Terry's assistant, Minsi, popped her head in through the door after a brief knock. "He's here, Terry."

"Send him in."

A moment after the assistant disappeared, Chad walked in as if he were walking into a funeral. He still had a slight hobble despite it having been two weeks if not more since the 'incident'. No one used the word 'kidnapped'.

He slunk down like a wet cat on the chair opposite her, placing the fat leather-bound journal on the edge of Terry's desk.

"What the hell is wrong with you? A girl broke up with you, she did not kill your cat!" Terry barked at him. No hello. No how are you. Straight into the meat of it, like she always did.

"You may as well rip the contract. I can't do it anymore."

She leaned back in her chair and stared at the pathetic mess he was. "I got you a year," she said. When Chad looked surprised, she smiled. "Considering recent events, we couldn't say no, and your readers have plenty of other books to catch up on, or reread. Plus, I gave the higher-ups a brief pitch of your story, and they love it. So we want it. Now, all you gotta do is finish it."

"I can't."

"You can, and you will. She already knows you used her."

"I did not use her."

"You used her, mate. Own up to it." Terry rose from her seat and walked around the desk towards him. "Did you mess up? Yes. Should you have told her from the beginning? Yes. Should you throw away a bloody good story because you didn't get to have your cake and eat it too? Hell no!"

She slammed the journal sitting on her desk. "It's good, Chad. Yeah, you took more from life than you're used to, but that makes it so good, so fresh, so... raw, and so needed. Your stories were getting a little stale. They were getting too good to believe, too mushy. This one got you by the balls, didn't it? Surprised you? You fell in love and the woman you fell in love with left you, not because she doesn't love you, I suspect she does, but she left because you were an ass who lied to her from the beginning."

She grabbed Chad's face in her hands and squeezed it between her palms. "So write the best darn apology you can. Write the ending you want. Win her back. She'll read it, I swear to you."

"And if she doesn't?" He pulled his face out of her grip.

She smiled like a person who knew things. Chad hated it when she did that. It made him feel clueless sometimes. "You wrote a story about her." She walked back to her seat and sat down, grinning. "Like a giant love letter. What woman wouldn't read it, knowing you wrote it for her?"

Terry pushed the book back to him. "Write the best darn ending you have ever written. Leave the rest to me. Now go. Work your magic."

Chad smiled, feeling a huge weight lift off his chest. He hoped she was right. If there was even a faint change June would pick up a copy and read it at least once and know how he felt, even if she didn't come back, it was a chance he would take.

"All right. I'll do it." He grabbed his copy and headed out.

"Oh, and Chad?"

"Yeah?"

"Just because you got a year, don't take it. And change all the names when you type it up, so we don't get sued." She waved him off with an encouraging wink, done coddling.

Chad stared at the title he'd scribbled in as he walked out of her office. He'd crossed 'Cassie' out with a blue pen and re scribbled 'June' back in. "What shall I call you then?"

He walked into the lift as Minsi called out, "See you next time, Chad."

He wedged an arm between the doors and hovered out of the lift. "Hey Minsi, what's a nice girl's name?" 

Minsi, who reminded him of June a little in her look, looked up from her computer with a grin. "I like Fay."

"Fay." It had a nice ring to it. He waved her goodbye with a smile and boarded the lift.

♡

"Thanks for coming." Chad leaned in to Terry, whispering as they stood on the freezing cold beach despite it being November.

"Not like you often ask for favours," Terry replied sarcastically, only to see his face fall in disappointment. "Oh, lighten up, will you? Your parents are getting married for fuck's sake." She nudged him with her elbow. "I like the new title and the pages are coming along. How are you typing it so fast? I thought you were still writing the ending?"

He smiled, eyeing the back of Jo's head ahead of them, with Tom beside her. "Jo."

"Can we change my name though, to something softer? To something that doesn't elicit fear?"

"Lighten up, will you, Terry?" Chad laughed. "You're stuck with the name. It's my book. Be glad I don't use your real one."

"But Petra? Come on, Chad. You can do better than that? Do I look like a Petra to you?" she huffed, holding out her arms in a look-at-me way.

Chad nodded, he'd chosen the name Petra because it was the closest thing he could think of to petrifying, but she had a point. Terry was more than a Petra, but he wasn't about to tell her that. "Fine, suggest something else then."

Marjorie fired them a disapproving look from the altar. Terry straightened in response, whispering, "I'll think on it."

Jo turned with a hiss. "Honestly you two... Shut up."

"Why, who are we disturbing?" Chad fired back, eyeing the gathering of five. Jo and Tom, Chad and Terry, and one random neighbour mum had befriended last year.

