BETWEEN RECOVERY AND worrying about the Candyman coming back to finish what he had started, Freja wasn't sure how much she could balance on her plate, but she had never been one to cower away from a challenge. Therefore, as soon as one of the nurses had come to announce Freja's discharge with painkillers and instructions for home care, the Barrett had almost leaped at the opportunity to put her plans into motion — even though she was quickly reminded of her state, the attempt at rushing to change her clothes seized by the sharp, stabbing pain all over her head.
By the time Ravi was returning, however, the woman was already looking for her jacket and devouring the water bottle Matilda had stopped by with, showing no signs of stopping as she bounced from one side of the room to the other.
"Hey, good news!" she informed happily, her hands clapping together after a brief glance at Ravi, far too occupied fishing her boots from under the bed to stare at the man. "I'm getting out. You wouldn't mind giving me a ride to Elliot's?" Freja continued to babble, her voice full of hope along with the strain of kneeling onto the uncomfortably clean floortiles — they reminded her of the morgue, actually.
"Oh." Already frowning at the weak response she got from Ravi, Freja huffed and grabbed her shoes before peeking up from the other side of the bed, only to find the man still standing at the doorway with his arms full of candy and chips, face distorted with disappointment and remorse. "I—I didn't expect it to be so quick. Are you sure you're ready to go out? Not too long ago you would barely talk. What if the Candyman comes looking for you?" he finally cracked, his worries flooding out in a vehement rant as he strode to the hospital bed and let the crinkling packages fall from his chest.
Unable to hold back a smile, Freja placed the shoes next to the bags and stretched over the mattress to give Ravi's hand a soft pat. "I know, and I've already asked Matilda if she knows any good therapists in town. I can't pretend like I'm magically healed, because, well", she elaborated with a haphazard gesture at her bruised face, "I'm not. But I also can't stay here anymore. I have to see Elliot and—and I'll probably stay with him and Jules for the night, too."
"I suppose that makes sense. I guess I'm just a little concerned. I'm here for you too, if you need anything", he chuckled quietly, scratching the back of his head before flashing a faint smile at Freja. It was enough to remind her of the flutter in her heart and make it all the clearer why she had grown so fond of him — and after facing off with the Candyman, the churn of feelings in her stomach didn't even seem so intimidating anymore.
"I'm scared, too", she admitted, the smile on her lips not quite so cheerful anymore, but when she looked into Ravi's eyes and remembered just how much he had done for her, she couldn't stop her gaze from gaining endless gratitude. "Hey, Ravi—", she began again, but already knowing what to expect, the man was interjecting.
"Don't even mention it. Whatever you need, whenever", he swore sincerely, a reaffirming nod accompanying his kind words and pushing Freja's split lips higher.
She was yet to climb back up from the figurative bottom, the usual light in her snuffed out by the darkness of everything that had happened as of late, but she figured that all she needed was a reason to get up. The temptation to be rendered useless by the fear of the Candyman and the horror of losing Lowell almost prevailed, but with Ravi's unwavering care and Elliot's mystery job, she still had something to keep fighting for. If not herself, then answers and justice.
"So, dare I even ask what's all this?" Freja gestured at the dozen vending machine snacks separating her from Ravi, but even in uncertainty, she was flattered — he was always so considerate, and the thought of that only clutched her heart in the best possible way while she tugged her shoes on. The look that Ravi gave her in return suggested he would have preferred not sharing, but with a simple stare, she managed to unravel his walls. Maybe the effect he had on her wasn't a one-way street, after all.
"Well, I do feel like a fool, now, but um... I realize the timing isn't the most perfect, though I suppose, in a way, it is. Because when I got the call that someone had broken into our house and you had ended up in the hospital...", he explained, his typical confidence faltering with each unsure word he spoke in the quiet hospital room, his fingers playing with his sleeves as he shrugged and glanced between the snacks and Freja. "I don't want to go out with Peyton. I want to go out with you. And I figured, since we're stuck here, I might as well empty one of those damn machines of all their snacks and propose a date now. Until, of course, you're free to go and I might ask you on an actual one."
Only at that moment, Freja suspected that she had been hit in the head harder than she had expected, that perhaps she was still unconscious and imagining every word, dreaming about the impossibly affectionate look in Ravi's eyes. But when she broke out in an incredulous chuckle and her entire face ached in reaction, she knew the pain to be far too real, and somehow, that only left her grinning wider.
