CHAPTER 10

SWEET DESSERT

Freya was filled with a multitude of emotions. She had thought that up until this point, coming over to Reighley’s place turned out better than expected, only until “she” showed up. For the first time, Freya felt inferior to another woman, and the epicenter of that inferiority stemmed from hugging her boyfriend.

“Is this the type of woman Reighley likes?” Freya thought, “What does she have that I don’t?”. Freya wondered, but her thoughts were interrupted by Reighley who was now standing in front of her.

“Hey, it’s not what you think, I swear!” Reighley explained. Kaede walked up next to Reighley and began to introduce herself.

“Hello, Ms. Young. You may recognize me from Gilford High School. I am the school’s nurse. My name is Kaede.” Kaede said while bowing. Freya did recognize Kaede after she got close. She was the woman who did her school physical the year prior. “I wasn’t expecting you to be here, but the more the merrier!”

“Reighley, how do you know her?” Freya asked. At this point, Freya was visibly upset with her arms completely crossed.

“I’ve known her the majority of my life. We grew up in the same neighborhood.” He answered. Reighley began to worry that Freya may have gotten the wrong impression.

“So this is the legendary childhood friend I’ve read about in so many books.” Freya thought. If Reighley had someone like her around him growing up, it made sense to her why he was so distant when girls were all over him. He gave the same expression when she hugged him as well. Freya glanced up and down at Kaede. Estimating her beauty on a scale. “Yep. She's a mature adult, and beautiful. I can’t believe he never told me he had a girl on the side.” Freya pretended to be unimpressed and replied to Kaede, “Well I think I remember you, it’s hard to tell.” She acted standoffish toward the two standing in front of her.

“Well, let's not keep Isabelle waiting…” Reighley said awkwardly.

“Okay!” Kaede said. She linked arms with Reighley and dragged him towards the kitchen.

Freya was infuriated, “The gall of that woman!” she thought. She considered leaving the house but quickly squashed those thoughts as that would mean she conceded to Kaede. Before Reighley and Kaede made it to the kitchen, Reighley extracted himself from Kaede and went back for Freya.

“This entire time, I’ve been letting these girls walk all over me. Didn’t I say I was going to be the man of the house?” Reighley questioned himself and walked over to Freya. “Why do I even care what she thinks anyway? It’s not like she’s my actual girlfriend.” Reighley grabbed Freya by the hand and led her to the kitchen. “Come on, let's go eat,” he said. Freya was overjoyed that he came back for her, but wouldn’t let him know it. She was still upset that he let Kaede smother him in affection.

Jericho had just finished helping her daughter place the food on the table when she noticed her son and two beautiful young ladies walk into the kitchen dining room. She looked over at her son who was holding the hand of his friend who just so happened to be a girl and thought, “I am so proud of my baby boy,” he was growing up and this was a big moment in his life. He was entering a popular phase, and could potentially have a genuine girlfriend. Jericho’s eyes turned towards the food and her mouth began to water from how delectable it looked. There were an assortment of different things to eat. The table had a pot roast filled with carrots, potatoes, and broccoli. Around it were two casseroles, one was beef, and the other chicken. There was bread and butter on several plates and there were even two pies on the table for dessert. They looked to be cherry and blueberry. Jericho patted Isabelle on the shoulder and began to praise her.

“Isabelle, You really outdid yourself,” Jericho said.

“Thanks, Mom!” She replied.

Jericho looked back over at her son and mouthed the words *pull out the chairs for our guests*, as that was not only polite but gentlemen-like. Reighley noticed the gesture and did as told, pulling out the chairs for the two.

“Oh my, what a gentleman. Thank you very much.” Kaede thanked gleefully.

“Hmph…” Freya hummed.

“What did I do?” Reighley thought. After Reighley let go of Freya’s hand and sat down, the five began to eat dinner. He was seated between Freya and Kaede and across the table were his mother and sister. He couldn’t help but feel like he was trapped between a rock and a hard place. Reighley looked at everyone around the table while using his abilities to prepare himself for what was to come. He started with Kaede. Her aura was as prominent as ever, still pink and fluffy almost like cotton candy. Knowing sugar was bad for him, he reminded himself to keep some physical distance from her. Freya’s aura was an anomaly. Her arrows which normally pointed themselves toward her desires were on fire and embedded in the ground. He could only guess that meant she wanted to stay here at all costs. When he glanced over toward his sister and his mother, his alarms were set off. Isabelle and Jericho both had hues of Gray around their standard blue and gold aurae respectively. He knew they were up to something and he needed to find out what that was before it was too late.

