Imp And The Beast - Stephanie Hudson Page 0,7

her hands and using her thumbs to wipe away my streaky make up.

“You okay, honey?” she asked, making me swallow down the emotion and nod as my throat didn’t want to work to create words.

“I saw him, he wanted me to make sure you’re okay,” Toots told me, making my heart soar before saying,

“He did?!”

“Yeah, he did,” she replied grinning. After this I rammed in my cookie and said with a mouthful,

“I etter go find himmm.” But then I only got as far as the door before Toots said,

“Erh, Pip, I wouldn’t do that.” I frowned, and swallowed my now sugary cookie dough like it had turned to lead.

“Why not?” That was when my best friend started to look uncomfortable, before answering me,

“He also told me to tell you that he needed time… erm… apart.” I closed my eyes as a shuddered breath ripped through me at the pain that one word brought me…

Apart.

As in not together. As in separate… as in… alone.

Toots could see me about to crumble into a sticky Pip shaped mess on the floor, and quickly ran over to me and took me in her arms before whispering to me,

“It doesn’t mean that, so don’t even think it, honey. He’s just mad, that’s all.” I nodded on her shoulder as she patted my back.

“Trust me, Draven could make brooding an Olympic sport when we fight about something… but they always come around,” she told me when I pulled back and wiped my tears to hide them from Little Bean.

“Wah is broo die mean?” her daughter asked, making me grin and say,

“Good luck with that one.” Then I winked at Toots when she groaned,

“Yeah, well it’s going to be easier than explaining ‘man meat stick’, so thanks for that.” I laughed before saying,

“Ooops, my bad.” Keira laughed and said,

“Yeah, well you’re not the one who had to explain to your husband why his daughter was eating a kebab and asking for another man meat stick… Jesus, but I thought Draven was going to have a heart attack!” At this I burst out laughing and in truth, Toots always had that ability to make me laugh, even during times like this. But then, she was awesome and my best friend for a reason.

“So come on, Pip, what did you do this time?” she asked after we had sat down and she had her daughter bouncing on her knee, after explaining ‘broody’ was another word for a man paddy. But this question also came with a wrinkled nose, that had I not been so sad about being in the mucho dog house, I would’ve passed comment about looking cute to Toots. But, unfortunately for me, I'd pissed Adam off and clearly hit a new limit when doing so, which I wasn't sure that I could blame him for as now I’d thought about it, it was a shitty thing I had done.

“Okay, I confess I might, maybe, slightly, not completely, but most probably, undecidedly…”

“Pip, seriously, before I start showing wrinkles, and I'm immortal, so you get the point…”

“Okay, fine. I might have written a letter like a kidnapper’s ransom note saying I had been kidnapped and left it stuck to his head with potentially a little bit of glue that might or might not have been of the super variety,” I said, wincing, as it did actually sound worse than what I had originally intended. Of course, the moment that Toots started to rub her forehead in the way that most people do when they think I've fucked up, I understood it was a hell of a lot worse than what I first assumed it would be.

“Oh Pip, I love you, but I really don't understand what goes through your mind sometimes when you do these things,” she said with a groan, and even little three nearly four year old Amelia slapped her hand to her forehead, shook her head, and said,

“Not good, Wanty Pip.” Which meant that intelligence wise, I had been out-beaten by a toddler, for even she knew that what I had done had been wrong.

“Alright, so yes, mucho on the stupid but in my defence…” I paused to let Toots groan before continuing,

“I have to keep pushing him.”

“But why? I mean, we have known each other for quite some time now, and yet I still don't understand why you continue to push his limits knowing what he could… you know…” Keira said, rolling her hand around as if not wanting to talk about Adam’s beast