by Theresa Jane
Chapter 22: The Rules
“Freya?” A little voice broke through my sleep haze, and I tried to blink my heavy eyes open. I felt a small hand pushing on my arm, and I looked down to find Davis looking up at me worriedly.
“Davis?” I croaked, pushing up on my elbow to look down at him.
“Mommy said that the bad man was really mean to you,” he frowned, his little face all scrunched up in concentration.
“He’s not a bad man,” I sighed, hating that everyone had heard everything my brother had said. Suddenly, I remembered who had been with me when I fell asleep, and I quickly looked to my side but found the other side of my bed empty.
“Liam is with Mommy and Daddy,” Davis explained, and I turned back to see him climbing onto the bed beside me. “They said you needed to rest, but I wanted to see you,” he replied guiltily.
“Thanks, little guy,” I smiled stiffly before pulling him in so he was lying on the pillow beside me.
“Was Liam nice to you, Freya?” he asked skeptically, twisting in my arms so he was looking at me with his wide brown eyes.
“Yeah, he was,” I answered thoughtfully, remembering the way his arms seemed to chase the shadows away.
“Uncle Ant said he wasn’t allowed to help you,” he frowned. “Liam was really mad when he heard the man yelling at you.”
“Really?” I muttered absently. I found myself running my fingers over the space he had once been.
“Uncle Ant was really angry at Liam. I don’t like that man.”
“He didn’t scare you, did he, Davis?” I asked worriedly, wondering if my brother had hurt this sweet little boy. One who always seemed to be coming to my rescue.
“No, I’m brave,” he announced, sitting up defiantly.
“Of course you are,” I laughed, feeling the tightness in my chest start to uncoil.
“Freya?” he asked, his beautiful brown eyes sparkling with curiosity.
“Davis?” I smirked at his serious little face.
“Does Liam like you?”
“What do you mean?” I asked, feeling my face scrunch in confusion.
“You know, does Liam like like you?” He clarified with all the seriousness a four-year-old could muster.
“No,” I spluttered. “Why do you ask?”
“He looks at you like Daddy looks at Mommy,” he shrugged, jumping down from my bed and moving over to play with my easel. “And Mommy said that Kayla was only mean to me because she likes me but doesn’t know it yet.”
“Who’s Kayla?” I asked, trying to keep up with Davis’s fast-paced little mind.
“She’s in my class. She glued my glasses to my nose and cut out all the faces in my comic book,” he said gravely. “Mommy told me it was because she liked me,” he shrugged, “but I really liked that comic book.”
“People are confusing,” I sighed, pushing out of bed and moving over to my lump of clothing. I purposely ignored everything Ryan had bought me yesterday. It was piled in the other corner of my room, and I planned on leaving it there until it gathered dust and hopefully fell out of fashion. Then Ryan wouldn’t dare try and force them on me.
“I don’t like girls,” Davis grumbled, and I looked back to see him glaring at his feet.
“Hey, I’m a girl,” I objected.
“I like you,” he moaned. “But Kayla is mean.”
“Then you need to learn to stand up for yourself, let her know that you won’t be pushed around anymore.”
“I can’t do that,” he answered softly.
“I thought you said you were brave?” I challenged, placing both of my hands on my hips.
“I am,” he said loudly, frowning up at me.
“Then show her you’re stronger.”
“Okay,” he nodded, determination burning brightly in his eyes.
“Good,” I smiled, turning from him and going into my bathroom. “Now, just give me a second, and we can go back out there.”
I quickly ducked inside and changed into jeans and another old shirt before coming back out to see Davis glancing nervously at my door.
“What’s wrong?” I asked curiously, and he looked up at me with worried eyes.
“They’re yelling again,” he cringed as Lucinda’s voice drifted through the apartment to us. I moved over to him, offering him my hand.
“Hey, I’m a little scared,” I said, feigning fear, and instantly he squared his shoulders and pushed his glasses a little higher on his nose.
