CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE
ANGIUSH
𖥸┈┈┈𖥸┈┈┈𖥸┈┈┈𖥸
FREYA WALKED AHEAD OF ARON AS THEY
strolled through another aisle of the supermarket, leisurely pushing the cart. Aron chortled, stuffing his hands into his jacket pockets. Freya turned her head, wearing a grumpy frown. "What's so funny to you?"
"You're trying too hard. It's obvious." She stopped walking, placing her hand on her hip as she still mean mugged her ever annoying cousin.
"What are you talking about?"
"Relax, Freya. It's just a grocery store." He places a hand onto her shoulder, shaking slightly. "Not a single one of these people are paying attention to you or what you're doin'."
"It's not even that, it's the stupid bright ass buzzing lights and the repetitive beeping and the music that is far too loud to be playing in a grocery store of all places." She pulls her shoulder away and starts to continue down the aisle. She stops when she sees a group of people standing and blocking the entire end of the aisle; all stood leant over their carts with their backsides out as far as they'll reach, laughing as loud as their voices will allow them.
"And the fact that apparently every other aisle is a fuckin' high school reunion. Just exchange numbers to meet for lunch like a normal person. Although, I mean, let's be honest here; none of them actually want to talk to one another." She scoffs, pivoting the cart around and rolling it over Aron's toes in her haste.
"Oi! Watch where you're driving that thing." Aron sassed, shaking his foot out. Freya rolled her eyes, no longer hiding her urgency to get the hell out of this supermarket.
"Don't act like that actually hurt you. I've seen the shit you and Liam throw at one another." Aron grumbles under his breath, following behind Freya once again. "Also, cutting to serious cousin talk here, what's goin on?" Freya glances over her shoulder at him, concern shimmering in her earthy eyes. "You're talking and being an annoying little shit like usual but you've got these sad puppy dog eyes. And I don't think I've ever seen you willingly give up time with Eve."
"I just haven't had some time with my favorite cousin in a while is all. Am I not allowed to miss you and want to spend time with you?" Freya stops the cart again, turning to him with narrowed eyes.
"What happened with you and Desmond that night?" She pries. Aron laughs, pushing a hand out in her direction.
"That's big kid talk, don't worry bout it." He continues past her now, trying to avoid the impending insistence that comes with a concerned Freya.
"Ohhhh, no you don't." Freya jogs to catch up with him after grabbing a loaf of bread from the shelf and tossing into the seat of the cart. "First of all, there is no way in hell you tried to use the "big kid talk" on me. And second of all, you are NOT getting away from talking about this. It had to have been bad if Liam AND Camren ended up at my place for the night and you're avoiding Eve."
"It's nothing that hasn't happened before. Liam and Camren just actually had a scapegoat from the house this time." Aron shrugged, avoiding Freya's gaze. He chewed on his bottom lip, something Freya had only seen him do a handful of times when he's anxious.
"Which actually.. speaking of.. you quite enjoyed that didn't you?" Aron smirked, turning to look back at her to catch the flush of her face.
"What are you talking about?" He smiled brighter at his successful change of subject.
"Liam AND Camren spending the night? Bet that was quite fun." He winked, to which Freya's face twisted into one of mortification. She couldn't deny the thought of it was...enticing. However, they were all there on the mission of cheering up a distressed Eve — emphasis on Eve's presence in the home.
"First of all, Camren doesn't see me that way." A scoff sounds from Aron, helping grab Freya one of her favorite snacks from the top shelf. "What? He doesn't."
"Right, and the sky is fuckin' purple." He sets it into the cart, giving her an eye roll as he continues walking. "I guess you were absolutely shitfaced at the hotel, but he still hasn't been subtle with it since."
Freya stands frozen in place, eyes watching Aron in confusion as he walks away. She shakes her head, pushing forward. "At the hotel? Since? Hold on," she laughs.
"That's everything on your little list, right?" Aron pivots, holding a carton of eggs in his hand. He set it into the cart, pulling his phone from his pocket with a deep frown before sliding back it into place.
"Uh, yeah. We can check out." Freya side eyes Aron as they make their way to the registers.
. * ✦ . ⁺ .⁺ ˚
The group of four stood around the pool table; Liam was perched near one end with his cue resting in his hand while Freya learnt over the table to take her shot. Aron and Camren stood with beers in hand, watching the game unfold in a hazed state. Freya shoots, pocketing the eight ball with a proud smirk. She gives her hips a shake, stinking her tongue out in victory before standing straight once again.
"And that is how you do it, boys." She passes her cue to Aron. "I'm gonna snag another drink, be right back." Liam moves to pass his cue to Camren, a dazed look still pinned to Freya. Aron places a hand on his chest and hands Freya's cue to Camren instead.
"You two play a round." Aron gives a stern look to Liam, before making his way behind Freya. Freya was leant over the bar on her tip toes, watching the bartender in awe as they moved with ease to make her drink along with three others. "You already order?"
