JOSI

She's in Bradley's arms the minute she arrives home. Even now as he hugs her close, the fear still hasn't subsided. It's fresh, still at the tip of her tongue. Still so consuming. She should at least contain the trembling so as to not alarm Bradley. Though, at this point, it's too late. Because the strength she pours into that embrace is concerning.

The memories still have not left. How could they? So close she'd been to taking a life. The feel of the cold metal, the recoil as the bullet left the muzzle, the scream as it hit the target. It just will not disappear. Josi wants to forget. But it haunts her. It has cemented itself, and now she's been forced to relive the moment. Over and over again.

Once the trembling seems like it has subsided, Bradley leads Josi to their bedroom and has her take a rest. He doesn't interrogate just yet. Though, Josi knows as soon as she's all better he will want answers. She dreads that future. But for now, resting seems more important.

It takes a while before Josi regains some of her strength. Now she sits on the bed with her knees up to her chin, eyes empty and staring straight ahead. If Idris saw her this way, he would be more than content. That must be why he brought her to that hell hole in the first place. To relish in her misery. Well, he won, because Josi can't fathom the thought of looking him in the face any longer.

Somehow, it had all slipped her mind. Idris Verdonni, a man whose name was shrouded in infamy. Kidnappings. Murders. Those rumors are all true now, confirmed by Josi herself. She's witnessed it first-hand - the kind of man Idris Night Verdonni truly is. And now the mere thought of him alone has her skin crawling.

Will she meet her end by the hands of Idris Verdonni? What if he decides he's had enough of her and greenlights her murder? Will he chain her up and torture her the same way? Will he ever let her go? And if he does, will it be in death?

Bradley comes in with a glass of water. He watches Josi drink it all down, face still stony. Unreadable. Josi knows he's merely keeping his frustration in. He's doing all for her, because he knows now is not the time to lash out. When she's done gulping down the water, however, he begins his assessment.

"Are you going to tell me what happened?"

Josi shifts her gaze away from him. "It was nothing."

The same monotone answer. The same lie she always feeds him. But it seems Bradley won't stand for it this time. "Nothing? You come back crying and that's nothing?"

"Bradley, please-"

"No. You're not going to make me change the subject." He looks her in the eye. "I want to know everything. Like where you rush off to and why you're always so agitated."

Josi grows speechless, because now there's no more lies left to throw at him. But she can't tell him the truth. She can never tell him the truth. "Bradley . . ."

He takes her hand in his, perhaps hoping to get through to her. "I hate seeing you this way. I want to help you, but I can't do that if you don't tell me anything."

But even with this approach, Josi still won't budge. "I can't . . ."

Bradley lets her hand go and wakes from his seat. He must be past feeling just frustration. "For fuck's sake, Josita."

Josi shrinks back against the bed. The fact that Bradley is this worked up is even more upsetting. She could tell him. She could find a way to let him in on this hell Idris has bestowed upon her. But then what? Bradley would only want to retaliate. He would surely have it out for Idris. And with today's current event, that idea is completely off the table. Idris would subject Bradley to those same grim circumstances were he to find out. And he would do it all with Josi watching.

If being selfish will guarantee Bradley's safety, then Josi will gladly keep up the act.

"Look, Bradley, I'm fine." She tells him. "I promise."

Bradley doesn't reply, and Josi knows he hasn't bought her crappy excuse. But he presses no further, neither does he try to understand. He just looks at her, contemplating. Thinking. Until he shakes his head and exits the room.

Maybe this is it. Josi has arrived at the edge, and now she's dangling - traipsing around the end of her relationship. Because the look Bradley gave her suggests he won't ever let it go. Not until he arrives at some answers. Even if he derives those answers all by himself.

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All sicknesses have a cure. Josi's own is a date. A date that came rather unexpectedly. With the last tense scene with Bradley, Josi had expected him to keep up the energy. Must have been the desolate mood Josi has been stuck in. Still unable to get the details out of her head. Still unable to forget.

But perhaps for one day and one day only she finally can. Josi walks around the carnival hand-in-hand with Bradley, sightseeing. Just having Bradley there by her side has done more for her mood than anything else. Still, she feels unworthy of all the attention. This isn't fair to Bradley. Having him try so hard to lift her up, all while still keeping him in the dark.

It's been a week since the incident. No phone calls. No signs of Idris. He hasn't left any messages either, hasn't shown up at Josi's home. It's a miracle. While she knows things won't last, she enjoys the time of peace alone with Bradley. But the daunting fact still remains. Idris will be back. And Josi isn't so sure if she's stocked up on any more courage.

Bradley stops by an ice cream stall to pick up a few treats. They hit the ferris wheel after that, then head for a shooting booth once the thrill is over. The rules are simple enough for this one. All the two have to do is knock down a couple targets for their price.

Bradley is first to step up.

"Good luck." Josi tells him.

Bradley nods and picks up the toy gun. He knocks down the first target with ease, but the second and third are misses. He goes on knocking down and missing more targets, until finally, the game concludes. The booth manager hands him his price, one Josi is more than content with. A stuffed bear.

"Wanna try?" Bradley asks.

Josi eyes the gun first, then decides she will have a go. She picks up the gun, but nothing else happens. It's like she's hit a dead end. Like she's frozen. Then in comes the memories of that unfaithful day, clogging her mind with its graphic details. Instantly, the chills return, and instantly, the fear comes flooding in.

Josi drops the gun and offers an apology to the booth manager.

Bradley doesn't miss the change in atmosphere. "What's wrong?"

Josi gives a response right away, almost automatically. "I just realized I have a horrible aim."

"But you didn't even try."

"I just know." Josi shrugs. "Like when we went skating and you refused to get on the rink because you were convinced you couldn't skate."

Bradley frowns. "Don't bring that up."

In exchange for his misery, Josi laughs. She takes his hand and continues their walk around the carnival, visiting more games that bring her amusement. Bradley wins at ring toss while Josi dominates whack-a-mole. They make it a healthy competition, but call it quits when Bradley wins one too many rewards over Josi.

Once the hour of five strikes, the couple decide to make their exit. But they don't head home just yet. They take a walk down the city.

"The sun's going to start setting soon." Says Josi. She has the stuffed bear in her arms, along with the other prices Bradley won.

He comes to a stop and turns to her. "Close your eyes."

Josi grins, perhaps a bit too slyly. "But we're in public."

It's Bradley's turn to laugh. When Josi follows instructions, he stands behind her and slips what Josi can only conclude is a necklace around her neck. Before he even finishes hooking the jewelry, a smile so wide overtakes her. She can't contain herself. When he tells her to open her eyes, her hands are already around the necklace, admiring this present that was gifted to her by her boyfriend.

It's a gift Josi will keep with her forever. She will cherish and love it as much as she does her boyfriend, because if there's one thing for certain, it's the feelings she has for Bradley Mathurin.

Josi kisses him. The kiss tells Bradley the things she has no words for. It tells him, "I love you."

Bradley smiles. "I love you, too."

Circumstances may be grim as the universe currently has it, but in the middle of it all is Josi's oasis. It's her calm in the middle of the storm. She may be held in captivity, but Bradley is there for her. And so she will survive whatever tribulation Idris Night Verdonni has set out for her. Because there is nothing stronger than their love for each other.

But what Josi doesn't know is that not too far away - quite close to the couple - is Idris Verdonni, standing behind a substantial window on the twentieth floor. Eyes down on them, jaws clenched, and a very sour look to his face.

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