Beyond Bloodline - Unbreakable Bonds

twenty eight

warning: major fluff ahead! nigel × hayley being absolute sweethearts for over 2k words. enjoy~

—

"It's alright, mom," Saxon reassured when the doorbell rang while they were preparing a light supper. Well, she was preparing dinner. He was too busy pilfering freshly fried golden brown chicken tenders from the sieve despite his mom's reproachful looks to contribute any real work. "Let me get it."

He nabbed another one when she turned back to the counter and gnawed on it as he made his way over to the door. "Hey," his voice trailed off at the sight of Hayley on the steps, her presence albeit raising chords of confusion in him. He hadn't seen much of her on Nigel's account and only kept surface contact, just messaging her every once in a while since they'd already exchanged contact while in his car prior to his confrontation that evening with Nic.

"Hey," she returned, smile gentle and cheeks flush with Nigel as she struggled to keep balance with the polythene in her hand and the bundle in brown paper in her arms. "Is he home?"

"Yeah," Saxon said. His twin had been real pissy of late, starting from whatever failed venture he'd returned from the afternoon three days back when he'd all but parachuted out of his room.

Irritable and temperamental— well, more so than usual— didn't even do enough justice to describe the absolute shit show he'd made of his mood. He felt his lip curl as he directed, "you can go right up. His room's the first on the right after the stairs."

"Thanks," she rushed away and Saxon felt his lip twitch at the sight of her taking the steps two at a time. He glanced down at his hand that was now void of the chicken he'd been munching on and then rushed off in the direction of the kitchen in a manner comically similar to Hayley darting up the stairs.

"Who was it?" Nadine asked when her son returned to take his position at her side. Wordlessly, she took the basketful of chicken strips to her other side and turned her concentration on the gravy she was creating from scratch.

". . . Just a friend." He meandered to her other side when she merely gave a nod on reply. It wasn't really a lie, only a half-truth at best. He didn't want to see what kind of reaction she'd have to anyone with relations to Nic dropping by. The one time with her absolutely embarrassing Aries had been a wreck for all parties involved.

They worked in harmony, she stirring the thickening sauce and him snacking away until he had depleted nearly three-quarters the original amount of the chicken strips.

Okay. So perhaps gluttony didn't run in just his twin's veins alone.

—

Hayley was nervous as hell when she finally drew to a stop in front of the mahogany door. She'd been so confused he hadn't even bothered to check in on her until she realized he'd found his way into her blocklist. As there was only one person at the time who could get into her phone and who she wouldn't put it past at all, she immediately rounded on him.

Then she'd met a wall when she tried calling Nigel to apologize, only for it to be switched off. Well at least it hadn't been a busy tone on the other end. Maybe he wasn't avoiding her calls out of annoyance or anger?

Smoothening out the non-existent wrinkles in the flares of her midi skirt, she raised her first to give a firm rap on the door.

"Fuck off, Saxon."

Hayley found herself stilling. Anger and annoyance, check. Or maybe it was just directed at Saxon? Ha. She wished. "Nigel?" she called out tentatively. "It's Hay—"

The door swung open before she could even finish uttering the first syllable of her name. She offered up a hopeful smile when he just stared blankly at her. "Sorry to barge in like this," she said, hugging the gifts she'd come bearing like it was some form of shield. "Can we talk?"