CHAPTER FIFTEEN
RECONCILIATION
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AFTER RECONCILING WITH HER DAD, FREYA TOOK THE REST OF THE DAY TO HERSELF.
Or tried to rather, but it seemed the boys had wormed their way into her brain and wouldn't be leaving anytime soon. The worst part was Freya didn't even seem to be mad about it.
The next morning she sat on her couch, blanket over her lap with Bob's Burgers playing on the television. She was hoping for it to be a distraction but it more or less came as background noise to her thoughts. She found herself twirling her phone in between two fingers, constantly glancing between the device and the tv screen. Her phone lit up once again with a new text from Liam.
BLONDIE
11:13: I know you need your time
to process but can you process
faster :( I found this neat hidden
waterfall just a little ways away and
I only want to go with you
11:15: that does sound lovely, actually
11:15: I can pick you up in an hour?
11:16: sure
Freya had typed the four letter word before she could fully process what she was doing. Her heart pressing the buttons before her mind could reason out a "no".
11:17: perfect, see you soon ;)
Freya took a moment to just stare at the messages. She'd finally decided to scroll up through the previous messages he'd sent, finally taking the time to watch all the silly little videos he'd sent. Almost every single one elicited a giggle from the girl. A couple were in reference to them being a couple - like one sharing the relationship trope of an orange cat and a raccoon with his message reading "this seems like us". Majority were funny gameplay clips from various streamers, either playing horror games or just funny dialogue moments between friends in shooter games.
Once she'd caught up on all the messages, she reluctantly pulled herself up from her couch. She made her way into her bathroom, partially dreading what she was about to face in the mirror. The circles beneath her eyes were dark, the bags under her eyes heavy from her lack of sleep. She pulled in a breath, tying her hair back into a messy bun to begin at least doing her baseline skin care.
Freya took her time, relishing in the warmth of the water over her skin and letting her fingers massage away the tension from her face. She was sluggish, her usual pep in her step to get ready for an outing was buried deep within her as she let herself wallow over the stresses she was facing.
She went for a soft makeup - just using concealer on any blemishes and discoloration on her face, curling her lashes and applying a small amount of mascara to liven up her face a bit. She made her way to her closet - she grabbed a simple long sleeved crop top, black biker shorts and tossed her favorite oversized Spiritbox tee over top. Lacing up a pair of black on black converse, she made her way into her kitchen. Just as she'd finished preparing two cups of coffee, her phone buzzed with Liam's arrival text.
She made her way out, immediately spotting the familiar black GR86 sat just by the curb. The window was rolled down to reveal Liam sat in the driver's side, a very excited but closed mouth smile on his face as he watched her approach. He was quick to jump from the driver's side and make his way to her, opening the door as he had during their first date.
"Sorry you don't get a view this time, it's starting to get rather cold." Freya tried to half joke, fighting the awkward tension she'd felt. She passed him one of the travel mugs as she sat down into the passenger seat.
"Mmm, I beg to differ. The view I have right now is quite lovely." The smile on his face as he closed the door was genuine. The drive to the forested area was quiet, neither of the pair knowing what to say in that exact moment. Liam was too riddled with excitement being beside Freya once again, and Freya felt like she'd forgotten how to act around the blonde.
She took the time given with his focus on the road to look at him — his blonde locks were pulled back into a bun at the back of his head, a couple stray pieces around the sides. His sunglasses concealed his eyes from the sun but at this angle she could still see the light shade of blue she'd come to adore. He looked normal. Nothing reminiscent of the creature she'd seen just over twenty four hours ago.
The trek through the woods was a long one. The path to the waterfall wasn't exactly paved in anyway, it was a giant guessing game of wandering through random brush but Liam seemed confident in each step. Each time they'd come to steep incline or decline, he was quick to offer his hand and an arm around her waist.
Once they breached the foliage into the clearing that held the waterfall, Freya's mouth fell open in wonder. It was breathtaking. The waterfall was large in size, both in height and width. The body of water beneath it was crystal clear, and you could practically see the bottom through all of it besides the center. Freya almost wished they'd come and found it sooner so they could take a dip into the water without freezing.
It was still rather gloomy outside, the rain from the previous day had subsided but the world was still overcast in a blue gray. The leaves on the trees were just beginning to change and fall, but the trees still offered a full coverage from the world around them. Liam made his way over to an edge of the water that was covered in big stones, sitting and letting his feet dangle from the edge just above the water. He summoned her over, patting the spot beside him.