"Really?" she asked carefully, still suspicious, but the smile Ravi offered along with a nod to seal the promise effectively wiped away any worries.
Just like that, having a crush didn't seem so bad — not when the person constantly occupying her thoughts felt the same way about her. She was living the moment that no one ever expected, even if hoped for, the moment where she could stop worrying and just give in to the warmth bubbling up in her chest at the mere sight of him.
Pulling on her second shoe, Freja huffed out in relief and clasped her hands together. "I think my bed's being given away so staying right here might be difficult", she reminded Ravi with a thoughtful voice, but before he could get discouraged, she was hauling the chips into her arms and shrugging. "But I would love nothing more than to find someplace else to be with you."
Needless to say, when Ravi's whole face lit up and he scooped up the rest of snacks before making the complicated gesture of offering one arm for Freja, the Barrett no longer felt like getting back up would be so tough.
—————
THE LAST THING Freja had expected of her night was to be seated in Ravi's car, mouth full of chips and 80s pop songs quietly playing from the radio as they cackled at one another's jokes on the side of Jules and Elliot's street, waiting for the latter to come home from work — there she was, however, and she couldn't have been happier. She supposed she hadn't expected to be sent to a hospital, either, but the way her face burned with every laugh never let her forget. With Ravi, though, and the knowledge that she wasn't alone in the chaotic butterflies swarming in her stomach, it was much easier to tolerate all the bad she had been dealt.
"I mean, at least I can now say I've survived a fight with a zombie", Freja mentioned nonchalantly, as if it was no big deal — in reality, Ravi's attempts to ask how she was doing had been quickly shot down, just because not talking about the previous night was much simpler. She appreciated his caring antics, but what she truly wanted right now, was to enjoy this moment with him without the extra baggage.
If only it would have been so easy.
"Oh, I, for one, never doubted that you're a total badass. Full disclosure, I may or may not be a sucker for that", Ravi announced through the sour gummies he was munching on, a sneaky smile directed at Freja in the process, but before she could do much more than crack one of her own, he was continuing. "I promise I'll take you on a real date one day, by the way", he vowed, seemingly not accepting their night in the fort or their snack-binging in his car as real dates — Freja chuckled at that, yet she ended up putting the chips down with an uneasy swirl in her chest.
And there it was. What should have been a surge of happiness kicked at her with a bitter aftertaste, and as much as she wanted to simply push the gnaw of anxiety away, she knew exactly what it was and it earned a deep sigh from her. Maybe she had been a fool to think that she could just leap into whatever it was between her and Ravi, no consequences, no struggles to do what she had never done before.
"Listen, Ravi, I need to tell you something", she swallowed nervously, her lips twisting in every possible direction as she wiped her hands and took in a careful breath. The way he looked at her only made it harder to get the words out, the pure kindness he radiated with — she didn't want to see that fondness drain from his gaze, but she couldn't let the discomfort brew, either. "I like you, a lot. But I'm not very good with commitment, I guess", she breathed out, unsure how else to word the ball of darkness gaining life every time they took a step into what she wanted to feel like the right direction.
Excluding the Madonna song filling the space between them, silence landed in the car and within seconds, Freja wanted to retrieve her confession from the awkward air. Ravi, on the other hand, offered an understanding nod and turned on his seat to fully face the woman. "No way, the girl who dropped out of college isn't good with commitment?" he pretended to gasp, and once Freja's stern expression cracked with a chuckle, he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I'm kidding. Sort of. But I understand, and I don't want to push you. I'm willing to take this as slowly as you're comfortable with, because I really like you too, Freja."
The stare she didn't even realize she had trailed to her fingertips rose back to Ravi, and for a moment, she thought she was going to have to break into tears of joy, but instead, she reached for the hand resting on her shoulder and squeezed it. "I would like that date, though", she affirmed with a hint of boldness lacing her tone again, desperately hoping that she managed to convey her endless gratitude with the sly comment. Frankly, she wasn't sure what she, or the world for that matter, had done to deserve someone like Ravi Chakrabarti but she certainly wasn't ready to let go.
"And a date you shall get", he declared dramatically, sure to break the tension in the car with his proud voice, yet the tender smile he gave her was nothing but sincere. "However", he cleared his throat, "I think your brother just came home", his hand lifting off of Freja's shoulder to point at the opposite side of the street.
