then started on the opposite side. "what, so you just go around kissing all your friends?" his tone upturned on the end. he hadn't seen her doing that with anyone else, but maybe he'd just missed it. he still wasn't convinced. when he managed to tear off the label entirely from one side of the bottle, he started on on the other. "you know caroline's in town." he punctuated the sentence with another shrug and a sip of beer. "it's making it hard for me to even want casual. and, like, i wouldn't want something stupid to come between..." he gestured between them with his free hand. "us."

piper shook her head and refused to look at theo, looking quite literally anywhere else but him. she didn't really know what had come over her, but she knew that wouldn't have been a good enough answer. pipes had never really been one to read the room correctly and unfortunately, this was one of those times where she wished she didn't when she most definitely had done it.

when he walked away, she let out a sigh of relief, hoping just maybe he wouldn't come back. when he returned with a fresh beer, piper groaned internally and did her best to act like nothing had happened."yeah i'm fine," she said, taking another sip of her drink. "i guess i just.." she shook her head. "i don't know where that came from," she lied, still looking anywhere but at theo. "blame the liquor, i guess. i know you don't see me like that. i don't even see you like that," another lie. sure, the liquor may have given her the push to finally do it, but she had been crushing on theo for a little while now and clearly she'd read him wrong in thinking he'd felt the same

[backtotheo]

another band was getting set up and theo was eyeing the keyboardist's setup curiously, sipping at his beer and trying to figure out if he recognized that girl or not. he was still trying to get his heart rate back to normal from their set, a little bit distracted by the lights and music and people watching, so his brain was a little but slower to catch up with piper's words and even slower to register her actions. he looked at her with a half-smile, words just on the tip of his tongue that died when she leaned forward.

theo's body reacted before his brain, mouth moving without really deciding to. once he realized what was happening (and who it was happening with), a switch flipped and he leaned back and away from piper, tipping his chair back on two legs and running both hands through his hair before linking his fingers behind his own neck. "okay. what was that?" his tone was light, though his mouth had downturned on one side, forehead wrinkled. he reached for his drink and finished it off quickly. "pipes, you know i..." have a girlfriend? no, that wasn't true. have feelings for somebody else? not a lie, but also perhaps a little too vulnerable for so few drinks in. "...don't see you like that." true, but perhaps a bit harsh. he cleared his throat and got to his feet. "i'm just gonna..." he tipped his empty bottle towards her and got up to go get another, mostly to put a little bit of space between them and shaking his head as he went. when he returned with a fresh beer, he remained standing, one arm braced upon the table. "you good?"

"of course," she said with a smile. "i couldn't miss it. it's rare i'm not working when you have a show and i really liked being able to enjoy the set instead of balance my work while trying to watch." piper turned to the bartender and ordered another drink for herself, hers was long gone. piper looked up at theo again for a moment, playing with her options in her mind. she could come right out and tell him how she was feeling, or she could shut her mouth.

their friendship had meant so much to piper that she worried for a moment that she may be putting everything at risk, but who didn't enjoy the thrill of taking a risk? "theo i think i.." her voice came out too quiet to compete with the noisy bar. piper took a sip of her brand new drink before leaning up and planting a kiss to theo's lips, hoping for the best. when theo pulled away quickly, her heart sank to her stomach.

[backtotheo]

who: theo + cal (@evermxss) where: rose blush (dance studio)

it had seemed like a good idea at the time. yes, theo played the keyboard so he wasn't expected to be doing much dancing when they performed, but he'd watched enough x factor to know that bands who could do more than just one thing tended to last longer. and theo wanted electric touch to hit it big. preferably sooner than later. he'd signed them up for a pop class at rose blush assuming it was a beginner's class. by the end of the hour session, his calves were burning, his t-shirt damp, and his hair in sweaty strands around his face. he'd kept up okay for about the first sixteen count. after that? he'd watched the hips of the dancer in front of him and was half a step behind the rest of the way.

"holy shit," theo wheezed once the class broke. he slid down the wall to the floor and laid flat on his back, chugging from the bottle of water he'd thankfully remembered to bring with him. "promise me you'll never let me do that again."