She joined him on the rocks, almost giggling at the sight of their legs beside each other dangling. His legs reached far lower than hers over the edge, truthfully making her look like an absolute child in comparison. He leaned back on his palms, turning his head to look at Freya beside him.
Other than the quick moment he'd seen her at work, he'd never been given the chance to see her so bare. He felt like he could see her eye color clearer without the thick lines of black that usually surrounded them, the green of her hazel eyes even clearer in the soft glow from the cloudy sky. He'd made a note to himself to remember the soft pink of her lips that typically hid beneath some shade of lipstick. And from the angle he was at he could better appreciate the curves of her nose and her cheekbones.
"I've missed you." He whispered softly. "I know it hasn't really been that long, but it felt like forever. It's quite easy to grow comfortable in your company." Freya began to pick at the chipped paint on her nails, taking her gaze away from the scenery before her.
"I can't lie and say I haven't missed you too. Something about you guys feels very much like home which makes all of this that much more conflicting."
"What do you mean?" He tilted his head to the side, chewing on his bottom lip.
"The rational side of me says to stay away. That there is no way to be safe around a bunch of blood thirsty creatures, and especially after the conversation I had with my dad." Liam's face dropped in sadness, his heart panging in pain with her uttering the three words he always dreads to be referred to as. Especially from her. "It makes me terrified to know what's to come - whether it be another near miss situation like we just had or this apparent target that may come on my back by just the association. I don't know who may come after me, what their capable of; hell I don't even think I fully know what you are capable of. And it scares me so so much.
"But there's this even bigger part of me that feels like that would be the safest place to be. That nothing could touch me as long as I have you. And even just the twenty something hours away from you felt like the most painful lifetime away from you. Which feels so silly considering I just met the lot of you."
The slight breeze causes Freya to shiver, slightly regretting not putting on leggings instead of the shorts she'd chosen. Liam moves to wrap an arm around her, to offer some sort of warmth but she instinctively pulls away. His heart sinks in his chest and Freya could practically feel the frown pulling on his face. He instead takes off the jacket he'd worn just in case, carefully moving to place it over her shoulders. She watches from the corner of her eyes, the combination of mild fear and guilt rattling inside her brain. She accepts his jacket, pulling it tighter around her.
"Thank you." She softly says. She breaths in a deep breath, letting his scent fill her senses.
"I'd never let a single thread of harm fall upon you, Freya. And let hell reign down upon anyone who dares to even try. I think I can easily speak for the four of us when I say that." He picks up a small, flat stone before skipping it across the surface of the small pond. He stared off where the rock had finally sunk into the water for a moment, contemplating his next choice of words heavily.
"Would it help us get back to normal if I shared my past with you?" It came out so softly Freya nearly missed it. She turned to him quickly, sensing the immense amount of caution and hesitation in his words.
"I can't ask you to share something you aren't comfortable with sharing, Liam. I won't let you discomfort yourself to try to make me more comfortable." Tears welled up in her eyes, she felt guilty that he'd even considered going to that length for her.
"I want to, I just want to make sure you're comfortable first and it won't set us back." He met her eyes and she could see the fear in them. He was genuinely scared of pushing her away further. She simply nodded in encouragement for him to share, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth.
"I was born in Birmingham, back in 1860. My parents weren't rich by any means, but we made it by as best we could. My dad had luckily gotten a job working at BSA guns upon their opening and spent the majority of his days there while mum did her very best to manage things at home. She struggled really bad with postpartum after having me, though no one knew at the time.
"One day when I was around the age of seven, she'd sent me to the neighbors to play with their kids. I hadn't gotten along with them much and absolutely dreaded it but later I remember wishing even more that I hadn't listened to her and gone in the first place. That day my mum had taken her life, my dad came home to find her in the bath and nothing had been the same since."
The tears in Freya's eyes welled up even more, beginning their path down her cheeks as she listened intently. Liam stared off towards the water, his face blank as he spoke. He couldn't bare to look her way while he spoke, knowing he'd probably lose it the same as her if he had.
"Dad was always angry after that. The lot of his rage seemed to be at me, I think he'd blamed me for her death. I mean hell, even I did so I can't fully fault him." Liam scoffed into a small chuckle. "He was hardly home after that. For years after that, he spent most nights after work going to the pub until they threw him out. Then he'd wander home and.."
