conquer// 5SOS

5

Neither of the pair slept well that night. Luke was feeling hot and alert, and Freya was thinking about how Liz spoke to her.

She used to be a bitch, she knew that, but she hoped she'd changed. With Ashton, she'd worked so hard to become a better person, and it didn't seem to have paid off. Why didn't Liz want to talk to her? And when she did, why was it so bluntly?

Freya wasn't asking for sympathy, but she needed a little sensitivity.

They all did.

After a night of tossing and turning, they got up, changing into comfy clothes. Freya decided to shower, and Luke went downstairs to see about breakfast.

He found waffles in the cupboard and strawberries in the fridge, trying his best to cook them. It wasn't hard, but he didn't know how Freya liked them, or if she'd even liked them.

When she came downstairs, her wet hair pulled into two plaits, she smiled at the two plates of breakfast.

"You made this?"

"Yeah, do you like them?"

"My guilty pleasure," she chuckled, sitting down. As a kid, she'd been on a strict eating plan. Something like this for breakfast was never allowed.

"What shall we do today?"

"Maybe we could go on a walk?" Luke suggested, "to the park?"

"Yeah, that sounds good,"

"Only if you want,"

"I do, it'd be nice to get out,"

When Luke got their medicine, he found he only had two bottles. Freya took her's without thinking, because it just had to be done, but Luke was growing a little suspicious. He never remembered her taking a white pill.

"Mum, where is my other medicine?" he shouted.

"It ran out, you don't need it anymore,"

He grunted and took the two tablets, having to trust her; she was the one in contact with Michael. The two of them got ready to go out and put on their shoes, Liz giving them a house key.

"I might not be here when you get back, I'm seeing some friends,"

"Oh, okay,"

"Bye," Luke said, getting nothing in return. It made him a little mad, but he couldn't change it.

While he calmed down, Freya took in the fresh air. It cleaned her lungs, and felt sharp against her skin. The breeze swirled around, making her feel light.

She'd never felt freedom like this. It was different.

"Are we too old to play on the swings?"

"Probably,"

"But I've never been on swings,"

"Well we won't be having that," Luke chuckled, opening the gate. The park wasn't far from home at all, so he felt comfortable being here.

He let go of her hand and ran towards the swings, Freya trying her best to keep up. It whipped the air from her lungs, and she panted when she sat down.

"Kick up, and keep doing that until you feel high enough,"

She struggled to start with, but a smile grew on her face as she got the hang of it. Perfection could be found in the things you did and the people you were with, and to her, this was perfection.

She'd been scared to say it, but she loved Luke. He made her love the little things, and the big things, but most importantly-herself.

A few minutes later, some smaller kids wanted a go, and they let them. Instead, they sat on a bench together, watching everyone play. They all had a smile, and were enjoying themselves.

"Being a kid was so simple,"

"My childhood was red carpets and travelling across the world. It wasn't simple,"

"I don't know much about it,"

"I was really pressured to have a certain body from such a young age, and had to be a certain person my whole life. It was all about how people saw me, not who I was,"

"I'm sorry," Luke said, "I wish I could've been there with you. I can't imagine feeling so lonely,"

"I didn't know anything different, did I?"

"I guess not,"

A woman sat down at the bench along, giving the couple a warm smile. Luke looked down, trusting Freya to return the gesture. He wasn't ready to actually talk in public, or interact.

However, when he felt Freya fidgeting, he looked back up, seeing wafts of smoke puffing from her cigarette.

"We should go home now,"

"Please," she said desperately, gripping onto his hand.

To Luke, the fumes were toxic.
To Freya, they were a gentle invite into a calming world.

And she hated it.