Light in the darkness

32. Confrontations

It was a quiet and peaceful morning on Elm Street, one of the most recognizable streets of Northside in Riverdale. It was one of these days when the world seemed to be even more beautiful, making it almost impossible not to go out and cherish its beauty.

It was nobody else than Fred Andrews, who glanced outside the window of his bedroom, to see the sun shining on the houses on the other side of the street. But as much as he wanted to focus on beautiful sight, he couldn't focus on anything else than all of the thoughts running inside his mind.

In the Andrews household, things were a little bit more complicated than he wanted to admit. Living under the same roof with a woman, that he used to love dearly, who shattered his heart into million little pieces was way harder than he expected. He didn't expect it to be easy, but seeing her every single day didn't make it any easier for him to forget about their complicated past.

Tough everything else, being with her for the past three and a half months made him extremely proud of her. Seeing the whole process of her progress in Hiram's case was something he was beyond proud of, even though he didn't say it out loud. The therapist Mary had found for Hermione definitely helped her get through a hard time.

With a quiet sigh leaving his lips, Fred glanced at his watch and made his way out of the bedroom. He still managed to avoid Hermione as much as he could and for the past time he learned her schedule, making it easier to miss her every now and then. But when he walked downstairs and saw her pouring herself a glass of water in the kitchen, he stopped for a little while.

She was dressed in jogging clothes, which confirmed his suspects that she should be working out in Pickens Park or on her everyday morning run. The sport was something that became her safe space and escapes from the problems.

"I thought you would be out for a run now," Fred said softly, not wanting to scare her since he wasn't sure if she noticed him coming downstairs.

Hermione raised the sight up from the counter and met Fred's eyes for a brief second. She brushed the few strands that had fallen out of her ponytail on her face away and watched him walking towards the kitchen.

"I couldn't sleep so I left earlier today and just came back." She said with a slight smile appearing on her face. She knew, that Fred wasn't all over the moon with her presence, but still, she couldn't be more thankful for everything he had done for her.

"Are you hungry? I was about to make French toasts for breakfast." Her voice was sweet and inviting.

She tried to make up for the lost time and rebuild their friendship. The therapy sessions made her realized, that even if her relationship with Fred will never be the same, they still can be friends. But it always takes two for tango and taking into consideration their past there was a huge possibility, that Fred wouldn't want to do anything with her.

"I have a lot of work, so I would better get going," Fred answered simply and took his helmet off the hanger, getting ready to leave within a few minutes. Hermione nodded her head slightly as she watched him turning around and walking towards the front door.

"Fred, wait. You can't avoid me forever." Her voice was firm and full of hope. If there was something she truly wished for it was for him to stop hating her.

"I'm not avoiding you." Fred sighed and faked a smile right before placing his hand onto the doorknob. It was the time to leave before things would get even more complicated.

"Yes, you are. We both know it. I know you, Fred." Hermione said softly, trying her best to make him stay just a little longer with her so they could finally talk.