Before she could sigh at the loss of contact, she was twisting in her seat just in time to catch Elliot swinging the door of his own car open and stepping out in one of his sleek suits, phone in one hand and suitcase in another. That did eventually get Freja to sigh — she wanted to believe in her brother, and despite all their banter, she wanted to him to happy, so when it came to confronting him about Max Rager, her options seemed just as terrible in comparison. Either she'd have to squash his expectations and hopes, or discover that he wasn't such a good person, after all, and she wasn't sure which one she was hoping for.
"Remember, everything you know so far is completely out of context. I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation for everything", Ravi chimed in before Freja could spin any horrible ideas in her mind, and supposing that he was right, she faced him with one last time.
"Wish me luck", she huffed out, but she had hardly pushed the door open when she had already turned back to Ravi with a careful smile. "I liked our non-date date. I can't wait for the actual one", she teased, her tired eyes blessed with some of their usual twinkle when she leaned in to leave a soft kiss on his cheek.
From the speechless look and the dumbstruck smile she successfully placed on Ravi's face, she guessed she wasn't the only one with a racing heart, but she didn't stay to inquire for details. Instead, she took the risk of a grin and hopped out of the car after an innocent wave at the man, and began to trek towards the adorable suburban house Julian and Elliot had invested in together. She might have been unable to plan as far as that, but finding her own limits and testing the waters with Ravi was beginning to seem almost exciting — especially now that she knew he was all in, too.
Elliot had been much quicker than Freja, so once she finally reached the doorstep and almost got rid of the lovelorn smile, she rung the doorbell more than enough times. Within seconds, though, her calls were being answered and Elliot peeked from inside with an irritated scowl, one that turned into a roll of eyes as soon as he spotted his little sister beaming up at him. Once the bruises and wounds littering her face registered, however, his annoyance evaporated and he was practically yanking Freja indoors.
"Holy shit, Willa wasn't kidding when she texted me about you being in the hospital", he breathed in horror, a hand placed on his mouth as he shook his head. "Listen, I swear I was coming to visit, but I didn't realize it was this serious— it wasn't that guy you went out with, right? Why are you even out of the hospital right now?" he rambled, the protective big brother seeping through the bitter exterior as he prepared to shout for Julian to come and see her rearranged face, too, only for Freja to intervene with a shake of her own head.
"What? No, it wasn't him", she snorted, unsure why his date was even an option. "It looks worse than it is. They gave me instructions for home— though, I have to say, these bright lights kinda suck", she elaborated, her eyes squinting as she pointed at the lamps lit up in each of the rooms, and already acting, Elliot reached for the dimmers below the painting that Liv had once made of Freja, who had graciously gifted the artwork to the soon-to-be-husbands.
"Luckily for you, Jules knows a thing or two about nursing. You weren't planning on going home, right?" the oldest Barrett questioned, as if stating the obvious, and already chuckling at the expected, Freja shook her head — she had planned to crash at theirs, but she had known more than well that asking wouldn't even be necessary. When things were really serious, there was no doubt about Elliot's loyalty and love, and it made the situation that much worse.
"I did have something to talk about—", Freja coughed then, still determined to get answers to the question Liv had posed earlier, but rather than being given the time to probe, she was already being steered into the kitchen.
"Yeah, yeah, but first, get something to drink. I'm gonna get changed and then we'll make you a bed, alright?" Elliot insisted, already tugging off his tie while making an aimless wave at the kitchen. "Don't fall head-first into the garbage disposal or something", he added sternly, and with that, he was striding towards the bedroom and abandoning Freja by the marble island where the infamous garbage disposal awaited her destruction.
Snorting at his brother's fussing, Freja let him walk away, and wandered into the kitchen with her stomach choosing it as the perfect time to grumble. She couldn't deny that perhaps, chips and candy didn't serve as proper dinner, so accepting her defeat, she grabbed the refrigerator door and squatted down to greedily inspect the contents.
What she hoped for was something along the lines of peanut butter, maybe some cake leftovers, last night's pizza, or possibly a carton of chocolate milk. What she got, instead, effectively faltering her smile and dropping her heart through the floorboards, was a pair of identical yellow coolers à la Blaine DeBeers.
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Author's note
YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW LONG I'VE BEEN DYING TO SHARE THIS TWIST WITH YOU GUYSSS. I also really liked your comments on the previous chapter but I didn't know what to reply without spoiling omg. But cat's out of the bag now!
And of course Ravi and Freja are so wholesome (':
Thank you for reading! ❤️