Freya had a spoonful of the casserole only inches from her mouth. She was hesitant to eat it, as her palate for food was set at a high standard. She was afraid that she might spit the food out instinctively and didn’t want to be offensive to Reighley’s family. She put on a brave face and gave it a shot, taking a bite. To her surprise, it tasted as good as it smelled, but not good enough to fix her mood. As she was eating she was glaring towards Kaede who was off in her world, enjoying her meal. Jericho noticed Freya was not amused by the competition and decided to probe her.

“So Freya, how did you meet my son?” Jericho asked.

“Umm… Well, we go to school together and we sit next to each other in class.” Freya didn’t want to admit it but she was intimidated. The three girls across from her were like the final boss in a game or show. Combined, it was like they were an amalgamation of pressure, looming over her.

“Didn’t you ask Reighley out on the first day of school? He told me he turned you down.” Kaede asked. “You even offered to pay him to date you.” The entire time she was speaking Reighley was dragging his finger across his neck while looking towards Kaede, hoping to signal to her to not bring that up in front of his mom. Freya was startled by the question, but she couldn’t back down. It was her time to fight back.

“Those are fighting words,” Reighley thought. He looked over at Freya to see her reaction and was surprised to see her flames engulf her. He could tell she wasn’t going to back down.

“Yes, I did offer to pay him. It was the only way I could get his attention after he completely turned me down three times in a row, but he and I are dating now.” Freya said, almost proud-like.

“Oh really!? Reighley I thought you said she was a friend that just happened to be a girl.” Jericho said with excitement. She raised a brow toward her son. Reighley let out a sigh. He knew the gig was up. He wondered if Freya had mentioned the two were dating to have one up on Kaede for whatever reason.

“I turned her down because she came on too strong. It was like she decided I belonged to her from the moment I walked into the classroom,” Reighley said, “It wasn’t until I heard her out that I decided to give her a chance.”

“Yes! My son has a girlfriend!” Jericho internally shouted for joy and then began speaking, “So, do you belong to her? I thought you said you were going to marry Kaede back when you were younger?” she asked mischievously. Reighley looked completely flustered by the comment. “He’s so adorable when he’s embarrassed,” She thought.

“I remember that! It was so cute. Try asking me again in a few years, Reighley.” Kaede teased with a wink. Freya’s jealousy shot through the roof. The fact Kaede said that after Freya announced she was his girlfriend made it worse. Her mood soured. She wanted to get Kaede fired. Even though the two weren’t truly dating as of yet, she felt as though she was being cheated on by him right in front of her. She imagined Kaede and Reighley at a spectacular wedding getting married, and that ignited a fiery rage in her soul. Reighley looked over in Freya’s eyes and saw that her aura was a dark purple flame that, if were real, would burn the entire house down.

“I don’t belong to anyone.” Reighley said defensively, “It’s just that her reputation depended on me saying yes… That’s all.” Soon the five were done eating and the group sat around the table.

“Is that your true feelings?” Jericho wondered, “The boy I know wouldn’t commit to something that serious with a reason as trivial as that. You’ve grown up too fast. You're always serious about your future and taking care of the family. You have never done something without a good reason and you rarely do anything for yourself.” Jericho looked at her son and then glanced over at the quiet Isabelle and couldn’t help but smile. She couldn’t have asked for better children.

Freya was disappointed in his answer but knew deep down she didn’t have his heart. She knew that wasn’t the real reason they were together. He was only dating her to support his family. “He was being selfless, while I was being selfish,” She thought. While eating, she looked at Reighley and then glanced around the kitchen and couldn’t help but think his ambitions were admirable. She started to wonder if she had things too good back at home. For starters, her kitchen and her dining room were separate, and she called Isabelle's room a closet. The Summers family’s household was the size of her walk-in closet, yet they didn’t feel cramped. She felt as if she should be upset with Reighley, but felt like he had suffered enough. “I should spoil him more.” She thought. “He is the type of guy that would give up everything for those he cares about, but what do I even do for him besides pay him?” Freya thought about that question while eating a piece of roast beef. “I should support him.”

Freya’s deep thoughts were disrupted by Isabelle and Jericho who caught her eye. The two would glance at her and then at each other, repeating those motions several times.

“So who wants to see Reighley’s baby photos?” The two said in unison.

“N-no, no!” Reighley choked on his word. He panicked and got up from the table, he knew the location of the photo book and immediately ran in its direction, hoping to seal it away in his room for the night.

