A Hiccstrid Story

Chapter 24

AN: So I have a little bit of bad news. With Christmas being tomorrow, I spent most of today making sure the final two chapters were ready. However, due to a laptop crash and word deciding not to save the chapters. So I am left in a bit of a bind. Todays chapter will go up as normal but 25 and 26 will not be up until at latest the 28th. This is because I want to take tomorrow and boxing day off. I will then work on rewriting the chapters. Anyhow, enjoy this chapter. Sorry again.

Hayden drove quickly through town away from the café just as Astrid had asked. He noted quickly that she looked rather startled which worried him. Deciding he was far enough away, Hayden pulled over and turned to face her in his seat, "you want to tell me what that was about?" Astrid calmed her breathing that was quite rapid, "my ex turned up at the café unexpectedly. He said he was there to take me home and that he had essentially stalked me in order to find me." Hayden listened as she continued, "he dismissed your charity and then started arguing with our friends. I just bolted out of there as soon as I noticed you had arrived." Hayden sighed and pinched his brow, "anything I can do?"

Astrid shook her head, "not unless you can get him to leave me alone which I don't think anyone can do at this point." Hayden laughed a little and was about to say something when Astrid's phone rang. She quickly answered it, released to hear that it was Heather, "are you ok?" the caller asked quickly. Taking a moment to respond Astrid replied, "yeah I'm fine. I just needed to get away." She heard a laugh from the other end of the phone, "so did we, your exit gave us ours. We are splitting off to do our jobs as previously agreed." Astrid turned to face Hayden, "ok, we will do the same. See you soon." After receiving a good bye from Heather, Astrid hung up seeing that Hayden was already starting his car to get moving.

"Don't worry Astrid, I'll make sure that nothing happens" Hayden assured her, "now let's get these jobs done." Astrid giggled, "please. The sooner we get these done, the sooner we can go to sleep and wait for Christmas." Hayden laughed with her as he pulled off from where he was parked and started driving over to their first task of the day. He drove back towards the café, heading over to Flynn and Chris's handyman shop. The first task was to take some custom-built furniture from their shop to an elderly woman's house on the edge of town. She was a sweet lady who actually used to teach both Hayden and Astrid. Arriving at the shop, then got out of the 4x4 and made their way inside to do the job given to them.

Unbeknownst to them, Erick had been walking down the street at the same time that Hayden and Astrid had entered the shop. Hand in Hand. It was now clear to Erick why Astrid had denied him. She was already dating someone else. Had already moved on. Did he really mean that little to her? Worse still, Erick felt that he knew the guy she was with. The mans face was somewhat familiar. Then it suddenly clicked, the soldier who came to the café 9 years ago saying he was dating Astrid. Now Erick started to get angrier, but he calmed himself as a plan formulated in his head. It was simple, all he had to do is drive a wedge between them. If he could be seen making out with Astrid in front of him, that would certainly do it. Now that he had a plan, he needed to figure out when to execute it. So Erick quickly turned and headed back to his rental to tail the strange 4x4.

As the day went on, Hayden and Astrid performed the series of tasks that they had been tasked with doing. After dropping off the ladies custom furniture, they then proceeded to deliver her Christmas cards to her friends in town. After completing that task, they stopped by the local convenience store to pick up a delivery for the local food bank. The local food bank then asked them kindly to drop of some food to those who needed it most. After dropping that off, the pair drove through town to the community centre where they were asked to deliver some gifts to the less fortunate. Astrid and Hayden drove from house to house, handing presents to parents that couldn't afford them. With 2 days before Christmas, it was cutting it close so the parents were extremely thankful to them.

While they were doing these acts of kindness, they failed to notice Erick following them around town. He was waiting for the perfect moment to enact his plan. So, when he pulled up a car or two down from the unusual 4x4 and saw Astrid walk into a small gift shop while leaving her new boyfriend in the car, he decided it was time. Acting swiftly, Erick hopped out and walked up the street and into the store while trying not to draw the attention of the man. He needed to get close to Astrid first before his plan could be put in motion. As such, Erick walked through the store until he saw Astrid in an isle looking at some items on the shelf.

Taking this as his chance, he walked quickly up to her, coughing to get her attention. "Can we talk?" he asked when she turned to look at him. Astrid scoffed in disgust, "what is there to talk about Erick? You cheated on me for years, I've moved on." Erick scowled as he processed her words and formulated a response. "I noticed" he said dismissively, "you seem pretty chummy with him. In my opinion you were cheating on me for all of our relationship." Astrid turned to face him angrily, "how dare you! I was loyal to you for years! Never wavered once. And you have the audacity to call me a cheater." Erick smile internally, his plan was working. He needed to get her angrier to draw attention to them. If he could draw out the encounter then you her new boyfriend would soon come looking for her and that would be his chance.

Erick gestured around them and towards the door, "look at where you are Astrid, who you are with. You said you didn't know the coffee shop guy yet you are here dating him." Astrid all but shouted her next words at her ex, "I DIDN'T!" Erick smiled, he had her right where he want her, "then how do you explain it?" Astrid was fuming as she stood in front of her ex, her mind was running circles around itself as she tried to figure out just what Erick's plan was here. "I had an accident where I suffered from a head injury causing me to forget him." Erick scoffed dismissively, "yeah because that makes sense." Astrid took a step towards him as she readied to slap him one. In her anger, Astrid had failed to notice the jingle of the store door opening and Hayden calling out to her.

Suddenly, much to Astrid's shock, Erick pulled her into a kiss. A forced, rough kiss that made her want to throw up right where she stood. Astrid quickly pushed him off and was about to ask him what that was when her eyes laid sight on the form of Hayden standing at the end of the isle, frozen in place. "H-Hayden, t-this isn't what it looks like" she stammered. The man in question turned and walked quickly out of the store as Astrid's mind tried to catch up with what had just occurred before her. She heard the roar of Hayden's engine as he sped away from the store.

Astrid looked up at Erick to see the shit eating grin plastered all over his face. It then clicked in her mind that the bastard had planned this. With a swift kick Astrid drove her foot firmly into the region between Erick's legs sending him dropping to the floor. "You son of a bitch!" she yelled, sending a right hook to his cheek, knocking him on his side, "you just couldn't let me be happy if it wasn't with you could you!" With that, Astrid quickly ran out of the store and looked frantically for Hayden's 4x4 but it was already gone. She pulled out her phone and tried calling him but it got rejected. Trying three more times resulted in the same result. Tears filled her eyes as she tried to figure out how to fix the damage that had just been inflicted on her 'new' relationship.