A week later..
"Freddy, will you hand me that lamp there?" Layla politely asks, crouched at the side table next to their living room in their apartment.
Freddy lifts his head from his phone, sighing before he shoves himself past a couple of now-empty boxes before he reaches for the lamp.
Layla doesn't even notice the sigh, seeing as she's so amused by how quickly she managed to unpack in the last two weeks, that this lamp is the final touch to their new apartment.
They had been living on the outskirts of London for a while, their landlord was always fussy about too many things eventually Layla just convinced Freddy to move to the city center, where his job as a bartender is more accessible and Layla could start finding a new job that pleases her more than all the other roles she had whilst trying to figure it out.
Freddy lazily drags his legs towards her, not even blinking an eye at her whilst he stretches his arm out to hand it to her, she quickly grabs it and whispers a small thank you before propping it up on the center of the mini table and plugs it into the extension chord.
Layla is a strong believer in no headlights, she's all about the small side lamps that create a cosier and more inviting atmosphere. I mean, it's not like she has many friends that she can invite over, in fact, she has none. As for Freddy, he'll go out with his work friends for drinks at clubs and such, despite Layla's dislike for it, he still does it without a care in the world.
Layla lost contact with a lot of her old high school friends when she went to university where she became acquaintances but nothing more with her flatmates and that was about it, they'd go out and do all the stuff but she never considered them as close as she considered Elle.
She and Elle will always try and meet up when they're both back home and visiting family, although it does get quite hard to free up their schedules especially with Layla living in the south for over five years now.
Layla finds herself only doing so much during the day, reading trendy romance books that stock up until Freddy complains that she's spending too much money on them, and dressing up to go for brunch alone at her nearest café. She hasn't had much time to do any of that stuff since they moved to their new apartment two weeks ago, she hasn't been exploring at all, I mean, she already knows her way around London, but there are tons of cool alleyways she hasn't found herself stumbling across yet.
Layla gets up and off the fluffy carpet on the floor, taking a couple of steps back to see the scenery, spinning around the living room to be faced with the stocked-up kitchen and their bedroom door ajar revealing the fresh bed sheets and vine leaves hanging from the walls.
She smiles pleasurably at the scenery, her hands attached to her hips before her eyes fall onto Freddy, who stands still, his neck tilted down to his phone, his eyes lit up a bright white.
She frowns, "And? Do you like it?" She holds a long and hard stare directly into him, and almost past him, burning holes of disappointment right into his chest. Layla has non-stop been exasperated by moving into a new environment, but Freddy just doesn't ever seem to share those feelings with her, he doesn't ever seem to feel things with her at the same time, and any variant of emotion almost always lacks with him, and it's alright if that's just the way he is but it isn't. Layla had to understand after a while, that maybe he is comfortable with her so he doesn't put in the small effort of looking up and acknowledging all the time she put into the apartment they are standing in right now.
He picks his head up, a glimpse of hope gnawing at Layla before his lips part, "I'm gonna go sign up to that gym." He hastily speaks, and before Layla can even respond or ask to go along with him, he's getting his keys, zipping his coat, and you'd think he would pocket his phone but no, it stays clutched in his hand, his eyes scanning it endlessly.
This is a daily occurrence for Layla, the breakfast he got her the week before is one of the rare moments she has to appreciate and cling to whilst she's in the true reality of what it is actually like to be in love with this man, or so they call it.
She finds herself at the cabinets and taking out a fresh bottle of white wine, her lips on the wine cup before she even gets to think twice about the position of that damned lamp or how her boyfriend never seems to even acknowledge her.
Elsewhere..
Red is walked in on. Naked.
Well, not exactly. The front door to her apartment door is swung open, dark wooden furniture, blankets, black squeaky chairs, and candles burning on the cluttered bookshelves. Red is lying with an open book on her stomach in just her sports bra and her boxers, a couple of tattoos across her body scattered when Lilith and Ashton welcome themselves in.
Lilith struts in with a couple of grocery bags in her leather gloved hands as Ashton makes his way to Red, completely oblivious to the practically naked Red right in front of him when he pats her shoulder, "Yo." He mutters, walking straight into the toilet before Red lets out a chuckle, "Ashton, your apartment is quite literally across from ours!" She shouts, her head falling off the arm of the couch before he slams the door shut in her face as a response.
