"I'm counting on you, partner!"

Something about looking forward to an event you are very excited for is both infuriating as well as gratifying. Those two weeks felt like an eternity, every hour of every day getting longer and longer and it frustrated Laura immensely. The amount of times her boss got angry at her for 'lacking enthusiasm' while customers were at her window she didn't even bother to count anymore. Laura knew that she was one of the best employees there. No matter how often her boss let out his anger on her, nothing would ultimately happen and he knew that too. And it wasn't like she deliberately pissed off any customers; she maintained a professional expression and greeted everyone with a smile, offering her help to anyone, no matter how stupid their questions or requests were. Luckily, there was only one more shift standing between her and a night out on the town.

"Go take a break," her coworker said when Laura stretched her sore arms, watching the last customer in line walk out the door, "I'll take over for you."

She thanked them and hastily got up, dashing through the back door like she was being chased, breathing a sigh of relief as she left the dry atmosphere of the bank behind her and instead filled her lungs with the cool air of the Colorado mountains. Sitting down on a bench designated for workers on break she pulled out her phone and a candy bar, quietly wishing she had the time to get a fresh coffee. It was like God was listening in on her, because when she unlocked her phone and doomscrolled through Instagram she received a message from Richard Tweak of all people. Confused she opened it, chewing on the chocolate in her mouth.

'Helen told me to ask you what I should wear.'

Laura giggled, almost choking on her food.

'This isn't a fancy dinner party, you can wear whatever you want' she replied. He messaged her immediately after.

'I suppose something I can move in would be best. Time to get out the old fit, as the kids say.'

'Not sure if we should try to be hip with the youth at our age lol but you're right, you need room to dance.'

Laura giggled again when he reacted with a shocked emoji to her comment about their age. This was certainly a fun way to spend her lunch break. Usually she would merely sit there staring at her phone or watching the clouds go by, praying she could go home soon. Having a fun little banter with an acquaintance and maybe even potential friend was a much better way to pass the time.

'Hey, we're going clubbing tomorrow, I believe that makes us pretty rad dude B-)'

'OMG not the surfer boy slang.'

'Shaka, you stoked to get pumped? Surf's up, dude B-)'

Laura laughed out loud. She didn't care if others could hear her.

'Noooooo stop it! xD'

'You're such a grommet :-P'

"Hey, Laura?"

The blonde woman jolted in her seat, surprised by her coworker's voice calling her name when she was so entranced by her conversation. She turned to look at them, dreading what they were about to say.

"I know your break is almost over, but... Can you come back a little sooner? There are so many people who just came in-"

"I'm on my way." she replied in a monotone voice, her guts feeling a lot heavier than before. With tense shoulders she typed away on her phone.

'Sorry, gotta go get yelled at by old people again... It was great talking to you, tho. Really brightened my day after all the bullshit I had to endure today!'

It took Richard a few seconds to reply but Laura deemed it worth the wait. She would much rather keep talking to him than go back to work.

'Me too, the delivery guy with the new refrigerator is almost here. Hope the rest of your shift won't fuck you over as much. And I'll see what I can do in regards to my outfit. See you tomorrow~'

She sent a quick goodbye message and dropped her phone in her bag, sighing again as she made her way back into the bank.

Four hours and one Ibuprofen later she got to clock out, practically sprinting out of the bank in a haste that made her coworkers widen their eyes. Finally it was over. Finally she could go home and relax, maybe pick out something to wear tomorrow and ask Thomas and the kids what they think. As she walked down the pathway and towards her car, mind already in the future, she could feel a presence approaching her, something or someone familiar. Laura turned around to see little Tweek Tweak jogging up to her, a to-go coffee cup in his hand. The blonde boy twitched nervously, but didn't spill a single drop of the beverage. His eyes were wide and anxious.

“E-excuse me, Mrs. Tucker?” he stuttered, looking like he was about to pass out from nervousness. Laura felt pity in her guts and she narrowed her eyebrows as she smiled down at the boy.

“Hello there, Tweek. Do you need my help with anything? You look like you're in a hurry.” she asked, voice as kind as possible to perhaps calm the boy down. Tweek winced.

“N-no actually! I have your coffee here!”

Laura tilted her head in confusion.

“My... coffee? But I didn't order anything?”

“What??” Tweek shrieked, “But my Dad told me this is for you? Oh God! That's so typical, he never tells me anything except for vague metaphors and useless advice! Jesus, this is so embarrassing!!”

“Tweek, Tweek, it's okay!” she waved her hands in front of her chest in an attempt to calm his anger. When he looked back up at her he was clenching his teeth. “What exactly did your father tell you?”

