Flashfic Challenge #84: Box of Chocolate
Title: Every boxes you take
Prompt: Box of chocolate
Word Count: 856
“White roses and Belgian chocolate.”
“Mh?” Tobias Beecher looks up from the newspaper that he is reading and meets the eyes of his partner across the table.
“You weren’t listening.” Marian says but her voice is soft and she is smiling.
“You got me.”
“I was talking about Valentine’s day. It’s Sunday and Holly will be with your mother, right? We can do something together. Take a trip, stay all day in bed…” She leans over to pour a cup of coffee and caresses his hand.
“Stay all day in bed, I like it.” He takes a bite of a toast.
“Of course you like it.”
“And what were you saying about roses?”
“You were listening then! I was just offering a few suggestions, for my gift.”
“Aren’t we too old for Valentine’s day gifts?”
“Oh don’t be so boring, Toby! I’m romantic, I like Valentine’s Day. I like be silly sometime.”
Toby has been silly sometime. Months, years ago. A life ago. He put his life in the hands of a serial killer that broke his arms just for the way that man has smiled to him and said his name (no one will say "Toby" like Chris Keller did). Marian didn’t know that, and Toby asks himself how she would react if he told her.
“Ok help me to make you happy, what do you like?”
“White roses, I don’t like the red. Doesn’t suit me. And don’t tell that I’m beautiful in red because I know the truth.” Chris always loved to be flattered. Toby thinks that they could spend the night talking about how wonderful it was Chris Keller without complaints from nowhere (maybe because both of them love Chris Keller. Loved- Loved- past not present).
Marian adds “And chocolate! I love chocolate! Truffles, pralines. Nothing makes me happier than a box of chocolate. Yeah a box of chocolate with a big red ribbon would make me very happy and thankful.”
And then something in Toby’s mind breaks.
“A box of chocolate?” he repeats, almost dazed.
“Yeah, Toby a box of chocolate! You know a big box with a lot of truffles. A young girl has received one a few days ago at school and we were all jealous. It’s silly, I know but” She smiles again like she has confessed a dirty secret. Toby has a lot of dirty secrets and no one can be confessed during breakfast.
“Ok I took noted: white roses and chocolate.”
“A box of chocolate, remember!” Marian bends over to kiss him and he steps aside.
“I’m late for work, sorry!”
He isn’t late for work. He is early for work instead but he can’t remain close to Marian. He just can’t.
The truth is that sometimes a word is enough to ruin everything. It’s not the chocolate the problem, of course. Toby loves chocolate, everyone loves chocolate. It’s the box of chocolate. The box. A box, a package sent to someone. The last package that Toby has received contained the hand of his son. After that time asked his parents not to send him anything. When he was released from Oz has paid someone to move the boxes with his things because he could not have anything to do with a box. It’s silly, do you understand Marian? This is silly not be a romantic, but he just couldn’t. He still can’t. Every box, every package would have always remembered to him the one with the hand of his son. Chris knew that. Few times he had offered to receive him the packages for Toby. For a man capable to kill just for sport, just for jealousy, he could be sensitive. Or maybe not, maybe Chris just understood Toby without having to think about it. He was capable to fit in the empty spaces inside Toby. He was capable to fix Toby. Chris would never have asked for a box of chocolates. Chris would have broken every box of chocolates in Oz and then would pretend it was for his personal interest. And then in their pod they would eat chocolate and fucked. And Toby would not need to give explanations, to feel to be a disappointment.
For the first time after his visit to Chris he thinks about the drugs for Bonnie Keller. It is all a lie, isn’t it? Bonnie doesn’t have a cancer, right? It's the usual pile of shit of Keller, the usual attempt to manipulate him and tie to himself, right? And Keller could ask that favor to everyone, if someone knows a scumbag is Keller. He shouldn’t do that. He should go to buy flowers to Marian and be happy with her.
Bip. A text. “A box of Belgian chocolate, remember! And you will can eat them on me J “
Toby remembers the feel of the Chris skin under his fingers during their last hug. How he said his name and “Toby, they're gonna be alright, you hear me? They're gonna be okay.” and something in his heart breaks.
Maybe Keller doesn’t have anyone to ask that favor. Maybe it’s not so dangerous. Maybe he can do it.
