When Sophie walked in from work that evening, Todd was sat at the kitchen island with a beer in his hand. His eyes remained on her as she made her way inside, yet she didn't look at him once while she poured herself out a glass of wine.
"Soph." Todd said while reaching his hand out to try and capture hers as she walked past again.
Sophie did pause at his touch however, before she even got chance to turn around, footsteps were heard running down the hallway.
"Mum!" The voice of Amiya was heard as she immediately rushed towards Sophie and embraced her in a hug.
"Hey baby. How was school?"
"Good." Amiya nodded before breaking away and looking between her mum and Todd. She knew there was something up. This little girl was not stupid. "What time are Phoebe and Tiger coming over?"
Glimpsing down at her phone, Sophie wanted to curse under her head multiple times at how stupid she had been to forget. She had planned to have a big family dinner tonight, not only with her kids but Felix, Mitch and their kids too. This whole thing had been arranged for over a week and there was no way she could back out of it now.
"Um... I think 7ish, so not very long. Why don't you go and get yourself ready and then you can help me decide what to cook?" Sophie suggested, trying to provide Amiya with some distraction, desperately hoping it would work.
"Or for Todd to cook." Amiya grinned causing Sophie to laugh.
"You really think he's a better cook than me?"
"No." The 8 year old shook her head with a grin over her face. "Well... he's not great but he's a bit better."
While Sophie's mouth dropped open in fake shock, Todd lifted his hand up in Amiya's direction, which which she immediately high fived. The atmosphere may have been tense but Sophie was glad to hear her daughter's laughter, in hope that it was enough to ensure she didn't overthink any of it.
"I'll go and pick out a dress." Amiya smiled before rushing off down the hall, leaving pure silence and the suffocating tension once again.
"Sophie." Todd finally broke the silence moments later and the tone in his voice was enough to signify how serious this whole thing was.
"What?"
"We need to talk."
"I have nothing to say to you." Sophie bit and that was the honest truth. She didn't know what to say to him. She was fuming with him. She was so angry at the fact that he had lied and had been doing this whole thing behind her back, when he knew how she would feel about it.
"Well I have a lot to say to you, so you need to hear me out."
"Your excuses mean shit, Todd."
"I was going to tell you." Todd continued to talk regardless of the fact that Sophie was trying to shut him down. "I just didn't know how. I knew you wouldn't like it but I wanted you to see that it's really not a big deal. This is such a minor job."
"It doesn't matter if it's minor or not. It's still a job, a job that involves the gang, meaning you've gone back on your word."
"I know I did but..." Todd began before Sophie cut him off.
"After what happened last time, you begged me to take you back. You pleaded with me and said you wouldn't do it again. You said you knew how risky it was and how stupid it had been. Yet now here you are, making the exact same mistake."
"Last time was different. I'm doing this one thing for my brother. You can trust him and more importantly, you can trust me."
Shaking her head, Sophie clearly wasn't in agreement with his comment.
"I can't trust Matt, and yeah, I can trust you, but not what the gang life is capable of doing. You can't even trust it yourself!"
Todd knew Sophie was right. He knew exactly where she was coming from but he couldn't help but fight it. He wanted to do this. He needed to do it.
"Nothing will happen. I'll keep a level head and Matt won't let me go down that dark hole."
"Honestly Todd." Sophie sighed, crossing her arms over her chest. "You really think that?"
He just watched her in question, unsure of what she meant.
"I know you two have finally made up but I still don't think he'd go out of his way to ensure you kept sane. Him and Jay want you to do this job for them, so if that means going back to your old ways, then I think they'll be more than happy to let that happen."
Sophie's comment made Todd pause for a moment as he realised she had a point. Sophie's worries hadn't been over exaggerated, they had been for good reason yet it had never been something that had crossed Todd's mind. He had been so focused on doing this job for his own good reasons that he'd wanted to do it regardless of the consequences on himself. He'd just assumed that he'd be in good hands while it was all happening.
"You're right... he probably doesn't give a shit but that's fine. I'll be fine..." Todd finally recollected himself and continued to try and fight his point. "... if you come with me."
"Wait, what?" Sophie snapped back, looking at him as though he was insane.
"You're the only one who can keep me from getting too caught up in that life. With you there in Brighton waiting for me, nothing will drag me back down to that dark place. It's not possible."
"Todd..."
"No, I'm serious. You've always been the one to make me feel something, even when I didn't even know you. That's all I need to keep me from spiraling out of control again."
"I don't understand why you're so desperate to do this." Sophie sighed, placing her wine down on the table. "Surely they can handle it themselves."
Looking up at Sophie, Todd could sense the tension easing from her a little so took this opportunity to try to remove it completely. Reaching out for her one last time, Sophie finally responded in the way that Todd had hoped, by allowing him to take her hand. As he guided her towards him, Sophie took a seat across his lap, causing both of their bodies to finally relax at the touch.
"Kye's out there causing trouble and he needs to be stopped." Todd began and as Sophie was about the butt in, he stopped her. "I know what you're going to say."
"What?" She challenged, not believing he had a clue.
"That it's their business to deal with, not mine."
Sophie's silence of defeat was enough confirmation for Todd that he had got it right, allowing him to then carry on.
"But this is different. Kye's building a gang full of people that have grudges for various reasons. Himself, Abbie, Lara, Anya... the list goes on. It's not just Jay's gang that is at risk of this, it's everyone else that gang have had any sort of trouble with in the past." Todd explained, as Sophie just sat watching him intently. "I want to do this to keep Matt's family safe, to keep myself safe, but most importantly, to keep you and the kids safe too."
Todd's final words caused a wave of emotions to flow through Sophie as the true reality of the situation finally hit her. She felt guilty for the way she had reacted now that she knew the full story. She felt bad that instead of giving him chance to explain himself, she had just assumed he was doing this all for a bit of fun.
Todd hadn't been thinking of himself in any of this, he was looking at the bigger picture. He was a smart guy and he knew what this could all lead to. He wasn't willing to just sit back and put his trust in a gang he had never seen eye to eye with. He wanted to be in control of protecting those he loved himself.
"I'll go with you." Sophie finally said, the words leaving her mouth breathlessly, caused by the chaotic emotions running through her body.
"You will?" Todd looked back at her in surprise, as though he hadn't been expecting her to agree.
"Yeah... we're a team remember?"
Those words seem to alert something in Todd as his heart began to beat faster. Those few words held so many memories from when they had first met, continuing throughout the whole of their friendship. Todd had been there for Sophie through so much and she had done the same for him. They'd made an agreement at just the age of 18 that no matter what happened, they were always a team. No matter what life circumstances they found themselves in, they would always be there for one another.
"You're right, we're a team." Todd confirmed as a smile presented itself across his face.
Lifting his hand up to Sophie's face, he then cupped her cheek in his hand before brushing his thumb over her soft skin.
"I love you."
Leaning into his hold, Sophie's eyes closed momentarily while she appreciated the security she felt in his arms. She would be lying if she said she wasn't worried but she also knew that going with Todd was the best thing. She could keep an eye on him this way and she could ensure that nothing dragged him back down the path to his dark past.
"I love you too... so much."
...
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