“Well, he, ugh, he told me that this coffee was for you and to deliver it right away. But I had to do some chores in the back of the store first, so, ugh, I couldn't get here much quicker... I think this is a cappuccino? With almond milk? Sorry if it's cold now...”

Laura listened to Tweek, face openly showing her confusion. Why would Richard send his son here to bring her a coffee she didn't order? Unless...

Her phone vibrated when Tweek had finished talking. It was a message from Richard.

'Did you meet Tweek yet?'

“Speak of the devil...” she whispered.

“Is it my Dad?” Tweek asked quickly, almost stumbling over his words he was so anxious. Laura nodded, quickly typing a reply.

'Yeah, he just arrived. But I didn't order anything and he is just as confused as I am.'

Richard's text came in really fast, almost as if he had already written his reply in advance.

'Just another pick-me-up. Got the idea when you told me about the horrible day you've been having so far. Tell Tweek to come back as soon as possible, I need his help.'

Laura sighed.

“Your Dad needs you at the shop,” she said, taking the warm cup from Tweek's shaking hand, “but thank you so much for bringing this to me. You are such a darling, Tweek!”

A subtle hint of a blush appeared on the blonde boy's face, his twitching stopping for a second or two.

“Just doing my job, Ma'am!”

Laura smiled again.

“Are you looking forward to coming over tomorrow? Craig is very excited already, Tricia too.”

“I am! B-but I need to go now! Dad would never let me hear the end of it otherwise! Bye, Mrs. Tucker!” he shouted as he ran back in the direction of Tweak Bro's Coffee shop. Laura felt sorry for the boy, maybe she could talk to Richard and Helen about giving Tweek a break. And perhaps not giving him so much coffee. Laura took a few sips of her gift, relishing the sweet and thick taste after such a long day. As much as she was confused about this sudden sign of affection, if one could call it that, she was just as thankful for it. And it gave her hope. Hope that maybe she and Richard could actually become friends so that she could branch out outside of her usual girls group. Laura loved her friends dearly but she did notice that a lot of the time when they were together, there was a lot of complaining about their husbands and kids, or they would get all heated about certain events that were unfolding in town. It usually ended in chaos or frustration, especially when Sheila was around. As much as Laura appreciated her for being so headstrong and forward, maybe it was time for her to make a friend who was a little calmer and less gossipy.

The blonde woman arrived at her car, which she had to park quite a bit away from the bank, and threw her purse on the passenger seat. Sitting down with a sigh of relief she took out her phone again, remembering that she hadn't thanked Richard yet.

'Hey, thanks for your kindness. I really needed a good cup like that. Didn't know you offered a delivery service, tho.'

Dropping her phone in her lap she turned the key around and pulled out of her parking spot, turning on the music player to get in the mood for tomorrow. She hasn't felt that excited in a long time. She let her fingers tap to the rhythm on the steering wheel, bopping her head a little to the tunes of whatever was playing right now. Maybe she should create a playlist, something uplifting and fun to listen to while she drives around town. Lord knows she would need it. Laura smiled to herself, fantasizing about tomorrow night. She would probably refrain from drinking, since they will use her car to get there, but she probably wouldn't need it anyways. Or at least she hoped so. If Richard did turn out to be an ex party-guy who took dance lessons in high school, then maybe he and the music was all she would need to have a great time. Laura turned the steering wheel to drive around a corner, coming to a halt at a red light. She watched the people walk across the street without paying much attention to them when a question rose in her mind.

Was she solely excited for the music and the nostalgia it would bring her... or was she also looking forward to meeting Richard in a private, feel-good environment? Laura's forehead became wrinkly when she thought further about it. It wasn't like Richard Tweak was a stranger to her; their sons were dating and Tweek and Craig went to the same school after all. They had met quite a few times during meetings and parties of all sorts, ran into each other while grocery shopping, informed each other about their respective son coming over, took part in various shenanigans together with the rest of the parents. And Laura liked to visit Tweak Bros. Coffeeshop every now and again for a cup, although that has certainly become more frequently since Tweek and Craig got together. Plus Helen would join Laura's friend group every now and again as well, so it made sense for Laura and Richard to get to know each other over time, even if it was mostly surface-level conversations. But she never viewed him as a friend before, much less considered the possibility of forming any kind of relationship with him outside of 'our kids are dating and we sort of belong to the same social circle so I guess I will talk to you every now and again'. She wasn't sure what to feel about this potential turn of events, considering she doesn't really have any friends that aren't women. Perhaps that was what startled Thomas back then-

The blonde woman jumped when the car behind her honked at her. She had zoned out enough to not realize the traffic light turning green. Hastily driving down the road towards her home, she decided not to think too much about it all. Perhaps waiting for the day to come and patiently seeing what will happen was all she could do.

