FAR FROM ERIS • FreenBecky •

THIRTY - TWO

-Freen?-

-Is that Becky's voice?- her own voice echoed somewhere in her head.

-Freen, what's happening?-

-Yes, it's Becky's voice. But where is she?- her voice still sounded far away. Very far away.

-Freen, I'm about to break down the door, please say something.-

Freen then opened her eyes. She was curled up on the floor with her head pressed between her arms. She didn't know how long she had been like that, but her legs and head hurt, and her face was wet. Not from the rain this time. Two streaks ran down her cheeks. She had been crying but didn't remember it. She needed to talk, she needed to tell Becky that she was still, at least, alive.

-Becky- her voice barely came out of her throat. She cleared it. -Becky, I'm fine, give me a minute.-

-For God's sake, Freen, you almost gave me a heart attack.-

The girl's voice sounded worried, whispered with sweetness. Freen supposed she must be sitting on the other side of the door because her words seeped through the crack at the bottom like dust.

She gathered all her strength to get up. She had no choice but to put on that checkered shirt that she now eyed with growing distrust. She didn't know what the hell that had been, but for some strange reason, when she put on the shirt and Becky's scent reached her nose, her heart seemed to calm down, and her headache diminished as if by magic.

She finally opened the door while wiping her eyes. Becky jumped up from the floor. -Freen,- she said, looking at the girl, -Are you okay? What happened?-

But the girl had no intention of talking about what had happened. She couldn't even explain it in words at that moment, let alone to Becky, who would think she was completely crazy. So she did the only thing she thought would help her at that moment. She took a few steps forward to Becky's amazement and wrapped her arms around her as tightly as she could.

At first, Becky didn't know how to react, but it only lasted a second. Immediately her arms surrounded Freen's waist, squeezing her against her.

-But...- she began to ask.

-Do you have any of those blankets you always carry with you?- Freen whispered in her ear, sending shivers down Becky's spine.

-Um... control yourself, Becky. Yes. And a mattress, actually.-

-Great,- Freen continued whispering, as if it was terribly hard for her to raise her voice. -I need to lie down.-

-Okay,- Becky said, thinking that was the signal to go get what Freen had asked for. But the girl didn't let go. -Freen... I need you to let go so I can get the blankets.-

-I know,- she simply said. -Could you wait a few minutes?- Freen's voice sounded like that of a frightened puppy. Becky's heart melted.

-Whatever you need, I won't go anywhere until you ask me to.-

Becky didn't know how much time they spent embraced. Her measure of time was based on noticing how Freen's heart returned to a normal rhythm and her breathing relaxed. She didn't loosen her arms around Freen's body at all, who breathed slowly on her shoulder, while Becky, with closed eyes and her nose against the girl's temple, struggled between concern and the whirlwind of feelings fighting in her stomach.

-I'm sorry, Becky, I don't know what to say,- Freen whispered after a long time in that position.

-Hey, it's okay. It's a new effect I didn't expect to cause with my kisses, honestly,- she laughed. Freen did too, and Becky relaxed.

-You're silly...-

Finally, Freen pulled away and Becky could see her eyes. They were red, as if she had been crying for hours, but she had only been in the bathroom for ten minutes.

-Come on. Let's find that mattress,- Becky said, taking Freen's hand to go to the storage room.

They struggled for several minutes with that mattress to remove the plastic that protected it until they brought it out to the main area of the store without breaking anything. Finally, they placed it on the floor, and Becky took out a couple of blankets from the closet in the back room. Freen identified them as the ones Patty used to cover her legs on winter days when she sat behind the counter. What she wasn't sure about was why there was a mattress in that place.

-Do you bring all your flings here?- Freen said with a half-smile as she watched Becky stretch one of the blankets like a sheet.

-Of course, don't you think it's a spectacular move?- She smiled, and Freen got nervous again.

-Having a mattress in the storage room doesn't make you look innocent, Rebecca.-

-You're absolutely right about that,- she shook her head. -Although I must admit that it would have been a much more interesting story if my flings slept with me in here, I regret to inform you that it's basically the old mattress from my bedroom at Patty's house. She insisted on changing it when I moved here, so we decided to keep the old one in this storage room.-

Freen nodded, and a warmth spread over her chest when she thought that if Patty had bothered to buy a new mattress, it was because Becky was considering staying for a long time. That feeling hit her, making her feel like on the edge of a cliff, because suddenly, she panicked at the possibility of Rebecca leaving.

-Come here,- Becky urged her to lie down on the mattress. It was a bit cold, and Freen's hair was still wet. Becky lay down and extended her arm, indicating for her to lie on it. And Freen couldn't imagine a better plan than that. She lay down, resting her head on Becky's collarbone, and wrapped her waist with her arm. Becky hugged her and left a kiss on her head, long and slow. She breathed.

 -Oh my God, I'm so lost- she thought, closing her eyes as the storm continued to pound the windows.

**