❛ MILES ELLIS.
“Umm, no drinks please, I’ve got work tonight…” Miles shrugged in candid fashion; his days and nights were always scheduled, something he was starting to learn the importance of, as the contents of the cork board in his room changed to fit his daily planning, starting from when he woke up to the time he went to bed. And his friendship with Jolie was a kind of liberation; around her, he didn’t have to pretend to be a rough and tough rum tum tugger, and he didn’t have to hide his rather gentle nature within the confines of a book club. He would slowly learn to open himself like that to Cleo too, but for the time being, the blonde haired woman would have be the keeper of his secret. “But yeah, the book was a ride, I’m not going to lie like…holy shit, I’m…” He sat down on the couch his host pointed out, feet planted strong as he leaned forward, elbows on knees and hands holding the weathered copy of Sharp Objects that he had borrowed from a lending library. “I bet you say to all the people who walk in through your door, Jolie. It is quite alright, though. Flattery gets you everywhere, my friend.” He laughed awkwardly, reaching to stroke his beard as the sense of unease settled into his system. Miles felt like a gatecrasher, like he didn’t belong in this beautiful house and these beautiful people, and the silence that grew made the discomfort almost suffocating. What did Cleo say about commanding presences? Was it faking it till you made it? Maybe he should have asked her about this before he made his way here. “Okay so like…Amma? I’m shocked, because I didn’t see it happening. I have a knack for identifying killers, and I thought all signs…just pointed to Adora, you know? Maybe she slipped because she…no one suspects a killer in plain sight, if you’re combing through the shadows.”
All she does is nod in his general direction understanding his schedule and showing up drinking would give off the wrong impression. If she had known, which in all retrospect, her days have been rather hazy due to the move and the sudden book club decision, she would’ve known to not suggest. “Water, at least? You don’t want to be dehydrated,” suggesting with a slight tilt of her head to the left side, wearing a soft smile. It would be wrong if she didn’t suggest it either. The blonde was not the type to deprive someone of their human thirst ─ water. Nonetheless, she allowed it to fester into the atmosphere and always willing to go the mile as a host. She liked being around Miles. All of the years they had known each other, they may not be a pairing expected to bond in the first place, but they had a lot more in common than he often let on. The ways Miles often informed Jolie on things he liked, and how he couldn’t comfortably share it with the world, reminded her of when she first met Vince and how the enigma was unreal. She understood how the public perceived you is a way someone wears a reputation with ease. But, the moments like these, sometimes she ponders on why he’s ashamed to let people know there was more to him than his dingy leather jacket. Did Cleo know? If she didn’t, he had every right to tell her because you should share with your loved ones what made you happy. Occupying in a leather chair, tucking her feet underneath a cushion, her hand rested underneath her chin as he began to speak. She felt that reaction. She understood it all too well. “This book hit too close to home,” she uttered to no one but herself. It was almost like Gillian Flynn followed her life ─ give or take a few details in the story. Softly laughing, a smile worked upon her mouth corners. “I’ve been told this before because of my natural presence around others but I do mean it here,” she stated in her angelic, falsetto range. Always seeing the best in people, even through their flaws, people needed moments of reassurement. Especially given the fact that she was slightly aware of the other’s upbringing and how indifferent their worlds have been. “See, that’s a plot twist that I’ve never seen before.” Stating as she racked through her thriller genre conscience, gripping the confides of her book in the palm of her hands, the exhilaration about books and just talking always soothed her. This was her place of harmony. “Amma is a complicated character. I think Gillian wanted everyone to believe it was Adora considering the time she poisoned Camille and her other sister. Yet, it would’ve been a dead giveaway. People would find no suspense or feel the need to read on further but it keeps you going,” informing with her experience on how she picked the literature apart.

















