Mick calls Tom

A couple of days after the HR meeting, things had settled into a strange kind of quiet.

Veronica was back to streaming in the evenings — nothing wild, just her usual chill vibe with the chat. She’d been smart with her statement and the platform had been surprisingly reasonable. The worst of the gossip seemed to be dying down, at least for now. She was getting more sponsorship emails than she knew what to do with, and the agent, Marcus, had followed up once already. She hadn’t given him an answer yet.

I’d been floating. No job. No shifts. Just… time. Some days I helped her with small things around the house or her setup. Other days I just existed in the space between us, trying to figure out what the fuck came next. The idea she’d floated about me helping her with the behind-the-scenes side of things was still sitting there, unspoken but not forgotten.

We were on the couch one afternoon when my phone rang.

I glanced at the screen.

Mick.

I hadn’t answered any of the group chat messages since everything blew up. I’d gone completely silent. Part of me had hoped they’d just forget about it. Clearly not.

Veronica looked over from her laptop. She didn’t say anything, just watched me.

I answered.

“Hey,” I said.

There was a short pause on the other end.

“Jesus, mate,” Mick said. His voice was rougher than usual. “You’re alive then.”

“Yeah. Sorry. Been dealing with some shit.”

“No shit.” He let out a breath. “We’ve been trying to get hold of you for days. Group chat’s been blowing up. You just… disappeared.”

I rubbed a hand over my face. “Yeah. I know.”

Another pause. This one felt heavier.

“Look,” Mick said, lowering his voice a little. “I’m not gonna beat around it. Was that you? In that video with the streamer girl? The one everyone’s been talking about?”

I didn’t answer right away.

Mick kept going, quieter now. “Because if it is… fuck, mate. You could’ve said something. We were joking about it and now half the chat thinks it’s you and the other half is calling us idiots for even asking. Dave’s been trying to defend you like an idiot. I just… we haven’t heard from you. We were getting worried.”

I glanced at Veronica. She was still watching me, but her expression had softened. She reached over and rested her hand on my thigh, grounding me without saying a word.

“Yeah,” I said eventually. “It was me.”

Mick was quiet for a second.

“Fuck,” he muttered. “Okay. Alright. That explains why you went dark.” He hesitated. “You alright? Like… actually?”

I let out a short laugh that didn’t have much humour in it.

“Not really. Lost the job over it.”

“Shit, Tom.” Mick sounded genuinely sorry. “That’s fucked. I’m sorry, mate.”

“Yeah. Me too.”

There was another pause. This one felt less awkward and more like he was trying to figure out what to say next.

“Look,” he said eventually. “I’m not gonna ask for details or anything. That’s your business. But… if you need to talk or whatever, you know where we are. Even if the chat’s being idiots right now. We’re still your mates.”

I swallowed. The lump in my throat was unexpected.

“Thanks,” I said. “I appreciate it.”

“Alright. I’ll tell the boys you’re not dead. Maybe lay off the jokes for a bit.” He hesitated again. “And Tom? That girl… Veronica, right? She seems alright. From what I’ve seen anyway. Just… take care of yourself, yeah?”

“Yeah,” I said. “I will.”

We hung up a minute later.

I set the phone down on the coffee table and leaned back against the couch. Veronica didn’t ask what was said. She just shifted closer and rested her head against my shoulder, one arm sliding around my waist.

“You okay?” she asked quietly.

I let out a slow breath.

“Yeah,” I said. “That was Mick. They’ve been worried. He figured it out. Asked if I was alright.”

She nodded against me.

“You gonna talk to them properly?” she asked.

“Eventually,” I said. “Just… not yet.”

Veronica was quiet for a moment, then tilted her head up to look at me.

“You don’t have to do any of this alone,” she said. “The job stuff. Your mates. Any of it. I’m here.”

I looked down at her — small and warm against my side, wearing one of my old t-shirts, hair messy from a long day of doing nothing in particular.

“I know,” I said.

And for the first time in days, I actually meant it.