“Don’t worry Freya, I’ll be brave for the both of us,” he answered, looking out at the hallway with determination. I smiled down at him as he grabbed my hand and started leading us toward the voices.
“Freya, if Mommy tries to make you do something you don’t want to do, make the sad face at Daddy,” he instructed, and I raised my eyebrows at the cunning little boy.
“The sad face?” I asked, trying to hide my amusement.
“Yeah, like this,” he demonstrated, his brown eyes going wide behind his glasses and his trembling bottom lip completing the look. It was very convincing.
“And how often do you use this trick, Davis?” I laughed, already feeling lighter.
“Every Tuesday when Mommy tries to get me to go to karate,” he answered honestly as he took my hand again and we edged closer to the living room. “I hate karate.” I laughed lightly at him before all my humor dried up when we walked into the living room. Silence quickly descended over the room as all their eyes rested on me.
“It’s okay Freya,” Davis whispered up at me, and I realized I had been clutching his hand tighter than before, my face flaming with embarrassment.
Jarred was looking at me from beside Lucinda with Charlie in his arms, dozing lightly on his shoulder. Lucinda was looking at me appraisingly, and I quickly shifted my attention away from her, uncomfortable under her scrutiny.
When my eyes met with Ant, I was confused by his expression for a moment and was almost tricked into thinking that he felt sympathy for me, but as soon as he saw me watching him, his familiar scowl slipped back into place.
“You’re up,” Liam announced, pushing away from the bench and walking over to me with a concerned look on his face. I was about to respond when I heard a growl coming from the boy beside me, causing Liam to frown down at him.
“Down, boy,” he deadpanned, patting Davis on the head. “Didn’t your owners train you?” Davis growled at him again, anger in his darkening brown eyes. “Just don’t pee on the carpet.”
“Liam,” I hissed as a red-faced Davis snapped his teeth at Liam’s extended hand. He recoiled from Davis, scowling at my protector, and I fought a small smile that was trying to escape.
“Come on, Freya,” Davis instructed, tugging me over to the group gathered around the kitchen bench. I knew they were all watching the exchange closely, but I tried to ignore the stares because it would only increase my anxiety.
“Watch out, Liam, or Davis will steal Freya right out from under you,” Ryan smirked. “I can see the headlines now. ‘Liam Henderson loses his girl to a younger man.’ How will you survive the embarrassment?”
“Shut up, Ryan,” Liam grumbled, almost pouting as he stepped up beside me. He didn’t try to reach for me this time, but he was close enough that I could feel his body heat ghosting across my skin, and I fought the urge to step away from him.
“Freya, what are you wearing?” Ryan asked in alarm, his eyes widening as he took in my outfit.
“What?” I asked, tugging at the fraying hem of my deep blue shirt.
“I bought you all those beautiful dresses, and you insult me with that disaster,” he gasped as if my choice was causing him physical pain.
“Look, Ryan,” I started apologetically, looking over at Liam, whose jaw was working furiously. I looked at him for a moment before continuing, still distracted by his behavior. “I’m sure they are all lovely dresses, but they’re just not my taste. I’m sorry.”
“But you
looked magnificent,” Ryan complained.
“I’m sorry, they’re just not me.”
“Fine,” Ryan sighed, and I felt Davis shift beside me as he struggled on the tips of his toes to see over the bench. Smiling, I leaned down and picked him up and sat him on the bench beside me. When I looked up again, I noticed everyone was staring at me, and the room had fallen into an uncomfortable silence.
“What did I do?” I asked defensively, my eyes darting between each set of eyes. At first, no one was willing to answer me, and I felt my temper begin to bubble, rising slowly as the silence stretched on. “Well?” I prompted, and I felt Liam tense beside me, and I knew whatever they were going to say was going to be bad.
“Liam,” Lucinda hissed, and I looked up at the uncomfortable expression on Liam’s face before he glared over at Lucinda. She held firm and eventually Liam gave in and sighed exasperatedly.
“We need to discuss…us,” he ground out, as if the word was a knife being pulled slowly from his throat.