[backtotheo]

theo shook his head. "there's a reason. i'm trying to get this bridge right." he tested a couple of note combinations and frowned, bringing his hands down in a cacophony of mismatched notes. with a tilt of his head, he snapped his fingers at her, picking up where she'd left off and raising his eyebrows, a slow smile spreading across his features. he shrugged his backpack off and fished out the battered notebook that held pieces of lyrics and handwritten sheet music, quickly copying down what they'd just done and tapping the paper with the capped end of his pen. "this could work." he put the notebook away and then eyed the top sheet, expertly plucking out the notes. "if you want any musicals, i have a hookup for that." he didn't mean hookup like hookup. just that he had a connection there.

"says the man currently randomly playing a piano for no real reason other than to show off." savannah's hand waves over where he's playing, eyes rolling affectionately as she does so. she listens to him playing, the melody familiar as she's heard him fussing over it for weeks now. she gently nudges him over, leaning over the bench. her fingers hit a couple of notes that might have worked after what he'd played, just playing off what sounded right in her head. "sheet music. i'm seeing what's new to see what i can get later on. it's called being prepared." she drops the sheets in her hands on top of the piano, shuffling through a couple of them to see if there's any she doesn't have yet. "i can't find them online later if i don't know what's out there."

[backtotheo]

there was nothing like performing for a crowd. when they'd first started up, they'd played in much smaller clubs and mostly were background noise to first dates and happy hours. now, they had a small, but dedicated, group of fans who knew every word and an even bigger amount of people who knew their hits. theo fed off the energy from the crowd and left the keys a couple of times to belt lyrics into the standing mic next to sav, grinning all the while. by the time their set was over, his t-shirt was sticking to him and his hair was plastered to his forehead.

he hopped down from the raised platform acting as the stage, paused to talk with a few fans, and eventually broke away from the rest of the band to meet piper across the room. "thanks," he breathed, chugging half of his beer before dropping into the seat beside her and pushing his hair out of his eyes. "for coming. and for the beer." he raised the beer in question and took another gulp, blinking away some of the adrenaline and propping his elbows on the table. "yeah? we put some new stuff out there tonight. wasn't sure how it was gonna go, but i think it went pretty okay." he took a second to breathe and focused back on her. "what's up?"

where: like a rainbow who: piper and theo @backtotheo piper was enjoying her night off at rainbow, supporting electric touch. it was rare that piper had a night off and maybe she shouldn't be spending it in a bar, but theo had invited her to a gig and she couldn't turn her good friend down. it wasn't often that she actually got to enjoy one of the band's performances as she was normally bartending when they played, so this was a nice way to spend her night.

she had a drink waiting for theo, flagging him down when the performance was over and he had finished interacting with fans of the band. "that was a sick performance," she said with a smile, handing theo his beer. "it was nice actually getting to pay attention to you guys for once."

[backtotheo]

theo held out his hand for matías to shake. "it's a deal." he finished up the pastry he'd gotten from him and wiped the crumbs on a napkin, eyeing the bag while matías went to get his drink. he really didn't think it was necessary, but if the other wanted to make it up to him, who was he to stand in the way? he snagged a scone from the bag and was just taking a bite when matías returned. he lifted the rest of the scone in a goodbye. "thanks, man. have a good one." he headed to the counter to get his drink, feeling a bit more alive than when he'd entered the shop. maybe he'd just been hungry after all.

end.

"Monday is perfect. It gives me time to get the supplies and have them baked, they take a bit of time, but I would love to make them for you. Pick them up whenever you want after noon on Monday? I'll be in the shop all day and I'll have them ready to go for you. All you'll have to do is pop in and grab them, I won't keep you." Matías knew that he could be a talker, and he didn't want to keep Theo from his busy schedule if he could help it.

"I'll make it a double." Matías winked and made his way back up to the counter to order Theo another drink. He ordered the largest latte he could, adding an extra shot of espresso, under Theo's name and paid. "It'll be ready for you whenever," Matías commented once was back at the table. He picked up the tray of drinks for him and Gabriel as well as the bag of pastries and waved a little. "Now if you'll excuse me, I really should be getting back to the flower shop or I'll have quite the grumpy old man waiting for his coffee."

