Once Upon a Time - 8. So the cook prepared it for the feast and it was delicious.

Liam watched from the wing of the stage as the top five finalists posed their perfect bodies in elaborate dresses as each of them answered questions by the judges with their microphone. One of them was his former girlfriend, Simone, who was currently at the center of the row in a still pose. Even though they ended their relationship more than six months ago, he still thought she was beautiful, and he hoped she wins the title of Miss Fairest.

However, Liam needed to talk to Simone, to tell that there was a more serious situation than winning a jeweled crown, and it involved her life. The hardest part was going to be convincing her of this danger since she made it clear she did not want him to be near her ever again. But he still cared about her, and he would feel regret for the rest of his life if something happened to her.

Liam continued to watch as Simone answered a question from the judges, earning her a standing ovation from the audience that most likely caused the other four finalists to secretly wish for her to trip on her heels and fall on her face. She was beloved by the audience like the people in the small town they both grew up in since she was a very charismatic person, and that the reason why he stayed in a three-year relationship with her. Being a very convincing, he would not have stayed for so long otherwise.

Simone smiled brightly at the audience and that was when Liam felt a hand on his shoulder. Before he could turn around, he was pulled by the collar of his shirt to the back of the stage. He stumbled a couple of times as whoever was pulling him took him to the makeup studio. The tight grip on his shirt was finally released, and he turned around to see the worst possible person…Simone’s older brother, Will. He looked like he ready to kill Liam and he would totally deserve it.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Will asked with his thick arms crossed over his broad chest.

“What are you talking about? I’m just here to watch Simone’s performance,” Liam answered innocently.

Will narrowed his eyes at Liam. “How did you even get here?”

Liam scratched the back of his neck nervously. “Oh, I just told that management…that I was her…protection… I showed them my badge, Will.”

“You’re not assigned to protect her, and you’re not my sister’s boyfriend anymore either. You haven’t been for months and I’m seriously questioning your motive for being here right now.” Will stepped closer to Liam and threatened him with his increased size and height.

“What do you mean?”

“Haven’t you heard the news recently. Pageant contestants and fashion models are going missing or are being straight up kidnapped to God-knows-where and the women on the stage could be next,” Will explained with his arms still crossed. “And that includes Simone.”

“Well, that’s the reason why I’m here, Will. The last thing that I want is for Simone to be kidnapped. And regardless of what she said about me after we broke up, I still care about her. She was my friend before we started dating and I still consider her my friend despite the negative feelings she has for me right now.”

“Well, that’s very noble of you, Liam, but you hurt her when you broke off the relationship, and because of that you’re the last person she wants to see right now.” Will scoffed. “And the last time I checked, you’re not a part of law enforcement yet since you’re still in training. That’s why I’m here.”

Liam rolled his eyes. “How could I forget? You only mentioned your promotion in the police department every chance you got.”

Snatching Liam’s collar again, Will growled and said, “Don’t test me, Liam. Now get out of here before I do something that you’ll regret.”

Liam would have obeyed the official police officer’s orders, but something in Will’s fierce eyes showed more pain than actual anger, and Liam knew that Simone was not the only person hurting after the breakup. And one could say that it was also Liam’s fault since he led Will into a direction that he had not anticipated before immediately tearing it apart. To put it simply, Liam hurt Will’s feelings as well and he had to atone for that in some way.

Before Liam could speak, the five finalists entered the makeup studio, chatting with one another excitedly and causing Will to release his grip of Liam’s collar. One of them, of course, was Simone who looked at Liam like he was a ghost, and then she approached him before giving him a tight hug. He was obviously startled by this display of affection since she ignored most of his calls and emails during the six months they were apart. The only she did reach out to him it was only to criticize him for ending the relationship before ending it abruptly or with angry emojis.

“Liam! I’m so happy you’re here!” Simone exclaimed, still hugging him like a death grip.

