Drink Me

28. IT WAS NEVER ME

IT WAS NEVER ME

On Thursday morning, Riley received a message from Aidan.

Alice is at Nicole's tonight. Do you want to come over after work?

He couldn't help but wonder if that was going to be the night.

Riley accepted the invitation and prepared for another day at work.

He wrote and extracted code as if his cousin wasn't possibly about to recruit him to be part of illegal operations, as if Alice wasn't a spy working to see Aidan behind bars and as if he didn't have a clue his world was so messed up.

He used his day job as a distraction, losing himself in numbers and letters and commands that made him feel as if he still had control over something in his life.

But that's when he realised that, as a matter of fact, he had never been so in control.

The cards had been revealed and he had made a decision.

Aidan is going down.

When Riley arrived at Aidan's, Alice was still there. She opened the door and greeted him with her usual friendly smile.

"Baby, your cousin is here," she called in Aidan's office direction.

A 'be right there' came from the distance.

"How are you, sweetie?" Alice asked in her perfect Brooklyn accent.

"Good, good, thanks. Oh, the party was amazing, by the way," he played along. "Heard someone had one too many..." he added as Aidan came into view.

Riley took in all the familiar ways in which his cousin now looked different to him.

The man looked at him sheepishly. "Yeah, you know I don't drink much... those cocktails were strong."

Alice's delicate laugh filled the room as she grabbed her fiance's face and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I'm glad you let loose for once, baby. I was starting to believe you were a robot!"

Aidan kissed her lips in response. "You're a bad influence, Ally."

Ally.

Riley pushed the memory of that lie to the back of his mind.

"I'm sad I've missed it, to be honest," he teased.

Aidan threw his hands in the air. "OK, OK, I'm glad I amuse you all..."

Alice chuckled again, then let go of Aidan when her phone illuminated with a notification.

"Nicole is on her way, I'm gonna go now," she declared.

As she walked from behind the counter, Riley noticed the new Dr Martens she was wearing, burgundy with union jacks decorating the point.

"Nice shoes," Riley commented.

Alice looked at him with satisfaction.

"Do you like them?" she asked, moving her feet to show her purchase. "I got them thinking of Aid," she continued. "Baby do you like them?" she asked again.

Riley said nothing, but the girl's petty gesture amused him. A sort of fashionista middle finger.

Aidan walked to her and took a better look at the boots. "They're very... flashy," he said.

Alice's face dropped and a childish pout formed on her lips. "Oh, I thought you'd love them. I'll just go for stars and stripes next time..."

Aidan held the sides of her face. "I love them, baby," he said eventually.