Twisted

by J. L. Meyrick

  “Hi, Carl,” she greeted the owner, glad to see he had escaped the big fight with barely a cut or bruise on his colossal frame.

  “How are you, dear?” he asked as he started making her usual order. “I hear they’ve replaced Liliana already. Hard to believe.” He was one of the few people in the city who believed that Liliana was completely innocent in all of it. He hated how she was being treated.

  “Well, I’ll be ready to shoot the replacement any day now,” Rose replied.

  “How long have you been working with them?” Carl asked, confused.

  “A couple of hours,” she answered, a malicious grin forming on her face. Carl chuckled in response.

  “That bad, huh?”

  “You have no idea. The guy is good at what he does, to be fair. But he’s a right jackass about it all.” Rose enjoyed complaining to Carl. He was always happy to listen.

  “Ah, one of those types. What’s his name?”

  “Tim Westfield,” she replied.

  “You talking about me, Rosie?” Tim asked, walking through the café door just at the wrong moment.

  “Oh god,” she groaned, unable to escape him once again.

  “This is a cute little shop.” He stopped to look around, completely ignoring Carl for the moment.

  “Cute?” Carl asked. He was quite defensive of his coffee shop. God knows what he would have done if they destroyed it in the fight.

  Tim just continued to look around, taking in the artwork on the walls. Carl was proud to show off a collection from some local artists. True, the pieces weren’t to everyone’s taste, but it added character to the shop. Gave people something to talk about.

  “Coffee, please. Black, two sugars,” Tim shot across to Carl without even making eye contact.

  “Come again?” Carl wasn’t one to back down against rude customers.

  “Try that again, but with some manners,” Rose added on. She would not let anyone mistreat Carl.

  Tim just stared at Rose for a moment, as if he could make her apologise to him. Then he sighed and turned to Carl.

  “Could I have a coffee, please? Black with two sugars?” Tim asked in an overly sweet tone, obviously trying to placate Rose. The annoyed look on Carl’s face did not put him off. Carl may not be hulkingly tall, but something about him usually puts people off a confrontation.

  “Sure. That’ll be five dollars,” Carl replied, not breaking eye contact. Tim just pulled some cash out of his pocket and threw it down on the counter. Rose stepped back, not wanting to impede Carl kicking Tim’s ass. Hell, she wanted a good place to watch.

  Carl looked down at the cash lying on his counter and back up at Tim, waiting for him to pick it up. He wasn’t blinking. He looked like he was mentally preparing for a fight. They stared each other down for a minute or two before Tim finally broke. He picked up the cash, counted out five dollars, and handed it over to Carl properly.

  “That wasn’t so hard, now was it?” Carl said, rubbing it in a little. He turned to make the coffee and deposit the cash in the till. Not a moment later, Tim’s coffee sat on the counter and pushed slightly towards Tim. He looked suspiciously calm and collected, despite the confrontation.

  “So, Rose, how is our Liliana doing? Have you heard from her?” Carl returned to their previous conversation as if Tim had never interrupted them.

  “She’s doing okay. Job hunting mainly. She checks in every so often,” Rose replied, happy to ignore Tim as well.

  “Good, good. You let her know I’m thinking of her next time you speak.”

  “I will. Thank you, Carl.” Rose left him to his other customers with a smile. Tim walked out behind her, clutching his coffee tightly.

  “What an asshole,” he remarked as soon as they were out of earshot.

  “Coming from you?” Rose replied before she could stop herself.

  “Excuse me?” Tim asked, somehow surprised by her reply.

  “Carl is the nicest person I’ve ever met. It’s your own fault you pissed him off.”

  Tim looked like he wanted to respond, but he seemed torn, unsure of what to say.

  “Yeah, that’s what I thought,” Rose replied to his silence before walking back to her desk.

  *

  A couple of hours later, Tim distracted himself with networking with the other reporters. Everyone else around Rose seemed to be happy to welcome him into the fold. He was the poster boy for charming to the rest of the deconstructed office.

