Chapter 6

Nigel finally ended the call. As he grabbed his things and headed out, he spotted Jeffrey still hanging around, talking to Joyce in the living room. Joyce spotted Nigel coming out, her face still grim. She hesitated for a moment before mentioning the contact name. "Done talking to your buddy? You really shouldn't be using nicknames like that for your friends in your contacts," she said. Nigel glanced at her in surprise. He hadn't expected her to still be hung up on that. He simply nodded. It was hard to tell if he was replying to her first question, her second comment, or maybe both. Joyce took his nod as a yes, and her expression softened slightly. Meanwhile, Jeffrey caught every little change in her mood. A flicker of something interesting crossed his face. He hadn't expected Joyce to still be possessive about Nigel. He'd thought she didn't care about him. "It's still early," Jeffrey said. "Nigel, Joy, how about I take you both out for dinner and a movie? Just a little thank-you for putting up with me lately." Seeing the fake smile on his face, Nigel could tell what he was really after. Jeffrey was dying to show Nigel how attentive and affectionate Joyce was with him. With that in mind, Nigel shook his head. For one, he was done with their childish games. For another, it was almost time to head home, and he had a ton of stuff to get done. But Jeffrey wasn't about to let the chance slip by. When he saw Nigel turn him down, he shot Joyce a look that screamed desperation. "Joy, is Nigel still pissed at me? I know I was being stubborn and did some stupid stuff. He's totally right to be mad at me. It's all my fault…" His eyes even started to well up as he spoke, and it tugged Joyce's heart. She shot Nigel a disapproving look. Nigel sighed. If he kept turning Jeffrey down, it looked like he'd end up making Jeffrey cry and come off as a heartless jerk. After some back-and-forth, Nigel finally gave in and went along. Since it was dinner time, the three of them decided to grab a bite first. Jeffrey picked a seafood place. Once they were settled into a private room, Nigel gave Joyce a long, hard look. She nervously avoided his gaze. A touch of tenderness showed in her eyes when she watched Jeffrey ordering the food. Joyce couldn't help but feel guilty. She knew Nigel was allergic to seafood but still brought him to this place because Jeffrey had raved about how amazing the seafood was. When the food came, Nigel only had a glass of plain water before him. Meanwhile, Jeffrey was happily digging into the shrimp that Joyce had peeled for him. Jeffrey glanced up and saw Nigel was just sipping his water. He looked confused and asked, "Nigel, the food here is amazing. Aren't you going to try some?" Nigel couldn't help but smile bitterly. He was about to say something when Joyce quickly steered the conversation in a different direction. She set another plate of peeled shrimp in front of Jeffrey. His eyes lit up right away, and he gratefully thanked her, quickly forgetting about the earlier conversation. After eating, Jeffrey dragged them to the movies. He thought it over for a moment and ended up picking a horror movie. It wasn't until they got settled in their seats that Nigel realized what he was up to. Nigel took the seat by the aisle, with Jeffrey's endless screaming ringing in his ears. He'd sometimes yell when he grabbed Joyce's soda by mistake. At other times, a sudden shock on the screen would make him cling to her hand, screaming out of fear. In the end, Jeffrey ditched his seat and threw himself into Joyce's arms. His actions took her by surprise. She instinctively frowned and lifted her hand as if to shove him away. But the fear in his expression and thoughts of Ronald made her hesitate. In the end, she dropped her hand. Joyce glanced over and saw Nigel staring straight at them. It was obvious he had seen everything, but he didn't seem fazed. "Ni…" Joyce hardly ever called him by his nickname like that. She was about to say something, but Nigel had already turned back to the screen. He looked completely absorbed in the movie, acting like nothing had just happened. Joyce's words got stuck in her throat, and it left her feeling unsettled. But when Jeffrey let out a small yelp in her arms, it snapped her out of her unease, and she gently soothed him. Nigel chuckled at the sound of her calming Jeffrey down.