as the table moves just slightly, she startles , causing her elbow to slip off of the surface. falling forward heavily, the corner of the edge is sent into her stomach, and she winces, drawing in a sharp breath. brows furrowed, freya’s head snaps upwards with a deep-set frown. “um, EXCUSE THE FUCK OUT OF ME— -” she’s cut short as she lays her eyes on him, a huff escaping as she realizes that the one person she despises the absolute most, the one person who is known to do the absolute most, is right in front of her. she’s caught off guard, and she knows that the mask slips ever so slightly, pain peeking past the glimmer of a curtain always hung over her eyes. he used to be able to read her like a book .. she wonders if he realizes he’d ripped all of her pages out years ago. there’s nothing left for him to flip through, no new knowledge to gain. so why is he here ?? she’d done her best to avoid him properly, make sure he didn’t find out that she was here. though, she supposed a sick part of her wished this would happen. the sick part of her that he’d had a hand in creating. blinking once, twice .. the curtain falls back down and her mouth is set in a hard line, face stone-like. “yeah, long time. thank god. let’s double that time, huh ?? maybe TRIPLE it ?? good chat .. now skip away back down into hell from the pit you crawled your way out of, please, love.” scooting her chair back with an obnoxious scrape, frey glares at him, tries to convey just how much she hates him with the one look. “time to get back to work !!” she has fifteen minutes left, but she hopes he doesn’t call her total bluff. she’s going to need the next fifteen to go sit in the girl’s room and calm her knotted stomach, smooth out the lumps in her throat, and push her fucking knuckles into her eyes until they stop threatening to leak. he’s always done this, always created more emotion than she’d prefer. she’d rather be emotionless, an empty drain for others to pour their own feelings into. a mockingbird, to pretend to be normal. unfortunately, he’s the one who taught her how to control herself, taught her how to shut it all off. he’s also her un-doing, and she isn’t quite ready to be so unraveled. she has a good thing going, a nice romance novel and boring job. she’s who she wants to be .. right ??
she falters for a moment and a callous grin only turns up to catch & counter ; it’s nothing to daunt a spirit but an impression is yet to be left . to imprint on spite - riddled psyche ( heart , too , if it had to go there . jackson doesn’t mind leaving freya to harbor an undivided loathing to him as long as she knew ; he was a prickly constant she’ll have to be conscious of and she’ll remain a constant to him even in her current ever - changing . knew her like the back of his hand & that’s something for her to keep in mind whenever she wishes to fool naive folk with her front of a freshly - foreign doe - eyed girl --- her power is vain when it comes to him . ) ‘ love - do you. fucking HEAR yourself ? ’ a scoff that extends itself to a cackle at her poor attempt to evade him . ‘ oh , sit down . i’m not fucking stupid , freya . ’ dickhead pulls a seat to settle on as elbows do on the table , posture conveys an ill - intended interest in her with an uncomfortable sense of giddiness / boy couldn’t sit still . he’s paying attention to whatever she tries to keep hidden , vision peers through every blink , thin lips pulls into a smile and brows casually quirk ; this nonchalant terror . all a grand wish to unnerve her into listening to him and maybe dropping this grudge she holds upon their bond . it would pain him , truly , that freya doesn’t claim him as she once did . doesn’t see him as her one protector anymore . the brother she grew to choose on her own not by her mother’s marriage . he’d consider seeking the forgiveness he doesn’t deserve ---- had she not decided to ERADICATE him of this new life of hers while being nearly in his immediate vicinity ; it’s a disturbance to an extent she should know . he expects her to ----- both have worn the other’s pages out with how well they’ve read and memorized each other from timbre to intention . ‘ freya --- sit . down . ’ order sounds again & now it’s chopped and stern through gritted teeth unlike the near playful tone that proceeded it . his features remain intact ; his oh - so - happy grin & arched brows . only now he shows beneath it all . only now highlighting how terrible all of this truly is . ‘ don’t make me tell you again . ’