“Hey hon, how was your day?”

Laura smiled at Thomas, who was cleaning up the dinner table, wiping away residue from the glue bottle he was most likely handling earlier. He had really gotten into building model ships lately and while she was certainly happy for him finding a new hobby, a small pang of jealousy would always hit her in the chest. She really needed a hobby of her own.

“Mh, could've been a lot quieter. I don't know why some people think when I ask them for their information to access their bank accounts they need to yell them into my face.” she complained, dropping her purse onto the floor next to her shoes, careful not to drop her almost empty coffee. Thomas looked at her with empathy in his eyes, then they wandered down to the cup in her hand.

“I could never work in a place like that, you have my deepest sympathy... but it looks like you managed to get a little treat afterwards? You definitely deserve it.”

Laura shook her head, approaching her husband. He immediately stood up straight and wrapped his arms around her. She melted into the warmth of his soft body against hers, the stress slowly rolling off her shoulders like boulders down a hill.

“I didn't. Richard sent Tweek to give this to me.”

Thomas didn't reply right away, instead rubbing the back of her neck with his hand, which made her sigh deeply.

“He's... a kind guy, huh?” he said, voice a little more monotone than usual. Laura raised her head to look at her husband, eyebrows pulled together in worry.

“... He is. I didn't ask for this coffee, all I did was text him during my break and complain about the clients. Richard said he wanted to give me another pick-me-up because he felt bad for me.” she explained, hoping Thomas wouldn't get the wrong idea and let some sort of jealousy cloud his mind. Said man searched her blue eyes before slowly nodding, a smile returning to his tense facial features.

“I'm glad you found a friend who takes care of you like I would.” he reassured her, leaning down to give her a little peck on the cheek. Laura felt relieved and thankful that Thomas wasn't making a big deal out of this. She put the cup on the table before wrapping her arms around his shoulders, pulling him down to kiss him on the lips. He reciprocated the gesture with a little more passion than Laura initiated with. Big hands resting on her waist he took a step towards her, making her tumble slightly. Laura was about to suggest not doing this in the dining area when a door upstairs opened and footsteps made their way down the stairs. Laura and Thomas put a little bit of distance between themselves without fully letting go and watched as their son jumped off the last step.

“Have you guys seen Stripe somewhere? He's not in his cage.” he asked, voice as even-toned as always but the concern in Craig's eyes spoke loud enough to feel for him. Laura turned towards Thomas.

“I just arrived so no. How about you?”

Thomas held his chin in his right hand in confusion.

“No, I don't think so. When was the last time you saw him?”

“When I came home from school. He was in his cage before I went to the bathroom and now he's gone. I'm worried he fell out of the window again.”

The fact that that guinea pig had somehow survived it's last escape attempt through the window of Craig's room was close to a miracle, Laura thought. Her motherly instincts kicked in when Craig showed genuine unease at the thought of his pet hurting itself.

“We will help you find Stripe!” she exclaimed with determination, “Let's split up and search each floor of the house together before we try the outside!”

Thomas nodded.

“Good idea. Craig, you search every room upstairs. I'll take the basement.”

Their raven haired son thanked his parents before bolting up the stairs, opening every door and likely making sure every single window was shut tight. Laura assured Thomas to give a sign if she sees Stripe, then watched as her husband carefully walked down the stairs towards the basement of the house. Laura assessed the situation, trying to come up with a plan that would prevent the guinea pig from slipping through her fingers. She ultimately decided to follow Craig's example and close every window on the ground floor, making sure the doors were shut along the way. Then she started with the entrance area, checking their shoes, jackets and bags for any sign of fur. Laura couldn't imagine letting anything happen to the guinea pig, it meant too much to Craig and Tweak after all. And considering these two boys had just gotten out of what felt like a custody battle over it, anything happening to Stripe would probably worsen things again.

Footsteps were running around on every floor of the house as Laura opened the lower cabinets in the kitchen (and the oven, just in case). No sign of fur, let alone a whole guinea pig. She sighed, pulling her head out of the cabinet and closing it quietly. Her mind wandered back to when she met Tweak earlier, how anxious he looked just from delivering her a coffee by his father's request. Lord knows how he would react if he knew about Stripe. Laura felt a kind of pity for the boy. She knew how stressful it could be to be in emotional distress, but being anxious 24/7 on top of having more caffeine than blood in your body sounds like a nightmare. Least thing he needs is his pet missing and potentially dead. And while she is convinced that Richard and Helen love their son... Perhaps the way they express that love isn't exactly healthy.

