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❝ 06 , you left your ring ❞

The case went well and the trio's routine returned to normal quickly afterwards. George and Lockwood had had a little spat which meant that they were now ignoring each other while Demi acted as the mediator, sending messages across the divide that was growing between them.

She tried her best to ignore the boy's little spats because she knew they would eventually get over themselves. It had all started because Lockwood had made another stupid plan which George hated, as usual. It was pretty standard.

It could have been so much worse.

So, Demi continued with her routine, as normal, and now that the bruise from the toaster had cleared up and the cut on her wrist had mostly healed, she felt normal and she could run without being in any sort of pain.

And to make up for her distinct lack of running over the past few days, this morning she decided to stay out for an hour instead of half an hour like she usually did.

Her calves burnt as she walked down Portland Row up to their terrace house. Her chest heaved up and down, her breath ragged as she pushed her key into the lock. But the door opened before she could even get a chance to twist it. Lockwood sent her a small smile before letting out a soft 'uh-huh' in response to whoever it was on the phone.

His hair was still wet. Stuck to his forehead and some water droplets dripped down his neck as she slipped past him into the house. The towel was secured firmly around his waist as she pushed the front door closed. Her eyebrows knitted together. It was still early and she was wondering who would call this early in the morning. It was obviously a client but she decided to wait, listening to their conversation, curious as to who it was and what it would mean for them.

She shuffled across the hallway to the door into the sitting room and pushed the door open, checking how red her face was in the mirror above the fireplace. It had looked worse but it was still red. She pushed her fingers across her face, wiping any sweat away before she turned back around. Lockwood was talking back to the client now and she leant against the doorframe, facing him.

Her chest was still rising and falling jaggedly and she was trying to normalise it. But the harder she tried, the worse it got so instead she closed her eyes and let her tilt to the side. Lockwood's words went in one ear and out the other but she could hear how he began to smile.

"Oh, of course, we'll do anything to help. Thank you for calling. I'll get someone to drop the forms to your house soon." Demi turned to watch him as he smiled. He was charming even through the phone and then he placed it down onto the receiver.

"Who was that?" Demi asked. She had a good guess but she wanted him to say it.

"New client," He grinned. Demi smiled right back and she pushed off the door frame, "I'll need someone to drop the forms off at the house when we go to the Archives. We need to do some research," He said as he urged her upstairs. She glanced back at him and headed up towards the bathroom. She needed a shower before she went anywhere.

"So you're talking again?" Demi asked. Anthony hummed in response and she smiled softly, glad that they had sorted it out, "Are you done in the shower?" She asked. Lockwood nodded his head. She expected some sort of sarcastic comment but he didn't say anything.

"I got out when I heard the phone ring. George's asleep so I had to get it," He explained as he slid in front of her to get to the bathroom. He then picked up his pyjamas from where he had abandoned them on the bathroom floor. Demi hummed and headed up the stairs to her room to grab some clothes. When she came back down, Lockwood was leaning against the door, by the bathroom.

"You were out longer than usual," He commented. Demi nodded and she folded her clothes over her arm as she headed down the steps.

"After the toaster, it hurt too much to run very far. I was catching up," She dismissed. Lockwood narrowed his eyes before he shrugged, "Did you leave anything else in there?" She asked, gesturing vaguely towards the door. He shook his head and she smiled, "Well, I need to get a shower. You might wanna wake George up." Lockwood hummed in agreement and then he stepped away and headed to his room. Demi went straight into the bathroom and closed the door.

Lockwood's footsteps could be heard on the stairs but when his bedroom door clicked closed, the house was quiet again. Her eyes fell closed as she rested against the sink. Part of her wanted to scold him for walking around with only a towel on but she knew that the other half of her enjoyed the sight. A soft huff escaped her lips and she opened her eyes.

He was her boss. Even if everyone in the company was equal, he still paid her. She couldn't think like that. So, she pushed her fingers across her face and got herself together. And then she spotted it. Gleaming on the bathroom sink, his ring. He had left it in the bathroom like an idiot. He had never done that before. He almost never took it off.

It was pretty, a little obnoxious but he wore it well. She never asked where it came from. She picked it up from the side and pulled the bathroom door open.

"Lockwood!" She called as she headed up towards his room. She knocked gently against the door and he let out a hurried and panicked 'Don't open the door!'. Demi chuckled softly, "I wasn't going to. You just left your ring in the bathroom." Her amusement was evident in her tone but then there was silence for a moment.

"I'll get it once you're out or..." He hesitated, "Actually, I need to take the forms to the client. Keep it safe for me?" He asked. Demi opened her mouth to say she'd just leave it somewhere before she just sighed. There was no point.