“Y-Yeah… I’m happy to be here too.” Liam patted Simone on the back as he looked at Will who looked both surprised and hurt by the move. “Great answer you gave to the judges.”

“Oh, thank you!” Simone finally released her hold on Liam and then said, “I was literally sweating bullets as I answered that question about world peace. But I did it, and hopefully I’ll win the title of Miss Fairest!”

“I’m sure you’ll win,” Liam said with exaggerated enthusiasm, ignoring the daggers that were coming from Will’s stare.

Simone smiled. “It’s nice to have you here, Liam. And I’m sorry for ignoring all your calls and emails for the past six months. I was just so angry and confused about why we broke up and…I’m just so happy that you came here, so we can get back together!”

Liam became still, and he looked at Simone like she was crazy, no, she was insane to believe that he came here to get back together with her. And it seemed that Will was just as surprised as he looked back and forth between Liam and his sister with wide eyes.

“Simone…I’m sorry, but I didn’t come here because I want to get back together with you,” Liam clarified and took a step back for the blowback that was for sure going to happen.

“What?” Simone said with shock. “Then why the hell are you here? And if it’s because you’re concerned about my safety, then don’t bother saying it. You and everyone else can’t stop me from continuing with this pageant... Besides, that’s why I have my brother here for.”

“Well, you can never be too careful,” I noted.

Simone groaned. “That’s exactly what Will told me. Why don’t you two get a room since you both have such a low opinion of me and that you two think I can’t protect myself.” Looking at her brother with narrow eyes, she began walking away. “Now, if you two will excuse me, I’m going to get a drink. A strong one.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll talk to her,” one of the other contestants said, standing up from her seat and following Simone from out the door.

Liam turned to Will and asked. “She doesn’t know what happened between…us, right?”

Will sighed and shook his head. “No way… Do you mind if we talk somewhere else?”

“Oh…of course, not.”

Liam followed Will from the makeup studio to one of the small green rooms that was currently unoccupied. Walking inside first, he heard Will closing the door. locking it and he turned around to see Will with menacing-looking eyes. He took a step back, but Will came closer and by the way he licked his lips, Liam knew something was off. Then Will lifted him up by the ass and propped him against a makeup vanity; he was now certain what Will’s intentions were for bringing him here.

With their faces only an inch apart, Will asked, “What are you true intentions with my sister tonight?”

“Nothing! Considering what happened to the other girls, I just want to make sure that she’s safe. Is that a huge problem?”

Will was looking down. “Not really.” Returning his crosshairs at Liam, he then said, “So, what are your intentions with me if you don’t mind me asking?”

Liam felt his cheeks flare up. “What…What do you mean?”

“You know exactly what I mean, Liam. Considering what happened the night you came to my place right after you broke up with my sister, I feel like you have another reason for why you came here. Am I wrong?”

Liam bit his lower lip, feeling so exposed right then. He would be lying to himself if he said that he was not anticipating the sight of Will again at the pageant. He remembered that night when he came to Will’s apartment clearly. His ego was hurt, and he just wanted affirmation from another man that what he did was the right decision… He just did not expect what would happen next, which involved six empty beer bottles and the exchange of tongues. If only Liam did not run away afterwards, abandoning Will since he was too scared back then to believe that he had an attraction to another man. And since the man was his former girlfriend’s own brother, he had to get a breather, even if that meant two people hating him in the process.

The moment they kissed was still encapsulated in his mind, though. From the hardness of Will’s muscles as Liam’s grazed them with his hands, the heat that emanated from Will that only a virile man could possess and the heaviness of his body on top of Liam’s as they made on the living room couch. Those were the mages that Liam often thought back to when he wanted to get off since no other person could satisfy this hunger that hindered him until he released his load all over the shower wall of his bedsheets.

“I feel like we have some unfinished business since you ran away from my apartment, huh?” Will’s warm breathed was felt on Liam’s lips.

