Oil to Hide the Fire

"No."

"Please! I'll do a really good job!"

"Get lost."

"I-I'll even wait on you at your door every day!"

"That's not what I want."

I look at Lydia, her hands clasped as she pleads desperately.

As I told her, this isn't what I wanted.

If anything, I wanted the opposite.

I'd been expecting Lydia to say she was leaving, so why was she suddenly saying she wanted to come with me instead?

Is this what it feels like to think you've defused a bomb, only for it to sprout legs and cling to you...