Laura shook her head, finally standing up from the floor. She should not be thinking like that about her friends. Even if she knew that everyone makes mistakes and the Tweak's were not a perfect family, who even was in this town, it didn't feel right to form an opinion on that. At least not now, although Laura never held back on expressing her opinions on others. It made her wonder why this time felt different.

A barely audible squeak somewhere behind her made her jolt in surprise. She spun around, seeing a ball of calico fluff crawling around the corner and towards the basement door.

“Thomas!” she yelled, running out of the kitchen, “Stripe is going down into the basement!”

“I see it!” he replied and a loud THUD was heard from the bottom of the stairs. Laura stopped at the top of the basement stairs, looking down. Thomas was kneeling in front of the ventilation system looking through the grid, the laundry basket tossed over and clothes scattered around it.

“He went in here but I can't see, it's too dark.”

“Here you go.” Laura said, pulling out her phone and turning on the flashlight. She handed it over, hearing Craig approaching quickly.

“Where is he??” he panted but Laura gave him a warm smile in an attempt to calm him down.

“Stripe went into the vent. If we take out the grid we should be able to get him out safely.”

Thomas made a humming sound, sitting up straight was a tense face.

“I can't see him. He must've crawled further into the back-”

Another squeak somewhere above them caught their attention. All three of them looked up, seeing a few tufts of white fur peaking through the grid above them.

“There he is!” Laura pointed. Thomas stood up straight, a hint of relief in his green eyes.

“Thank God, I hope he stays there long enough for us to get him,” he mumbled, turning towards Craig, “pretty sure you can reach him while sitting on my shoulders.”

The raven haired boy nodded. Thomas crouched down, grabbing Craig's legs as he climbed on Thomas' back, carefully balancing on the man's shoulders. Laura chuckled slightly at the sight. It reminded her of back when Craig was still a toddler, enjoying a ride on his Dad's shoulders while they walked through South Park to go for a picnic or visit friends. He's always been the quiet type, even as a small child, but a piggyback ride would always cheer Craig up and make him laugh so hard and loud the whole neighborhood could hear it.

Laura took a few steps back, shoving the laundry to the side with a foot and then blocking the stairs.

“I'll stay here in case he tries to run for it.”

“Good idea,” Thomas agreed, looking up to the vent, “you ready, Craig?”

“I hope I can loosen it enough.” the boy replied, carefully grabbing the grid and pulling on it. Stripe was squeaking behind it, looking around like he was completely lost. The metal bent slightly, the high pitched sound it made as it was pulled out of the wall making Laura tense up, but ultimately popped out of the wall and into Craig's arms. With surprising swiftness he reached into the vent and grabbed the guinea pig, holding him tight but also gentle against his chest.

“We did it!” he cheered and Thomas sighed in relief.

“Thank goodness this is over.”

Craig carefully put the grid back into the wall and then jumped off his Dad's shoulders, smiling widely. Laura walked up to him, giving the tiny creature in her son's arms a few pets.

“Maybe we should invest in a better cage. One that isn't easy to escape from.”

“Yeah... that might be for the best,” Craig agreed sheepishly. He scratched the confused and tired guinea pig behind the ears before walking towards the stairs, ready to bring the pet back into his room, “thank you guys for helping me. I was legit scared for a second.”

Laura and Thomas nodded in return, watching their son disappear behind the corner. She took a deep breath, looking down at the scattered clothes and decided it would probably be smart to pick them up. Thomas immediately joined her, readying the washing machine in the back while he was at it.

“Sorry about that, I knocked it over when trying to catch the little escape artist.”

Laura shook her head.

“Don't worry about it, I'm just glad we managed to find him and not end up with a dead guinea pig. I doubt Tweek and Craig would've been very happy about that.”

“It would've definitely caused another fight I'm sure.” Thomas chuckled but it didn't sound joyful at all, he was clearly trying to make light of a potentially devastating situation. After they poured the laundry into the machine and turned it on he reached into his pocket and pulled out Laura's phone (which she had almost completely forgotten about), handing it over to her. “By the way, you have a message on Instagram. Richard?”

She took the phone, her eyebrows raised in surprise before remembering the last message she sent him in the car.

“Most likely, I thanked him earlier for the coffee.”