“I’m sorry I did that to you, Will. I was just really confused, and especially since you saved me when—”

“I don’t need a damn apology or your gratitude. I just want to know whether you really have feelings for me, Liam or if I’m just a rebound. The reason I’m asking is because I wouldn’t be doing this to my own sister’s ex-boyfriend if I didn’t have intense feelings for him since we’ve met five years ago. So, tell me, Liam…do you want me or not?”

Liam’s breaths were harsh now as he looked at Will with the same amount of intensity, even if was focused on those full lips of his. He never would have thought that he would be attracted to a man like Will who was full of muscle and scruff, the total opposite of the delicate and smooth-skinned women he had been with before. Will was so different from Simone as well, but he could not stop himself from closing the distance between their lips.

Just as their lips touched, the lights went out and screams were heard. Liam and Will fumbled from what they were doing and then the lights returned. The men looked at each other with shock in their eyes before they both ran out of the green room. Liam completely forgot about what they were just doing, all replaced with his concern for Simone. Others were also following the sources of the screaming like makeup artists and the camera crew, and when Liam saw a woman not far away from the makeup studio and lying on the floor, he panicked.

Liam was quickly by her side, and he turned her face to see the person was Simone. He sighed with relief as he looked to see that she had no visible injuries. Will was quickly by her side as well and he held her in his arms.

“Simone? Simone! Wake up, Sis!” William patted her cheek to wake her up.

Simone’s eyes suddenly opened, and they were wide open as she looked around hysterically. “Oh, my God! Where’s Samantha?”

“Who?” Liam asked.

“My friend! She’s one of the contestants who I was just talking to before the lights went out and someone pushed me against the wall! Where is she?”

Liam knew who Simone was talking about, and he looked around along with the others in the area. Unfortunately, after five minutes of searching, Samantha was nowhere to be found, and Simone started to panic even more. Will tried to calm her down, but it did not work and soon she was running everywhere to try to find Samantha.

“Where is she?” Simone exclaimed.

“Shit! They must’ve taken her,” Will inferred.

“Who? Who took her? Tell me now!” Simone demanded.

“I know this will sound crazy, but I think Samantha was just kidnapped by someone who takes people’s body parts to sell at the black market,” Will explained.

“What? Are you serious?” Simone asked as she shook her brother on the shoulder.

“Yes, that’s most likely the case right now,” Will confirmed.

“Then why are still standing here then? We need to get her back now!” Simone demanded. “Did the security cameras capture what happened?”

“There’s no need for that. I just realized that she has a tracker on her and I can trace her movement on my phone right now,” Will said as he looked at his phone.

“Wait! You have her tracked?” Whitney cocked her head and had her hands on her hips.

“All the girls have trackers on them just in case something like this happens, Simone. And right now, she’s at the highway and I need to follow her to wherever her kidnapper is taking her.” Turning around to Liam and placing his hands on his shoulders, Will said to him, “Look after Simone for me, okay?”

Liam nodded. “I will.”

“No way! You’re not leaving me here with my ex-boyfriend, so you can find Samantha by yourself!” Simone screeched with her hands in fists.

“Stop being stubborn, Simone! Liam will watch over you and I’ll bring back Samantha in one piece. Okay?”

Narrowing her eyes at Will, Simone then calmed down and said, “Fine. I’ll stay here with Liam and be a good girl.”

“Good. Now I have to go! Watch after her, Liam!”

When Will was gone, Liam turned to Simone who was on her phone and tapping her fingers rapidly on the screen. She then grabbed Liam by his hand, and without any explanation they left everyone else who were all still preoccupied with what to do with the pageant since one of the contestants was missing. Liam asked her where she was going, but she continued to walk until they were outside at the parking lot and he knew exactly what she was going to do next.

“Wait! We can’t go!” Liam shouted.

“Either you continue watching over me like my brother said or I’ll go alone. Your choice,” Simone said as she got into her car.