“I want to!” Kaede said.

“Me too,” Freya said. Her spirits were lifted by the thought of seeing Reighley as a cute baby.

“All right, here we go.” Isabelle pulled a photobook from underneath the table as if prepared for this moment and it was too late for Reighley. He was pure red from embarrassment. He wanted to hide in his room and wait until the suffering ended, but he said he was going to be the man of the house so he decided to take it like a man. He wouldn’t be able to unlive this in his mind if he ran away. Soon Isabelle cleared the table to make enough room for the photobook and Jericho began to flip it open.

Reighley sat back down in his chair and began to preemptively cringe internally. However, he thought that some good would come of this. He looked at Freya and saw that her fiery aura was doused. Now in its place was a heart-shaped cupid's arrow pointed toward the album. Her face was amused as well. Freya wanted to see him as a toddler. She had a smile on her face that was hard to hide.

“She must want to see it. If it will make her happy then I guess it’s not all that bad,” Reighley thought, “Wait… why do I want to make her happy?” He couldn’t answer that question and shrugged it off, but there was something about her smile that made Reighley fulfilled. Soon the five gathered closely together and started looking at the book.

“He’s so cute!” Kaede said. The girls were looking at a Polaroid photograph of Reighley in front of a TV. The photo had a written note next to it that said (Saturday Morning Cartoons!).

“Groverman, Right?” Jericho asked Reighley. In the photo, Reighley was pumping his fist to the television. There was almost a sparkle in his eyes. “You used to tell me you were going to grow up and be like Groverman when you grew up.”

“Hey, he was pretty cool when I was a kid.”

“What’s Groverman?” Freya asked.

“He was this forest ranger that was chosen by the trees. He could control nature around him because of it.” He replied. Freya giggled as she thought it was adorable. Reighley realized how embarrassing this all was but was attempting to hold onto any dignity he had left; he felt like he was managing somehow. Freya pointed out a costume Reighley was wearing in the next photo, it was titled (Groverman saves Halloween!) The picture showed Reighley on top of a pumpkin. In one hand was a wooden sword pointed towards the sky, the other had a bag full of candy.

“These are too cute.” Freya chuckled.

“This one is Reighley and me eating ice cream,” Isabelle said. There was a huge contrast between the two children. Isabelle was tidy, licking the ice cream cone in her hand, while Reighley had ice cream all over his shirt and the floor. “He’s still this messy,” Isabelle jested. The group laughed and then turned the page. The room went a little quiet as the next photo was a picture of Reighley sitting on his dad's lap. It was titled (Reighley found out Santa wasn’t real.) It was a photo of Reighley crying while his father was wearing a Santa outfit.

“Who’s that?” Freya asked. She knew it was his father but wanted confirmation. Reighley and Isabelle took after their dad in a lot of ways. They both inherited his curly black hair, and they had similar facial structures.

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“That’s my dad,” Reighley said. His tone was bittersweet. He longed for the simpler days when his family was together. When he would look at himself in pictures, he could only see his father. It was a reminder of who Reighley was in the past. “He isn't a part of our life anymore.” Freya felt bad for the Summers family and decided not to press further. The photo afterward was a picture of Kaede kissing Reighley on the cheek. Freya was jealous that Kaede got to spend so much time with Reighley throughout his life. She was marginally older than him, Freya estimated 5 years. Freya swore to herself that she wouldn’t lose. She felt as though to win, she needed Reighley’s first kiss.

Soon the group was halfway through the book and Freya noticed that they were out of photos. It stopped right when he was in middle school.

“What happened? Is this everything?” She asked.

“Yep. Reighley stopped letting me take pictures of him after middle school.” Jericho answered. “It’s a shame too. My little boy has become so handsome.”

“I have some photos of Reighley on my phone...” Freya said.

“What!?” The three girls said as they all began crowding Freya.

“He let you take pictures of him!? Let me see!” Kaede asked.

“Yeah, is that a big deal or something?” Freya asked while showing the photos from the amusement park. Reighley was quiet ever since they passed the photo with his father. Freya looked over at him for answers but he avoided her gaze being completely silent. Reighley didn’t let other people take photos of him after middle school. If he looked in a photo he wouldn’t see his aura, unlike with mirrors, but it would remind him of the last time he saw his aura.

“Yeah. I don't even have any photos with him.” Kaede stated.