  Rose was struggling to get on with her work. Her co-workers kept coming up to her to praise Tim and tell her how lucky she was to be working closely with him. She prayed to any god that was listening that they just meant them sitting next to each other. If Tanya had paired them up on the job, she wouldn’t be able to stop arguing the point with Tanya. Although, knowing her luck, that would be exactly what was about to happen.

  She hadn’t actually seen Tim do any work; he had barely stayed still since he arrived that morning. He had taken Tanya to lunch nearby, happy to brownnose his way into her bitter heart. It seemed like she would be endlessly listening to Tim’s praises when an email pinged on her laptop. They needed her to cover another speech a couple of streets away. The Mayor, again. He was finally going to address the fight, it seemed.

  She left the makeshift office as soon as she could shut down her computer, remembering to grab her cameras as she went. The speech was close enough to warrant a walk rather than trying to flag down a taxi at this time of day.

  Rose walked down the street, a few remnants of the fight visible still, wishing the fresh, Tim-free air would help clear her mind. How she wished she could rant to Liliana right now. She knew she would be on her side with Tim. They spent many evenings complaining about him in the past couple of years. What started out as simple journalistic rivalry had soon turned into a genuinely terrible professional relationship. The guy just creeped them out, plain and simple.

  Now Rose would not be able to escape him. She was being forced to work with him because Tanya couldn’t stand a little bad press by keeping Liliana on. Although, if Liliana was planning something to do with Max, she probably needed all the spare time she could get.

  Rose knew Liliana had to lie to her. Telling her she was finished with Max, done with men altogether. They loved each other too much for her to move on that quickly. Even if Liliana had thrown Max aside, she would be heartbroken for weeks, if not months, afterwards. Thankfully, it seemed the rest of the world bought into the lie. They didn’t know Liliana like Rose did. And she would keep the secret, she would protect her best friend. No matter what.

  Rose rounded the last corner to see the press stand set up outside City Hall. The Mayor was staying on home turf this time, giving himself an easy exit. Smart. No specific press area this time. It was to be a free-for-all kind of speech. That always made her job more interesting. She nudged her way through the gathering crowd to find herself a suitable spot to capture the speech.

  It appeared to be cosmic timing that, as soon as her gear was set up and she couldn’t run away, Tim appeared out of nowhere.

  “You ran off rather quickly,” Tim said. He dropped his bag to his feet and pulled out his reporter’s kit, ready for the speech.

  “Don’t tell me. Tanya’s paired us up?” Rose groaned. She would not escape him, after all.

  “Well, you were the only photographer not paired with anyone.” As annoying as Tim was, he was right. It would have made sense to put them together. Rose was now half wishing she followed Liliana and walked out of the company.

  “Let’s get on with it, then. I’m set up and ready to go.” Rose resigned herself to working with Tim one-on-one. She had lucked out previously, working with her best friend for years. Her luck was due to turn against her, and it had chosen Tim as her punishment.

  *

  The speech wasn’t as interesting as the previous one. No one heckling from the crowd this time. It was your typical politician’s speech after a disaster like the fight.

  “We’
re keeping the injured and their families in our thoughts and prayers.”

  “We can only be thankful that Sentinel has apprehended the cause of all this trauma and damage.”

  “This only shows that the Taskforce launched just a couple of days ago is very much needed in this city.”

  Tim was eating up the speech. He loved what the Mayor was giving him. Rose, however, just stood there, seeing right through the Mayor. She could see what worried Max. He was ready to hand over so much power to those already over-powered by sheer coincidence.

  But it trapped her. She couldn’t talk about it publicly. She was sure Sentinel was still listening in, somehow. She had to continue her life as if nothing had changed. As if she still adored the man who saved her life. If only Sentinel was that straightforward. Why couldn’t he just be the good guy?

  A cloud of confusion had followed Rose since that moment in Liliana’s hospital room. Since Max’s letter. She didn’t want to believe it, but she had to. Rose worked with the news every day, faced with unearthing the truth at every turn. She couldn’t ignore it now.