[backtotheo]

theo pursed his lips mid-chew. he considered her request while he took a long swig of coffee. when he set the mug down again, he exhaled a sigh. "consider it a raincheck." he could let it go. for now. but that didn't mean he wasn't going to ask again at a later date. he still wanted to know. but he also didn't want to make it awkward, not when they'd just started talking again.

he turned his attention back to his meal. "uh, yeah. it's a fruit." he brandished a forkful of blueberry pancake at her and leaned it towards her. he'd kind of wanted her to eat it right off of his fork, but theo nodded sagely. "i am, actually. you should probably get some milk with it. get that vitamin d." he said this all with a perfectly straight face as he drank the rest of his coffee and waved the waitress over to ask for a refill...and a large glass of milk.

If it had been any other situation, any other conversation, she would've brushed it off. Would've made a joke or silly comment about how little versions of her would've been better. But since they were talking about the what ifs, and she danced around the regret and guilt she'd felt since, the jokes just didn't seem to make sense. "I know you were." Caroline figured a simple, genuine response was all that was necessary. Of course she knew he wasn't trying to start anything. He would never. When he asked her to clarify what she'd said, she started off shaking her head. "I don't think it'd be beneficial for either of us, or the friendship we're trying to have, if I share everything I've been thinking. And before you tell me that we don't keep secrets, let me have this one." Would that actually work? It was a toss up.

Caroline laughed at his argument. "Blueberry is good for you? Okay, mom, calm down. Sorry I didn't choose a fruit with my meal," she joked. Piercing a piece of the blueberry pancake with her fork, she made a dramatic show of popping the piece into her mouth. "Are you happy? I'm getting in multiple food groups."

[backtotheo]

"i always make time for my fans," theo said seriously, eyes flicking up from his phone for a second before he glanced downward again. he snorted as he responded to the band's group chat and then pocketed his phone. "i think we're probably four star material right now. why not just hit up the diner? or i could go for dessert, actually..." he was craving chocolate croissants right about now. their apartment's grocery pickings were slim because he and his roommate had both been so busy, so just about everything sounded good to him right now. "oh, or movie theater popcorn..." maybe they'd have to make a couple of stops.

"Gonna have to find another way to fix the whole in the heart thing then," she told him. That's where they were going with that, right? Sydney leaned back against the machine behind her, eyes on Theo as he made a show of looking for his schedule. "How generous of you! You sure such a distinguished star such as yourself has time for us common folk?" It seemed like perfect timing for them to end up here at the same time. Though if it had turned out that he was busy, she would've accepted that. Now it was more of a game knowing he wasn't. "We can probably cut the line at some five star restaurant for lunch," she suggested. "Maybe I'll go in first to let them know a celebrity's on his way."

[backtotheo]

reaching for the shirt, theo traces his hands over the buttons and hums thoughtfully. "you kinda sound like you work here," he snarks right back, not bothering to hide his eyeroll. he looks in the mirror while she holds the shirt in front of him and imagines wearing it on stage. it would look good. maybe he'd have to talk to their manager about budgeting for that sort of thing. he checks the price tag...maybe not. "don't you know?" he jokes, hanging the shirt back up and poking through the sale rack. "i'm already kind of a star." he wasn't being serious, but some people in town recognized him. he guesses she's not one of them. "i'm actually more of a thrift shop guy. you ever do that?" he gives her a once over and clicks his tongue. "or is this all new?" he means her outfit.

“ yes,  black. ”  answer  comes  as  deadpan  snark.  she  has  to  physically  stop  herself  from  rolling  eyes  into  the  back  of  her  skull.  it  was  sometimes  hard  to  remember  …  new  york  was  a  lot  different  from  home.  there  wasn’t  a  select  group  of  people  looking  to  make  sure  their  choices  appeased  her  opinion.  everyone  in  a  place  like  this  just  existed  as  their  own  entity.  that  had  been  the  reason  she  liked  it  so  much  in  the  first  place.  “ lucky  for  you  ,  i  don’t  work  here.  because  if  i  did— ”   a  small  pause.  just  long  enough  to  reach  behind  her  a  second  time  ,  this  time  grabbing  the  acid  washed  denim  that  had  been  flying  off  the  shelves  at  lightning  speed.  which  was  only  surprising  if  someone  stopped  to  look  at  the  price  tag.  “ i’d  be  trying  to  upsell  you  on  this.  i  know  denim  is  real  in  and  out  ,  especially  acid  wash.  but  with  that  hair  cut  …  i  think  you’d  look  like  a  star. ”  another  halt  in  her  rambling.  if  only  so  she  could  hold  it  up  ,  positioning  it  in  the  air  as  if  to  see  how  it  looked  on  him  ,  while  also  keeping  a  respectable  distance.  she  had  some  manners.  “ but  for  $1,200  ,  i  think  you  can  live  without  it. ”

