it couldn't be that romantic

 "What are you crazy kids up to?" Liam gritted a smile hoping he didn't look too happy to see the both of them together. Had Bently lost a marble or two? He watched the both of them in the kitchen toasting cheese sandwiches and heating tomato soup. Were they actually that cozy? It kind of broke Liam's heart at the thought. 

Bently was better at this romance stuff than he was and he was older and possibly wiser, but when he called Julie to see how she was earlier in the morning all she had to say was "I don't want to talk to you."

He winced wondering what he did. He couldn't get her out of his mind. Was he such a terrible person? OK, maybe he didn't talk enough. But it didn't mean he didn't want to be with her. After all, she was his best friend. 

He'd texted an hour later but got nothing. This hurt his feelings even more. He even went back to bed in a slump. After all, the bed was warm and it was awful wintery outside.

Not that he'd even given Mannie nor Sadie a thought. They were probably running around like mice in a maze, getting nowhere very fast. He didn't envy that.

"Oh, nothing," Bently shot him a look that it really wasn't his idea for Penny to be making herself home in Mannie's kitchen.

"Well, there you are," Penny's clever smile made Liam grimace. He wasn't fond of her nor her flaming red hair. Her voice was irritating. "What have you been up to?"

"Why would I be up to anything?" He gave her a stern look that she better eat quickly and get the hell out of here, but she was going nowhere. She was feeding Bently a melted sandwich.

Liam practically shivered. He didn't want to witness this. He hugged himself and turned away back to the storefront and watched the snow whip in the wind from the front window.

What if what Julie said was only a code. What if something had happened to her?