“He must really like you in order to do that,” Isabelle said, looking to get a reaction out of Reighley, however, when she saw the look on his face, he appeared distant. As if he didn’t even hear her words, completely lost in thought. Everyone paused and looked over towards Reighley, anticipating a response from him. The silence lasted over five seconds. The group collectively thought that he was spacing off in his own world thinking about things, but yet something was off about him.

“Hello, earth to Reighley,” Kaede said while pinching his cheek.

“Ouch!” He yelped, snapping out of his clouded mind. “Sorry… what?”.

“You were zoning out,” Isabelle said.

“My, bad…” Reighley laughed awkwardly. Freya couldn’t help but wonder what was going on inside his head. She was about to ask him a question before she heard a ringing noise coming from her phone. She was receiving a call from a number she did not recognize.

“Who is it?” Jericho asked.

“I’m not sure,” She replied. She stared directly at the screen for a brief moment and then decided to answer it. “Hello?”

(“Hello, is this Freya?”) The voice asked.

“Who’s asking?” She snarled.

(“It’s your Father.”) Jim said. Freya’s expression turned somber. (“Where are you? You weren’t at home all day today.”)

“I’m at a friend's house.” She explained.

(“Well you need to come home, now.”) Jim commanded.

“What, Why?” She replied puzzled.

(“Just do as I say.”) Jim said.

“Yes Father… I’ll be home as soon as I can,” Freya replied and then hung up the phone. “Normally I would be happy to see Father since it has been weeks since I had seen him last or even spoken to him, but this, this is different. If I was home right now, I would be laying in bed bored senseless, or doing homework. The only company I would have is the people I would live stream for on SocialLight,” Freya thought as she scanned around the table seeing the smiling faces looking back at her. “but this is so much fun! I don’t want it to end.”

“That was your dad? Why didn’t you recognize his number?” Reighley questioned. He noticed her aura’s arrows were pointing at everyone in the room, he wasn’t sure what that meant.

“It must have been a new phone. He gets the newest models from his cell phone company and tries them out himself.” She replied and began standing from her seat. “Anyway, I have to get going.”

“Aww… do you have to? Things were just getting fun.” Isabelle said heartbroken.

“Yes. I’m sorry. I’ll take you out shopping next time.”

“Really!?” She jumped out of her chair in excitement.

“Yes. I promise,” Freya reassured.

“That’s such a shame…” Jericho replied. “Know you are welcome to stop by at any time. I’m sure my kids would love the company.” Freya turned towards Kaede and whispered in her ear.

“I’m not going to lose to you.” She muttered, however, Kaede only gave a confused look back as she was unsure what she meant by that, but decided to be supportive.

“Do your best!” Kaede said with a smile.

“Reighley why don’t you walk her home?” Jericho asked.

“Yeah, sure- wait, what!? She lives super far away.” He mentioned.

“Yes, but it’s the gentlemanly thing to do. I raised a gentleman, didn't I?” Jericho questioned.

“Yes Mom,” he replied. Looking over at Freya, Reighley noticed a glimmer in her eyes. Her aura said it all. She wanted to hold his hand. “Hold on, let me grab my shoes from my room.” Reighley swiftly rushed towards his door, entering it and making sure Morgana wasn’t let loose. When he opened the door Freya saw the inside of his room.

“His room is a garage?” She asked.

“That’s right. This small house only has two rooms, so Reighley opted himself out so Isabelle here could have her room,” Jericho said.

“He’s such a good brother,” Kaede mentioned.

“Yeah, he’s okay,” Isabelle said jokingly. She didn’t mean it as she thought the world of her brother.

“Just how much does he give up for his family?” Freya thought. Soon Reighley exited his room and met Freya at the front door, and the two said their goodbyes and left the house.

The two started walking towards the sidewalk and Freya fell behind sending a text to Herald letting him know that Reighley was taking her home. Reighley looked back at her and waited for her to finish, and extended his hand for her to take it. Freya smiled and grabbed it and the two began walking.

It was a cool night outside, just warm enough to not need a coat. It was 7:15 p.m. The sun had just set and the horizon was orange and pink. A purple hue stretched across the night sky. There wasn’t a cloud in sight. The stars were visible and the moon was crescent in shape, hovering in the direction that they faced. It loomed over them. The two walked the sidewalk’s path as Freya led the way, passing under street lights, one after the other. Birds could be heard chirping in the distance, and vehicles would pass the two every few minutes.

“You wanted to stay didn’t you?” Reighley asked.

“Yes, but I need to listen to my parents,” She answered.

“It sounds like they’re pretty strict,” he stated.

