Seven o'clock
1134 Words
By the time Mara reached home, the rain had stopped, leaving the streets of Vesper wet beneath the evening lights.
“You're late.”
Mara found Tessa in the kitchen, wearing an oversized T-shirt and looking at her with exaggerated disappointment.
“Good evening to you too,” Mara replied, dropping her bag onto a chair.
“I said seven. It's seven twenty-three.”
“Traffic.”
“You live fifteen minutes away.”
“Perhaps you should report the traffic to the appropriate authorities.”
Tessa stared at her before bursting into laughter.
“This is why I can't take you seriously.”
Mara smiled and walked into the kitchen. The smell of roasted chicken filled the apartment, and for the first time that day, she felt herself relax.
“Did you cook all this?” she asked.
“Obviously. Unless you think the chicken prepared itself.”
“I was only asking.”
“And I was only answering.”
They sat down to eat. Tessa spent the first few minutes describing an argument she had witnessed at work, complete with impressions of the people involved. By the end of the story, Mara was laughing hard enough to put down her fork.
“You should have seen the woman's face,” Tessa said. “She was convinced everyone was conspiring against her.”
“Were they?”
“Probably not. But I wasn't going to spoil the entertainment.”
Mara shook her head. “You're terrible.”
“Yet you love me.”
“Unfortunately.”
Tessa threw a napkin at her.
For a while, they talked about ordinary things: a neighbour's latest complaint, the rising cost of groceries and whether they should replace the old television in the sitting room.
Then Tessa noticed Mara checking her phone.
“Are you expecting an important message, or is your phone more interesting than your sister?”
Mara slipped it into her pocket. “I'm tired, Tessa.”
“You're always tired when you come home from work. You treat rest like a punishment.”
“I don't work that much.”
Tessa raised an eyebrow.
“All right,” Mara admitted. “Maybe I work a little too much.”
“A little? You practically live at the office.”
“And yet I still managed to come home for dinner.”
“After keeping me waiting for twenty-three minutes.”
Mara laughed. “Are you going to let me eat in peace?”
“Eventually.”
Despite the teasing, Tessa's expression softened.
“I just don't want you to spend your whole life working, Mara. There's more to life than solving problems.”
Mara lowered her fork. “I know.”
“Sometimes, I wonder if you bury yourself in work because you couldn't save Mum and Dad.”
The words silenced them.
Their father had worked at Vesper Port before his death was officially attributed to violence between rival criminal groups. Their mother, Claudia, had continued working there for years afterwards, trying to keep their family together. Then she had died too, leaving the sisters with questions neither had been able to answer.
Mara looked down at her plate.
“I was young when Dad died,” she said. “There was nothing I could have done.”
“I know. I just wish we understood what happened to them.”
“So do I.”
Tessa studied her face. “Do you think the explanations we were given were the whole truth?”
Mara hesitated.
“I don't know. But I don't think we should stop asking questions just because everyone else expects us to move on.”
Tessa nodded slowly.
“Sometimes, I feel like we've been trying so hard to survive that we never really got to grieve properly.”
Mara reached across the table and took her hand.
“Maybe we haven't. But we still have each other.”
Tessa squeezed her fingers.
“Good. Because if you become any more boring, I'll have to find a new sister.”
“You'd last two days.”
“One day,” Tessa corrected. “I have standards, but I'm not unreasonable.”
They laughed, and the heaviness between them eased.
After dinner, they cleared the table together. Tessa packed the leftovers while Mara washed the plates, following the familiar routine they had maintained since losing their parents.
When they finished, Tessa checked her phone.
“We need a proper evening. Pizza and a movie.”
“It's already late.”
“It's barely eight.”
“Exactly.”
Tessa pointed at her. “No work talk. No checking your phone every five minutes. And you are watching the entire movie.”
“I never said I wouldn't.”
“You usually fall asleep halfway through.”
“Because you choose terrible movies.”
“Then tonight, you can choose.”
Mara dried her hands. “Fine. Order the pizza. I'll go for a short walk and get some air before it arrives.”
Tessa looked up. “Now?”
“Yes. I'll be back soon.”
“You said that about dinner.”
“And I came back.”
“Twenty-three minutes late.”
Mara collected her jacket and keys. “Order my usual, please.”
Tessa sighed dramatically. “Fine. But answer your phone if I call.”
“I will.”
“And don't let work distract you.”
“I promise.”
“Love you!”
“Love you too.”
Mara stepped outside and pulled her jacket closer around herself. The air was cool after the rain, and the streets were busy with people heading home or gathering beneath the lights of cafés.
She walked without choosing a particular destination. For once, she wanted a little time without reports, questions or responsibilities waiting for her.
She passed a row of small shops and crossed a busy street before turning onto a quieter stretch of pavement. The sound of traffic faded behind her, replaced by distant conversations and the occasional passing car.
She was beginning to relax when she noticed a man walking behind her.
He was far enough away that she could have dismissed it as coincidence. Vesper was a busy city, and people often travelled along the same streets.
Mara continued walking.
At the next crossing, she glanced back. The man was still there.
She slowed near a closed shop, pretending to examine something in the window. In the reflection, she saw him slow too.
Her expression remained calm, but her attention sharpened.
Perhaps he was going in the same direction.
Perhaps not.
Mara turned onto the next street without looking back again.
A few seconds later, she heard footsteps behind her.
The man was still following.
And this time, Mara was certain.
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