Backstitch

Chapter 18

"Oh my doll," Lou muttered under his breath. Papers were strewn about in what had to be the most organized mess Mandy had ever laid eyes on. She sat beside him at the office desk, watching him in silence as he worked. His brows stayed rigidly pinched in concentration, eyes lost to everything else in the world besides the papers scattered about.

Lou had been genuinely surprised when Ox revealed to him that his office was still intact. The Institutional documents were still in their place in the filing cabinets, and everything had been left untouched. While the rest of the mansion had been tainted by the doll's paints and messes, it seemed Ox had spared mercy on this room. Perhaps he had kept it in the hopes of Lou returning. After all, Ox was not one to exude professionalism to the extent that the blonde did. He reminded Lou of a human president that he'd learned about: President Roosevelt. Namely for his famous quote on, "Speak softly and carry a big stick." A very bold yet humble man, much like Ox.

One of the many reasons Lou had wanted Ox to stay in the Institute. He had a way with the people that was almost like a psychology. Appearing at their level—a common citizen amongst them—and using that rhetoric to gain his publicity. Lou could never. He kept the line between him and the dolls very clear.

And that line was made apparent to Mandy as she watched him work. What he was working on exactly, she didn't know, but his countenance right now left her feeling greatly undeserving of even being in the same room with him. What if she broke his concentration? What if she was making him nervous? He didn't look nervous. So, why was she nervous? He probably wasn't even paying any attention to h—

"My head is going to explode if you keep burning holes into it," Lou commented, not taking his eyes off the papers. "If you're bored you can leave. I'm not keeping you here."

So, maybe he was paying attention. "Sorry," she snapped her head away, face burning. "Is there anything I can help with? I kinda feel useless at the moment."

"You're never useless, Mandy." He finally looked over at her, taking note of her restless hands. "You can clean out one of the filing cabinets if you want. I've been meaning to downsize on the old records." He nodded to one just a short distance from the desk.

Mandy wasted no time in getting up from her seat and setting to work. Anything to put some reasonable distance between them. When Nolan had rushed to them early yesterday morning with the blonde in tow, ranting on avidly about Lou having his memories back, it barely needed an announcement. She could tell just by watching them walk up—Lou walked as well as he could to keep up with Nolan's hurried footsteps—that Lou was not the innocent, clean slate he had been before. Despite the smile that glowed from remembering them again, she could see the darkness in his eyes. The trauma had returned as well. Something they knew would be inevitable but were pained to see it happen regardless.

His countenance now was a testament to that darkness. He had been in the office working before the sun even rose this morning. Ox had given him the keys to the room and that tidbit of information was the only reason she had found him. Since arriving and taking her seat, he had been silent—with the exception of a formal greeting and some small chatter in the first hour.

This Lou knew what he was doing.

Maybe that was what threw her off. Over the past month she had become familiar with the Lou that was at the bottom of society. Overthrown, discarded, rejected. He was merely a slave to them as much as he was the factory. It was a stark contrast to the leader she'd first met when she was created. While his stubbornness had been apparent throughout the whole ordeal, he had been forced into a submissive position. He had been stripped of his prestige and forced to lower himself even below his fellow dolls.

And while he certainly hadn't regained any of that authority with the public, he definitely didn't radiate any air of submission now. A switch was flipped in him, and she felt there was more to it than just getting his memory back. But the reason behind Lou's work at the moment had only been shared between him and Ox.