"Oh, yeah. I'm sorry, did you need a refill?" She turns to him.
"Yeah but all good." Aron leans on the counter beside her, with a sigh. "Actually, would you step outside with me for a smoke?" Freya cocks her head at him, after thanking the bartender.
"Yeah, of course." The pair move in silence past the pool table where two sets of eyes follow. One carries confusion and flicks between Aron and Freya and the other carries a hunger set on Freya alone. The second they breech the doorway to the patio, Aron pulls his pack of cigarettes from his jacket pocket. "What's goin on, A?"
"Just a lot up here." He taps two fingers to his temple with a chuckle. "Stuck between a rock and hard place in multiple situations. I love bein' 'ere, don't get me wrong but it's hard not having all the other mates back home to also talk to."
"Something going on between the four of you?" Freya sips on her drink, moving to stand in front of Aron as a shield from the others on the patio. The distress on his face is slowly increasing as much as she sees him fighting to disguise it.
"Something like that I 'spose." He kicks at the ground, a sniffle slipping past. "I don't think I can see Eve anymore.." he blurts, throat visibly straining as the words are spoken out loud.
"Why's that?" Freya places a hand onto Aron's arm, rubbing a soothing pattern with her thumb. She doesn't dare divert her attention anywhere else, in the years she's known Aron he's never been so vulnerable with her. Even when he seemed to be going through something he would divert the attention elsewhere or cover it with a subtle joke.
"Desmond's always been right. About us being a danger to you guys. And I can't-" he takes a deep breath. "I can't do that to her. I would do that same to you if I could but I think we've already dug you too deep." He chuckles.
"Desmond isn't right about this, Aron. You don't think you're going to hurt her even more pulling away like this?"
"It'll be like pulling a bandaid. The sting is gonna be bad but she'll be and feel so much better without me." Freya sighs, dropping her gaze as Aron drops his head. She turns, setting her drink on the ledge of the window before wrapping herself around the trembling form of her cousin. "I'm so sorry, Freya. I shouldn't have gotten involved with her. I'm a bloody fuckin' idiot."
"No, Aron, you're not. I'm not sure of what happened between you and Desmond that night, but don't let it ruin things. Take the time you need to sort through it all, but don't leave her or yourself hanging. I wouldn't have helped get you two together if I thought anything other than you two are good for one another." They sit in silence a moment, Freya's chin sat atop his shoulder as she peers into the bar.
It grows busier as each moment passes but she still quickly spots Camren sat at the bar. He's scrolling on his phone mindlessly, occasionally sipping on his beer. She smiles as she sees him giggle at a video. Her brows pinch when she doesn't see Liam near him though. Her eyes bounce around the space, how is it possible to lose him?
They finally catch his tall frame still near the pool table. He's leant over behind some girl, ghosting his hands over hers as he teaches her how to play. Her back has a deep arch where she presses herself further into Liam and Freya watches him lick his lips into a smirk.
Freya feels her chest grow hot as a fiery black hole swallows her heart whole. The voices around the patio bleed into a dull ring as she reads their lips as they speak. Like this? She says, biting into her lip. Just a little further. He tests, and but of course she obliges. Perfect. Make sure you have a good grip on the base and-
Tears blur her sight before she can watch him finish the sentence. Even through the haze she sees the woman turn her head to lessen the proximity between herself and Liam. She closes her eyes tight, droplets immediately departing from her lash line and down onto the leather of Aron's jacket. She keeps them squeezed shut, trying her best to keep her breath even to not disturb her already distressed cousin. But he already hears it, the shallowness of her breath and the way her heart rate increases until it's devastatingly gushing in her chest in anguish.
She squeezes him tighter when he moves to pull away from their hug, desperate for the comfort herself and to not disrupt the comfort she was trying to offer him in his time of need. "Freya." He mumbles, only fighting her hold slightly as to not spook her more. "What's wrong? Why is your heart beating so hard?"
She blinks again, this time in attempt to push back the fat tears welling in her eyes. She sucks in a deep breath, forcing a sullen smile onto her face. She shakes her head, pushing the smile just a bit more. "Nothing, just so sad you're going through this right now. I wish there was more I could do to help."
Despite their use to cover her own blooming heartbreak, she did truly mean her words. She knew a dark time was coming for the man before her by the shifting energy stirring just beneath the surface of his skin. The way he'd began to relax into her embrace wasn't a motion of acceptance of her words, but rather an acceptance of loss. The loss of Eve.
She tries her hardest to keep her hazel eyes on Aron but can't fight off the morbid curiosity of how much further Liam is going to take it. The pair has parted from the pool table, the bottle blonde lustfully gazing up to him while she plops the cherry from her drink onto her tongue. She makes a show out of sucking the cherry off its stem, curling the stem into her mouth and only lolling back out to display it neatly tied at the end.
