“So naughty,” Constance called across the field, skirt behind her as she ran over, the infamous smile of superiority on her face. Audrey groaned, but not out of irritation at the other girl, out of irritation of herself. She had been the one to say it; her freedom came entwined with Constance. “I never expected to find you out here, Goode.”
“Good Lord…” Audrey muttered under her breath.
Constance smirked, putting a hand around her ear. “Sorry, what was that? Blasphemy?”
“Did you not hear me earlier, Constance?” Audrey sighed, turning to stare at her with one eyebrow raised. “I said, leave me be.”
“Oh, no… I heard you,” Constance nodded, starting to circle her in the field, hands behind her back to show herself off as some innocent girl. Audrey only frowned, knowing better. “Loud and clear. I just chose to not listen.”
“And why is that exactly?”
“Well, Audrey, to be quite frank,” the red-head dipped her head to her shoes, stopping in the grass in front of the other girl. “I miss hanging out with you.”
The blonde’s shoulders slumped under her cloak, eyes switching to the ground when Constance looked up to try and meet them. Audrey clenched her jaw, unable to say anything when she felt the exact same. “Constance, I–”
“Please, don’t say anything,” Constance stopped her, stepping closer. “I do not wish to hear that you don’t miss me, after all it was you who left… That’s not why I followed you.”
“You followed me?” Audrey raised her eyebrows in surprise, finally meeting the other girl’s eyes.
“Don’t be so dramatic,” Constance groaned, rolling her head back along with her eyes. “I only wanted to see you again. Because, if I know you – and I do – you came out here for one last night of freedom, right?” Audrey stayed silent, biting down on the inside of her cheek. “But Goodwin Orwell seems like a nice name, I think.”
“You heard about that?” Audrey winced, not liking to think about it.
“I… did,” Constance nodded, an unperceivable expression on her face as she looked the blonde up and down. “Are you really going to get married?”
“Not by choice,” Audrey complained, crossing her own arms with frustration. “I do not have a say in this, Constance. I wish I didn’t have to go along with it, but Elijah…” She swallowed and stopped abruptly, Constance looked at her knowingly.
“I know, Audrey,” the red-head said, guilt in her voice. “I am sorry.”
“For what? It is not like you are forcing me into marriage.”
“Not for that,” Constance rolled her eyes lightly, taking one of Audrey’s hands in her own. “I am sorry for not helping you before. I could see you were in pain… the bruises…” She shook her head, and frowned. “I should have done something.”
“What could you have done?” Audrey questioned, not expecting this from the other girl. She looked down at her hand holding Constance’s, something fluttering in her stomach, catching her off guard. “It wasn’t– It wasn’t your fault. I became distant, I know that. I’m really just getting what I deser–”
“Don’t,” the red-head stopped her sternly, squeezing the blonde’s hand. “Don’t ever say that. You do not deserve any such thing. It wasn’t your fault either, and what I said earlier– It wasn’t fair. Not to you.”
“That doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter,” Audrey reassured her. “Right now… I want to have one night away from it all. All of it.”
“Then what are you waiting for?” Constance asked, the smirk back on her lips, Audrey’s stomach back to flipping and fluttering. “Is freedom not your only wish anymore?”
CHAPTER TWO
Start from the beginning