[backtotheo]

at first, there was amusement painted on his face, but it faded almost as quickly as it appeared when he realized he hadn't just flustered caroline, but that she was actually struggling with the words. "i was only joking. i know you don't want that now." his eyes slid back to his plate for a moment before finding her gaze again. he took a steadying breath and tipped his chin up again. "what way are you thinking...?" there had been a time that he could practically read caroline's mind. now, it was like he sort of got it, but like something was guarding her heart. that was fair. he was similar.

he still wanted to know, though.

"blueberry is sweet and good for you. kids order chocolate chip." it was nice to have this mundane conversation to escape to, even in their most serious conversations. he stabbed a bite of chocolate chip anyway, refuting his own point.

She felt like everything froze as his words repeated themselves in her head. You just want little Theos running around. How was she supposed to respond to that? "That's not- I don't-" Caroline looked down for a second in an attempt to collect her thoughts. Instead of saying anything else, she picked up the glass in front of her and took a long sip. Having a physical distraction seemed a lot safer than allowing herself to ramble and dig herself deeper into the strange little hole she'd gotten in.

She'd just accepted that she was going to let it go when he called her out for what she'd said. "You're really going to say I can't say shit that implies you could mean something to me yet you can sit there and make comments about the kids that exist in our what if timeline? Actually, it felt more like you commenting about what I want now and that's not fair, T." While she had once upon a time thought about a family with him, and that had crossed her mind on what could've been had she not left, she hadn't really meant to imply that that's where they'd be. She had really only been thinking of the fact that they'd still be together and there wouldn't have been so many years apart. "I had only suggested you forget about it because I was trying to respect where you are. I wanted to respect us not having secrets while still showing you that I understand you're not thinking the way I am."

Caroline shook her head at him. "I'm sorry, but you can't really tell me blueberry is better than chocolate chip," she jokingly argued. "Chocolate is always superior." Even though their conversation was swapping between serious and soft, she felt comfortable sitting there with him. Everything they'd been saying had been important to get out on both ends. Like he said, they didn't keep things from each other.

[backtotheo]

the band had a gig this weekend and theo's favorite ac/dc t-shirt had suffered a pretty tragic accident at the laundromat the other week. if it'd just been bleached, he would have rocked it anyway. unfortunately, he'd left a red sock in the washer and the entire thing was splotchy and pink. if it had been solid, he'd have still rocked it, but the graphic on the front was unrecognizable. he and his roommate were going to hold a memorial service on thursday. for now, though, he was looking for something to replace it. theo wasn't sure why he'd walked into best dress of all places. it was too fancy for his taste. but he'd found a pretty cool bleached denim jacket and he had it halfway over his shoulders when lola spoke. he tosses a look over his shoulder, eyebrows racing back towards his hairline. he breathes out on a laugh as he adjusts the collar. "black?" his nose wrinkles as he trades out the jackets, turning this way and that in front of the mirror. he checks the pricetag and balks a little, replacing the coat on its hanger and heading towards the clearance rack. "do you work here or are you just giving out advice for free?" he asks, spotting lola around the other side of the display.

who  :  lola  +  open  (  @corneliastarters )  where  :  best  dress  (  high  fashion  boutique  )

