The Lonely Hearts Club

Chapter 76: Bree's Place part 1 (Hades)

Bree's apartment door is mangled, majority of her locks have been surgically removed from the wood.

Her eye twitches as she examines it, I know how she felt about those locks.

"Lovely." She grimaces, before turning the handle and opening her door.

Her place is spotless, everything is tidy and neat and there's not a layer of dust on anything. Her things are still everywhere, but everything looks cleaner and more polished.

"Lotta must have had it cleaned." She says more to herself than me. She cautiously steps inside and glances around, her pretty eyes sharp as she surveys everything.

"We should make sure no one's in here," she says. By we, she means me. Bree hovers near the door as I check every room.

I do a double check of everything, looking in the most random places because I swear if something happens to her in here and it's because I didn't do a proper security sweep...

In the bathroom I look at the angel painted on her ceiling and smile. This must have taken ages to do.

I walk back out into the living room when I'm sure there's nothing hiding anywhere.

"It's safe." I tell her.

She nods slowly.

I can tell it's weird for her to be back here. Her memories of this place are tainted.

I follow her as she opens drawers and upends floorboards, checking suitcases and chests, and at first I think she's doing a check for herself until I notice the money.

She pulls out stacks and stacks of money.

"For you." She says, shoving most of it in a duffel bag and handing it to me.

"No."

"Yes," She says. "I don't like being in debt to people, then they can hold it over my head."

This girl.

"I wouldn't do that." I say.

"Yeah, now you wouldn't, but situations happen, things change."

What the fuck is she talking about?

"Bree,"

"Hades," she says, lifting her chin. "Take the fucking money or I'm moving out of your apartment and moving into Savvy's."

She's emotionally manipulating me now?

"And I'm taking Acorn." She adds.

"For real?" I ask.

"Yes, I'll still be your nurse for your fight, but aside from that I won't talk to you." She says.

Damn, this money thing really means a lot to her.

"Fine." I relent. I'll just spend all the money on her.

"Good." She says, sounding pleased.

Someone knocks on the front door and she visibly freezes.

"I'll get it." I say before she can panic too much. I open the door, hand on the gun in my pocket, before pulling it away.

It's Angelo's gran.

"Silvia?" Bree says excitedly as I step to the side. She rushes over to her and hugs the old woman.

"I knew I heard your voices! The walls are ever so thin you know." Silvia hugs her back. "Oh I've missed you dear."

"I've missed you too." Bree sighs.

"You hear anyone else in here?" I ask. I can't help it, I know I'm disrupting a cute reunion here but if anyone is gonna know who was in Bree's place while she was gone, it would be Silvia.

"Lotta was in there every week," Silvia says. "And I could hear vacuums and taps running, but never any voices aside from Silvia."

At least we know Lotta wasn't lying about collecting the rent.

"Did I get any packages outside my door or downstairs? I don't expect you to know but..." Bree says, hands still on Silvia's arms.

"Not that I know of dear." She says.

"Okay." Bree nods.

"Do you two want to come into mine for a bit? Before my Zumba group comes over?" Silvia asks hopefully.

Bree starts to say yes, but then remembers I'm still standing there. I know she's thinking about my fight that's in two days.

I nod and she smiles. Like I've said before, all I want is for Bree to be happy.

Silvia's living room looks the exact same as it did when I first stepped foot in here.

"How's Angelico getting on in his new job at the IT company?" Silvia asks as she bustles around the kitchen to make tea.

"Really good." I say.

Is Angelo working at an IT company? No, but it's standard procedure to lie about each others jobs when necessary. Maybe that's why I'm so good at lying and it comes effortlessly to me.

Bree and Silvia talk for ages, and when her Zumba group gets here, Bree gets roped into dancing with them.

I stay seated, watching in amusement as Bree copies the movement of the older ladies.

It's two in the morning when the group breaks up and by then, Bree is more relaxed.

"Can we stay in my room?" She asks, gesturing to her apartment.

I'm tired so I say yes. She only has two working locks, but she doesn't mind, and besides, I'm with her, I'd like to see someone try something when she's lying next to me.

Her bed is the softest thing I've ever laid on and her sky is the coolest with all the stars.
My fingers thread hers and she sighs as she stares at the ceiling.

"I'm making a wish." She says.

Then after a few seconds.

"What did you wish for?" She asks.

"You." I smirk.

She laughs and kisses me then I kiss her back, properly. We have sex and I have to cover her mouth and she has to cover mine because as Silvia says, the walls are thin and I don't want her to hear that.

When we're both done, I force myself up to get a wash cloth. I clean Bree up and kiss her again.

"I love you." She says when I'm laying next to her, her smooth hands trailing across my neck tattoos.

"I love you." I say and she moves closer to me as I pull her into my arms.

Bree falls asleep, a peaceful look on her face. I push strands of her off her skin and lightly kiss her nose.

She smiles and I glance around her room. Nothing looks missing but it feels different.

I can't fucking sleep though which is problematic because tomorrow—well technically today—is my last day and night before my fight.

I haven't really wanted to think about it, and neither has Bree, but it hangs in the air.

Bree starts to stir in her sleep, and rolls away from me.

"No," She whispers. "Please no."

Fuck no, not her nightmares again. She hasn't had them in ages.

"Wake up angel." I say, shaking her slightly.

Her eyes flutter open a bit before closing and she's back to a disturbed sleep.

Fuck.

Well, looks like I'm staying awake. I'll just have to go to sleep tomorrow night.

Why the fuck is she having nightmares again?

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A/N: sorry if there's any  mistakes, I didn't proof this I just wanted to get it out 😪