Scratch

Twenty-Eight

Becky felt almost distraught. After Freen had stormed out she tried furiously to text her, but received no reply. She could see that Freen wasn't even reading the messages. When she tried to call, the phone would ring for an eternity before going to voicemail.

Desperation drove Becky to Freen and Nam's condo after work, only to find no one home when she knocked and rang the bell repeatedly. When that didn't work, Becky's only option left was to swing by the bar, but she was told that Freen wasn't working that night. All Becky could do then was return home and wait.

The next day at work there was no Freen either, and when Becky asked about her absence she found out that Freen had actually been suspended for a week after an altercation with the boss. Becky realised it must have had something to do with the storm-out, but how was she involved to the point that Freen wouldn't even talk to her? She remained hopelessly clueless and without options as Freen remained missing.

After a few days she couldn't stand it anymore. She found herself staying home, feeling physically ill from worry. It was when she was sitting in the bath, crying, that her phone vibrated from the side. Finally, her heart skipped a beat. It was a message from the woman she had been longing for.

/We need to talk. Come over to the condo after work./

Becky's stomach flipped over. That didn't sound very good. Maybe this was what Freen running away from a possible relationship looked like and it threatened to break Becky's already fragile heart.

/I'm home. I can come now if you want./

She replied and chewed on her bottom lip as she waited to see whether Freen would respond, but she made Becky wait another hour before the next message came through. Becky's nerves were terribly frayed.

/I'm waiting./

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Freen wasted no time when she opened the door for Becky and let her enter the condo. Her palms were sweaty with nerves and other negative emotions. Her face looked like a thundercloud and her heart sat in her throat when she spoke. "Tell me about Nop."

Becky frowned as she sat down on the couch, watching Freen as she started pacing the room. "My friend? That Nop?"

Freen bit her tongue and scoffed, shaking her head, seemingly having a major issue with Becky's response. "Is he the guy I saw you kissing at the bar? You neglected to tell me he is actually your boyfriend." She spat vehemently.

Becky shook her head and waved her arms as she jumped to her feet, indicating what Freen had said was not correct. "He's definitely not my boyfriend! We grew up together."

"That's not what I heard. You see, Nop is friends with Heng. He had some interesting things to say about your relationship." Freen seemed somewhat disgusted, the thought making her feel ill to her stomach.

Becky could feel her heart sink into her shoes. You'd think you could trust a friend to take care of you. "Like what?" She asked simply, swallowing hard as she fought back the tears.

"Come on Becky!" Becky flinched when Freen used her name like that. It was like a shock to the system and she had gotten fond of Freen using her nickname instead. "Just tell me the truth, please!" Freen wiped furiously at her own eyes. She couldn't tolerate dishonesty above all else.

Becky swallowed hard again and nodded, then sat back down on the couch. After taking a deep breath she spoke softly. "We grew up together, like I said, as friends. He had always had feelings for me, which I did not return. At some point I felt pressure from him and others to give him a chance, but it didn't last long."

Freen had to swallow down whatever was rising up in her throat at the thought of Becky with Nop. It was an image she definitely did not want stuck in her head. "But long enough to fuck him, right? Apparently you're quite the scandalous type between the sheets."

Becky went white like a ghost at what she heard, her jaw hanging slack in shock. "Excuse me, I did what?"

"Well that's what he told Heng." Freen was still pacing, afraid that if she stopped that the whole world would just stop spinning and fall off its axis. She couldn't even look at Becky.

Becky could feel her pale skin turn red hot as she realised what had happened and how a stupid exaggeration from a friend had put her in this position. "I can't believe... Why would he do that? He's my friend and it's simply not true!" Her skin crawled at the thought, especially when thinking about what Freen must be thinking about her after what she had heard.

"And how am I supposed to know who's telling the truth?" Freen wiped tears of frustration from her cheeks. She couldn't believe she let a female affect her this much. She had promised herself long ago that she wouldn't allow this to happen, that she wouldn't put herself in a position where she could get her heart broken.

"Who would you rather believe - me, or someone you don't even know?!" Becky had tears in her own eyes, welling up and starting to spill over. It made Freen stop and look at her, finally. It felt like there was an icy grip on her heart. She didn't want to see Becky cry. It hurt even more than her own pain in thinking that Becky lied to her.

She stepped closer to the smaller woman as she sniffled and took Becky's face in her hands, tilting her chin up so that she could see her eyes clearly. They were starting to get red and puffy. Freen gently wiped the tears. She couldn't find any sign of deceit in Becky's eyes, and she knew that the eyes never lied.

"I swear to you, I never did anything with him... I have not lied to you. What would I have to gain from fabricating a lie like that?" Becky's breath was ragged as she stammered a bit, looking up into dark eyes that clearly had not seen sleep in a while.

"Stay here. I'll be back." Freen said in a low and threatening tone before she turned to walk away. Becky was still calling out to her when she disappeared through the front door.

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A couple of hours passed as Becky waited for Freen to return, having no idea what to expect. When her calls and texts went unanswered, she ended up just making herself comfortable on the couch. She was taken by surprise when she saw a message from Nop come through unexpectedly and when she opened it, she nearly dropped her phone in shock.

/Your new girlfriend is a bitch, Becky. Just keep her the fuck away from me!/
Attached to the text was a photo of Nop's face, showcasing a bright black shiner over his left eye, presumably gifted to him by a furious Freen.

Becky didn't have time to respond before Freen walked back through the front door and headed straight for the fridge to take out an ice pack, then held it to her knuckles as she walked over to join Becky on the couch. "He won't lie about you again."

Becky just stared for a good few seconds at Freen and the ice in her hands, then shook her head slowly. She wasn't sure whether she should feel worried or flattered that Freen went all out for her honour. She knew Nop deserved it if those were the kinds of things he had been busy saying behind her back, so she felt little sympathy for him. She scooted closer to Freen then and took her right hand into hers and then the ice to place it gingerly on top.

"You didn't have to..." She started, but Freen cut her off quickly.

"I did. You're mine."