“ ooh  ,  that  is  so  not  your  color. ”  words  fly  into  the  air  like  a  full  on  rainstorm  ,  sweeping  over  new  york  without  a  single  drop  of  warning.  she  can’t  stop  it  anymore  than  she  can  stand  in  horror  that  inner  monologue  has  been  left  to  drop  upon  stranger’s  ears.  “ sorry—  unsolicited  advice  is  almost  as  bad  as  a  dick  pic. ”  humor  masks  absolute  mortification.  poorly  but  ..  enough  that  she  can  take  a  step  back  to  examine  the  bigger  picture.  since  she’s  already  started  ;  “ here. ”   flash  of  hands  through  the  air  ,  plucking  different  color  but  same  style  and  silhouette  off  the  rack  without  second  glance.  “ totally  going  to  leave  you  alone  now  ,  but  just  …  humor  me.  promise  you’ll  love  it. ”

[backtotheo]

he placed his hand against his chest like an affronted victorian woman. "excuse you." he tapped his own sternum a couple of times to emphasize his next point. "i'm the heart of the band. the fans all say so." he glanced around to make sure none of the other shoppers were paying attention and tried not to look too put out when no one was looking their way. he put an easy smile on his face and pulled a sharpie out of his pocket, leaning around her to scrawl out his signature on the record in her hand. "nah. i just like to sign a few every time i'm in. gives people a little surprise." he shrugged, capping the marker and pocketing it. "what are you doing here?"

a particularly cool-looking instagram post had alara out on a mission — she desperately needed a vinyl collection. did she have an actual record player? no and that sure as hell wasn't going to stop her. especially not after she figured out that it was a lot of fun just filling her basket up with pop record after pop record. would she have to work a double on friday to make up for it? sure, but that would be a problem for then. for now? it was time to shop. she turned a corner and spotted some familiar faces staring back at her. electric touch. how fucking cool. she plucked the record from the shelf and was perusing the song titles when a voice she'd recognize anywhere grabbed her attention. "mhm," alara hummed in response. "overall? they're pretty good. but the keyboard guy? meh. " gotta keep your super cool rockstar friends humble. "be honest," she turned, gaze focusing on theo with a smile. "were you just hanging around waiting for someone to pick one of these up?"

[backtotheo]

"i mean, i didn't see a doctorr for 3 years until i got the job at acc, so..." he shrugged it off. mostly he just hoped to avoid anything that really needed medical attention because that shit was expensive. but now that the band was gaining traction -and he had a job with insurance- he'd utilized it more and more. he made a show of reaching for the battered notebook beside him, licked his thumb, and began flipping through the pages like he was checking a calendar. in reality, the book contained only lyrics and music for electric touch, but what syd didn't know wouldn't hurt her. "looks like i can pencil you in. what did you have in mind?"

Sydney simply rolled her eyes at that even though she knew he had a point. "Oh, shit, yeah. I definitely couldn't try taking any of those games off just in case." Hopefully they made it that far. She'd need to plan things out with him within the next day or two just in case. "Who can afford to see doctors in this city?" She was mostly joking about that since she did have insurance through her job, but what was the fun in being realistic. "Damn. Calling me out even after I implied I missed you?! Digging into the wound here, man." Of course she knew half of them not hanging out much lately was on her, but she wanted to try fixing that now. Theo had always been a fun person to hang out with. "Do you have big plans after this or are you down to chill for a bit?"

[backtotheo]

theo'd been halfway to lifting his magazine when she snapped at him, so he lowered it quickly and reached for a discarded spiral notebook on his other side. the cover was bent in places, the pages dog-eared and filled with messily scrawled lyrics and music notes. "i write music. for my band? electric touch." normally, he'd start babbling on about the band, but he got the impression this stranger wouldn't be overly interested. so, instead of talking about the band, he pulled spotify up on his phone and played the first song on their ep through the speakers. it sounded a little tinny, probably from that time he'd dropped his phone in the pool. he glanced at rachel as he mouthed along with the lyrics. he raised his eyebrows slightly. what do you think?

with a barely concealed roll of the eyes, rachel scanned the code, tapping away on her phone with a petulant scowl on her face. "oh good," she sighed. "an hour..." she groaned, started pacing. "well what is there to do? what do you do? just sit around and read magazines? hm?"

this was rachel at her most intimidating; a tiny woman with fists tight, a nasty scowl and designer clothes (which she could no longer afford). "i do have things worth stealing, but if i have an hour to kill..."