Wretched Roses √

Chapter 35-Conversations

Freya's Pov

*mentions of abuse, miscarriage and sexual harassment*

I woke up next to Leona the morning after. She was lying on her side, facing the wall so I couldn't see her properly. It was 8 am and I'd woken up two hours prior. My plan was to go back to sleep but the universe hated me so I ended up lying there for two whole hours.

Eventually, I stood up and headed to the kitchen, hoping to not bump into her parents. Of course, lucky wasn't on my side and they were both standing in the kitchen, preparing some coffee. The house looked cleaner this morning.

Clearing my throat, I awkwardly shifted my weight and gave them a brief, polite smile. They both seemed extremely confused so I decided to introduce myself.

"I'm Freya. A friend of Leona's."

A look of realization struck on them. Her mom spoke, "Freya? Lovely to meet you. I've heard about you."

Her dad inspected me, his intimidating gaze made me squirm uncomfortably. Then out of nowhere, he opened his mouth to talk.

"You're the one who followed Leona yesterday, right?" He asked curiously.

"I'm sorry about that."

"No, I'm glad you did. My daughter seems very fond of you," he continued and grabbed his cup from the counter.

"Did you stay the night?" Her mom wondered.

I nodded. "Yes, I did."

"I apologize for the mess then. It's just been a stressful past weeks."

"Please don't apologize, I completely understand."

This eased her up. "Thank you. But we're adults and should be able to keep the house clean."

"You're also human beings," I defended them with a smile.

"Would you like a cup of coffee?" Her dad diverted from the topic.

With the amount of sleep I was running on, it was definitely needed so I accepted. He prepared a cup of coffee for me and even was kind enough to make some breakfast for me. Certainly wasn't used to kindness being shown by parents. Mother either yelled, scolded, or beat me up and Rowan's parents weren't exactly pleasant either. Except for a few friends parents, the majority whom I'd met had sucked, to put it simply.

I leaned against the counter, sipping on my coffee when they beckoned me over. First, I was hesitant but in the end, I walked over and took a seat next to them.

"How is Leona?"

"Coping," I answered her mom and ran a hand through my hair.

She looked down at the floor for a moment, blinking away tears and then meeting my eyes again like nothing was wrong.

"That's all we can ask for."

For a few seconds, I contemplated whether or not I should attempt to help comfort them. After all, they'd just lost one of their children, but I also didn't want to intrude.

"You don't have to answer and I'm sorry if this is crossing the line. How are you doing?"

They both looked taken aback by this question, yet, their faces quickly softened up again.

"We're doing as good as we can do," her dad replied, holding his cup with both hands and not making eye contact.

Just when I was about to say something, footsteps could be heard and groggy Leona made an appearance. Her hair was messy and not yet brushed, she was still wearing yesterdays clothes and her makeup was smudged. She was still a bit out of it, obviously having just woke up.