"WHAT THE FUCK Alethea!" Her brother repeatedly banged on the door, "Open up!"
Thea rested her head against the door, and took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. She was not it, he was here, in Portland, standing on the other side of the door. Her heart clenched, she had only seen him briefly, but he did not look well.
Why was he here? And why now?
It had been over a month since she last saw him. There had been no phone calls or texts, and now he had the nerve to show up at her door, pretending like everything was fine?
She clenched her fists, the pain of having her fingernails dig into her palms.
Thea heard another door opening and she pressed her ear against the wood, listening in.
"Some people are trying to sleep! If you continue making all this ruckus, I'll have security escort you out! This is simply unacceptable!"
She smiled briefly, upon hearing Earl's words but her neighbour was right. She didn't want to disturb anyone else on her floor.
Thea heard her brother apologizing, but she didn't hear his voice. Talking another calming breath, she opened the door once more. Rashad had his back to her, speaking to Earl but it was Orson whose grey eyes were trained on her.
He raised an eyebrow, "Are you going to let us in, or slam the door in her faces again?"
Thea scowled, she had half a mind to slam the door in his face, to prove a point, but she didn't. She opened the door wider and stepped aside. The warm and woody scent of patchouli mixed with the enticing notes of vanilla and species filled her nostrils.
She recognized the scent immediately.
He was wearing the cologne she had gifted him a couple of years ago. His arm brushed hers, and she jumped back watching him lean on his crutches for support.
"Don't made yourself at home," she said to Orson before shooting Earl an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry about these two idiots, won't happen again."
Earl merely grumbled before slamming his door shut. Her brother trailed in, "He seems nice," he mumbled.
She ignored the comment before shutting the door behind him.
"What are you doing here?" Thea asked, her brother before giving a small glance towards Orson, "More exactly, what is he doing here?"
Orson gave her a glance, "Great to see you, as cheerful as ever Thea."
"Don't," she snapped at him. "You don't get to call me that anymore."
If her words had any impact on Orson, it didn't show on his face. He merely shrugged his shoulders, "It wasn't my idea to come here." he lifted his crutch to point it at Rashad, "It was his."
Thea pursed her lips tightly, before turning towards her brother. "And why exactly did you think that it was appropriate for the two of you to show up at my apartment at one o'clock in the morning without any notice?"
Her brother took a nervous step back. "Maybe it would be better if we chatted in your room, privately?"
Thea wanted to say no, but she sighed. The sooner she got answers, the sooner she could kick them both out and go back to sleep. She swept her arms in a grand gesture towards Rashad to indicate that they should head to her room.
Her brother paused, glancing back at Orson, "Take a seat Or. I'll be back soon."
Orson's gave them both a mocking grin, as he settled onto the sofa. "That's very kind of you to allow me to sit while the two of you gossip about me."
"I could have you standing the entire time," Thea snarked back.
"Thea," her brother warned.
Rolling her eyes, she hobbled back to her bedroom, flipping the light switch.
"What's wrong with your ankle?" Rashad asked as he shut the door behind them softly.
Thea settled back down on her bed, unable to stand any longer, "Nothing, it's just sore from the game."
"That's right, I forgot you had a game today, what was the score?"
"6-2 loss," she said quietly. She wasn't surprised that Rashad had forgotten she had a game. Her brother was lost in his own world which revolved around his own soccer matches, fiancé, and upcoming fatherhood.
She'd become used to it now, and it stung a little less.
Rashad winced, running his fingers through his dark curls. "Yikes, that's brutal."
She simply nodded, not wanting to rehash the game with her brother. The media already did enough of that. "We aren't here to talk about me, we are here to talk about him. Why did you bring him to my apartment?"
Rashad sighed, learning against the doorframe. "It's kind of a long story."
"Then tell me as quickly as possible," she crossed her arms impatiently.
Her brother was quiet for a moment, looking at her curiously, "I thought you would have been excited to see him."
She snorted, maybe she would have been two months ago but so much had changed since then.
"What happened between the two of you?" Rashad prodded. "He was nervous when I mentioned Portland and I had to practically drag him here..."
Thea closed her eyes, "It doesn't matter what happened. The real question is, why did you bring him here? I thought he was living with you in Leicester?"
Her brother's hazel eyes focused on her, "He's had a difficult time with recovery Thea."
"Every athlete has a difficult time with recovery," Thea countered. She knew first-hand that athletes were terrible patients. When she'd fractured her wrist back in college, she'd driven her roommate up the wall and the two had nearly come to blows.
"This is different," Rashad insisted, "Orson just hasn't been the same. I don't know the exact details, but I was out training with the team one of the days, and apparently, he and Lina got into some fight."