Liam groaned, not believing the stubbornness of his former girlfriend as he reluctantly got into the passenger’s side. “How do you even know where Will is going to?”

“Easy! I just used the tracker that Will installed on my phone to do some quick configuring, so that it tracks his phone’s location instead.” Simone smiled with satisfaction as she turned the engine on.

“You can do that?” Liam asked as he buckled his seatbelt.

“I’m not a software engineer major for nothing.” Simone winked as she placed her phone on the mount.

“But I thought you were… Never mind! Let’s just go.”

“Roger that.” Simone made a fake salute with her hand on her forehead.

Simone quickly reversed the car and then drove out of the parking lot like a car stunt performer, which caused Liam to hang on tightly. And like a stunt performer, she swerved between traffic at a fast speed as the automated voice gave directions to Will’s location from her phone. Liam was anxious about Simone’s driving in the past, but this was completely insane as she drove past red lights and caused other drivers to beep their car horns at them.

“Can you slow down a little, please,” Liam begged.

“Not really… And just see this moment as payback for what you did to my brother,” Simone said as she made a sharp turn into the highway.

“What—What are you talking about?”

“Oh, you don’t think I didn’t know what happened between you and Will the night after we broke up. I saw it all over his face the next day when I came to visit him at his apartment and he was totally shit-faced.”

“But…I thought you wanted to get back together?”

“No! That was just a ploy to see my brother’s reaction. And the shock and anger on his face just showed me that he’s still hurt about what you did to him six months ago. I knew ever since we started dating that my brother has been crushing on you, and I guess that’s the reason why I continued dating you, Liam. I couldn’t stand the idea of you two being together, especially since you two can talk for hours about police stuff while I strained to have a five minutes conversation with you about our future together. But I was wrong for doing that, and I’m sorry.”

“And I’m sorry I kept that a secret from you, Simone.”

“Apology accepted. So…what are you plans with my brother now that that’s out of the way?”

“I really don’t know. I just want to see how things flow…and if leads to something serious between us, then so be it,” Liam admitted. “And I can’t ever repay him for what he did for me that night at the hospital.”

Liam barely remembered what happened that night when he was mugged by several gang members who wanted to find some to stab and kill to promote themselves into their gang. All he remembered was waking up with a bunch of tubes attached to his body that was wrapped with several layers of bandages. He felt mostly from the medication they gave him, but when he saw Will sitting in a chair next to him, he knew that he was in safe hands.

“You two should make a perfect couple if you decide not to run away this time,” Simone hissed as she exited the highway.

“I tried calling you multiple times, haven’t I?”

“You should’ve called Will instead, Liam, and you know that?”

Liam was about to disagree, but instead he looked down and nodded. “You’re…You’re right.”

“Of course, I am.” Simone turned her car to the side of the road and stopped abruptly next to an apartment complex that looked abandoned. “We’re here and there’s Will’s car at the other side of the street. God, I hope he’s okay.”

“What should we do now?” Liam asked as he unlocked his seatbelt.

“Uh, go inside. My brother could be in trouble, and he might need our help,” Simone said as she got out of the car. “Are you coming or what?”

“Yeah, sure, but… What exactly can we do if shit hits the fan?”

“Don’t worry. I’ve been going to karate class three times a week, and I know how to defend myself,” Simone assured.

“Karate and majoring in software engineering? Where was this woman when we were still dating?” Liam asked, stunned.

“Let’s just say I had a lot more time for myself since we broke up six months ago.” Simone chuckled.

Liam grunted in response. “Whatever. Let’s just go inside.”

Nodding, Simone led the way to the apartment complex that contrasted greatly with the rest of the buildings on the street that all still looked clean and well managed. This complex; however, looked dirty and, with the missing sliding and the fact that it was the night, it gave the place a much spookier vibe. Liam had the urge to turn around, but if Will really needed help, then he was going to muster all the courage he should have had before and use it to find him. So, they entered through the front door that was unlocked and inside was a small lobby that looked just as dreary as the outside.

