Freddie: Hey, love! Just checking up on you. Text me back soon!
Peter: WHY THE FUCK IS THE GINGER BACK I CAN’T—
Peter: EDEN PLEASE TELL ME YOU’RE COMING BACK!
Peter: OH GOD HE’S IN CHARGE!?
Peter: I WISH FOR A SWIFT AND PAINLESS DEATH I—
She doesn’t have the strength to text them back just yet. She knows she needs to tell her friends the truth sooner rather than later. Lord knows Hector will have no problem spewing all sorts of hate. A part of her is worried that her friends will come to resent her just as Hector had—though he was always a spiteful little bitch—but still.
What if Rina, Freddie, and Peter think she’s full of it? What if they can’t bring themselves to forgive her? She needs to reach out and be honest with them.
But not now. Not when she’s tired and adrift and unsure what to do next.
She sends them each a quick message to say she’s fine and that she’ll explain things later.
Eden rolls over in bed, partly sleepy, partly grumpy. She should have known Hector would be back to stir the pot. Rats always find a way to survive, after all.
There’s really only one person she wants to talk to right now, but she isn’t sure if Alexander is busy or not. She sends a quick text to double check.
Eden: Hey, can I call you?
Eden: If not, it’s not a big dea
She doesn’t even finish typing up her sentence. Her phone starts to ring, a familiar name popping up on her screen.
He’s FaceTiming her.
She quickly runs her fingers through her hair to brush it out and wipes the weariness from her eyes before answering.
“You don’t have to ask for permission to call me, sweetheart,” he says the second she picks up.
God.
It never ceases to amaze her how handsome he is. Alexander actually seems refreshed for a change, like he’s managed a decent night’s sleep. His hair is pulled into a half-up, half-down situation, giving Eden ample time to take in the hard line of his jaw and the thickness of his neck. It’s then, and only then, that she realizes he’s shirtless.
Shirtless and sweaty.
Yum.
“I didn’t want to disturb you,” she says with a light giggle, snuggling into her pillow. “I know how much you hate texting.”
“My thumbs are too big.”
“What are you doing right now?”
“I was just out for a run.”
“Didn’t take you for much of a jogger.”
“I don’t like to run in the city. Too much going on. Streets are quiet here, though, but I’m really out of shape.”
“You? Out of shape? Have you passed a mirror lately?”
“You flatter me.”
“Where are you now?”
