Page 35 of Two for Joy

Chapter Seven

Chad didn’t visit for two Wednesdays in a row.

It was the morning of the third Wednesday, and Romeo couldn’t get out of bed. He didn’t eat the breakfast pushed through his hatch, he stared at it as it attracted flies.

At least something was having fun in his cell. His fan mail from the last two weeks littered the floor, and he ignored Will each time he asked for it.

There was no point to anything.

He’d failed at killing five and didn’t even have Chad as the consolation prize. He had hours, minutes, and droning seconds, until he finally died, monster gnawing at his mind every step of the way.

Romeo reached for the picture of the feather and pulled it off the wall.

Half white, half black, flawless.

He understood why Chad had cut him out, his reaction to a copycat hadn’t been what Chad was expecting, but despite how they changed towards each other in the farmhouse, Chad was still a good guy, and Romeo was a bad one.

They complemented each other, fit like a puzzle. A jagged, broken puzzle, but still a puzzle. Romeo was bad, Chad was good. Chad was light, Romeo was dark. Chad was a hero, and Romeo was a villain. They were opposites, the perfect twisted yin-yang. Romeo understood why Chad set him up to be captured, because no matter what, he was still good at heart. He would always be the detective just as he would always be the killer.

Romeo tacked the feather back on the wall when he heard footsteps approaching. Fred appeared at the bars, looking down at Romeo’s food.

“It’s up for grabs if you’re interested.”

“No, Romeo, I’m not interested.”

“Then why are you at my cell.”

“Chad’s visit is going ahead.”

Romeo sat up. “What?”

“He’s visiting today, same time as normal.”

His heart thawed, warmth came back into his veins. He didn’t even register Fred walking away, instead he looked at Chad’s picture on his wall.

Theonethat got away.

Romeo didn’t want him to get away.

Romeo needed him to keep visiting. He needed Chad for himself to feel alive. He got up and started pacing around his cell. He needed Chad to feel good. The weeks with no visits had been hell, but he needed to ensure he kept him, needed to ensure Chad kept visiting. What did others do in relationships to keep the ones they loved?

They lied.

Romeo stopped in front of the mirror and looked at himself. The handsome mask that hid his ugliness. He needed to use his face, all the sorrowful, sincere expressions it could pull, and lie to Chad.

All his life he’d lied to his parents to keep them happy, and he was about to do the same with Chad.

He had to make Chad think he was disgusted about the copycat, because that’s how normal people would’ve reacted, they would’ve been afraid, horrified, disturbed.

If that’s the lie he needed to tell to keep Chad, then he would. He couldn’t be completely honest with Chad because if he was, he’d lose him.

****

The door to the visiting room opened, and Chad at least gave him a small smile. He was having trouble keeping eye contact again, and Romeo suspected guilt was the reason. He felt guilty over not visiting, Romeo was about to lie to his face and didn’t feel guilt at all.

“I thought you were gonna stop.”

Chad didn’t look at him. “I thought about it.”

---