Thea exhaled a laugh, shaking her head. She wasn't exactly surprised. Between herself and Orson, they had come to a mutual agreement that they weren't Lina's biggest fans. It wasn't that her brother's fiancée was a terrible person, but she was very particular, about everything.
Rashad clenched his jaw at her expression. Her brother wasn't foolish and knew that there was no love lost between the three of them. Heck, Thea wouldn't be surprised if Lina complained to Rashad about her and Orson. "I know Lina tends to be overdramatic sometimes, but she was hysterical this time. She swore that she could no longer live in the same place as Orson and was threatening to move to a hotel if he didn't leave. I saw the stress on her face Thea, her doctors have said is not good for the baby..."
"Which is why you flew thousands of miles to dump him on me instead?" Thea asked in bewilderment, her voice rising. "I'm not a nanny Rashad! Especially to a grown man!" While she could sympathise and worry about her future niece or nephew, she had her own life to live, which Orson had made abundantly clear he wanted no part of.
"Keep talking about me, it's not like I'm fucking bored out here!" Orson's voice cut through the door.
She fixed her brother a look, case in point.
Rashad crossed the distance to stand right by her bedside. He flipped over the photo frame which had been facing down for quite some time. A smiling photo of her, Rashad, and Orson in their soccer kits. A nostalgic look made its way onto her brother's face.
He looked away from the photo, placing it back on the night table. "Look, he has nobody Thea. It's just us. His recovery has been rough, they told him they weren't sure if he's ever going to play soccer again."
Thea's heart tightened at those words. She knew how much soccer meant to Orson—it was his life. It was what he had trained his mind, body, and soul for. What would he do without it?
"Maybe the change in scenery will help him. You don't need to do much, just keep an eye on him. Make sure he goes to his appointments. The Lions have set everything up, but he needs to have someone pushing him, I'm not sure he believes in himself anymore, especially after his girlfriend left him."
Thea took a second to process everything, her brother's last sentence was the one she chose to focus on, "Claudia broke up with him?"
Rashad grimaced, "Yes, she stayed a few of the days in the beginning but when things began looking grim, she left saying that she couldn't live her life looking after a crippled man."
Thea had never liked Claudia much, especially after their encounter at the hospital, but she knew how much the actress had meant to Orson. It had been his longest relationship, and he had sacrificed much of their friendship for it. She waited for the satisfaction of seeing it crumble but didn't feel anything. She wanted Orson to experience love and happiness. Thea's eyes flickered to the photo frame and landed on Orson's beaming smile. The man she had briefly glimpsed outside seem like a shell of the boy.
Sighing, she looked up at her brother, "Fine, he can stay."
Rashad's hazel eyes lit, and he pulled her into a tight hug. "Thank you," he whispered, "I think this will really help him."
Thea shook her head, her heart was always soft when it came to Orson, and tonight was proof of that.
⚽⚽⚽
"Here's a blanket and pillow." She thrust the items towards Orson as if they were poison. His fingers brushed hers as he took them from her, and she stepped back immediately.
Orson had taken off his baseball cap and she saw that his dark blond hair was much longer than the ear length he usually kept it at. His normally clean-shaven face sported weeks worth of stumble. She could see that he had lost a significant amount of weight, as his muscles seemed less defined in the navy t-shirt he was wearing underneath his hoodie.
"Don't worry, I'll find myself a hotel in the morning," he said almost bitterly. "I know you don't want me here and Rashad's gone so he won't know."
To Thea's surprise, her brother hadn't accepted her offer to stay in her apartment for the night. He had an early morning flight, as he needed to be back in England for his next game. Rashad had appeased her by saying that he would just stay at a hotel closer to the airport.
"It's fine," she mumbled, looking past his weary face to the balcony. "Just don't expect me to pamper your ass."
Orson snorted, as he placed the pillow at the head of the sofa. "You never did."
The words were a quiet echo between them, of times when they had been on friendlier terms. She watched as he lifted his legs onto the sofa. She caught the wince and took a step forward before folding her arms over her chest.
Orson was a proud man. Thea knew he wouldn't want or accept her help, even when he needed it.
"Well, it is very late, and I am going to sleep. The bathroom is just down the hall. Don't wake me up if you need anything."
"What a charming host," Orson said sarcastically before pulling the blanket over his face, effectively dismissing her.
Thea didn't bother replying, and she shut off the lights before heading back to her bedroom. She paused, leaving the door slightly ajar. If Orson needed anything in the night, she would be able to hear him this way.
Climbing back into bed, she tried drifting off to sleep but her thoughts returned to the man on her couch. She couldn't believe it; Orson Alder was in her apartment. Her feelings, as always were conflicted when Orson was concerned. She was still angry and hurt over their last encounter and the silence afterward, but her heart wept at all he had been through. Tossing her pillow over her head, she was slowly lulled to sleep.
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We are starting to see hints of Thea and Orson's past. What do you think happened between them?