Page 12 of Law Of Love

Six: Freya

Irubbed my eyes as I awoke, my head pounding, my stomach bubbling with a strange combination of queasiness and dread. Sitting up, I gazed around the room, Brie's pale pink walls nowhere to be found. Instead, I was surrounded by a dingy navy cream colour, the accents pretty uninspiring.

This wasn't my room.

“Oh, fuck,” I groaned to myself. I knew whose room this was, the drama that had unfolded last night coming back to me and playing vividly in my mind like a movie scene. I shouldn't have allowed Maggie's words and the fact that my father wasn’t replying to get to me. However, I had given in and joined the party as a distraction when I should have been finishing my college work. I was going to need to keep my head down and focus this weekend.

Swinging my legs over the side of Kaleb's double bed, testing how my feet felt against the cold wood, I tested my balance. Apart from feeling a little unsteady, I was fine, and I headed towards the landing railing, peering over it.

A very fed-up-looking Brent was splayed out across the couch downstairs, his head hung over the back, eyes barely open. A toxic-looking energy drink was clutched in one of his hands, and after listening for a few seconds, I picked up on the soft snore emitting from him.

Someone was hungover.

After a shower, I padded downstairs hesitantly, gaining Brent's attention, his mouth curling upwards once he took in my state.

“You look like shit, girlie.” He chuckled, taking a final swig of his drink and setting it on the coffee table.

“Thanks. That’s exactly what I wanted to hear,” I mumbled sarcastically, looking around the room in astonishment.

There wasn't a hair out of place. It looked spotless.

Brent laughed. “Kaleb may be a guy, but he's not a slob.”

“That makes one of us.” Kaleb scowled, coming from the kitchen to glare at Brent, snatching his empty can up. He turned to me. “So, how are you feeling?”

I shook my head, raking my hand through my wet hair. “My head hurts, but other than that, I’m okay,” I replied, my mouth set in a firm line, gulping as I took in his attire. It had to be illegal for someone to look that good in just grey sweatpants.

“You fell asleep by the toilet last night, so I kept you in my room so you had easy access to a bathroom.”

“And you slept…?”

“I slept on the couch. No need to panic.” Kaleb’s mouth curved upward, my heart hammering against my ribs in sudden relief. He clearly enjoyed my reaction.

The thought of Kaleb and me in the same bed together pushed its way to the forefront of my mind, and I shivered as goosebumps arose across my arms, imagining his warm body so close to mine.

Was he a pyjama kind of guy? Or did he sleep in just his boxers? Perhaps he even—

“Don't worry, Kaleb's already dealt with Maggie.” Brent’s loud voice yanked me from my wildly unrealistic fantasy.

“What do you mean, he dealt with her?” I questioned.

Brent paused. “He went over to her house and—“

“Get off the couch,” Kaleb said huskily, kicking at his friend’s feet and nodding towards the front door. “We're late.”

This caused him to groan, but he shot me a cheesy grin, looking like a fantastic idea had just popped into his head. “Freya, do you want to join us?”

“No.” Kaleb jostled his keys between his fingers, his jaw taut. “Don’t be an idiot, Brent.”

“Kaleb, the girl got drugged by one of our friends. The least we could do is invite her to join us so she isn’t sitting here alone all day.”

“Maggie isn’t my friend. Most of those people last night weren't my friends. Use your brain, Brent.” Kaleb’s tone was harsh.

Frustration flashed behind Brent’s eyes, and he stepped closer to his friend. “Come on, Kaleb. What’s the harm in bringing a friend along? Think about it. It’ll look nothing but normal. Plus, Freya looks like she needs some fun.”

Brent put the emphasis on the normal.

I pinched my eyebrows together. What the hell did that mean?

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