Shiver Up My Spine (closed)

There was someone else in his house. Sean had detected that readily, and, after pulling his car into the driveway, it was all the more evident by the foreign vehicle parked there. He didn’t immediately recognize the car as belonging to anyone he knew; it wasn’t either James’s or Chase’s, it wasn’t Clarisse’s or John Thornton’s or Mitya’s or Walter’s or Debra’s, and it wasn’t Danny’s or Riley’s or Ben’s or even Cobalt’s. It was a wholly unfamiliar vehicle.

The identity of the owner was revealed in a quick one-two punch combination as Sean entered his house. He sensed her mental presence, and that was enough to make him inwardly frown; but then he passed her in the foyer. He’d seen her briefly at the town holiday bash a few months back, but they had spent no time together, hadn’t spoken with one another. The telepath had done everything he could to put distance between them.

Yet here she was in his house, with Josh behind her; that meant that this had been a social call. Inwardly, the telepath balked at the thought; he and Josh would need to have a discussion about this, and Sean couldn’t envision it going well.

However, he drew his lips into a feigned smile; that was for the purpose of social etiquette more than anything else. He was well-aware of her empathy, and he expected her to see through the affectation. But, this was all an elaborate game for Josh’s sake, until he was alone with his partner and they had a more serious conversation about this.

“Anastasia Van Drakke.” That was the greeting, or passing, that he could offer her as they crossed in the foyer.

At least she was leaving.

Josh hadn't expected Sean to be home before Eva had left, but even so he was disappointed that the pair barely talked to one another before the heiress had vanished.

"Welcome home," He greeted his partner as he began picking up mugs. "There's coffee."

He thought he might need a second cup; the expression on Sean's face was downright frosty despite the smile.

"Ms. van Drakke brought us some rum from her holiday. Wasn't that thoughtful of her?" He added, nodding to the bottle.

The tension was palpable, causing the attorney to fidget uncomfortably as Sean busied himself making tea. He didn't think inviting her over should have been a problem; while he knew Sean didn't like her much, he didn't really get along with Cobalt, either, and trying to keep visits when they didn't have to interact had seemed like a fair compromise and ---

"Oh."

Sean's comments quickly cleared up that line of thought.

"I ahh didn't realize that would be a problem." He apologized, licking his lips nervously. "She was only being friendly."

He supposed that it wouldn't really be much of an imposition to only meet her outside of their home, if this was the reaction Sean was going to continually have toward her.

"Umm. I won't invite her here again."

Josh frowned at Sean's comments as he pulled open the dishwasher, depositing dirty mugs into the top with a clatter.

"Surely you don't think Ms. van Drakke...." He objected, unsure what exactly his partner thought she might do to him. The again suggested a comparison to the year before last, but he couldn't imagine the heiress being anything like the two women in the woods.

The memories still caused him to cringe, however, and he slunk into the seat opposite Sean, watching the telepath cautiously.

"She's so nice, she's even helping Ms. Gold with her election campaign, and meta rights are so important to her. Even if she were capable of.....she wouldn't jeopardize her cause, surely?"

And not over him; she had no vendetta with him! They were friends.

"But if you're really so worried about her I won't have her over again." He promised again, wishing to reassure his partner. He wondered if the telepath would want to dump out all the rum, too; that would be a shame, but if that was what it took to make Sean feel better then he would do it.

Josh's shoulders slumped at Sean's lecture. This was all very true, and he gleaned from this that his partner hoped that he would sever ties with the heiress completely. The choice wasn't difficult; he certainly valued his lover over a woman he had only known a little over a year.

That didn't mean that he liked the implicit request. Ignoring people was rude, which was why he only did it when he wanted someone to get the hint that he really wanted nothing to do with them.

Which usually meant that they were seeing Sean. And of course, they all had to be unbearably nice to him, which only made it worse. But in those cases his discomfort and jealousy overwhelmed his guilt.

This wouldn't be the case with Eva, whom he rather liked.

"You don't." He agreed, gaze dropping to the table. He wished that he knew why Sean reacted with such vehemence to her, though! That would make this much easier.

He couldn't resist adding a plaintive, "but she seems so nice..."

Josh's frown deepened as Sean explained more clearly what it was he wanted. This wasn't a surprise, not given how this conversation had started off, but hearing it put that directly troubled him.

"You don't think she's really nice." Josh folded his arms across his chest, risking a glance across the table at his partner. That was obvious, if perplexing; he didn't know what she had done to warrant such distrust. Was it something she had done as a student? Something she had done now? Or more likely something she had thought, since Sean had admitted he didn't know what she had done.

"What do you think she would do?" He asked, genuinely curious. She had money, and he was sure she also had connections, and of course that meant that if she wanted to somehow endanger him she could with impunity not because nobody would notice, but because powerful people could do whatever they liked without interference. Or at least with minimal interference; sometimes an intrepid reporter might defy them. But he still couldn't think how Eva would hurt him, or even why she would want to.

"I won't....I won't talk to her if it bothers you that much." He added in reluctant resignation. He was now beginning to realize that Sean's behavior towards her over the past several months was more serious than simple dislike, and he needed to treat it as such.