Prompt: Box of chocolate
Word Count: 856
“White roses and Belgian chocolate.”
“Mh?” Tobias Beecher looks up from the newspaper that he is reading and meets the eyes of his partner across the table.
“You weren’t listening.” Marian says but her voice is soft and she is smiling.
“You got me.”
“I was talking about Valentine’s day. It’s Sunday and Holly will be with your mother, right? We can do something together. Take a trip, stay all day in bed…” She leans over to pour a cup of coffee and caresses his hand.
“Stay all day in bed, I like it.” He takes a bite of a toast.
“Of course you like it.”
“And what were you saying about roses?”
“You were listening then! I was just offering a few suggestions, for my gift.”
“Aren’t we too old for Valentine’s day gifts?”
“Oh don’t be so boring, Toby! I’m romantic, I like Valentine’s Day. I like be silly sometime.”
Toby has been silly sometime. Months, years ago. A life ago. He put his life in the hands of a serial killer that broke his arms just for the way that man has smiled to him and said his name (no one will say "Toby" like Chris Keller did). Marian didn’t know that, and Toby asks himself how she would react if he told her.
“Ok help me to make you happy, what do you like?”
“White roses, I don’t like the red. Doesn’t suit me. And don’t tell that I’m beautiful in red because I know the truth.” Chris always loved to be flattered. Toby thinks that they could spend the night talking about how wonderful it was Chris Keller without complaints from nowhere (maybe because both of them love Chris Keller. Loved- Loved- past not present).
Marian adds “And chocolate! I love chocolate! Truffles, pralines. Nothing makes me happier than a box of chocolate. Yeah a box of chocolate with a big red ribbon would make me very happy and thankful.”
And then something in Toby’s mind breaks.
“A box of chocolate?” he repeats, almost dazed.
“Yeah, Toby a box of chocolate! You know a big box with a lot of truffles. A young girl has received one a few days ago at school and we were all jealous. It’s silly, I know but” She smiles again like she has confessed a dirty secret. Toby has a lot of dirty secrets and no one can be confessed during breakfast.
“Ok I took noted: white roses and chocolate.”
“A box of chocolate, remember!” Marian bends over to kiss him and he steps aside.
“I’m late for work, sorry!”
He isn’t late for work. He is early for work instead but he can’t remain close to Marian. He just can’t.
The truth is that sometimes a word is enough to ruin everything. It’s not the chocolate the problem, of course. Toby loves chocolate, everyone loves chocolate. It’s the box of chocolate. The box. A box, a package sent to someone. The last package that Toby has received contained the hand of his son. After that time asked his parents not to send him anything. When he was released from Oz has paid someone to move the boxes with his things because he could not have anything to do with a box. It’s silly, do you understand Marian? This is silly not be a romantic, but he just couldn’t. He still can’t. Every box, every package would have always remembered to him the one with the hand of his son. Chris knew that. Few times he had offered to receive him the packages for Toby. For a man capable to kill just for sport, just for jealousy, he could be sensitive. Or maybe not, maybe Chris just understood Toby without having to think about it. He was capable to fit in the empty spaces inside Toby. He was capable to fix Toby. Chris would never have asked for a box of chocolates. Chris would have broken every box of chocolates in Oz and then would pretend it was for his personal interest. And then in their pod they would eat chocolate and fucked. And Toby would not need to give explanations, to feel to be a disappointment.
For the first time after his visit to Chris he thinks about the drugs for Bonnie Keller. It is all a lie, isn’t it? Bonnie doesn’t have a cancer, right? It's the usual pile of shit of Keller, the usual attempt to manipulate him and tie to himself, right? And Keller could ask that favor to everyone, if someone knows a scumbag is Keller. He shouldn’t do that. He should go to buy flowers to Marian and be happy with her.
Bip. A text. “A box of Belgian chocolate, remember! And you will can eat them on me J “
Toby remembers the feel of the Chris skin under his fingers during their last hug. How he said his name and “Toby, they're gonna be alright, you hear me? They're gonna be okay.” and something in his heart breaks.
Maybe Keller doesn’t have anyone to ask that favor. Maybe it’s not so dangerous. Maybe he can do it.