“Yes. They run businesses and do fashion shoots. Meeting with people all around the world. They don’t have time for fun and games like your family does. Still… It was nice.” Freya said with a small smile. This warmed Reighley’s heart. He figured he could get used to seeing her smile.

“Feel free to come back. That’s what you're paying me for, right? Besides, you left a good impression on my family, so I’m sure they wouldn’t mind.” Reighley extended an offer towards her in the hopes to make her feel better.

“You think so?” She asked.

“Definitely,” he reassured. Freya was carrying a purse on her person. She pulled out a large stack of money and handed it to Reighley.

“Here. This week's pay. You’ve been doing a good job.”

“Thanks. You really shouldn’t carry all that cash with you, unless you're looking to get mugged.” Reighley took the money and pocketed it in the red hoodie he was wearing.

“I can take care of myself just fine, thank you,” Freya said, slightly irritated.

“Okay fine. Whatever you say.” Reighley replied.

“Don’t patronize me,” Freya said, upset.

“There is no winning with you, is there? Look, I was just trying to watch out for you. It’s dangerous at night,” Reighley said sternly.

Freya stopped walking, jaunting Reighley backward a bit. She realized she was being self-centered once again. “This was his way of showing he cared and I completely shut it down,” she thought. Freya took a deep breath and apologized. “No, you’re right. I’m sorry. I’ll be more careful.”

“You’re getting better at that,” he said.

“At what?” She asked.

“Apologizing,” he joked.

“Tch, jerk,” she scoffed, and then the two laughed out their grievances and continued onward. Soon they were passing by an ice cream shop.

“You never got to try my sister’s pie did you?” Reighley asked.

“Sadly no, but I’m sure it was good,” Freya answered.

Reighley pointed to the ice cream shop and asked, “How about we stop there for dessert?”

“I would love to. It’s not like my father is tracking me or something crazy like that,” she said as the two made their way to stop for ice cream.

Meanwhile at the Young Manor, Jim Young was currently tracking Freya through G.P.S. (Global Person Searcher) on his laptop in his bedroom. It tracked Freya’s location via cell phone. He was already suspicious of her travel speed, as they were moving at a very slow pace and wouldn’t arrive for another hour or so, but his suspicions peaked when the two stopped entirely on the side of the road.

“She sure is taking her sweet time. What happened to my little girl who used to run to her father's side, right when he arrived home? I bet she is with that criminal! That Reighley kid is a bad influence on her. I will never accept him, especially after knowing his status. He is not fit for my daughter.” Prismarine was standing next to the bed and noticed Jim constantly staring at his laptop. She checked it and saw that he was tracking Freya.

“Would you leave the girl alone, Jim?” Prismarine commanded. “She is enjoying her youth, and I have heard great things about this Reighley character. There’s a real chance our daughter could find true love and your prying eyes won’t help anyone but yourself.” Prismarine closed Jim’s laptop and crossed her arms in disappointment.

“Yeah, well, love is blind and it doesn’t pay the bills. The boy has a criminal record Prismarine! A criminal record for goodness sake!” Jim shouted.

“‘For goodness sake’ is right. You have your lovely wife with you, whom you haven’t seen in weeks and you're busy worrying about our daughter's playdate. Besides, I am positive they are doing just fine. I made sure Herald was tailing them just in case,” Prismarine complained.

“How do you know for sure?” Jim interrogated.

“He gives me updates,” Prismarine’s phone began buzzing and she pulled it out of her bag to check her texts, “Look, that's him now. The two are at an Ice Cream shop. Isn’t that just adorable? Now let's go watch a chick flick in the movie theater, and no laptops!” she admonished.

“Yes, Ma’am…” Jim groaned. The two went on to watch the movie The Joke Book, to distract him for the time being.

Back at the Ice Cream shop, Freya and Reighley had just entered inside. The interior was designed to be themed like a 60's diner. The decor was covered in racing stripes and the stools with red leather tops. The two walked to the register and noticed a familiar face.

“Hi, welcome to Freeze Frames! How may I help you?” Ash Fjord asked. She was taken aback by the fact Freya Young had just entered her store with Reighley by her side. She put on a fake smile and began to serve.

“Great, just great. Freya is going to take a picture of me and post it all over SocialLight. I’m going to be the laughingstock of Gilford High, ” Ash thought. “Not to mention I could get in a lot of trouble for working since Gilford High prevents students from working while attending.”

“Hey, Ash! I didn’t know you worked here,” Reighley greeted. “Could I get a banana split?”

