Chapter Twenty-Four
The twins left for their classes, and Freya resumed her work at reception after having folded the towels that Ciaran had thrown carelessly away.
She was thinking just how good they both made her feel, and maybe for the first time she thought they had a future.
She just didn’t know how, but they did seem to manage quite well in the present.
Would they be content in working at a gym all their life? Would they want more of life? Was she hindering them somehow?
Stop that! If they could hear you...
Luckily, like they never ceased to tell her, they weren’t inside her head, so they didn’t know the road her thoughts were taking.
A clearing of the throat caught her attention. Looking up from the computer, she met Jon’s embarrassed expression, who offered her a half-smile.
“Hi, Freya. Can I... Can we...” He cleared his throat again before blurting out, “Look, I’m sorry, I ... I was out of line. Can we please start over?”
He was so embarrassed that Freya smiled.
“Of course.”
He smiled as well, relief clear in his eyes. Then he asked, quietly, “Would it be too much to ask you out for coffee again?”
“Someday, of course,” she said, smiling brightly. His smile faltered.
“Someday, but not today,” he said, disheartened.
She smiled again and said, “No, not today. I already have plans for today, I’m sorry.” Dinner at Everly’s, more precisely. And she had the feeling that if she didn’t go, the twins would end up taking her anyway.
“Tomorrow, then?”
“Tomorrow at five,” she agreed. He smiled also, and his smile was so wide, so expansive, that it seemed to light up the room. That's how Declan found them, when he came to escort two young men who had just left the ring.
“You seem happy, little one,” he said in that deep voice that never ceased to give Freya goosebumps. “And who might you be?” he asked, his expression unintelligible.
Jon seemed surprised and said, stuttering a bit, “Didn’t we meet the day before yesterday?”
“We did?” Declan smiled, leisurely. “Don’t remember...”
Freya patted him lightly on the shoulder and laughed.
“Don’t be mean. Jon just asked me out for coffee again.”
Something changed in Declan’s eyes, but it was so fast, Freya doubted she’d seen what she thought she had seen. Jon already seemed uncomfortable under Declan’s merciless gaze and left, muttering something about having to go to high school.
“Isn’t he a little old to be in high school?” asked Declan, dragging his tongue as if he were tasting something particularly unpleasant.
“He’s a teacher there. And you, be nice. I already told you about him.”
“Actually, little one, you didn’t. Ciaran did.” His eyes softened and he kissed her cheek. “But I’ll let you go off the hook, this time.”
“How generous of you,” she said sarcastically and Declan fought to hide a smile.
His mate was discovering her own personality, and those answers ...
yummy. They had everything to lead to memorable times in bed—once they reached that stage.
She might think she was ready, but he wanted her to be completely at ease with them before jumping into it.
So, that night, dinner at Evelyn’s went extraordinary well, with the twins joking around and bickering with Tanya and Tara.
After dinner, they took her home and dozed off after a heavy make out session.
Now she was comfortable with them and her body, they made her feel precious.
She fell asleep in their arms, blissfully unaware of the heavy conversation that passed through their mind-link.
And truthful to her word, the next day, she went to the coffee shop with a carefree smile on her face. Jon was already there and waved at her.
“Is that for me?” he asked.
“What?”
“That smile?”
“It’s been a good day,” she said, shrugging. They both ordered and chatted about the beginning of the classes, and Freya found herself wanting to do more, maybe even study.
She didn’t mention it, as she was aware that her PTSD would come back in full force if strangers surrounded her, but surprisingly, Jon seemed to read her mind, “Did you ever graduate?”
“From high school? No, not with everything that happened. I-It wasn’t important.”
“I think you should think about it. You can be whatever it is you want and school is important for everyone.”
“Yeah, but...” She bit her lip, clearly undecided.
Maybe some online learning, just to see how it went.
Returning to the student environment was out of the question; after everything that had happened, the last thing she wanted was to be surrounded by people who could trigger a flashback.
But online learning? Being able to finish high school? She could think about it...
“Or does your boyfriend hinder you?”
The casual question caught her off balance and she looked at him, startled.
“What?”
“Your boyfriend. Does he think about getting you to school?”
Truthfully, they hadn’t ever spoken about that ... but Jon didn’t need to know all the details, or how sometimes she couldn’t even get out of bed without help because her flashbacks had kicked in.
“We’ve never talked about it.”
“He does know how important a good education is, doesn’t he?
Your father also praised your good grades and how you wanted to be a nurse.
I think you’d be a great nurse, if you asked me.
You’re caring, sweet ... anyone would be lucky to be treated by you.
” Freya frowned, surprised, but he was on a roll and continued, “A good education is sometimes looked upon from those that should be grateful for everything they had. Those that spend their entire school year making out behind the stands, or generally just wasting their intelligence away... You had something horrific happen to you and you fought your way back. Ever thought of that? Of course, you’d be older than the rest of the students, but with proper guidance, you’d reach top three of your year in no time. ”
A pair of teenagers was making out in the booth near theirs, and Jon went on, lowering his voice, “See those kids? That’s the second girl I’ve see him kiss this week.
Unless he is trying to take her tonsils out, I’d say that he’s trying to cover the mileage of his class before the start of the year.
You know, one today, another tomorrow... ” he shrugged.
Freya tuned him out, his words weighing heavily on her mind. Was she promiscuous as well? She was dating two brothers at the same time and wanted them both. What did that make her?
She ended up promising she would see online inscriptions, but his words never left her mind.