"Alright. Don't do anything stupid," She mumbled. She kept the ring in her hand as she went back to the bathroom. She placed it down on the sink beside her moisturiser, that way she wouldn't forget it either. The shower was then switched on and she went through her usual routine. She didn't wash her hair that day - it wasn't too greasy - and so she was done in the shower pretty quickly.

Once she had switched the shower off and dried herself off, she switched into a new set of clothes. Then, she slipped Lockwood's ring onto her finger. It fitted her oddly well but she tried not to dwell too much on the giddy way her heart jumped. Instead, she headed out and down to the kitchen for breakfast.

***

The Archives were quiet and Demi and George had managed to get there before Lockwood. After Demi had eaten breakfast (toast from the new toaster), George had appeared in the kitchen. He made a bowl of cereal and wolfed it down before they headed out.

He had mumbled out something about Lockwood going to the house to drop off forms and then going to the shops for something. George hadn't really said anything specific but he managed to get the message across well enough for Demi not to worry about Anthony too much.

So, Demi and George had then made their own way to the Archives. Lockwood was going to meet them - George had also managed to say between spoonfuls of coco pops. So, they got started without him for now. The new client's house was a relatively new build. It had only been around for the last decade or so which meant that there were less newspapers to go through.

However, she left it to George to decide what would be best to look at and he eventually gave her a stack of papers and he took another stack for himself and they went to find a table. Their usual table was empty so they got comfortable and began to read.

The familiar comfortable quiet of the Archives surrounded them as they flicked through newspapers and Demi managed to get through most of her stack until she felt George staring at her. His eyes narrowed as he scrutinised the hand that was resting on top of the newspaper stack.

"Is that Lockwood's?" He asked and Demi looked down at her hand. She had forgotten that she was even wearing it.

"Oh, yeah," Demi said, fiddling with the finger slightly before she cleared her throat, "He left it in the bathroom and he told me to keep it safe while he went out," Demi explained before shrugging her shoulders. George stared at her for a long moment before he nodded his head. Demi's eyes narrowed for a moment before she grabbed another newspaper and flicked it open.

She knew George and it still seemed like he had something to say. But she didn't have much interest in hearing what he had to say. She was going to wait for him to come out with it.

Which he did, a few minutes later;

"How did you know it was his?" George asked as he placed his own newspaper down again. He pushed his glasses up on his nose as he looked at Demi. Demi looked up, meeting his gaze with a slightly raised eyebrow.

"He always wears it. I noticed." It seemed like such a dumb question. They had been living together for the better part of six months. She knew them both well enough to notice every little thing about them.

"And he left it in the bathroom?" Demi nodded. She thought that was already obvious from her first answer.

"I came back from my run and he was on the phone after his shower. He said that he was done in the bathroom so I went to take a shower. His ring was left on the side, I went to give it to him but he told me to keep it until he got back from the clients," She explained quickly. She knew it was weird and she knew that it was out of the ordinary. Anthony never really let anyone else wear what he had. Well, he had given Demi his jacket once but it didn't happen a lot. He liked keeping the few things he had to himself, "Nothing weird." George nodded slightly in response and glanced down at his newspaper. But then he looked up and his eyes read recognition.

Demi glanced back and Lockwood was sauntering towards them. He looked pleased with himself. George was quick to get up.

"I'll get him some newspapers," He said, almost sounding exasperated despite Lockwood not saying anything yet. Demi let out a soft 'okay' as she turned back to her own paper. She opened it up, flicking through. Lockwood briefly conversed with the hurried George before he walked over, pulled the chair out and sat down beside Demi.

"Hello," He said as he leant over. Demi turned and looked at him, an awkward smile on her face, leaning back against the chair.

"Hey, everything go okay?" She asked. Lockwood nodded in response. There was an unnatural spring to his step and that worried her slightly, "Did you see Kipps?" The arrogance that radiated off of him only came from winning an argument with Kipps. And when a plan went perfectly but he couldn't be scheming this early in the day.

"No. I just had a good trip," He responded. Demi narrowed her eyes and he grinned and looked over at George who was walking back through the shelves with another stack of newspapers. He then dropped it onto the table.

"You can tell us later, get reading," George said. Lockwood rolled his eyes playfully and then grabbed the stack of papers. He flicked through the newspapers for a few minutes before Demi tapped his shoulder. He looked at her.

"Your ring," She said as she held it out to him. He let out a soft 'oh' and there was a smile on his face as he took it from her.

"It looked better on you, to be honest," He said and the audaciously flirty tone sent Demi into a moment of shock. She stopped mid-page turn, her brain short-circuiting. Had she heard that right? There was no way he had just said that.