“I better not get too friendly with Reighley while she’s around,” Ash thought. “Of course, and for the lady?” Reighley immediately recognized that fake smile she put on. Her turquoise aura was translucent. It was like it was telling him she wanted to disappear. Reighley knew that feeling all too well.

“I would like a Berry Parfait Romanoff with a strawberry dipped in chocolate on top and the cream boiled for an extra thirty seconds,” Freya asked.

“Uh, Freya, I think they sell like normal ice cream here,” Reighley interjected. Freya stopped and checked the menu and picked something she thought she would like.

“Oh… Then a single scoop of strawberry on a cone please.” Freya asked.

“Woah, she said please!? Reighley must have taught her a thing or two. Well done,” Ash thought. “Very well. I’ll get that to you right away. Please take your seats and we will bring your stuff to you,” she recommended. The two began to sit at a table in the corner of the shop waiting for their food, when suddenly Freya had an epiphany. Her birthday party was coming up. It was around the deadline when she and Reighley’s deal to be a “couple” would come to an end. She realized she hadn’t even invited Reighley to it either.

“Hey, Reighley…” Freya suddenly became embarrassed.

“What’s up?” He asked.

“So, my birthday party is coming up here in a few weeks and you are my boyfriend, so I thought I would ask if you would come to it,” she asked while twiddling her fingers. Reighley felt as though this was a good opportunity to help rekindle an old friendship, while also helping Freya think for herself.

“I’ll go, but only if you invite Ash,” He said.

“What? Why on earth would I invite her?” Freya was outraged.

“Why do you think so?” Reighley interrogated. Freya stopped, calmed her emotions, and gave it some thought.

“Is it because he thinks it would be a good starting point to make things better between us?” Freya reminisces. She had known Ash since middle school. She remembered a simpler time when Ash and her would spend time together talking about books the two would read simultaneously. Freya would invite her and the rest of the girls to a movie night in her at-home theater and then the group would spend the night having sleepovers. However, Freya had a deeper respect for Ash when they were friends. Ash was a tomboy and wasn’t afraid of getting her hands dirty. She was a 1st Kyu, also known as a brown belt in Jiu-Jitsu, which was a form of lethal martial arts that combined throws and practical techniques one could apply in a street fight. Freya picked up Karate in middle school simply because she didn’t want to lose to Ash. Once she was confident in her ability to defend herself if it came down to it, she quit, causing some distance between the two.

“I’m still not quite sure if it's a good idea,” Freya worried.

“Just think about it. If you ask her, the worst she can say is ‘no’,” Reighley explained, “but if she says yes then that means that she wants to make things work too.” Freya thought about it some more, and realized that making up with Ash was a start if anything, and if she said “no” at least she tried to do the right thing.

“Well… do you have your answer?” Reighley questioned.

“Is it because it’s the right thing to do?” Freya asked.

“Bingo,” Reighley said. “I don’t know Ash that well, but I can tell she is not a bad person. However, she definitely didn’t want to be seen by you tonight.”

“Fine, I’ll give her a chance,” Freya said, “but you're coming to my party.”

“Did I have a choice in the first place?” Reighley asked.

“I won't force you if you don’t want to,” Freya chuckled, “but I want you there.” Reighley blushed, looking into her eyes. He wasn’t used to being told he was wanted. He noticed her aura was calm and comforting. It was the brightest he had seen it be. It was still a dark purple, but it was almost a normal color and it was pointing towards him but giving him space. He realized he started getting used to her laugh. Her smile was infectious. For a moment he forgot that their relationship was a farce.

“Was she always this happy? It’s weird seeing her like this. It’s like she is my girlfriend or something… Is she really the same girl I met two weeks ago; Can a person change this fast or is her aura lying to me?” Reighley doubted and then replied, “You got yourself a deal.” Soon after, Ash arrived at their table with their desserts in hand and handed them to the couple.

“Here you go! One banana split and a strawberry scoop,” Ash stated. She attempted to get in and out as fast as possible, turning away after Reighley and Freya thanked her. However, she heard the voice of Freya reach out to her.

“Hey Ash, I don’t hate you and I won't tell anyone you work here so you don’t have to worry about that, but in return… would you come to my birthday party in a few weeks?” Freya asked. Ash was shocked. Never in a million years did she think Freya would invite her to her party after how things went the year prior. She wondered if it was a setup as Freya was known to do that every so often.

“Is it a trap? Is she just saying this to get me comfortable so she can embarrass me later? No, I don’t think Reighley would let her… He must have been influencing her, or perhaps she is just inviting me to appeal to him.”