“That sounds encouraging,” I deadpanned, looking back to find Davis glaring at Liam.
“Freya,” Liam groaned, running his hands through his hair in frustration. “This is serious; people are going to try to get to you. They’re going to want to know everything about you.”
“Why?” I frowned, my eyes meeting with Jarred’s across the bench as he looked at me sympathetically. “Won’t they just forget about me?”
“It’s not that simple,” Liam sighed.
“Last night was highly out of character for Liam. Let’s just say images that usually circulate in the media about him are less favorable,” she explained, looking over at a glowering Davis, who was preoccupied with trying to remove Liam from my side and possibly from the land of the living. I don't think he minded which one he achieved first.
“Why can’t we just pretend it never happened?”
“Unfortunately, something like this isn’t going to stay buried for long,” Lucinda emphasized. “Liam doesn’t do romantic and to the world, your date last night was a clear statement to many people that Liam had moved on.”
“I still think the world will forget,” I grumbled, catching Lucinda giving Liam an uncomfortable look. He returned the stare with an almost imperceptible shake of his head.
“Liam-” Lucinda started.
“No,” he growled before turning on me, his eyes filled with anger. “You’re doing this, Freya. You wanted to put a show on last night, and now it’s too late to back down.”
“I was helping you out last night,” I spat as he stepped closer to me, causing my neck to fall to almost a right angle trying to keep eye contact with him. “Why do we have to continue the charade?” He stared at me for a moment, his mind ticking over, and I knew from his increasing frustration that he was coming up blank.
“Lucinda?” he prompted, keeping his eyes on mine.
“Freya, you’ll be really helping Liam out if you keep this up,” Lucinda explained slowly, and my eyes darted to hers as I felt the room start to close in on me. No one was on my side. I didn’t even dare look over at Ant.
“It’s too late to back down now,” Liam declared, pulling my attention back to him. “The world has already seen you. They are already forming theories in their heads about you,” Liam added, his anger still bubbling close to the surface.
“So the whole world thinks I’m just another one of the many women who warm your bed?” I spat, disgust sprouting from every word. My brother was right.
“We can’t change what happened,” Liam shrugged. “It’ll only look worse if you refuse our offer.”
“How could it possibly be worse?” I growled, absently realizing that my feet had begun to pace across the floor in front of the sofa.
“You live with me,” he answered nonchalantly.
“So?”
“It won’t be long before they realize this and with that kiss…well, they’ll be free to make assumptions about your character and your relationship with me,” he explained almost triumphantly, and I felt my pace begin to increase.
“We don’t have a relationship.”
“The world won’t see it that way,” he responded, and I heard his feet start to cross the room to me, causing my own to stop and my eyes to snap to his approaching figure.
“The tabloids will color the truth any way they want. Celebrity reporting tends to bury the boring truths,” he continued a triumphant gleam in his eye.
“Isn’t there another way?” I asked desperately, looking over his shoulder for support, but I had already discovered I wouldn’t find any there. Lucinda for once looked almost apologetic while Jarred looked angry. I could only hope his anger wasn’t directed at me.
I dared to look at Ant, but all I found was a blank face, not a trace of emotion in sight. Ryan looked pained, but I knew he supported Liam. Strangely, I found myself wondering how Liam could ever think he was alone.
“Freya?” Liam prompted when I didn’t respond straight away.
“I can’t,” I whispered. There was silence for a minute before I felt a hand rest on my shoulder. I looked up slowly to find Jarred next to me, looking harshly at Liam.
“Can’t you be a decent person for once in your life?”
“Stay out of this, slug-boy,” Liam grumbled, glaring at Jarred, who had managed to position himself between Liam and me.
“No Liam, you’re acting like a child,” Jarred said firmly, adopting a no-nonsense teacher tone. “Freya isn’t one of your toys. She has a mind of her own, and she’s entitled to use it.”
“You’re always so intrusive. This is between Freya and me. It has nothing to do with you,” Liam replied through clenched teeth.