  She wanted to help Liliana, if only to escape the gaze of Sentinel, but she did not know how. She didn’t have the benefit of a rich boyfriend to lean on during all of this. Not that she wanted a rich boyfriend, of course. But Liliana had that working to her advantage. No. She was on her own in this.

  “Are you okay, Rose?” a voice asked, working through the cloudiness of Rose’s mind, bringing her back to the present.

  “Sorry?” Rose asked.

  “I asked if you are okay?” Tim replied. “You have an odd look on your face. What’s going on?”

  For once, he actually seemed sincere in his questioning. If Tim hadn’t been such an ass in the past, Rose might actually believe he was a nice guy.

  “I’m fine. Just got a lot on my mind,” Rose replied as she gathered up her camera equipment.

  “If you’re sure,” Tim said.

  “I’m sure. Let’s just get back to the office,” Rose said.

  Tim picked up his bags and started walking along with Rose. She didn’t know if she should start up a conversation with Tim or not. They weren’t friendly by any measure, but the silence was quickly becoming awkward.

  “So, how are you finding working for our paper? Different from your last place?” Rose asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

  “Well, the location is certainly different,” he replied sarcastically.

  “Well, yeah, of course it is.”

  “But aside from that, it’s nice to change it up. I didn’t really have much of a chance of career progression in my last place. The editor was young and full of ideas. No chance I could steal their job soon.”

  “Tanya’s not exactly old,” Rose replied, confused. Why switch one immovable editor for another?

  “No, but she might move on up soon. You know she has high ambitions,” Tim replied. Rose had to agree, that made sense.

  “What makes you think you’ll get her job if she moves on?” Rose asked. “You’re the newbie, despite your previous experience. You have a lot of competition here.”

  “A chance is better than nothing. Besides, I like my chances.” There was his smug attitude once again. Just when Rose was thinking he might have a pleasant side.

  “What about you? Any thoughts on a promotion soon?” Tim asked, bumping her shoulder as they walked. A little too friendly for her liking.

  “Not so much a promotion. More of a sideways step. I’ve been considering going freelance,” Rose replied, not sure why she was opening up to Tim already.

  “Freelance? A bit risky, isn’t it?” Tim asked.

  “Maybe, but there’re more opportunities when you’re your own boss,” she replied.

  “True. I don’t think it’s for me, though. I enjoy having a base of operations, one solid role. Maybe a few people reporting to me.” Tim looked wistful as he described his ideal position.

  “You’ll be reporting the same stories over and over, though. I’d like more variety myself, even if it comes with the risk of unemployment for a time,” Rose argued.

  “What’s wrong with stability? Security? Makes more sense to me,” Tim replied. It was clearer than ever that the two were starkly different in how they operated. “Anyway, no point disagreeing on this, it’s all theoretical at this point, isn’t it?”

  “I suppose,” Rose said.

  Together, they rounded the last corner before their makeshift office appeared. Rose looked up at their building, half expecting to see Sentinel appear, helping the repairs whilst listening in on her conversations. But he was nowhere to be seen. She was sure he was somewhere close, though, keeping tabs on her.

  “Fancy getting a drink after work?” Tim asked, out of the blue.

  “It’s Wednesday, Tim,” she replied.

  “So?” he asked.

  “No, thanks,” Rose answered.

  “Why not? I thought we were getting on pretty well then.” He stepped in front of her to look into her eyes as he spoke.

  “I’m not much of a drinker.” Rose tried to sidestep Tim to get back to her desk.

  “I’m fun on a date, trust me, you’ll enjoy it.” Tim stepped back in front of her. He wasn’t going to take no for an answer.

  “I said no, thank you,” Rose replied. As a reply, Tim stepped closer and placed his hand on her arm.

  “Are you sure I can’t tempt you?” He dropped his voice down low, a small smile trying to encourage her to say yes. Rose had enough. She shrugged his hand off her arm and shouted.

  “Tim. I said no. I don’t want to go on a date with you.” Tim moved back slightly, a frown taking the place of his smile a moment ago. “Do you know why?”

