(Quinn’s POV)

I was channel surfing like I did whenever there was nothing good to watch on TV.I had to get to the theatre in an hour, so I still had time to kill. Being a costume designer was amazing and truly rewarding, but it was just as time consuming and tiring. The people at the theatre were preparing for a huge play coming up which required everyone to give it their all, and that included me.

Unable to find anything that struck my interest, I turned off the TV and put the remote on the wooden table in front of me. I got up and headed over to the bathroom to take a quick shower before heading out.

I arrived at the theatre some time later. I walked down the somewhat empty halls, smiling at anyone who seemed to care. I pulled out the key to the dressing room and opened up the door. I traced the wall to my right to find the switch and turn on the lights. When the room lit up, my eyes wandered over to all the costumes that were hung at the back of the room. There were boxes full of fabrics of various colours lined up against a wall with the grey paint peeling off.

“There she is!” the play’s producer, Jacob Sanders, called out. I turned around and smiled at the aged man standing before me.

“Hello, Jacob. When are the actors and actresses going to show up?” I asked politely.

“Everyone’s not here yet, but you’re in luck! Harry will be here soon.” He responded casually. I stood there still for a few moments, my mouth agape. “I knew you’d be happy. Oh, look, it’s Harry!”

And of course, Harry swarmed into the room, almost bumping into Jacob.

“Sorry I’m late. Oh, hi, Quinn. You better close that mouth of yours before a fly finds its way inside.” Harry chuckled to himself as he shut my mouth with his index finger. I could feel my cheeks getting warm from embarrassment as I turned my focus to something else in the room.

“Alright, I’ll leave you two to get some work done. And by work, I mean work.” Jacob nodded before heading out the room.

“Well, that was awkward. Anyway, Quinn, you need measurements, right? For the costumes?”

“Yeah, yeah, I do. So let me just get my things and we’ll get started.”

I opened up the drawers and grabbed the measuring tape, a pencil and a notepad. I kept two notepads, one at the theatre and the other with me, just to play it safe. When I got back to Harry, he was going through some of the costumes hanging at the back.

“You ready, Harry?” I asked, causing him to tilt his head towards me. He smiled widely and nodded.

>>>>>>

I was finally done with taking the measurements along with the help of the other costume designers. The actors and actresses had left since they were only here for measurements.

I was packing up when a knock on the door startled me. I looked up, my breathing slowing down when my eyes met Harry’s.

“You want to get some lunch?” he asked, his head resting on the doorframe.

“Why not?” I shrugged, my lips curving into a smile.

“Great,” Harry grinned as he straightened himself.

A few minutes, Harry and I were both sitting across from each other at Linda’s Diner. I squinted my eyes at him, as if trying to find an answer to as to why he invited me to lunch, and why he waited back at the theatre. As if he felt my eyes on him, he snapped his fingers, averting my attention.

“What is up with you?” he inquired, his eyebrow raised.

“I’m just trying to figure out your motive for inviting me here.” I responded nonchalantly before taking a sip of my soft drink.

“By staring at my face?” Harry moved forward, his elbows now on the table.

“Yeah, kind of, I guess. I don’t know!” I let out an exasperated sigh. Harry slightly shook his head, his hair falling on his forehead, and a chuckle escaping his mouth.

“I was just trying to be nice,” he replied as I raised an eyebrow, my eyes trained on his green ones. “Okay, fine. I might’ve wanted to ask about Lillian.”

“You still like her, huh?” I cocked my head to the side. He let out a sigh before shrugging.

“I don’t know. Maybe I just wanted to, you know,” he started, fidgeting with his hands. It was as if he didn’t know himself. He was conflicted.

“Well, she’s doing great lately. I mean she thinks she has a stupendous story and she has strong beliefs that it’s going to bring The Blazing Times to its original glory.” I answered while stirring my drink with a straw.

“That’s cool,” Harry casually responded before taking a bite of his burger.

“But that’s not the only thing. She’s got a group of four people to do the research for her; all of the dangerous parts, she’s leaving for them.” I further elaborated, earning a bewildered look from the green-eyed man in front of me.

“Not so cool,” he whispered, the colour draining from his skin.

“Not remotely,” I nodded as a sharp breath escaped my mouth.

After having lunch with Harry, I decided to head back to my apartment. I had to start working on the costumes, or at least try to. My mind kept racing back to the moment Lillian ushered Juliana and I into that office of hers; the one with the articles on murders. Unsolved murders.

Lillian was certainly working hard to bring The Blazing Times back into business, but the moment she told Juliana to practically solve an unsolved case, I knew she wasn’t doing the right thing. But I hadn’t done anything to stop her; I just stood there blankly. I just hope they stay on the safe side; their lives are far more important than solving a case.

>>>>>>

A few days had gone by since I had lunch with Harry. I was doing some sketching for the costumes when I heard a knock on the door. I looked up at the wall clock and realized it was already four o’clock. I set my sketchpad aside and got up to open the door.

“Juliana, Willa, what a pleasant surprise!” I exclaimed as I ushered them inside. I was about to shut the door when Willa cut in.

“Uh, we actually brought the whole crew.” she informed, almost apologetically. I gave her a confused glance, when suddenly, two guys just walked into my apartment.

“Great introduction, love. Hi, I’m Louis Tomli- oh, it’s you Quinn,” Louis blurted out before giving my hand a firm shake.

“Leave it to Louis to not know where we’re going.” Liam sighed before smiling at me, to which I offered him a smile as well.
“Well, um, so what’s going on? Did you find some clue?” I asked as I motioned for everyone to sit down.

“We still need to get into that house, so we’re kinda behind schedule.” Juliana responded as she pulled out a notepad from her purse.

“What has this got to do with me? I mean I’m not really a part of this.” I said, not understanding why they were here.

“You see, your friend Lillian called last night to learn about our progress so far and we someone might’ve lied about it.” Willa answered as she shot daggers at Juliana who pretended not to have seen anything. I would’ve laughed if it weren’t something so serious.

“In other words, we need you to stall her until we actually find something.” Liam stated.

“I can try, but she’s such a workaholic. I might not be able to do much.” I replied truthfully.

“That’s great news! We’re just going to need a whole day, but preferably a night too.” Louis chirped as he got up on his feet.

“What are you guys even planning on doing?” I questioned, eyeing them all suspiciously.

“Nothing illegal,” Juliana blurted, her eyes now wide. Willa shot another look at her before smiling up at me.

“We better get going. Thanks Quinn!” Liam quickly exclaimed as they all made a beeline for the door.

I sat there dumfounded at their unusual behaviour. That lot had certainly gotten stranger from the last time I saw them.

Notes

Hi, again! I am so sorry for the late update, I was having my exams. Anyway, thank you so much for reading this chapter and I hope you liked it. And thank you other subscriber! I hope you all have a great day! :)