Thomas watched her unlock her screen, tapping on the notification with curiosity.

'We don't do deliveries, but I thought Tweek needed some fresh air, he was getting antsy. Plus if it can help make your day a tiny bit brighter then it was worth it.'

“Wow, either he's flirting with you or he is desperately looking for a friend.” Thomas said more nonchalantly than he himself probably expected. Laura raised an eyebrow at him, feeling a little offended at that statement.

“I doubt it's either of those. Maybe that's just his way of being friendly. I mean, you would know better than me about this side of his, he has joined you during guys' night on occasion, didn't he?” she retorted, putting the phone back in her skirt pocket, quietly thanking the heavens that this skirt had those, and walked back up the stairs and into the living room. Thomas followed her, hands raised apologetically.

“Hey, I was just joking. But I don't think I've ever really seen Richard being so close with any of the guys,” he paused, eyes turned serious when he looked at the table he was in the middle of cleaning before the Stripe disaster, “come to think of it, I wonder if he even has any close friends. Whenever he's out drinking with the rest of us, he's rarely let anyone get emotionally close to him.”

That peaked Laura's interest and she felt a spark of empathy for Richard. She could count the times she joined the guys when they went out on one hand, so she had no idea how Richard acted towards the other men in town, let alone any women.

“You think he's lonely?” she asked quietly, unsure what to do with herself all of a sudden. Thomas shrugged, picking up the cloth he was using to wipe down the table and brought it into the kitchen to run it under water.

“No idea, that guy is hard to read. But the fact that he is so kind towards you gives me hope he isn't as psycho as he sometimes seems to be. Probably just lonely.”

Laura made a humming sound as she leaned against the kitchen counter, wondering how different Richard and Helen actually were. Helen Tweak had always been a fairly outgoing person, albeit calm and quiet unless she smelled someone spewing bullshit or she really got riled up about something. She had been part of the girls club for ages now and would constantly join the other women for anything really. But Laura had never thought about if Richard was just as outgoing and social as his wife was.

“Oh well. Maybe that is going to change tomorrow.” she said with a grin, pushing herself away from the kitchen counter when Thomas was done cleaning the piece of cloth, putting it to the side to dry. He looked at her with raised eyebrows and when he saw the determination in her face his eyes lit up with affection.

“I know that face,” he chuckles, reaching out to kiss his wife's forehead, “you got your mind set on something, hm?”

“Just trying to get to know a fellow parent,” she kissed him back, this time on the cheek, “but first I need an outfit for tomorrow. I'm thinking something practical but cute. Wanna help me pick something out?”

"What's with the long face?"

Laura raised her head slightly to look into Richard's hazel eyes, which were glued to her in morbid curiosity. He was cleaning some of the equipment from the coffee machine, every movement of his hands coordinated and precise so he didn't have to fully focus on what he was doing and instead engage Laura in conversation. The blonde woman pulled out her phone, unlocking it with a swipe and the showing the screen to Richard. The short man leaned in to have a closer look.

"An EDM marathon?"

"Mh," Laura mumbled, "I would love to go but I don't want to do so alone… and Thomas is not a big fan of music in general."

Richard read the printing on the picture again, lips askew. Then his usual soft smile reappeared.

"Man, some of these names really bring back memories." he chuckles, leaning back again to put the now clean equipment back. He threw the dishcloth over his shoulder, seemingly not caring about it being damp.

"Are you an EDM fan?" Laura asked with raised eyebrows. She didn't expect calm and composed Richard Tweak of all people to like that sort of music. Richard nodded and turned away to pour a cup fresh of coffee.

"I am. Used to take dance lessons for it as well, starting in highschool. Ah, what a time that was…" he hummed.

"Didn't know you could learn how to dance to electric dance music. I usually just wave my arms in the air and move my hips."

"Oh, don't worry, that's what we learned too. It was more like putting a name to certain movements." he laughed and turned around to put the cup in front of Laura. It was a cappuccino with extra almond milk foam and a hint of cocoa powder on top. Mrs. Tucker raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"I'm pretty sure that's what dancing is in general. And I didn't order anything-"

"It's on the house. A little pick-me-up, if you will." Richard smiled as he placed a small cookie next to it. Laura felt a hint of warmth build up in her stomach. She grabbed the cup to take a sip, the warm liquid making it's was down her throat, something about the Tweak Bros. coffee was seriously addicting. A soft sigh escaped her lips.