Even from this distance she can see the blue of Liam's eyes darken in want. The same way they do when he looks at her when she's fresh from the shower with nothing but a towel, or even just moments ago when she swayed her hips in a victory dance. Her stomach knotted and her fingernails pressed deep into her palms.
Aron followed the flicker of her gaze, twisting slightly to see through the same window. His nostrils flare upon the sight, chest puffing slightly. Freya blinks and he's gone, already in the bar with Liam pressed against the wall and his shirt bound in Aron's fist. Her jaw drops and she scrambles inside, alerting Camren from his seat at the bar. "Fuck." He whispers, shoving his way through the slight crowd near the bar.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" He spits through gritted teeth, his nose nearly brushing Liam's cheek. Liam chuckles, hands raised in faux defeat.
"What are you on about, mate?" Liam says, shooting an incredulous look to his new friend. This only angers Aron further, black licking at the edges of his eyes as he swings Liam onto the pool table. The girl shrieks running to Aron and swinging her fists into Aron's back.
"Oh my goooodd! What are you doing!? Get off him!" She whines, Freya grimaces at the high pitched whine. She sounds exactly as Freya pictured through the glass. Aron twists in her direction, baring jagged teeth. She screams in terror, falling backwards in shock.
Camren finally makes it over to the scene, grabbing Aron by the back of his jacket and yanking him back. "Aron, that's enough!" He moves close to his ear. "We are in public, man. Knock it off." He looks to Liam, who's laughing while still lain on the table. "You-" he points. "Take care of this." He finishes before dragging the fuming Aron from the building as quickly as humanly possible.
Freya is stood frozen in her spot, just a couple paces from the pool table. Crescents dug deep into her palms and her chest heaving as the anxiety of it all finally bubbles up her throat, constricting. Liam sits up as the rest of the bar has brought all their attention over to him. He glances around to the other patrons, raising his arms with a smile. "I'm all good! Just a brotherly disagreement."
The girl is still balled up against the exact wall Liam was thrown against, trembling in fear. "His-his- his eyes-"
Liam crouches down to her level, grabbing her shoulders and forcing her to meet his gaze. Freya watches her body relax and her focus fade. "All good, love, yeah?" She nods slowly. "Why don't you go grab us another round?" She stands, her shoulder bumping Freya's as she passes to go to the bar.
Liam's eyes follow the girl, skating upwards only once she reaches Freya. Freya still doesn't move, aside from raising her eyebrows at Liam. His smile fades, swallowing hard. He brings a hand to scratch at the back of his neck, his mouth opening to speak. "Don't. Just, don't." Freya scoffs, shaking her head as her feet suddenly seem to thaw from the ground.
"Freya-" She doesn't stop to listen, "Freya!" He shouts as she reaches the door to the bar. She whips the door open, welcoming the chilled air as it whips her blue locks around her face.
Aron is stood just outside the door, the cherry of his cigarette burning bright red as he sucks hard onto its butt. Smoke billows past his lips before he clenches his jaw. Camren is stood next to him, lighting a cigarette of his own. His face softens as Freya exits the bar, wrapping her jacket tighter around her body.
She walks over to Camren, swiping the freshly lit cigarette from between his lips. She takes a deep pull of her own, savoring the heavy swirl of nicotine through her lungs. He doesn't react to Freya's thievery, instead just reaches into Aron's pocket to replace it. Liam comes through the door in that moment, hand already extended to Freya. "Freya, please let me just-"
She rips her arm from his grasp with a glare. Both Aron and Camren have pushed themselves off the wall to stand between the two. "Don't. Touch me." Liam sighs, running a frustrated hand over his face. "I don't want to speak to you."
"Then just listen-" Aron steps up to Liam again, the glimmer of rage bubbling once again beneath the surface. "Shove off, Aron. I'm just trying to talk to her." Aron presses two hands into Liam's chest, shoving him back. Liam stumbles but gets ready to launch as he regains balance. Camren steps between them with hands to each of them and a look of anger so intense a pulse of fear jolts through Freya.
"I don't want to listen to you either."
"Oh, that's rich." Liam laughs. Freya storms past Aron and Camren, swiftly striking Liam's cheek once she's in reach of him. As expected, he doesn't move. "Try again, love. Couldn't feel that one." He taunts, patting his cheek.
"What the fuck is wrong with you?" She spits, squinting at him.
"You want to listen now?" He opens his arms, towering over her in a shrug. "Are we actually going to listen now?" Aron jolts forward again but Camren catches his shoulder. Freya rolls her eyes, immediately turning and walking away.
"Dude, fuck this."
"Don't you want to know what's wrong with me, Freya? I thought you wanted to know!" As he starts to try and follow her, Camren swings; nailing him square in the jaw with a loud thud. Liam holds his jaw, spitting blood onto the concrete. "Now that was a hit. Good one, Cam."
"Stop being a fucking chav. Turn around." Camren turns, patting Aron's back in a motion for him to follow as he trails behind Freya.