humans summer send-off: [4] harun
When Mattie turns up on his doorstep, he’s not even surprised, just worried for her. If he’s her best option, things must be bad.
They hug, brief and formal at first as far as Harun’s concerned, but then she doesn’t let go immediately, pulls it just over the threshold. Not that he knows exactly where that threshold is, mind. Only that this has gone beyond nice-to-see-you and into the nebulous space just beyond it.
Before he’s finished noticing, though, she’s pulled away. “Hi,” she says. “Are you busy?”
Even if he had been, “No. Come in. What’s going on?”
She follows him into the flat, nonchalant. “Does something have to be going on?”
He shrugs. “I mean, kinda. This isn’t exactly routine.”
She glances at herself in a mirror on the wall, combs some of her hair with her hands. For the first time he notices that she’s kind of a mess, compared to her normal. She gives it up quickly though, walks on, then slumps down into his couch.
“Yeah. Sorry. We did say we’d meet up, though.”
Harun thinks back to the last time they’d met, decides she’s probably right. Well. Something is clearly bothering her, but he’s not going to push it. Historically, that’s never worked well with Mattie.
He makes tea, which has been known to have better results. While he’s in the kitchenette, her phone goes, and he kind of has to overhear. For one thing, the flat is small, and for another, after the first few blunt remarks she’s practically shouting.
“Who gave you this number? Who gave you the right, you VULTURE?”
After a few more, rather colourful, choice words she cuts off the call, and while he’s waiting for the kettle Harun flicks through the headlines on his phone, on a hunch. If someone wants information out of Mattie, then…
There it is. Laura Hawkins’ face, staring out from underneath the word “ARREST”. He scans the first few paragraphs of the article, and wonders how he’d managed to miss this yesterday. To be fair, he’d been quite hungover for most of it.
He pours the tea and takes out the mugs, watches Mattie studying his face, trying to determine what he knows.
“Reporters,” she says, after a bit. “That’s like… the twentieth phone call I’ve had. They only want the dirt. It’s all trick questions.”
“Sorry to land on you like this. But can I hide out here? I’m kind of on the run.”
“Not from the police or anything. I’m just trying to figure out some shit.”
“Stay as long as you want,” he says.
“Should I know who to keep out, though? Is someone, like, stalking you?”
Mattie considers the question. “She very easily could, but she’s not dangerous or anything. Well. No, she’s very dangerous, but not to me.”
“This is really reassuring,” Harun comments. “Keep it coming.”
“Just don’t let in anybody with purple eyes,” she says. “For now, anyway. Sooner or later I’ll work out what I’m doing.”
“Okay,” he says. For a while, they sit.
“I missed you, you know,” she says.
He smiles. He doubts it, but it’s nice of her to say. “I missed you to.”
