𝘽-𝙎𝙞𝙙𝙚

ｍｅｅｔｉｎｇ ｓｐｏｔ

Ｔｗｅｎｔｙ Ｅｉｇｈｔ-ｍｅｅｔｉｎｇ ｓｐｏｔ

Araluen was standing in our house. I wasn't told about it before. I stand there in shock as she drops the bag and tries to step forward, most likely trying to give me a hug. I shake my head and step back, almost tripping over the door frame. Rhys catches me,

"Be careful." He mutters as I look towards him with a fake smile,

"Why didn't you tell me?" I say through my clenched teeth. Rhys sets me upright and leans close to my ear,

"That's what I was trying to do." He whispers as I smile at Ara,

"Great," I mutter under my breath. I exhale softly before walking into the apartment, closing the door behind me.

"You don't have to fake happiness when you see me Talulah. I can handle criticism." Ara says nonchalantly as I roll my eyes, she still hasn't learned her lesson.

"I'm gonna go change upstairs," I say, raising my eyebrows towards Rhys, motioning him to follow me upstairs. He makes eye contact with me and nods as I walk upstairs.

I lean against the wall as I wait for Rhys. A couple of minutes later I see his head pop out of my doorway. He walks in and shuts the door behind him,

"Why do we always meet in your room?" He asks as he plops on the bed.

"Cause I have to change out of this outfit. It's nice to go somewhere, but it's not fun to wear when relaxing." I say, pointing at my outfit.

"Fine, but next time we're meeting in my room," Rhys says while rolling his eyes. I stand on my tippy toes as I reach for my PJ's, relaxing when I finally pull them from the top. My hand shakily grasps the material as I close the bathroom door behind me.

When I pull the shirt over my head Rhys asks,

"How did the court go?" I hesitate for a second, wondering if I should tell him that Alex's mistress stole my ring. I shake my head and decide to avoid that part of the story,

"It went well. We won."

"And?" He asks, still on my bed when I open the door. I put my used clothes into the hamper and sit next to him,

"What do you mean? That's all that happened." I chuckle nervously, going up to play with my ring but stopping when I realize that I never found my ring.

"Are you gonna tell me or am I gonna have to ask the hot lawyers?" He asks while raising an eyebrow. I look toward him,

"You wouldn't." I look him in the eyes, trying to figure out if he's bluffing.

"Try me." He digs into his pocket and pulls out the card that Romeo got me. My eyes widen as I lean over, trying to pull it out of his hands. He stands up and holds it over his head, making it impossible for me to get the card.

"Nope. Now will you tell me?" He asks, wiggling the card in front of me. I sigh and look to the side, slumping when I feel my eyes start to water. Rhys's features soften as his eyes find mine.

"Alex's lawyer threw my ring away. She humiliated me." I sniffle lightly, wiping my eyes. I chuckle half heartedly and quickly get up, we have bigger issues at hand.

"How did Ara get in?" I ask, slowly starting to suspect that Rhys let her in. He looks at me, guilt clear on his face,

"I let her in. She said that one of her belongings got mixed with yours and she has come here to get it. I'm sorry." He says, pouting.

"It's fine Rhys, we all make mistakes." I reassure him as I unlock the door,

"Let's find out why she is here."

"Let's do it." He says as both of us walk downstairs. We spot Ara looking through our things and I clear my throat, catching her attention,

"Why are you really here? We all know that you're not here to get an old belonging, so tell us the truth before I call the cops." I threaten, showing her my phone. The air between us is tense as her guard drops,

"I was looking for your songbook." She admits, positioning herself on the couch, giving off a fearless vibe. I shake my head, I wouldn't be bothered by her.

"Why are you looking for her songbook?" Rhys asks her. Ara gestures for him to wait for one moment as she types something into her phone.

"Hello?" I ask, my patience slowly wearing. Her head snaps up as she looks at me,

"Why are you trying to steal my songs?"

"How'd-" She starts and I interrupt her, my patience finally gone,

"You wanted access to my poetry account and you tried to find my songbook. It's not hard to piece the pieces together." I say, anger slowly coming through in my voice. Ara looks down at her phone,

"I can't tell you why. But Archie's in trouble and he needs your songs."

"If Archie's in trouble then he can come ask for my songs, not send someone to get them for him." I snap, getting up to grab a cup of coffee.

"Wait, let me get this clear, you came here to steal her songs?" Rhys asks, getting an ashamed nod from Ara. I set down the glass harshly and hold my head in my hands,

"I'm done. I need you to get out, right now." I say, pointing my hand to the door. Ara raises her hands in surrender,

"Okay, what if you could come to London and help us write?" She quickly says while getting pushed out the door.

"I need time." I say, not giving her a definitive answer.

"Ok. I'll be staying at the Charleston." She says before walking away. Rhys looks toward me with a pitying expression,

"What are you going to do?" He asks as I set my chin in my palm.

"I'm gonna find a distraction." I say, pulling out my phone and dialing Romeo's number.

"Hello, it's Romeo." His voice booms out of the speaker as Rhys's eyes widen. I clear my throat for the second time today,

"It's Talulah. I was wondering if I could take you up on your offer?"