There's Always A Plot Twist | Wattys 2023 ✓

8| The Egg

Freddie leaps out of bed, startled by a loud noise coming from downstairs.

He squints his eyes in the darkness of his room, noticing the crack of afternoon light slithering out from his drawn curtains.

Freddie stumbles out of his room, rubbing the back of his ringing head as he investigates the source of the disturbance. "What's with all the noise?" he yells, finding Bjorn covered in blue paint up to his elbows.

"I can explain."

But before he can, Asanti emerges from his room on the lower level of the house, wearing an oversized shirt and nothing else except his pearl necklace. "What the hell did you guys do to the wall?"

"I had nothing to do with this." Freddie replies, finally noticing the patchy paint job that Bjorn started on the large, cream, support beam in the middle of the house. "Okay, let's just take a minute-"

"-a minute?" Asanti screeches. "When Kaizen sees this, he's going to think it was all of us, and I'm already on my second strike. One more and I'm out of here."

"He's not going to kick you out." Bjorn utters, losing his grip on the brush in his hand, dropping it onto the dark, wooden, flooring. "Oh crap."

Asanti glares at Freddie. "If you don't stop him, then I will, permanently."

Freddie rolls his eyes at Asanti's empty threat but does pull Bjorn away from the beam, taking him by the shoulders and carefully guiding him through the open-plan space into the kitchen area.

Bjorn sits on one of the tall legged stools whilst Asanti hovers behind him, boiling over with red eyes thanks to a lack of sleep.

"What happened?" Freddie asks.

"Everyone was asleep, I was bored-"

"So you painted?" Asanti growls.

"No, first I reorganised the kitchen, then I painted." Bjorn goes on to explain when neither of them say anything. "It was four am, I was looking for a snack, but I couldn't find anything."

"Did it every occur to you that you were drunk?" Asanti asks, fighting to hold back his fury.

"Not at the time." Bjorn sighs. "Okay, guys, look, I know I messed up. Shit, I'm sorry."

The trio turn to look up at the sound of approaching footsteps, seeing the woman preparing herself for the long walk of shame down all those stairs with her purse tucked under her arm and her black pair of heels in her hands. "Sorry, which way out of here?" she asks with an unmistakably British accent.

"Here, let me show you out." Freddie offers, walking around the kitchen isle to the bottom of the staircase. "Rachel, right?"

"I'm surprised you remembered, there wasn't much talking last night." she whispers, smiling as he offers her a hand, hiding behind her chestnut curls.

"I'm good with names, amongst other things."

"I'm aware." she giggles. "I had a great night."

"Check his hand." Asanti whispers, earning him a quick glare from Freddie. Luckily for the both of them, she didn't hear Asanti's sly jab as she crams her feet into her heels.

Bjorn goes to reach for an apple from the fruit bowl, but Asanti slaps his hand away before he can reach them. "Focus." he barks. "The wall?"

"Well, I was sitting on the sofa, couldn't find the stupid remote, so I just sat and stared at the wall until it drove me insane."

Just as Freddie returns, another guest appears, only this time leaving from Asanti's room. "Hey, good afternoon."

"Sorry, I'm late, gotta run." he replies, ignoring Freddie's greeting.

"One night with you and they're running out the door." Freddie teases.

"One night with you and it's a trip to the pharmacy." Asanti retorts with little effort, sliding into the stool on Bjorn's right. "Where did you even get the paint?"

Bjorn chuckles nervously. "Now that I don't remember."

Freddie spins around in circles, growing frustrated with not being able to find what he is looking for. "Okay, where's the coffee pot?"

"Under the sink."

Asante coughs, choking on the air that he breathes. "You did what?"

Freddie skids the coffee pot onto the counter after retrieving it from the dingy cupboard under the sink. "Alright, I just have to ask, are you taking your pills?"

Bjorn chuckles, pinching a tiny ball of thread in-between his fingers. "Am I taking my pills? Come on guys..."

"Answer the question." Freddie's frown deepens, feeling oddly like his own father as he crosses his arms.

"Taking them stresses me out." Bjorn mumbles, bowing his head.

Asanti locks eyes with Freddie, searching for any kind of reassurance but only being met with fear instead. "You know what happened last time. We all know what happened last time!"

"This isn't like last time, that was a misunderstanding, I have everything under control."

Asanti rolls his eyes, pushing off the counter to stand. He takes one look at the beam, coming up with an idea on how to fix the mess and stretch his artist muscles. "Freddie broke his leg, I almost lost my arm, and we both spent months wondering if you were ever going to wake up...there is no misunderstanding."

When Bjorn looks at Freddie, his friend lowers his gaze, forming a pit in his stomach. "I'm sorry man..."

Freddie exhales deeply. "We don't want you to be sorry bro, we just want to make sure you're all good. Okay."

Bjorn rubs his eyes, finally feeling the effect of his early rising. "Yeah, I get it."

"Now that that's all over, who wants breakfast?" Freddie asks, opening the cupboard only to find melting freezer items. "Is it weird if I find this kinda funny?"

Asanti covers his ears, making quick strides towards his bedroom. "Too easy!" he shouts behind him, wondering if they secretly want him to roast them some more or if they really are that idiotic.

Judging by the laughter that follows, probably both.