RomCom Cliché

Chapter Thirteen

Rebecca pulled an AirPod from her ear as she glanced up, Freen's shadow cutting across her as a cup of fresh coffee was set down on her desk. Cradling a small bowl of cut strawberries, Freen ducked down to kiss the top of Rebecca's head, her eyes glancing over the laptop screen.

It was Saturday morning and Rebecca had been working away for a few hours now, leaving Freen to sleep and then taking a break to make her customary Blueberry pancakes, which were improving, batch by batch.

Freen had lingered in her pyjama shorts and a sweatshirt, watching some murder documentary on the TV while she tidied up around the place; taking out the trash, rinsing out wine glasses, unloading the dishwasher and then reloading it with the breakfast dishes.

Rebecca was listening to evidence, a recorded phone call that was being used in a criminal trial for insurance fraud. She tipped her head back all the way, stretching her spine and reaching up to cup the back of Freen's neck as she smiled.

"Thank you."

Humming, Freen leaned down and kissed her. "What're you working on?"

"This insurance company is refusing a claim by saying it was arson. Just going through a bunch of evidence."

"They didn't do it?" Freen softly asked.

Rebecca's face twitched with a small smile. "It's not my job to decide that; I just get paid to make other people think that."

Quietly laughing, Freen propped her chin on Rebecca's head and wrapped her arms around her neck as they stared at the blank screen with the play button.

"But you know they didn't," Freen murmured. "You're to... morally upright to represent people who do bad things. Too scrupulous to work with the wrong people."

"I think I've worked with loads of bad people," Rebecca slowly said after consideration. "There are just worse people in the world. Do you think... if someone does something bad, they should bear that burden for the rest of their life?"

"Yes."

Rebecca blinked in surprise, tipping her head back as Freen straightened up.

"Oh. I never really pegged you for the vengeful kind."

"I've seen the absolute worst of people," Freen replied, "and so have you. Do you think those people should be let off the hook just because it only happened one time? Because they say they'll change?"

"No. Some things are unforgivable, of course."

"I think even accidents can be unforgivable. It might not have been intentional but it can still ruin lives."

Humming, Rebecca's mind wandered and they were both silent for a moment. The sound of the TV drifted through to the study nook and the wind blew through the valley outside, a grey day as October swiftly passed by.

"What do you want to do for your birthday?" Freen asked after a minute, abruptly changing the subject.

Rebecca toyed with one of the strings of Freen's hooded sweatshirt, gently biting her lip.

"I normally have a very messy weekend with my friends on Halloween, because it's so close, but... maybe we could go camping."

"Camping? You like camping?" Freen dubiously asked.

"Sure. What's not to like?"

Narrowing her eyes, not believing her for a second, Freen hummed for a moment.

"And how many times have you been camping before?"

Opening and closing her mouth, Rebecca let out a small laugh. "Okay, so not physically, but the idea of it seems nice."