Page 91 of Butterfly

“I have a job. It’s only working in a supermarket, but the people are nice.” He shrugged. “I earn enough to pay Sebastian and Rory rent.”

“Still keeping up with the art?”

“Yeah, I found this amateur art group. It’s fun. Rory comes when he can, but he’s still shockingly awful.”

Captain chuckled. “I remember some of his drawings.”

“Drawings is the polite word for it.”

Captain laughed again before asking, “What else?”

“I get the train up to see Leo every Saturday. He’s fixed up this dirt bike, has his first race this weekend. I’m going to go watch.”

His voice wavered with nerves. He’d be standing at the side of the track alongside Asher and Maggie, and although he’d been around them without Leo, it hadn’t been for long and he still felt awkward. It didn’t help that Asher resembled their father, and sometimes, out of the corner of Ollie’s eye, he’d see his snarl, or snap, or even worse, his smile.

“Oh, I’ve got my community service on Sundays. There’s nothing quite like McDonald’s hitting you in the face at seventy miles an hour.”

Captain scrunched up his nose. “Ouch.”

“What about you?” Ollie asked. “What are you going to do?” He bit his lip. “You’re not going to move away, are you?”

“No, I’m staying near Hollybrook. I’ve got a job to do, after all.”

Ollie frowned. “What?”

Captain held up his hands. “It’s a voluntary position at Hollybrook, helping with the support group for ex-servicemen. Abby, who runs the sessions, has put my name forward for counselling training funded by the MOD. I’ll be able to help people both in and out of Hollybrook, make sure ex-service men and women have someone to talk to so they don’t turn out like me.”

“There’s nothing wrong with you.”

“Ollie…” Captain squeezed his knee. “I’m an alcoholic suffering from PTSD who spiralled after losing all meaning in my life. There’s a lot wrong with me.”

“I still think you’re great.”

Captain grinned, but it faded, and he slipped his hand from Ollie’s knee. “I can use my experience to help others, and that gives me purpose again. Which I so badly needed.”

He glanced at his clear bag of belongings, mostly clothes and books, but right at the top, Ollie thought he saw an orc figurine.

“Does that mean you’ll be working with Jarvis?”

Captain’s eyes snapped to him. “He’s in the sessions with Abby.”

“That’s a yes then.”

“It’s a yes.”

Ollie snorted. “I never found out his first name.” He raised his eyebrow, but Captain zipped his mouth shut.

“Is it that bad?”

“It’s pretty bad,” Captain admitted. “But I’ve got a cute nickname for him.”

“You’ve got a pet name for Jarvis?”

Captain’s cheeks flushed. “Not a pet name, a nickname.”

“What’s the difference?”

“One’s more affectionate than the other, one’s intimate.”

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