24. Stubborn ball

Freya’s POV

It was all a dream.

I chanted like a mantra in my head hoping it would turn into one or it was one.

I couldn’t believe he had left me out in the rain after everything, grateful I was found before things would have gone from worst to bad. Things were tense between me and him and I could see It staying that way.

Celine was coming in today, she was so excited to be able to live here with us. We have no doubt had the best life but it was going to be like old times—me and her against the world.

Her excited squeal moved my attention to the door where she walked in, trotting her two suitcases after her. Her gaze seizes around her surroundings before settling on me.

She left her suitcases beside the door and skipped to me, taking my hands “OMG, this is like a dream come through” she laughed carrying me along.

“I know right? we are finally going to stay together”

“And in this mansion. We would definitely throw the best parties” she smiled, her orbs reflecting happiness.

“No, Celine. No parties, we ain’t gonna give poor grandma a heart attack” I looked at her pointedly. She jutted her bottom lips out like I had taken her favorite candy.

“Please be on your best behavior. I don’t want anything that would anger Oliver and his grandma” I pleaded. As much as it kills me to acknowledge, Oliver's opinion matters a lot actually.

“Oh, I forgot that asshole also lives here” She screwed her face in disgust, the thought of him and her meeting would of course cause a wave crash. “I can’t wait to punch him in the face, for all he has done to you”

“Celine, he is my boss please”

“He isn’t, your granny is the one that hired you. I take back everything I said about shipping you both together”

I laughed out loud. She was shocked and mad when I told her everything that had gone down between me and Oliver.—I guess it was enough to wake up the hatred in her towards him.

“How are you going to get to work on time? I calculated it would be about a two hour drive to the club. I would understand if you want to go back to our previous apartment” I looked at her. She rolled her bottom lip into her mouth, she does it when she is afraid of the outcome of something.

“I can’t miss this opportunity” she shook her head, the thought wasn’t even worth thinking about to her “And besides I quit my job”

My eyes turned to soccer “You what?”

“I quit my job, I think it is time I gave it a rest” She looked anywhere else but me—she was lying to me. It was right there staring at me in the face, the truth. She was running away from someone.

“What did you do Celine?” I asked. Using the calmest approach I could.

“Why do you think I did something? I got tired of the job and left. That is it”

It hurt that she couldn’t trust me with her problems. If I didn’t know any better I would say, I was no longer a best friend to her. But this is Celine, she doesn’t let things get out of control—I would trust her just this once.

“I am starving, I haven’t had something to eat throughout today. I miss your cooking” She stood up from the bed.

Standing up along with her, I couldn’t afford to let her cook and burn down the house— she was prone to cause a fire outbreak just by boiling water.

“Let’s go make something to eat. What would you like?”I led her down the kitchen. Not like this was her first time being here.

“Anything. I would literally eat cereal as long as you are making it” she moaned, sighing tiredly.

“How about spaghetti and meatballs?” I suggested.

She moaned in delight “Yess, being long since I have had that”

“Spaghetti it is”

I opened the cupboard, looking for the necessary ingredients but almost all of them were empty. I had forgotten to stock up last week.

“There are no available ingredients, we are stocked with either cereals or leftover Mac and cheese” I raised the option up in the air for her to pick.

“Cereals please”

I brought out two bowls, poured in the milk then the cereal after.

“Thank you,” she said in a sing-song way.

“We would go grocery shopping after eating”

“Sure, who knows I might see someone cute for the night” she laughed—she and her sexual urges.

*******

The store was barely occupied with people. We walked about each aisle with a list of things we needed to buy.

“The girl at the counter is checking you out,” Celine whispered.

“I doubt that, and you should know better than to wing me with a girl” I shook my head. Picking up a loaf of bread from the chef.

“I am just saying” She raised her both hands in mock surrender “Let’s get this” she picked up a sleeping mask showing it to me.

“Drop it back Celine, we are just here for groceries” I muttered tiredly, looking around for the last thing on the list.

“Isn’t that Ethan?” I wondered out loud. There he stood talking to an older lady with a friendly smile on his face.

“Ethan who?” she turned to where I was facing “Oh, that guy?” she shook her head and went back to what she was looking for.

“Do you know him?” I asked curiously.

“Of course, he was the guy I told you about that gives great heads” she retorted half-heartedly.

“You have got to be kidding me”

“I also wish I was,” she laughed.

“You seemed so satisfied the other night. What happened ?”

“He has this—“ The chaos at the back diverted her attention, citing her sentence short.

“Yo Celine,” a big guy yelled across the store. Her eyes widened.

Taking my hands in hers, she dragged me along with her picking up her pace.

“What is going on?” I asked her as she looked at both sides before continuing her run.

“I will tell you later, we just need to get out of here first,” she said, but I knew better than to believe her—she wasn’t going to tell me. She never planned to.

“At least tell me who those people are” She ignored me going down a flight of stairs, stringing me along with her —our groceries are long forgotten.

“This way,” she said, opening a door with the sign exit only to be met with those men standing in front of us on that open rooftop.

“You actually didn’t think you could run from us did you?” the same guy that has shouted her name spoke up.

She pushed me behind her, shelling me from them. “When I say run, you run without looking back” She turned her head back a little to whisper in my ear.

“What do you want?” she asked glaring at them, only the little shake In her voice let me know how scared she was.

“We already told you, you took one of us. It is only fair if we return the favor. Don’t you think so?” the guy at the right side of their leader spoke—the large scar covering almost half of his face made me shriek back.

“Or should we take the lady at the back of you? it seems we would get a good buyer if we put her up for sale” he continued.

Who were these people? And what was Celine’s connection with them?—even from a glance you will know how dangerous they are.

“Touch her and I will cut off your balls and feed them to you” Celine threatened through clenched teeth.

Where were the people when you needed them?

“Well well, aren’t you a little spitfire?” they all cackled—you know those Villains in the movies? Exactly like them.

They took slow striding steps towards us “Freya, at the count of three you run, you hear me?”

“I can’t leave you here all by yourself” I responded stubbornly. Only God knows the kind of things they would do to her.

“Then would you prefer we both die here together?” she shouted back furiously.

I shook my head, they were closer than before. “One” she focused solely on them taking a step back” Two” she paused “three” and yelled.

The door we had both came in opened and a hand pulled us in and locked the door.

I closed my eyes out of instinct, raising my hands to block my face from getting hit.

“Open your eyes, Freya,” Ethan said.

I opened my eyes slowly, peeking through my eyelids—his face was blank of the usual smile he always wore.

He looked at Celine “Are you happy now they know about her?” his jaw ticked from being clenched too tight.

“It isn’t my fault they had found us” she muttered.

“Really? That is what you have to say?” disbelief crossed his face “You had better get your shit together, I won’t tolerate you putting other people in danger just because you have refused to say a word” and with that, he left.

Leaving an angry-looking Celine to ponder over his parting words.