"Thanks, Richard. I appreciate the gesture." she smiled up at him from the chair she was sitting on, conveniently placed very close to the counter by Mrs. Tweak, so Laura didn't have to sit at one of the empty tables all alone. The shop was devoid of any other customers anyways and also approaching it's closing time, so making an exception in interior wasn't a problem, she assured her. Richard mirrored Laura's expression and didn't break it when his wife Helen walked up to him, putting the rest of the baked goods she was restocking in the display cases inside the small fridge behind the counter.

"I have an idea," she smiled, voice as soft and gentle as always, "why don't you accompany Laura, darling? I remember you loving those kinds of things back in college, wouldn't it be a great opportunity to relive those times?" The other two people blinked at her, surprised by the suggestion.

"… I suppose it would be nice to let loose once in a while. Ever since I took over this business from my father I hardly had the time to even properly listen to music anymore. Unless you count the stuff we play over the speakers on repeat." he said, arms crossed and eyes glued to the wooden countertops next to him, deep in thought. Laura sat upright, holding up her hands.

"It's okay, really, you don't have to come along. Perhaps it was a bit childish of me to get so sad over a silly thing such as this."

She brushed a strand of yellow hair behind her ear.

"Plus, I'd have to ask Thomas if he would be fine with me being away anyways-"

Helen and Richard raised their heads, looking at Laura like she just said something incredibly controversial.

"Why, does he not like it when you leave the house?" Helen asked, a hint of worry in her voice. Laura shook her head.

"No no, not at all! All I'm saying is that he would be worried for my safety. I haven't been to any festivals or clubs in ages so who knows what could happen if I went on my own, I guess." she rambled, hoping she was convincing enough. A few seconds of silence filled the coffee shop but then Richard nodded slowly.

"Then I suppose it would be best not to go alone after all. If it's fine by you then I will tag along." he smiled. Helen suddenly put her fist in her hand as if she had an epiphany.

"Hey, why don't we organize a sleepover for the kids that night? Thomas and I will watch the little ones while you guys have fun dancing the night away! I'm sure Tweek and Craig would love the idea!"

Richard chuckled, reaching out to pull his wife into his arms, embracing her with nothing but pure affection in his eyes.

"You're coming up with so many ideas today. Don't tell me you're just excited to get away from me for a night, hon."

"Don't be ridiculous, Richard," Helen giggled, playfully pushing her hand against his chest to create some minor distance between them, "I'm just happy to see you make friends and have fun, silly."

Laura couldn't fight the smile on her face, subtly watching the pair while sipping on her cappuccino. The way the two looked at each other with fondness, how they teased each other and didn't hesitate to show that affection out in the open, even if they were currently alone with Laura inside the coffee shop. From what Laura knew about the other married couples in South Park, Richard and Helen had a fairly healthy relationship. It was refreshing to see after all the drama she had experienced and heard about from other adults in this cursed town. Even her own marriage had been through some tough times when she found out about Thomas' emotional affairs through dubious websites… She didn't like to dwell on that memory. They had a long talk about it and Thomas promised he would never do such a thing again. In the end she gave in and gave him another chance. Hanging on to hope was all she could do and so far, he had proven himself at least. He had agreed to hand over control of his search history and lay it all open for her to check whenever she wanted, even unannounced. Laura sighed. Thomas knew that she held promises to a high standard. If there were any inkling of either of them developing feelings or urges for someone else, they would not engage in those and instead talk about it. That's what they promised each other.

"Laura?"

Richard's voice pulled her back to reality. The blonde woman blinked a few times, only now realizing that she had not done so in a while, looking up at the only other two people in the shop.

"Yeah? Sorry, I kinda zoned out-"

"We could tell." he replied, eyebrows pulled together as the corner of his mouth curled upwards. Laura cleared her throat after finishing her coffee.

"Did you say something? I didn't hear it." she asked.

"We merely asked if you like our plan," Helen replied, hands folded in front of her apron, "you two going out to party while Thomas and I watch the kids."

"Oh yeah, I'd like that. I'll ask Thomas about it as soon as I get home." Laura suddenly beamed with joy, relieved over the change of emotions within her. Right now she was excited, looking forward to something special, something to clear her mind and provide a decent distraction. Richard took the cup and put it in a box reserved for dirty dishes.

"Great, just send me a DM on Instagram once you two have talked about it." he told her when she grabbed her bag and got up from the chair, pushing it back towards one of the tables. Laura waved to them as she made her way to the glass door.

"Will do. I'll talk to you later. And thanks for the free coffee!"

