Love & Reason Keep Little Company (Freen x Becky)

Chapter 12

Sunday morning saw Freen wake up at her usual time. She was an early riser and even without an alarm, her internal body clock rarely let her sleep in past seven thirty.

Becky, on the other hand, was dead to the world. Still lying on her side, with her injured wrist resting on a cushion, Becky snored softly in her sleep.

Freen slipped quietly out of the bed, leaving the other girl to sleep. She dressed quietly, padded barefoot down the stairs and into the kitchen. Knowing Becky couldn't function without her morning cup of milk tea, she set about filling the pot with hot water and three sachet of tea. Becky was a grouch in the morning and Freen knew from experience that offering her milk tea was a surefire way to improve her mood.

"You look like you know your way around."

Freen jumped as she was filling the pot with milk, spilling the milk all over the counter. Engfa stood leaning against the kitchen door frame, her arms folded across her chest and her expression guarded. Irin was an open book, but Becky's other best friend was harder to read.

Freen still wasn't sure whether Engfa liked her. She also thought Freen and Becky's relationship was real, so it was no wonder she was playing the role of protective friend.

"I should. I make Becky milk tea often enough. She can't function without her first cup." Freen clean the milk off the counter and added the sugar and condensed milk before she stirred it. She turned to face Engfa, leaning casually against the counter as the other girl continued sizing her up. "She's always running late. I learned to get here early to make her milk tea for her or she's a total grump until lunch."

"Just till lunch? That's being generous." Said Engfa. She moved away from the door and took a seat at the breakfast bar. "Although she hasn't been nearly as grumpy lately. But you're right. Bunso can't function without her morning tea, and she is always late."

"Want a cup?" Freen offered as she reached up for the cabinet with the mugs in.

"Please. It's been a while. " Engfa nodded. She seemed to be warming up to Freen. "This one time I got fed up with her always being late. So I set her alarm an hour early. I didn't realise nong Irin had already set her clock back an hour. She turned up for lacrosse practise at 4am. Coach found her curled up asleep on the bleachers."

"How did she take it?" Freen asked, grinning at the mental image of a frazzled Becky turning up to school two hours early and wondering where everyone else was.

"She was pissed. Didn't talk to me or nong Irin for two days. Girl can hold a grudge... it's nice to see her happy." Said Engfa. "And she is. Happy, I mean."

"Ka. I am too. Becky's great." It wasn't a lie.

Becky made Freen happier than she remembered being in a long time. Even when things between her and Seng had still been okay, back at the start before she'd seen his true colours. Freen hadn't been nearly as content as she was with Becky around. The other girl made her feel lighter somehow, like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

"She hasn't dated much, has she?" Asked Freen. It was a probing question, and she held her breath as she waited to see if Engfa would answer.

"Nope." She shrugged. "Just Summer Mystery Girl. That's it."

"Summer Mystery Girl?"

Engfa shifted on her stool, unable to meet Freen's gaze. She'd said too much. After an awkward beat, Engfa ran with it.

"She was with some girl over summer. It wasn't a big deal. She didn't even tell me or nong Irin who it was, so she couldn't have been that important." Engfa ismissed the mystery girl with a wave of her hand. "Look na, I know Becky's trying to play it all cool and shit, but we both know she's a walking disaster and chill isn't in her vocabulary. She likes you, Freen. She has done for like forever. You have nothing to worry about over some summer fling."