Freya reached a hand out, carefully lacing her fingers with his as he trailed off. She ran her thumb across his knuckles, a silent nod for him to take his time or stop if he didn't feel like continuing.
"That only lasted a couple more years though." He continued after taking a deep breath. "By the time I was eleven, a smallpox outbreak had hit dad's workplace really bad. Of course, he insisted on working through it. Around the time of my twelfth birthday, he too had passed. His passing I was thankful for though, after losing mum he wasn't the same man.
"At that point I took to the streets. I was terrified of the type of home I'd be placed into given the one I was born into, so I ran. From twelve to seventeen, I'd fended for myself as best I could. Living off of scraps from the local restaurants and sleeping in whatever old building I could find. At one point I'd found my way into this club, they played the most fantastic music I'd ever heard.
"The owner tried to throw me out the second he'd spotted me, but the man at the front of the stage stopped the set and intervened. Said I was with him and brought me up to the side of the stage. Henry Davis was a musical mastermind, and had the kindest soul. He'd taken me in both musically and literally.
"Taught me what it truly meant to be a man and how to properly fend for myself. It wasn't long before I'd been on stage with him playing bass for him; the upright version. He kept me along side him even as he played more crowds and as they began to double in size. He always insisted on all of us being in photos with him when it came to publications, he'd always said "I wouldn't be here if it weren't for the help of them, it's only fair they get their spotlight as well."
Freya's heart warmed with the change in Liam's story. She was grateful that life had given him the chance for something better instead of knocking him even further down the ladder given his entry to life. That was until she remembered how he came to be before her on this day, and worry began to quicken her pulse.
"H-how did you get to where you are now?" She muttered out upon his pause. He still sat with that same vacant stare, but he smiled at the memory of his mentor fondly. His smile began to fall at her question, and Freya felt her heart fall with it.
"The night I was turned we were playing a show in London. 1883. It felt like a huge break playing a city that big. That's where I had met Desmond actually. He was our pianist for the night so that Henry could harbor more of a stage presence for the large crowd. Aside from Henry, Desmond was the first I'd interacted with outside of business discussions.
"We'd just finished the show and were hanging around the pub and having celebratory drinks. I'd gotten too warm and wanted to step out for a breath of air. That's when Desmond and Camren found me, they'd made an offer of brotherhood. I never returned back to the pub. Henry had spent many years looking for me. But I couldn't return to him in the state I was in.
"In my state of transitioning, I fled and returned to the life I knew on the streets. I was insatiable. The papers were buzzing about animal attacks in the city, everyone was in a frenzy. People hardly left their houses at night in terror of me.
"It didn't take too terribly long for Desmond to find me once again. He encouraged me to return to him and Camren at once so they could protect me and teach me their way of life. I was hesitant at first, I was lonely but I was also terrified. Dying once was hard enough, I wasn't ready to do it a second time."
Liam had finally seemed to blink and breathe as he'd finished. His head dipping down to his lap as he clutched her hand. Freya simply stared in awe at the man before her - her brain finally piecing together what exactly made Liam the man he was. The silly goofy exterior being a protection against the pain and loneliness he'd felt a good portion of his life. She wanted to formulate the right words for him but nothing seemed to fit.
"I don't believe I've shared that with anyone besides the boys. But it feels right to share it with you. I feel.. lighter now." He admits, looking to the sapphire haired girl beside him. The tears in her eyes returned, shining in her eyes before tracing their path down her cheeks.
Liam brings his opposite hand to her cheek, wiping them away. She leans her face into his hand, closing her eyes tightly. "You shouldn't be the one comforting me right now, Liam." She chuckles, but not in amusement. She scoots herself over to him, placing her legs over his lap to wrap her arms around his neck.
"It's been so long that I've accepted my past. All I want is a better future and to continue to be a better man." He nuzzles his face into her neck. "It's why I was so upset about nearly losing myself in front of you and Eve. And especially since it almost cost me you."
"I won't be going anywhere. Thank you, for sharing that piece of you with me. And I'm so sorry for what you've been through." She pulls away to look him in the eyes.
"None of it matters as long as I have you, Freya." He brings his hands to cup her cheeks, pressing her lips to his in a tender kiss.