When Red picks her head up she's faced with an intent glare from Lilith, "Red, explain to me why you are naked?" Lilith interrogates, her hands clasped over one another in beckon.
Red's eyebrows shoot up before she snatches a fluffy blanket from beside her, and throws it over herself, "I'm not." She strictly says, through her teeth in a slight hiss of annoyance, as Lilith begins to nod, clicking her tongue, "Well, yes you are." Lilith scoffs, sliding the leather gloves off of her hands.
Red clicks her tongue, sitting up, "That's very incorrect as both halves of my body are covered with my underwear, unless I wasn't then that would be me naked." She smartly replies, crossing her toned arms.
"Why are you half-way dressed then? If that helps your pea brain to sleep." Lilith throws her gloves onto the kitchen counter before she makes her way to the couch Red's body is draped over.
"Very much so. And I woke up to some girl in bed with me, I assumed that we fucked and I've just not been in the mood to dress since, besides it's my day off, let me be free!" Red throws her arms in the air in defense, her book clutched tightly in her right hand.
Lilith shoots her a disappointed look before ripping herself away and back to the kitchen counter, Red immediately gets to her feet and drops the blanket, making her way to Lilith with almost her entire body exposed.
Red's hip meets the kitchen counter, her arms crossed at her chest, tensing the muscle under her skin, "It's different, Lilith." Red's eyebrows are narrowed when she starts, her tone low and more stern now.
Lilith sighs, turning away from Red and making her way to the other end of the kitchen, placing some cans into the cupboard, "No, Red, you know it upsets me." She hisses, the lump in her throat echoing off the apartment walls when the toilet is heard to be flushed.
"Lilith, It's not intimate at all, it's me fucking them they never fuck me-" Red is interrupted by Ashton's gobsmacked expression from the bathroom door, the most dramatic and exaggerated gasp out of his mouth.
"Oh no, you bad girl, Reagan." Ashton sarcastically sniggers, his eyes fearfully flicking from Red to Lilith who holds a strict expression of annoyance at his nosiness, Red attempts to tightly shut her lips so the laughs brewing inside of her don't escape her lips.
As Ashton makes it to the front door with his elegant strut, he quickly turns back to the pair, his eyes scanning Lilith's entire soul and body, "How dare Red have a sex life that doesn't involve you?" He pouts before slamming the door shut and he runs away in giggles, Red's expression firm when she hears him screaming from his apartment to her, "Red, don't let that ruin your chances of coming to the gym!" And Ashton is silenced with a loud thud, Elio throws a pillow at him Red assumes.
Lilith snaps around at Red as though she is responsible for Ashton's behavior before she begins a stride towards her bedroom, "Lilith-" Red can't even get a word in because Lilith is already shutting the door on her.
Red's patience is lost, a heavy breath from her lips meeting the wooden door, "It's just fucking meaningless sex!" She protests, her hands in her hair, complete frustration taking over her.
The loud silence is interrupted when Lilith speaks, so discreetly she's almost unheard,
"Until it's not."
And Red's expression crunches up, "No, it won't ever be. I can't bring myself to feel like that for anyone at all— I cannot do relationships with real meaning, not anymore." Red confesses with her voice in shreds and pieces, as though if she were to swallow her throat would burn and burn her for eternity.
Red awaits a response and in the midst of it she finds herself losing her train of thought to a very distinct memory, of a person, but not just anyone, her. Green eyes glisten under the moonlight, and Red feels her heart skip again as it did all those years ago.
"Red!" Ashton's deep voice pierces through her imagination and wrecks it away entirely, her head snapping in the direction to find him at the door, his gym bag in one hand and a phone and keys in the other.
Red mutters to herself before she runs to her room and shoves on a pair of shorts and a vest top, grabbing her phone and headphones along with her before making her way to the front door, "I love you, Lilith! I'm off to the gym." She shouts, her eyes directly facing Ashton's snigger.
She kicks him in the knee with pure resentment before barging past him, "Dickhead." She spits, and Ashton dramatically clutches onto his knee as he slams the door shut, "Well, Red, Elio, and I have been waiting years for her to get over you and I can't help but envy you." He hops his way down the hallway, barely being able to keep up with Red's quick strides as he's holding up his large body with one leg as though he's some disfigured flamingo.