  “Why?” Tim asked begrudgingly.

  “I’m gay, Tim.” Rose saw the understanding flash across his face.

  “Oh.”

  “Yeah, ‘oh’,” Rose said. “I’m not sure how you missed it. I’m quite open about my love of the ladies.”

  Tim at least had the decency to look embarrassed by his actions, just not apologetic. Rose finally stepped around him and walked towards her desk. She noticed a few of their colleagues were listening in on Tim’s failed romance attempt. He turned around to see the look of amusement on their faces, his cheeks flushing pink in embarrassment.

  She wouldn’t have made him feel so bad about it if he hadn’t been so pushy. Maybe this embarrassment would make him think twice in the future. Then again, probably not. If he was that pushy with someone he doesn’t really get along with, what was he like with friendly girls? She hated to think.

  Chapter 20

  Liliana received yet another rejection email, the fourth that morning. Confusingly, she felt both relieved and annoyed at the email. She made a quick post on her social media accounts, bemoaning her lack of job opportunities because of Max. She shared some posts about the relief effort in the city and replied to some comments from acquaintances. She found it boring, but she needed to keep up appearances.

  Her phone beeped at her, bringing her out of the boredom of job hunting. It was a message from Rose.

  Rose: You’ll never guess what just happened!

  Liliana: What?!

  Rose: Tim just asked me out! Can you believe him?

  Liliana: No way! Doesn’t he know he doesn’t have the right parts?

  Rose: I pointed that out to him.

  Liliana: LOL

  Rose: He didn’t help himself by doing it right in front of the entire office.

  Liliana: Wish I had been there to see that.

  Rose: It was pretty fun. Wouldn’t have been so bad if he wasn’t so pushy when I said no the first time.

  Liliana: Ugh. He’s one of those? I shouldn’t be surprised.

  Rose: The look on his face, though! Should make him think twice the next time, I hope.

  Liliana: Brilliant!

  She couldn’t help but chuckle at the thought of Tim being shot down by a lesbian. How he didn’t know already she couldn’t figur
e out. It was fairly obvious to anyone with eyes.

  “What’s so funny?” Yates asked as they came into the room. They had pencil smudges all over their hands. Yates had been hard at work, designing Liliana’s new suit. She envied their artistic abilities. Liliana filled Yates in on the news.

  “Mr Victor mentioned Mr Westfield to me a couple of times. He sounds like an unpleasant man,” Yates replied.

  “That’s putting it nicely, Yates,” Liliana said.

  “Ah,” Yates replied, grabbing a cloth to clean the smudges off their hands. “Coffee?” they asked.

  “Please,” Liliana answered.

  Liliana stood and followed Yates into the kitchen. She needed to stretch her legs a little. While Yates made the coffee using a special method that made the coffee taste one hundred percent better than when she made it herself, Liliana dug out some biscuits from the snack cupboard.

  “I feel like I need to be doing something more while we prepare,” Liliana blurted out.

  “What do you mean?” Yates asked, their brow furrowed in confusion.

  “Like, I know we’re training and planning for the mission, and that’s very important. I know that,” Liliana started. “But all this fake job hunting has got me thinking. Maybe I should do something else as well, something to help the city. Try to make them realise why Max’s point is so important. But maybe something more subtle than what Max did.” She wasn’t sure if there was a happy middle ground. Maybe she was spouting nonsense.

  “You want to make people understand the Supers aren’t all that great, but you don’t want to start a fight with them?” Yates asked, clarifying Liliana’s ramblings.

  “Yeah, exactly. Is that even possible?” Liliana replied, unsure if what she was asking was even possible.

  “Well, you could use your journalistic training,” Yates replied. “Maybe do some research into the Supers and post it online.”

  “What, like a blog?” Liliana asked.

  “Yeah. Make it available for the city, let them draw their own conclusions. Give them a different point of view to what they’re being force-fed by the media.” Yates handed Liliana her coffee as she explained her point.