Being inside this lobby only got worse when Liam smelled a very rotten odor, like something had died and was left to decay for weeks…or someone. He turned to Simone who looked undeterred by the smell, and she began moving towards a hallway. Liam cautiously followed right behind her and they entered the narrow hallway that had doors supposedly leading to individual apartment rooms. The odors became stronger; Liam did not know whether to be happy or scared shitless to know that they were getting close to finding Will and maybe even Samantha. And the odor was almost unbearable as they reached the end and saw a door that was slightly open. It had to be where they were at.

Simone opened the door carefully and they entered inside where they heard the distant sound of someone humming. Simone moved forward, but Liam had to grab her by the hand to stop her. She looked at him with annoyance as Liam shook his head, whispering to her that have they gone too far and that they just needed to call the police. Simone took her hand back and insisted that Will was the police and if Liam cared about him, that he would not chicken out. Liam narrowed his eyes at her, knowing her persuasiveness had convinced him.

So, they continued to walk through the small apartment, and Liam had not notice before, but the furniture looked odd. With a closer inspection, he almost lost his breath when he saw that the coat hanger had human arms and the coffee table had human legs. He then saw the pictures of people’s face being real faces of people placed into picture frames. Liam reached out for Simone to alert her about their surroundings, but all he felt was air and he turned to see that she was gone. Panicking, he turned left and right, trying to find her without success.

Suddenly, someone grabbed Liam’s collar and pulled him to the corner of a hallway. He was about to scream, but a hand covered his mouth and when he turned he saw Simone with a hand also on her mouth. He then saw Will with his shirt pulled over his mouth and nose, and Liam knew that they were safe. He stopped struggling, and then the sound of someone else stepping into the living room area caused him to stay completely still. The person was a young woman, and she continued to walk forward with her back towards them.

“Is there anyone here?” the woman asked as she checked the front door.

Liam closed his eyes, and pretended he was somewhere else entirely as the footsteps of the woman faded away into another room of the apartment. Liam’s heartbeat relaxed, and Will’s hand dropped from his mouth, which allowed him to breathe more properly.

“What the hell are you two doing here?” Will whispered harshly as he took his shirt off his face. “You two shouldn’t be here at all.”

“Well, next time don’t install a tracker in your sister’s phone,” Simone said dismissively.

Will grunted. “This is no time to be a smart mouth, Simone. Did you see the furniture or the picture frames because we’re dealing with a witch here?”

“Yeah, they’re made of human body parts,” Liam muttered as he looked back the living room décor with disgust.

“Exactly. I got this handled,” Will assured.

“So, you know where Samantha is?” Simone said excitedly.

Covering her mouth again, Will said to his sister, “She has to be somewhere in the kitchen. I just needed a way to get that witch to leave.”

Swiping his hand away, Simone said, “Then good thing we arrived then. Now let’s go and find Samantha before that witch comes back.”

“Okay, but stay close to me,” Will ordered as he looked around before stepping back into the living room.

Motioning his hand, Liam and Simone followed Will closely, and they walked quietly to the kitchen where they were huge cauldrons around the area. Inside a couple of them were different brews of Godmother-knows-what, and when Liam looked to see an eyeball on the surface, he backed away immediately.

“There she is,” Simone said.

Liam turned to see Simone walking towards a black cage that was the height of a refrigerator, and that was where Samantha was located. Will and Liam approached the cage as well, which was emitting a cold temperature like a refrigerator would.

“Samantha? Can you hear me, Samantha?” Simone whispered to her who looked like she was sleeping as she lied on the bottom of the cage. “Samantha, come on. Wake up.”

“Shit. The cage must be enchanted, emitting the cold that can put whoever’s in it to fall into deep sleep,” Will noted as he tried to open the cage, but not budging an inch.

Simone pulled at her hair. “Well, we need to open it before—”

“Before I arrive?”

