CHAPTER THIRTEEN
DAY AFTER BLUES
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FREYA'S BODY WAS STILL BUZZING WITH ANXIETY WHEN IT CAME TIME TO LEAVE THE BOYS' HOME.
She didn't trust herself to drive, much less be alone in her mental state and Camren and Liam had offered to bring her car to Eve's for her before morning came. Almost as if Mother Nature could read the inside of Freya's mind, it was overcast and raining as they'd left.
The car ride to Eve's was one of silence, aside from the dulcet tones of Hozier bringing a sense of serenity to the pair. Freya tried her hardest to focus only on the pitter patter of the rain hitting the windshield and the passing of trees as they went; but her thoughts were still screaming their throats raw in her head at the situation.
She still had yet to call her father back, his voicemails left unheard in her phone. She wasn't sure she was ready to talk to him, knowing the betrayal was still bubbling beneath her flesh and ready to burst at any moment. She knew eventually the nagging curiosity would get the better of her but for now she just needed the comfort of her best friend and Percy.
Freya did a dance around Eve's front porch for warmth while she tried to grab the key to her home. She couldn't help the smile that came from Percy's chirp behind the door whilst Eve unlocked it. The millisecond the door opened, the orange cat was at their feet; rubbing against their legs and meowing.
"Hi, baby!" The tension in Eve's shoulders relaxed immediately upon scooping up her favorite feline. She held him in a hug, putting her head on his and bouncing lightly.
Freya breathed in a deep breath of the familiar scent of Eve's home — pumpkin and a blend of herbs. She felt her own shoulders relax with the smell along with the newfound warmth. She unlaced her shoes, setting them beside the door and running a hand through blue locks.
Freya made her way to Eve's couch whilst Eve tended to Percy. She took a few drags from her vape, relishing in the swirl of nicotine in her lungs. One hand played with her phone, lifting and dropping it to her thigh and letting it spin between two fingers.
It wasn't long before Eve joined her on the opposite couch. The light to the living room remained off, just a soft glow from the kitchen illuminating a small section of the room. Freya sighed loudly, her eyelids heavy with exhaustion.
"Yeah..... I don't know." Eve started.
"I just. I'm so.. confused, Eve."
"Me too." They sat for another minute, both feeling the urge to debrief the last twenty four hours but not sure where to place the words. "But, at least it's not just one of us finding out. At least we have each other, I guess," Eve said.
"Yeah. I understand why he wouldn't have told me.. I just can't seem to accept it for some reason. I feel like he lied to me. How do you keep that from your own family..?" Freya's heart was still stuck on the betrayal; both Aron's and her father's.
"I think he had to. You saw the look on his face earlier.. he looked so guilty and ashamed."
"I know.." She wanted to fully give him the benefit of the doubt. She really did but a large piece of her knew she wouldn't be able to let it go. "How bout we give ourselves a normal night? Just a couple hours without our phones and just forgetting everything that's happened this past week."
"I think that's a great idea. We order some take out and watch something?"
"You read my mind." Freya smiled to Eve. "But, no romance or horror this time." Eve vigorously nodded in agreement, grabbing for the remote.
"The Office?" She suggested. Freya gave her a thumbs up, grabbing her phone only to order their food.
Eve was restless still, searching for as much normalcy as she could. As the Office played on the screen she folded laundry, creating neat little piles around herself on the couch. Freya curled herself up on the other couch, wrapped in a blanket with Percy perched on her chest kneading biscuits.
After a couple episodes, the pair looked to each other with bloodshot eyes. No words needed to be spoken as Eve grabbed the remote turning off the TV and Freya scooped up Percy and her blanket making her way to Eve's bedroom. Each curled themselves into their blankets on each side of the bed, Percy staking claim to the middle. Exhaustion consumed Freya immediately, and even still two pairs of deep black eyes haunted her — though as her dreams unraveled, both melted back to pale shades of inviting blue.
. * ✦ . ⁺ .⁺ ˚
When she woke the next morning she couldn't deny she was feeling a bit better. There were still heavy shackles of confrontation weighing her down though and as much as she was still too tired to fight for freedom, her limbs were aching from their weight.
She laid next to Eve's still sleeping form, finally powering on her phone. There were dozens upon dozens of notifications — a couple from a worried Camren letting her know he respects the space she needs but also worried for her, a couple from Liam sending various memes that made him think of her and saying he'd missed her already and hoped he'd see her again soon, and about twenty missed calls, three voicemails and ten text messages from her father.
Her dad.
When she finally listened to the voicemails, she felt her heart shatter. She still felt the rage and betrayal towards him, but the soft spot she'd always had for her dad ached hearing his voice of worry as he panicked about her phone being off and begged for him to call her back so they could talk.
PADRE
7:05: I'm okay, dad. Just
needed sometime to process
some things.
7:07: thank god, I've been
so worried. I love you so
much kiddo
7:08: can we meet for breakfast later?
7:10: I have work at 9, how bout lunch?
7:11: are you actually gonna
be there or do you have more
errands you need to run for Aron?
Freya chewed on her lip after sending that response. Her rational mind knew she shouldn't have, that it was petty. But the angry part of her felt good about it, that it was only fair he got some of the pain she felt from the secret and being stood up. She watched the three little dots appear and disappear a couple times, like he was stumbling over what to say.
7:14: I will be there
Eve had awoken shortly after, her actions mirroring Freya's prior ones as she powered on her phone and began to view the messages she'd received. Since Freya had some time before going to meet her dad, she decided she would head home and use her nervous energy to get some things around her home done. She bid farewell to Eve, reminding her to text or call her if she needed her again at all.
She slipped on her shoes and made her way outside, grabbing her car keys from Eve's mailbox where Camren had said they'd placed them. She turned the ignition as soon as she'd gotten in her car, but didn't immediately pull out and leave. Bleed When You Ask Me filled her car speakers and Freya have herself a few minutes to sink into the sounds before making her drive home.