Wretched Roses √

Chapter 40-Meeting

Leona's POV
Grabbing a glass of water, I gulped down the content in it and set it down on the counter with a thud. It had been a while since I'd last seen Freya. A month to be exact and three weeks since we had texted. It hadn't been that long but in comparison to how often we used to speak, it was a while ago.

It was 2 pm on a Saturday and I had no shifts. Freya wasn't particularly busy either which is why we'd chosen to meet up at a café that was walking distance away for us both.

"I'm going now!" I shouted as I closed the door behind me.

As I had predicted, it only took around fifteen minutes to walk and before I knew it, I was there. It was a small, humble café. Nothing special in all honesty. "Café" a sign read in big bold letters, how original. I entered to escape the chilly air and started searching for Freya. Since I couldn't find her, I assumed she hadn't arrived and sat down by a table in the corner to wait.

A few minutes later the doorbell rang, I looked up from my phone and sure enough, there stood Freya. She was wearing gloves and a long black coat along with a beanie, it was certainly a cold November this year.

It didn't take her long to spot me and when she did, she approached me with a beam, sitting down on the empty chair across me. We went through the usual greetings and Freya commented on the weather.

"So, how's work been these past weeks?"

"Stressful," I complained with a groan. "What about you?"

"Same. But it's worth it, I need the money before I go to grad school."

"Yeah, shit's expensive."

She chuckled. "It sure is."

The waitress soon came and asked for our orders. Freya ordered some tea and a sandwich while I went with a coffee, not feeling particularly hungry.

"Have you spoken to Elora lately?" I decided to ask a rather bold question.

She bit her lip and nodded. "I guess so. She's busy, with Harvard and all. But I know getting away from Jolene has been good for her."

"That's good. And the others?"

"Well, Micaela turned sixteen two weeks ago. Her friends held a party for her, thankfully Jolene didn't find out."

The twinge of venom every time she mentioned Jolene was obvious. It brought a darkness to her eyes that only showed whenever her name was mentioned. It was hard to miss.

"I don't know what the fuck Kalen is up to and I don't really care. Wren broke his arm, clumsy idiot. But except for that, he's doing well," she continued, thanking the waitress when she came with her food and our drinks. "How are your parents doing?"

"As okay as they can be. They met up with Julian a week ago. He was doing better, they said at least. I wouldn't know."

"Still haven't seen him since that day?"

"Since she died?" I bluntly said. "No. He hasn't reached out and neither have I. It's not like I knew him. Besides, I look like his dead girlfriend, must be strange."

She hummed and took a sip of her tea. "You could always get to know him."

I shook my head and didn't say anything else. She sighed, I couldn't tell if it was because she was annoyed with me or something else. I wouldn't blame her if it was the former.