All three turned around to see the witch standing in the kitchen, with her hands on her hips and a smile on her face. She did not fit the stereotype of a witch who kidnapped people to make stews out of them. Considering her youthful and well-kept appearance, she could have easily been a pageant contestant herself. However, her voice sounded like it belonged to an elderly woman, which fitted better with the witch persona.

Taking a step back and pulling Simone and Liam to his side, Will said, “So…you’re the witch who has been kidnapping pageant contestants and fashion models, huh?”

The witch chuckled, and with that shrill voice said, “I’m just a cook…a cook who use the parts given to her like cuts of beef and cooks them with a few herbs and spices that will help the part blend into the new owner’s body.”

“So…you basically kidnap people and dismember them, so you can resell their parts into the black market,” Will said with a sneer.

The witch chuckled again. “No. I only receive the parts, and after I finish cooking them in my cauldrons, I send them back to whoever sent them to me… But it appears that I received the wrong package since the woman I have in the cage is not named Simone… Are you Simone by any chance?”

Will pulled Simone and Liam behind him and said, “You’re not touching my sister. Now let Samantha out, and then we’ll be going.”

“Oh, and am I supposed to be believe you’ll just let me go, and then we all can live happily ever after… I’m sorry, I can’t let any of you go.”

The witch began approaching them, and that was when Will pulled out his handgun. Liam jumped when he saw the handgun being pointed at the witch, but Will stood his ground firmly as he warned the witch to not get any closer to them. The witch obeyed and halted, but she then pointed her finger to a light bulb dangling from the ceiling and a bolt of electricity connected from the light bulb to her finger. The floor suddenly began moving, the tiles popping open like flip tops and what was revealed were creatures unholier than the Devil itself.

These creatures looked like they were made of different body parts and were held together by just stitches. There were at least two dozen of them, and they all made animal-like noises as they neared the group who were backed against the cage. Will still had his gun drawn, but he most likely only had one clip of ammunition, and there was no way he could get a perfect shot to their heads with each bullet he had.

“So…will you allow yourselves to be taken voluntarily…or will my companions have to take you by force?” the witch asked with her hands clasped to her mouth.

Liam was terrified about what was going to happen next. He then watched as Will began lowering his gun slowly in surrender, but he knew they were not going to leave this place in one piece if they did not find an alternative quick. Will placed his hand on Liam’s chest to push him back further…and something happened. Looking around, Liam then zeroed his sight on one of the cauldrons that was suspended by a chain connected to the ceiling. Thinking that this was their chance, he snatched the handgun from Will and fired multiple bullets at the chain.

The final bullet managed to break the chain, causing the cauldron to fall and spill its contents all over the floor. The liquid reached the feet of all those creatures, but it seemed to be only that wetted the floor of the kitchen.

The witch laughed. “Do you think my weakness is water?”

Liam sneered, his eye focusing on the light bulb. “No, but this is!”

Aiming the crosshair at the light bulb, Liam shot the handgun three more times. The light bulb shattered from the second bullet fired and it fell to the ground. What happened next was the shattered light bulb hitting the wet floor and electrocuting all the witch’s creatures. They shook as the electricity went through their bodies and Liam pushed Will and Simone back, so they were touching the water with their own feet.

Then their shaking stopped, and Liam commanded the creatures to turn their attention from them to the witch. She screamed and ordered for them to stop their advancements. But they did not stop or listen to any of her other orders as they surrounded her like ants on a breadcrumb. And as she screamed in agony, Will pulled Liam and Simone in front of him and shielded them from the gruesome sight that was occurring. Liam covered his own ears as the screams continued, and he knew that those sounds would not be forgotten any time soon.

Eventually the screaming subsided, and Liam hesitantly turned his head to see the creatures returning to the floor below; the only thing remaining of the witch was a red blood stain that blurred with the water. A clicking noise was then heard and he turned to see that the cage opened, and Samantha began to awaken from her induced slumber. Simone quickly pulled her up to her feet, and placed Samantha’s arm around her shoulders.

