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“William” Henry stared at his friend across the table. The two men sat across from each other in an old diner; both ordered a strawberry milkshake and a double bacon cheeseburger, cheesy fries for the table. A passerby would assume they were a couple, or a divorced one with all that tension. But alas both were here for a serious matter—so serious they had to take a sip of their strawberry milkshake white extra whip and sprinkles before each sentence.
“Henry,” William stared back, grinning eye to eye like a high school girl with a crush. He looked unsettling; cheery and whimsical for no apparent reason. They both shared eye contact, an unspoken staring contest went on. Henry lost.
“So, what is soooo important we have to meet up in this retro diner, what is this, the forties?” He won, so he got speaking privileges. William stabbed some fries with his flimsy plastic fork, his mother would’ve scolded him from the way he was holding it, ‘William! don’t hold ye fork loike you’re aboot tew stab a poor lad!” Ironic. He listened as Henry talked while he chewed his fries.
“Perhaps–” Henry sighs, Afton isn’t taking him seriously, he never does these days. Always smiling and giggling like a mad man; perhaps he is. “Perhaps I just wanted to talk to a friend, just like the good old days, but–.”
“Mhm, the good old days where we spend hours in diners sketching and designing.” William added between bites of his burger.
Henry sighed once more, deciding to take a bite of his own burger. Greasy and salty, perfect. He took a sip of his milkshake, William licking the whip cream of his.
“Afton, as I was saying, but unlike the good old days, this is serious.”
“Are you implying we weren’t serious then?” William wore a mock, exaggerated shocked expression, complete with an audible gasp and all, hand clutching his tie.
“No, I–.” Henry sighed again, he will murder that man someday, preferably by fire. “You know what I mean, William. This is serious, let me talk.”
William finally stopped smiling, he wore a perfect poker face instead.
“You already know why I called you to meet up here, so let's not beat around the bush.” Henry took a deep breath, steadying his emotions. He spoke in a low voice, barely audible.
“You killed my daughter.” Ah, William expected this, why else would Henry call him after months of no contact. He was wise to meet up in a public space, William can’t attack him.
“What an accusation, I would never, do you even realize how insulting this is?” William wears his poker face still, he needs to stay calm, the fact that Henry hasn’t reported him to the police indicates that he doesn’t have enough evidence.
“It isn’t an accusation William, I know we aren’t stupid, you know me I know you. You are right, I don't have enough evidence.” Henry leaned in, William followed. Their heads were mere centimeters away from each other, it looked like a shitty rom com. “But I know it was you.” Henry leaned closer, his mouth parallel to William's ear, his whisper barely audible. William can feel Henry’s warm breaths against his ear; it smells like burgers.
His poker face broke into a grin once more. He whispered back, and spoke through gritted teeth,
“And you killed my son, Henry.”
Both men wanted to pounce each other.
“Tired of blaming your son, Afton?’
“Michael may have been the one that killed him, but you played an indirect role Henry.”
“Indirect, you slit my daughter’s throat in an alleyway, that doesn’t get any more direct doesn’t it?”
“Oh please, she was going to die anyway from the chocolate the bullies gave her, I just ended her misery.”
“You could’ve saved her Afton.” Henry hissed, public spaces be damned, he was going to burn that man alive.
“We both know how bad her allergy is, would you rather I bought her back inside so we both can watch her die together?” William joked, giggling to himself.
“You–” Henry didn’t bother whispering this time, who cares if someone overheard them, William would be the one arrested, not him. “At least don’t dump her in a back alley like some sort of trash.”
“At least she died swiftly and painlessly, unlike my son who suffered 8 long nights in that hospital bed in a state of constant pain,”
“She must’ve been relieved to see you, before dying in fear after her father’s *friend* brought out a knife and slit her throat.”
“My son was in constant fear for 8 DAYS.”
“Alright, fine, we shouldn't turn the suffering of our children into a competition.”
“Why did you even call me here anyways? Gathering evidence for my arrest?”
“I-” Henry wasn’t sure why he called William here either. If he wanted him arrested, he would’ve called the cops, or at least record some evidence. He called him not out of resentment nor guilt.
Henry finally leaned back to his own seat, his head laying on the diner’s couch. He took a deep breath and sighed, confessing.
“I missed you.” Henry was lonely, without Charlie or his wife, the only other person he could turn to was William.
“Crawling back to me huh?” William joked, but neither had the energy to laugh.
William leaned back to his own seat,he didn’t realize he had been clutching his fork; the poor thing broke in half. An awkward silence passed, and William decided to break the ice.
“Michael, how is he?”
“Rough kid, not mentally alright in the head right now but that's expected. With proper guidance and support, he’ll turn out a great man.” Henry paused, unsure if he should continue.
“He's in good hands, William, don’t worry.”
“Mhm.”
William nodded in silence, and both were unsure what to say next.
They finished their meals in silence, Henry cursed himself for not eating the fries before William finished them. Henry paid for the meal, his treat; he was the one who arranged this afterall. As they were about to leave and go their separate ways, William turned to Henry.
“Your daughter is still here by the way.”
Henry paused before answering.
“I know—” Henry stared at the other man, “you sick bastard.”
William smiled to himself, a genuine one. He was proud of himself.
“I am.”
William gave him a subtle nod before walking off.
William is a sick bastard, they both knew that, and they both know they will always come back to each other. Not even death can do them apart.