Devil | A Solomons

TWENTY FOUR - A FRIEND IN NEED

It was the following Wednesday and Irina had successfully managed to avoid seeing Alfie since her encounter with Rebecca at the florist.

She'd fed him different excuses every day, telling him she was tired or busy or had to work late. He didn't pressure her, but he was persistent in asking if everything was OK, to which she told him everything was fine.

Even though they hadn't seen one another, a bunch of flowers did turn up at her home one night. As she walked up the steps to her front door, a bouquet of red and white roses were wrapped in red parcel paper and tied with white string. They were beautiful, but all Irina could think about was whether Alfie had bought them from Rebecca's shop.

The time was nearing eight o'clock. Irina was sat at a table in the corner of a French brasserie in Kensington, a glass of white wine in front of her. Her dark hair was pulled up into a sleek pony-tail, her eye makeup dark and her dress a deep red halter neck number, leaving her chest bare of any jewellery that evening.

She saw Thomas walk in, saying something to the waiter before being pointed in her direction. He walked over to her, not before pulling off his overcoat and handing it to a doorman.

As he approached Irina, he couldn't help but notice she looked infuriated, even more than usual.

"Good evening, Irina. You look lovely."

"Did you know?" She said immediately as Thomas sat down opposite her.

"Know what?" He raised an eyebrow, opening the leather-bound menu in front of him.

Irina rolled her eyes and leaned forward, "The florist you asked me to go to. It's owned by Alfie's ex. Did you know?"

Tommy blinked slowly in shock, his lips curving into a laugh as he shook his head, his hands held up in surrender.

"No," he said, his back against the chair, "I swear I didn't know. I've never even been in the shop, I spoke to them over the phone last time, honestly."

Irina believed him, pursing her lips as she looked at him across the table.

Rebecca had called Irina that day, as promised, letting her know that the sample bouquet was ready for her to come and take a look at. Even though they were only exchanging a phone call, Irina could hear the way Rebecca's voice was trembling and could imagine vividly the way she would've been pacing around her shop in anxious thought before digging up the courage to call her.

Tommy stared at Irina, noticing the way her eyes wandered around the room vacantly, her mind clearly stuck on a thought elsewhere. He knew she felt threatened by Alfie's ex, but Tommy wasn't sure why, convinced that if given the chance, any woman would give anything to look like Irina Zakharov.

"You're worried." Tommy spoke up, making Irina look into his eyes, "I wouldn't be. Small blonde woman? White skin, dress sense that isn't too flattering? She delivered the flowers last time, am I thinking of the right woman?"

Irina swallowed, nodding in response.

Tommy scrunched up his nose, shaking his head, "She's no match for you, Irina. I'm sure you have nothing to worry about."

"But he loved her."

"And he loves you. Present tense. You don't need to be insecure."

"He hasn't told me he loves me."

Tommy licked his lips, inhaling a deep breath, "He will, in his own time."

A waiter came over, interrupting their conversation. Tommy hadn't had chance to properly look over the menu and Irina's sat closed, he had a feeling she wasn't hungry. He ordered a bottle of champagne and two glasses, noticing Irina's wine was almost all gone.

"What is it?" Tommy enquired once the waiter left, feeling an unusual aura from Irina that he'd never got from her before, "What happened?"

Irina sighed, running her fingers down the stem of her wine glass before speaking.

"I found a pair of earrings at Alfie's the other week, he told me they belonged to his mother. When I went to the florist, Rebecca was wearing them."

Tommy kissed his teeth, turning his head away in thought. He was confused, at first, but his feelings soon turned to warranted anger. As he looked at the woman sat across from him, someone so strong and diamond-like, he only grew angrier, unable to understand why his friend would do such a terrible thing.

"Fucking Hell," Tommy said in a heavy breath, holding in his words as the waiter arrived with the champagne, pouring them both a glass before suggesting some dishes from the menu.

Tommy looked at Irina who sat with one leg crossed over the other, her eyes staring sadly past him, her conscience still wandering somewhere he knew was painfully empty of anything except Alfie.

"I'll have the steak, medium. She'll have the seafood linguine." He said, handing him the menus.

Irina said nothing, still lost in thought. She poured the last of the wine down her neck before replacing the glass with the champagne flute.

"I don't like it when it has a raspberry in." She said, peering at the glass.

"Have mine," Tommy said, swapping the glasses around, "Didn't give me one."

He wasn't sure exactly what to say. Irina wasn't the most talkative of people but over the course of their friendship, she had opened up to him a lot more than he ever expected her to. He saw that she wasn't just an iron-plated soul without feelings or a heart, but that she was so much more underneath the surface. One just had to simply give her time to melt in order to see what was really there.

"You don't think that-"

"I don't know," Irina interrupted, "He said he wouldn't see her again, I mean why would he? If those earrings belonged to her and he was returning them, why would she tell me they were a gift?"

Thomas could sense Irina getting heated, her mind working faster than her mouth and heart could keep up with. He could see a fire burning in her eyes as she spoke, a glazed hatred that he'd never seen before, and something that he knew Alfie wouldn't stand a chance against.

"Some men aren't aware of what they're blessed with, Irina," he sank back into his chair, folding his arms at his chest, "Just because a man picks a lump of coal over a diamond, doesn't make the diamond any less worthy, it makes the man a fool."

Irina looked at Tommy, slowly feeling her heart rate steady itself out again. She had been unable to sleep properly most nights since meeting Rebecca, her mind conjuring up every single possibility while she lay awake at night, torturing herself with the unknown truth.

She had never wanted a relationship, and now she was in one, all she'd learned was that she was right to never crave the emotional intimacy of a partner. Alfie had shown her a happiness she'd never felt before, but he'd also torn down a stone wall that she'd built around herself, wrecking everything she'd become.

Tommy could see just how much Irina was struggling. She drank her champagne fast on a good day, but she'd finished her first glass that evening before Tommy had even touched his. The control freak inside Irina was losing its mind, and it was painfully familiar for him to witness.

He called the waiter over to the table, waving his arm in the air with a raised brow.

"Cancel the food, if you will. Here's the money for the drinks," he reached into his pocket and handed the waiter some scrunched up notes, standing up and straightening his blazer.

"Where are we going?" Irina asked, confused as she mirrored Tommy's actions.

"We're going to get you some answers, Irina."