Looking up, Liam saw Will’s stunned expression as he looked back at him. Simone then called for his assistance, and he turned to help Samantha who was still drowsy. Liam decided to escort them out of the apartment complex with Will’s gun still in his hand, and when they were outside on the front porch, they were at least a dozen police officers at the scene. It was finally over. The witch was dead, and no more lives would be threatened by her sadistic ways.

***

It had been two weeks since that night, and everything seemed to be back to normal. The police were informed by neighbors about suspicious activity happening at the abandoned apartment complex, and that was how they arrived. They inspected the area and discovered that the witch indeed worked for people who distributed body parts to others who were willing to pay for them in the black market. It was some crazy Frankenstein project, especially when the creatures were discovered below the kitchen floor. However, they were docile, and the police managed to secure the area with the hope that this would deter future illegal activity involving the selling of human body parts.

The pageant show also resumed a week after the events with Simone winning the crown and the title of Miss Fairest. After winning, she ended the show with a moment of appreciation for Samantha who recovered from the events at the witch’s house but decided to step down from the contest. So, Simone won, and she did not let up about how she was going to use the scholarship she got to continue her studies in college and later use her diploma of software engineering in law enforcement.

Liam, himself, just graduated from the police academy, and Simone was right there with him to celebrate his achievement. Unfortunately, Will could not attend the graduation ceremony since he was still busy doing paperwork on the witch case, or at least that was what Simone wanted Liam to believe, but he knew there was more to the reason why he did not attend. However, he did not blame him for not coming since he was still confused himself about what happened. And he knew that Will needed his space, and it gave Liam ample to think these things through.

Then one day when Liam was about to go out jogging around his neighborhood, he saw Will on his driveway, sitting on the hood of his car with his arms crossed and looking sexy with that pose of his. He smiled and waved at Liam who smiled back and approached.

“Hey, there,” Liam greeted with his hands in his pockets.

“Hey, Liam… I’m sorry I didn’t come to see you graduate. I was very busy paperwork and…just very confused about what happened that night at the witch’s house two week ago,” Will admitted, his head bowed.

“It’s okay. Will. I’m still confused by it too… It must’ve been when you placed your hand on my heart. All my fear disappeared during that moment, and I could think clearly on what to do prevent from being part of that witch’s cutting board.”

“Really? Why do think that is?” Will asked as stood up and stood in front of Liam.

“It might have to do with that night when I was mugged. You were the first one at the scene after I was attacked, and you used defibrillators to resurrect me from dying… The electric current that was sent to my heart must’ve changed it somehow. So, when you touched me there, I somehow lost all my fears of death and managed to command those creatures of the witch when the electricity from the light bulb rewired them somehow… That’s the best explanation I have right now, and that’s the one I’m sticking with since we literally had a heart-to-heart moment when you revived me and back at the witch’s house.” Liam placed his hand on Will’s heart.

“So, you can say that I’ve also stolen your heart after it was broken.” Will smiled and placed his own hand on Liam’s heart. “You were always faint of heart.”

Liam chuckled. “Okay, enough with the puns, Officer William… How about I make you a cup of coffee.”

“I’d like that.” Will winked and followed Liam back into his house.

So the cook prepared it for the feast and it was delicious. However, the witch did not anticipate herself to be the feast and being considered delicious by her Frankenstein-like creatures who ate her until there was nothing left. Regardless, it was not about the witch, not anymore. It was now about Liam and Will how had their hot cups of coffee and began reconnecting with one another. And one thing led to another and with the shutting of the blinds in the kitchen, one could assume that something else was brewing between the two men with one hot after another leading them to have a heart-to-heart moment. It meant that the two men exchanged their tongues, arms, legs, cum and hearts, and it was definitely a heart-warming experience.