The way back home was a lot less sad than the one to the coffee shop. Knowing that she could actually go now without worrying her husband about her safety and potentially have a good time with a person she hadn't yet considered a friend before, gave her a bit of a spring in her step. Laura found herself looking forward to that party, imagining herself dancing freely again after so long sparked a feeling of excitement in her she hadn't felt in quite a while. She breathed in the cold air around her as the sun was slowly starting to set. Hopefully Thomas would like Helen's idea as much as she did.

It didn't take her too long to reach her house and when she stepped in she was immediately greeted by a small frame hugging her legs.

"Mommy! You're home!" Tricia cheered, her little pigtails bouncing when she jumped up and down. Laura laughed, picking up her daughter and giving her a big hug.

"Hello my little flower," she said, "where are the boys?"

"Craig is with Stripe and Daddy's in the kitchen, we're having pizza tonight!" Tricia said excitedly to which Laura rolled her eyes. Heating up a pizza was pretty much the only thing Thomas knew how to cook. She was convinced that making a sandwich would trigger the fire alarm if Thomas were the one to make it. She put her daughter back down, gave her head a little pat and dropped her bag, heading straight for the kitchen.

"Oh, hey honey!" Thomas kissed her hair when Laura was close enough. She wrapped an arm around him as he did so and Thomas leaned in, sniffing her hair. "Mmh, you smell like coffee. Have you been at Tweak's?"

Laura nodded, eyes glued to the lit oven.

"Yeah, I decided to take a little detour. Needed to clear out my head a little after work."

"People being people again?" Thomas asked, kneeling down to check on their dinner. Laura sighed.

"You know how it is. I'm simultaneously responsible for every problem they have with their bank accounts as well as too stupid to even understand basic English, according to those idiots."

"You put up with a lot. Myself included." he joked and Laura actually managed to huff a laugh at that.

"True. You are quite a handful."

They set up the table and called the kids to dinner when the pizza's were done, Laura pouring each of them a glass of juice. It was a few minutes into eating when she decided to put her plans on the table.

"So… I've been talking to Helen and Richard when I was at the coffee shop," she started, waiting a few heartbeats until all three pairs of eyes were giving her their undivided attention, "and we came up with a little idea. What do you think of having a little sleepover?"

Craig and Tricia immediately beamed with curious excitement.

"You mean… Tweek can stay for a whole night? At our place?" Craig asked, his nasal tone of voice getting slightly more joyful than normal. Laura nodded, smiling.

"Yeah. Remember the party I really wanted to go to? Turns out Tweak's Dad wants to tag along, so we came up with the idea of you guys having your own party of sorts!"

"Okay, let me get this straight…" Thomas said, facial expression hard to read, "you and… Richard… go to the party and I stay at home with the kids?"

Laura shook her head, Tricia and Craig already giggling with joy.

"Not exactly, Helen suggested staying here with you and the children. You said you don't want me to go alone, and since you're not interested in that type of music at all, Richard and I thought we could go together."

Thomas raised his eyebrows for a second and then frowned slightly, staring at his wife as he obviously thought back and forth about what she just suggested. Laura suddenly felt a little uneasy as Thomas searched her face. Could he be… jealous?

"Can we do that Dad? Pleeeaaase?" Tricia begged, pulling Thomas' gaze away from Laura. He hummed thoughtfully.

"I dunno…"

"Come on Dad, be fun for once!" Craig grumbled, "let Mom have her date with Mr. Tweak and we will have our own party here!"

"Don't call it that, Craig!" Thomas and Laura said simultaneously, making the boy twitch slightly.

"Damn, touchy subject much?" he whispered and Laura's lips became a thin line. She turned back to her husband, reaching out to touch his hand, stroking it with a thumb.

"Darling, it's just for one night. I haven't gone out to dance in such a long time… I honestly miss it a lot. And me and Richard going together was Helen's idea, I promise."

Thomas took a deep breath. It was obvious that something was troubling him but Laura figured he didn't want to mention it in front of the kids. His gaze softened when he looked each of his family members in the eyes and ultimately nodded.

"Alright. If it means so much to you all, we can have a sleepover party." he decided and while the kids were cheering around the pieces of pizza in their mouths, he leaned in to whisper into Laura's ear. "I'd like to talk further in private."

The blonde woman agreed quietly.

It took quite a while to get Tricia and Craig to go to bed, especially Tricia, who was very excited already for the sleepover to happen. She had really grown to like Tweek after months of him and Craig dating, so the thought of staying up late watching movies and playing games was particularly thrilling to her. Laura closed the door to her room, sighing in relief after Tricia finally calmed down enough to close her eyes. The blonde woman made her way into the bedroom where Thomas was already in his pajamas, laying on the bed and pulling the blanket into place. Laura started opening the buttons of her dress, anxiously waiting for Thomas to tell her what was on his mind. It took him a few heartbeats of nervous silence, watching her undressing herself, until he opened his mouth.