George stared at Lockwood for a moment and Anthony had that usual charming smile on his face, not at all phased by George's glare. He was ridiculous and George was only slightly exhausted by his antics.

Demi cleared her throat, refocusing on the page as the trio returned back to reading through newspapers.

"Apparently there was some uproar about the land the houses were built on," Demi interrupted the stifling silence between the three of them. Lockwood looked over at Demi and she pointed to the headline.

NEW HOUSES BUILT ON PROTECTED WOODLAND

"That wouldn't explain a spiritual presence," George argued once he'd read the headline. Demi shrugged. That was true but it was curious either way. She then went back to flicking through papers aimlessly.

The trio were in relative silence for another few minutes, each second more comfortable than the last. Lockwood - for once - was silently reading his newspapers but Demi could tell he was getting bored. He was getting antsy. Research was never his thing and then she felt him lean over to her. His lips right by her ear.

"Come with me to get more papers?" He asked. That stupidly flirty tone again laced his tone and Demi's stomach erupted with nervous butterflies. Nevertheless, she hummed in agreement before she dropped her newspaper. The whole stack had been useless anyway other than the brief mention of the estate the house was on.

The pair then headed through the aisles together and Lockwood stayed close to her. His hand hovered behind her back, acting as a guide until he had cornered her against one of the shelves, out of sight of anyone else.

Her back was rested against the bookshelf, her heart thumping in her chest as Anthony loomed over her. His gaze rested on her face. The heat crawled up her neck and she cleared her throat as Anthony looked around warily. He then turned his gaze onto her.

"What's going on?" Demi asked. Anthony's left hand lifted so it rested against a shelf, blocking her face from anyone's view, "Lockwood?" Her voice cracked as she said his name, unsure what to even think. Her entire world was spinning. What was he about to do? Was he about to kiss her?

He was so close. He glanced away before he then turned to look down and the charismatic smile had reappeared. She could have melted then and there, part of her thought he was going to snog her. But he didn't.

"I went into your room a few nights ago," He began and Demi tried to rest against the shelf to be a little more comfortable. But how close they were was making her whole body warm and the heat finally crawled its way onto her cheeks. She didn't know what to do with herself or her hands and so she kept them rested at her sides.

"Why?" Demi asked. Anthony glanced to the side, checking for George before he looked down at her again.

"I was leaving chocolate on your bed but then I noticed the salt and magnesium powder on your desk. And the iron casings. What have you been tinkering with?" He asked. There was a playfulness to his tone and she bit her lip.

The relief filled her chest and her shoulders sagged. Her project. That's all he was asking about. That was good but part of her did wish that he was going to kiss her. Much more tolerable than whatever conversation was about to come when he asked about the project.

"It's nothing important," Demi tried to swerve the incoming questions but she was trapped. Quite literally. There would be no getting away from this even if she wanted to.

"I was curious what they did," He began and Demi's eyes widened. She had only tested them once and that had been a complete and utter disaster.

"Please don't tell me you tried them. They've not been properly tested. They shouldn't have been left out. They could have caused damage, or harmed you. I didn't have the-" Demi quickly began to ramble but Anthony's smile made her stop. She stared at him, "What did you do with it?" He glanced around again.

"I tested it." Her hand was smacking his chest before her mind had truly caught up to what he was saying. The annoyance etched across her face.

"Why didn't you tell me?" She snapped. He chuckled and then he reached into his pocket and he pulled it out. The casing was still intact and when he twisted it over, it looked almost like he had never used it at all. Just how Demi had intended.

"I knew there was a reason I liked you," He said as Demi turned the capsule over. It was empty inside but that just meant she had to refill it. That was easy enough. The last time she had used it, it didn't look nearly as good at this. It had exploded into a million pieces like most of their equipment did. A small smile appeared on her face as she twisted it in his palm. That explained his good mood. He had discovered her little secrets. Secrets that would save them a lot of money.

"It's a prototype," She mumbled and he then pocketed it before she had a chance to snatch it from him, "It didn't work last time I used it. It's not safe to have around." Anthony had a smirk on his face and let his arm drop from where it had caged her in.

"It works now and it's perfectly safe," He said as he looked into her eyes, "You did a good job," He added. He then pulled away completely. Demi's body sagged and she ran her fingers across her face. That entire interaction had left her mind rattled but he seemed just as composed as he usually was, "But maybe we don't tell George about this yet." Demi furrowed her eyebrows and he shrugged, "Keep it our secret."

Demi didn't know what to say to that so she simply nodded. The pair of them then actually went to the newspaper archive and grabbed a few before they headed back to the table. George was watching them with suspicious eyes and when he saw the way Demi's face was flushed, he had a feeling that something more than paper gathering had occurred.

Not that he said a word. Instead, he went right back to his work.