Jo shrugged. He was right. Besides, the wind was howling so hard they could hardly hear the vows being exchanged anyway, and she doubted her mum could hear them either. "So, are you going to Setal's wedding next month?" she asked, leaning back with gaze fixed on the parents.

"I thought you wanted me to shush," Chad replied.

Jo eyed him.

Terry turned to Chad. "I almost forgot she invited you."

"It's even in the book, Terry. How could you forget?"

She shrugged.

"Well. Are you going?" Jo asked, smiling at mum whose eyes were growing big in annoyance.

Chad shook his head. "June was supposed to be my date. How about you? You're the actual friend. Are you going?"

Jo shook her head too. "Not after the scare. I'm bedridden after tonight. I don't want to go, anyway. I haven't talked to her since you two broke up."

That's right, thought Chad. He'd almost forgotten Jo had a little scare with her pregnancy last week, and she'd ended up being observed overnight in a hospital. He didn't blame her for taking off work early or skipping a hectic Indian wedding. She was the reason his book was being typed fast.

Jo had been coming over every morning to his house under the ruse of boredom and needing company once Tom left for work. It had been her thinly veiled attempt to check on him. She'd sit typing his story as he continued writing the rest of it on loose leaves. He loved he had her to help with the type up.

"You should go and bring me the goss," Jo grinned, her eyebrows dancing as their parents sealed their vow-renewal with a kiss. "Yay. Go you two."

She leaned back again and hissed, "Bring me the goss!" Then she rushed off to hug the oldies and congratulate them.

As Chad and Terry moved towards the newly renewed couple, he asked her if she could be his date again.

"Not unless you want me to bitch slap the girl," Terry fired back one moment, and next moment was hugging Marjorie and Jackson with gushes of "Congratulations!"

Chad could picture Terry landing a severe one on the poor girl. "Best not to tempt her," he mumbled and moved in on the couple with his own gushing.

♡

Chad realised too late that sitting between Jo and Terry at the restaurant was a terrible idea.

"You should totally go!" Jo urged, slapping a serving of potato salad on her plate.

"I'm not showing up to her wedding alone," he bit back, grabbing a piece of bruschetta from the shared plate.

"Take Terry!"

"That's a no for me," Terry chimed in, sipping her Mojito with relish.

"Hence, let it go and enjoy this wedding." He smiled. "At least now we'll know when to abandon ship if it sinks."

Jo poked him in the side with a disapproving glance. "Don't be an ass. Look how happy she looks."

Chad had never seen their mother happier. Marjorie was glancing at them in between brief kisses with Jackson. "She does, doesn't she?"

Jo nodded. "So be happy for her."

"I am." He reached into his jacket's pocket and pulled out an envelope. He passed it onto mum. "This is from the two of us, for the two of you."

Marjorie beamed, while saying, "You shouldn't have," and grabbed the envelope. Inside were a wedding card and a contact number for a travel agent. She eyed Chad. "What is this?"

"Choose a place anywhere in the world, and she'll look after you. All expenses paid." He smiled and was surprised when teary-eyed Jackson stood up and shook his hand.

"Uh... we know you didn't get to go on a honeymoon the first time, and mum's never travelled. So, Jo and I thought you could take her anywhere she wants, as long as she wants. Will you do that, dad?"

Jackson nodded, reaching over the table in an unusual show of affection, kissing their cheeks before he sat down.

"It was my idea," Jo piped, "but Chad's the money bag out of the two, so I only helped a little."

"It's a wonderful gift, you two. Thank you!" Marjorie blew them kisses across the table.

Chad took Jo's hand in his and gave it a squeeze, whispering, "I wish you wouldn't do that. You work hard too."

Jo smiled. "Maybe you'll send me on a holiday one day then, for giving you a niece?"

"If you behave, maybe?" Chad laughed as the mains arrived. "And if she is super cute."

"She will be super cute. She'll take after me!" Jo nudged his leg.

Chad studied his sister a moment, pulling a face. He got a smack on the arm for that. He kissed the side of her head and returned to the feast before him.

"To Marjorie and Jackson." Tom raised a toast. "May it stick this time!" He grinned, eliciting a rumble of laughter around the table.

"May it stick!" They clinked their glasses and took thirsty sips.

"Now, let's eat." Jackson passed the bowl of pasta around.

It was the most wholesome family dinner Chad could remember having. It would have been better yet if that ache in his heart would go away, for a little while at least. He'd never missed someone as much as he missed June at that moment, surrounded by laughter and family. And love. So much love it made him feel sick with jealousy.

Marjorie and Jackson, as odd as they were.

Jo and Tom, as cute as they were.

(Image by bridgesward on Pixabay)