Red presses the down button on the lift, her arms firmly crossed and her body leaned against the wall as she rolls her eyes when Ashton finally makes his way to her, limping slightly, "Maybe, Ash, just maybe, if you weren't such a wet wipe she'd consider it. And as for Elio, the guy goes bright red when she breathes near him, he's known her for years and he's still too shy to make a move. So, the point being, if you two weren't the way you are, maybe Lilith would've gotten over me a long time ago and gotten herself muddled up with you two–" Red sticks her hand out, motioning at Ashton and the air as if Elio were there.
Red stops when the lift opens, and Ashton's jaw scratches against the carpet as his mouth is wide open.
"But, again. You're both too scared to do something about it, and I'm stuck with it. So, wipe your tears, old man." Red darkly chuckles with a slight cocky bounce before she steps into the lift. Ashton eyes her, beginning to contemplate his actions that got him to this humbling session off Red, he stares at her blank-eyed. Frustration overcomes her features from his lack of movement before she reaches her hand over to his arm and yanks him in, in a flash before it shuts.
"I've been humbled." These are the only words Ashton manages to muster out of himself, and Red clicks her tongue with a sneering nod before shoving her headphones on.
Gym.
Red and Ashton are at the front reception of the gym. Both were sweaty and red, and their clothes stuck to their bodies as if they were glued down to them.
They're both stalling and talking whilst impatiently waiting for the receptionist to finish off with the old man she's talking to. Ashton has to renew his membership and is making Red wait along with him instead of in her own car because he loses all sense of communication when it comes to speaking to this particular receptionist.
As the old man finishes and begins to walk away slowly but surely, the pair see the opportunity and seize it right before a dark-haired man makes his way before them. A grimace uncontrollably forms across Red's features at the realisation... Its Freddy. The same customer she had the awful interaction with, and disrespected Lilith's entire café floor. Red's eyes darken in an instant.
His eyes darted up and down the receptionist in a patronising manner that Red caught onto. Red's eyes flick to the blonde's receptionist rusty old name badge with 'Serena' spelled out across it.
"Ash, that's him." Red hisses, some uncontrollable annoyance overtaking her right then and there, her eyes withholding a strong glare, her jaw tightened in anger.
"Oh yeah! I'll go speak to him and invite him to the Café for this weekend." But before Ashton gets to make a step towards him, Red's got her hand wrapped around his wrist, tightly. Ashton, taken aback looks over his shoulder at Red.
"Look at him, flirting with her. I bet you any money he's got a girlfriend. Although, I can't
imagine anyone desperate enough to breathe near that stink." She says, her voice strong now, the people around them being able to clearly distinguish her words, eye her with a dumbfounded look. But Red doesn't mind, she wants him to hear.
Ashton turns back to the scene to find Freddy leaning over on the marble reception table, a smirk on his face as he woos Serena with something that makes her throw her head back in laughter.
"I doubt he has a girlfriend." Ashton slowly whispers back to Red before ripping his wrist away from her.
Red pouts at Ashton's ridiculous comment, "Well, boyfriend then if that helps the situation." She insists. But as her eyes are glued to the scene she doesn't notice when Ashton begins towards Freddy, walking so confidently and delicately, the bastard makes me wait to speak to the receptionist but is ready to associate with the enemy. Okay, kind of.
Red wants to make her way towards Ashton sweep him off his feet and run back to their car but she doesn't, her curiosity eating away at her at how this interaction will wind up.
After a couple of minutes of Red watching the pathetic scenery of Freddy and Ashton interacting, she watched a couple of smiles exchanged before Freddy made his way out.
Red wonders how he never even spotted her watching before Ashton motions her towards him, and without a second thought she's marching towards him, her eyes glued to the back of Freddy.
"He said he might come on Saturday and give our Café a second try. Also, he's called Fred." Ashton casually informs before he turns to the receptionist and begins to talk to her about his membership renewal without an inch of anxiety present.
Red's eyes remain glued to this apparent 'Fred', glaring at him intently as he makes his way into his Audi and drives away.
---
Don't forget to vote for this chapter and give feedback of course!