"Honey… please don't misunderstand. I am not worried about you going out partying with Tweak. I know you would never do something behind my back-"

He swallowed hard, clearly regretting his choice of words. Laura felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up when a glimmer of anxiety sparked in her guts, so she focused on putting her clothes away and pulling out her pink pajama dress, the simple motion giving her a sense of stability.

"Then what's troubling you?" she asked, voice sounding a bit more harsh than she intended. Thomas flinched slightly, forehead getting wrinkly when he thought long and hard about his next choice of words.

"It's… I mean, are you really okay with me being alone with another woman? After what I did… I do regret it immensely and I don't want to betray your trust again. It's just surprising you would allow for that to happen."

Laura took in his words, thinking about them when she crawled into bed. She exhaled as she let her back rest on the soft pillow, welcoming the relaxation.

"… I appreciate you wanting to make sure that I am okay with this."

"… so?"

She turned her head to look at him, his ginger hair curly against the white pillow. The room was barely lit enough for her to make out his face, tense from uncertainty. She sighed again, the back of her fingers gently brushing against his soft cheek.

"So take this as an opportunity to prove yourself. Don't do anything behind my back and we're good."

He slowly nodded, carefully leaning in. Laura met him halfway, pressing her lips against his. After everything that had happened, after all those tears and long talks, after the shock of betrayal… she still loved him. She loved him so much. Maybe that made her just as bad but she decided not to think about that further. In the end, she still had faith in their relationship and desperately wanted everything to return to normal, whatever kind of normal that may be. A big hand gently caressed her hip, thumb playing with the fabric of her pajama dress. Thomas licked over her lips, carefully getting closer like he was testing the waters for danger. Laura was almost willing to welcome him in when she sat up straight, looking around for her phone.

"What's wrong?" Thomas asked hesitatingly, probably expecting to have messed up. Laura waved her hand to calm him down.

"I forgot to text him."

"Who?"

"Richard. He wanted me to text him so they'll know if you agreed to our plans." she explained, unlocking her phone. There was already an unread message from Richard when Laura opened the app.

"Since when did you guys exchange phone numbers?" Thomas asked, sitting up next to her.

"We didn't. He texted me through Instagram."

Opening her DMs she saw a message reading 'did you have any luck?'. She quickly replied.

'Thomas agreed to the sleepover. How about you guys come over and then you and I hop in my car and drive there together?'

Laura didn't expect a quick reply, it was almost past 10 pm on a Tuesday after all but when she was about to put her phone away, Richard's profile picture (a cup of coffee with latte art on top, of course) showed that he was online and he was currently typing a reply. Thomas wrapped an arm around her shoulder, curiously looking at her phone.

"He's still up? Figures, I doubt any of the Tweaks have even a droplet of human blood in their veins. It's probably all liquid caffeine."

Laura chuckled at that.

"I wouldn't be surprised if there was more than just caffeine in their drinks." she added, to which Thomas agreed with a grin. The pop-up sound pulled her attention towards her phone again.

'Great! We'll be over at 6 pm so we have enough time getting ready. See you in two weeks then!'

Laura thought for a second before typing a reply.

'Bold of you to assume you won't see me before that. Especially when I get another free cappuccino~'

'They're only free if you're depressed enough :-P'

"What? That's bullshit! Why did you get free stuff?" Thomas complained but it was in good fun, Laura could tell. She chuckled again, bumping her shoulder into his chest.

"It's the puppy eyes, I tell you." she giggled, throwing her phone onto the nightstand next to her. Thomas hummed mischievously.

"I see… so if we went to Tweak's together and you look at Richard with big sad eyes, we will get free drinks?" he plotted.

"I'm afraid he can tell when it's genuine and when it isn't. Have you seen the way he types out his emojis? Only a mind-reading, manipulative psychopath does that."

Thomas laughed out loud at that, wrapped his strong arms around his wife's waist and pulled her back down onto the mattress. Laura mewed in surprise, hoping the kids couldn't hear them, laughing along as Thomas climbed on top of her, planting kisses all over her face.

"I don't blame him, though," he whispered in a melodic voice, "who could resist those beautiful blue eyes of yours anyways?"

Laura grinned, hands already unbuttoning Thomas' pajama shirt. She looked at him with half-lidded eyes, fully aware of his weakness.