Is'haaq

Is'haaq looked at Juri as if she were a child in need of a scolding. She was as unkempt as she had always been and her hair had been sticking out of her ponytail as it always had. "So, you've been here a lot hey?"

"No."

"Juri, we have you on camera." He felt his heart jump just saying her name. He hadn't said her name in so long- barely even allowed himself to think it- that when it slipped out of his mouth, his body felt shocked.

"Were you perving on me, Is'haaq?" She asked, finally looking up at him.

"Uh huh, always have."

"Fuck you."

The words were on the tip of his tongue. He wanted to say it so badly, but he knew he was in for a moerse klap if he did. Self-preservation was a bit more important than that. "Anyway," he cleared his throat, "we've watched you come in here almost every night swiping ridiculous shit as you walk around."

"So why are you only dealing with me today?"

Is'haaq wanted to laugh. She had never changed- still a sassy little shit. "Simple amusement" he shrugged, unable to think of a valid excuse. "You have two choices though."

"Uh hmm?" She sat down, allowing the trinkets in her pocket to smack loudly against the chair as she did so.

"I can either report you or you pay it all back and never step foot in here again." He said it plainly, ignoring the ache in his gut at the idea of not spotting her on over the grainy black and white monitor again.

She looked sad. Beneath her sass and her oddness, the slight pull of her lips and slump of her shoulders could not be missed. "How much do I owe you?"

"Do you want to return what's in your pockets first?" His lips curl upwards as she dug deep into her side pockets. It had taken her a while to get to everything from wherever it was that she had hidden them. And when she sat back down, Is'haaq struggled to fathom how it was that she had fitted a packet of biscuits, a lip balm, a card of gum, a mini-moisturiser, a little bottle of baby oil, a packet of jelly beans, a slab of chocolate, and an empty coffee cup in those tiny little pockets. "Where the fuck were you hiding all this shit?"

"I don't know." She stood up, lifting her top to pull out precisely four sachets of Jacob's 3-in-1 coffee and a mini fudge cake. "I forgot these."

"What the fuck-" Is'haaq's eyes lowered to her crotch for a split second. "Were these in your panties?"

"No..." she looked away from him, choosing instead to look at the health and safety regulations poster stuck on the wall.

"You can keep those..." he pushed it back towards her before he punched in all the totals on a calculator. "Your total comes out to seven hundred exactly."

"Seriously?" Juri's eyes widened exponentially. "I blow balloons for a living! Where the fuck am I going to get seven hundred bucks from?"

"Should have thought about that before-hand, Juri."

"Can I pay it in instalments?" she looked up; desperation evident in her face.

"You stole from us and now you want to set up the terms and conditions?" Is'haaq snorted at her request. "Really?"

"Please, Is'haaq. I really don't have the money."

He knew he would give in to anything she asked of him. He always had. "I'll need collateral first so that I know you're serious."

"I don't-" she paused, squeezing her eyes shut as if to gather her wits. "You'll give it back to me though, right? You won't keep it?"

"Only once it's all paid." Is'haaq said- a silent promise to her.

Her hands shook as she unclipped the watch around her wrist and slid it off. "Keep it safe." She pleaded with him.

"Is this-"

"Yahya's watch." Her smile was tinged with despair as she handed it over to him. "I don't have anything else of his."

"I'll keep it safe." He closed his hand around her own, watching her chest raise and fall quicker than before. "I promise."

"Don't do that, Is'haaq." She jerked out of his hold. "Don't touch me."

"I'm sorry." He made to move towards her but stopped as she took a step back. "I'm really sorry, Juri."

She turned around, widening the gap between them. "You should be." Her voice was hardly even a whisper before she walked away from him once more.