“Just give me a minute,” Jarred sighed, shaking his head disapprovingly at Liam. I heard him let out a muffled grunt of approval before he shot me a look and returned to the bench where everyone was watching us intently.
Taking another deep breath, Jarred turned to face me with an apologetic smile on his face.
“Thanks,” I muttered, pulling down on the hem of my shirt uncomfortably.
“Liam is unaccustomed to not getting what he wants,” he stated.
“I can’t do it,” I answered softly, and I watched as he nodded but I could tell he was already formulating arguments in Liam’s favor.
“It’s no secret Liam and I don’t get along,” he began cautiously, and I scoffed at his obvious statement.
“A trait you seem to have passed down to your son,” I smirked, looking over where Davis was trying to climb down from the bench unsuccessfully.
“Yes, but I think Liam is more to blame for my son’s dislike for him than I am,” Jarred smiled, staring down at me intently. “He’s infuriating and knows exactly how to push everyone to the very brink of raging insanity.”
“But...” I prompted, knowing there was more to his argument.
“But a lot of people depend on him; they depend on him succeeding. Without him, a lot of people will be out of a job, fans will be disappointed…”
“I know,” I sighed. “I just don’t want to be out there for everyone to judge me.”
“I think it’s too late to hide,” Jarred answered sadly. “Besides, your own opinion and those of your friends and family should be the only ones who count.”
“You’ve heard what my brother thinks of me,” and I watched as he visibly paled, obviously realizing his mistake.
“That’s enough,” Liam announced, moving swiftly around Jarred and taking my hand. He pulled me back over to the bench where Davis was still struggling to get down. Once Liam and I were close enough to him, he reached out for me, pulling at the arm Liam was holding.
“Beat it, midget,” Liam snarled, and I watched as Davis got to his feet on the bench. Although he still needed to look up at Liam, he huffed angrily and was about to say something before Jarred came and wrapped his arm around his middle and pulled him from the bench.
“Dad,”
Davis complained as Jarred carried him sideways across the room and seated him with his sister by the big glass window. He leaned down and started talking to his son, but my attention was quickly pulled away by Lucinda.
“So now that we’ve sorted that out, let's get down to the details,” she said efficiently.
“Wait-”
“Freya will be your girlfriend at all public events until your tour begins, and then we will reassess the public’s reaction to the both of you.” I opened my mouth to protest again, but she plowed ahead.
“You are completely smitten with each other. Liam will not look at another girl other than Freya and Freya will not be seen with any other men.” I scoffed at the thought of another man even wanting me, and I saw Liam frown, but I ignored him.
“You will both go on dates and Liam will be on his best behavior. You will not go out unless you have Freya by your side,” Lucinda emphasized, looking at Liam with one of her no-nonsense glares.
“Fine,” Liam bit back.
“Don’t sound so excited,” I grumbled, my eyes rolling at his attitude.
“Do you have any questions?” I knew it was meant to be a question, but it felt more rhetorical than anything. I had a feeling questions weren’t welcome.
“Just one,” I said, ignoring Lucinda’s tone, and Liam looked at me with a smirk, obviously knowing Lucinda’s reaction to my question was going to be anything but pleasant. “Do you all live in an alternate universe? Because there is no way in this one I will be Liam Henderson’s girlfriend.”I heard a muffled snort come from where Jarred was sitting with the kids, and Lucinda’s focus was momentarily shifted to her husband.
“Actually, I have a question,” Ryan piped up, pulling Lucinda’s attention to him as they all ignored me. “I would like to add that Freya is only allowed to wear clothes supplied by me. I obviously can’t trust her to dress herself.”
“Excuse me?”
“Good point, Liam’s girlfriend wouldn’t really be as fashion-challenged as Freya.”
“Hello? Can anyone hear me?” I shouted at the unresponsive room as Lucinda and Ryan continued to discuss my many failings in fashion. Liam was still smirking, and I had the urge to slap it right off his face, but he was quickly distracted by his ringing phone.