Chapter 20 - A bad day

Wren Austin made her way later that evening to the pub. Rubbing her hands against her arms, she wondered what her encounter with Gwendolyn will look like. After their little talk, the blonde took her time to replay their conversation and she realized she had come off rude and aggressive towards someone who was simply looking out for her.
She understood where Gwendolyn came from, and if she was being honest to herself, she agreed with her. Not that she should forgive Giovanni for having left her, but at least hear him out.
And whilst the blonde struggled to comprehend what he could possibly say to justify his wrongdoings towards her, she decided to give him a shot to explain himself.
And that was it.
The sun had just set and the population of Craigsburg gradually retreated to the various homes. As usual, the blonde received ugly stares from those who didn’t dare talk about her, and evident bad mouthing from those who were courageous enough to talk about her as he walked past them.
As if their stares and whispers hadn’t just ruined Wren Austin’s mood, Luke appearing out of the blue made her want to bury herself twenty feet below. She looked at her sides for an escape, but she was met with nothing but stares as people stopped to witness what was about to go down.
“Wren. Why haven’t you been answering my calls?” Luke’s voice was filled with rage, and judging from his inability to properly use his feet, his pupil dilating and the evident stench of booze emanating from his breath, one could easily tell he had been drinking.
Wren Austin rolled her eyes at Luke’s question and went to walk past him when his sudden grip on her arm stopped her in her tracks.
Wren wiggled her arm out of Luke’s hold until it hurt and she felt it will bruise. “You’re hurting me, Luke. Let go of me” yelled the blonde.
“Not before you tell me why you have been avoiding my calls?” the skinny boy stood his ground and tightened his hold on her arm.
“Because I have nothing to say to you” finally, Wren was able to release her arms from Luke’s firm hold.
“You asshole. Look at what you caused” Wren Austin spat
A current of rage swept through Luke’s body, and in addition to the fact that he was tipsy, the young man abruptly raised his hand, aiming for Wren’s cheeks. The blonde flinched in fear, holding her cheeks as though Luke had in effect hit her.
The whispers coming from the onlookers didn’t border Wren. If anything, they were witnesses to Luke’s brutality.
“You were going to hit me?” Wren Austin questioned in bewilderment.
At once, every ounce of alcohol in Luke’s system vanished as he came back to his senses. He had almost hit the woman he loved the most.
“Wren, I’m sorry. I swear it wasn’t intentional. It’s the alcohol making me act out of character and you too, you were helping. I tried to call you but you wouldn’t pick up and when I heard that he was your client for the night, I lost it. It’s all your fault, Wren. But I’m sorry. It won’t happen again” Luke apologised, trying to take a hold of Wren’s hand, who abruptly pushed him away.
“Get your filthy hands off me and stay the hell away from me” Wren spat, leaving Luke standing there and storming towards the pub.
Luke ran after Wren and caught up with her, creating an even bigger scene.
“Leave me the fuck alone Luke. Get this in your head. That night, you were just another client. So wake the fuck up from your dream. Me and you” the blonde said, gesticulating with her hands;
“Will never work. The sooner you get that, the better” the tone of Wren’s voice made Luke shrink on the spot like a kindergarten school guard on his first of work.
“What you did back there, should never repeat itself again. You don’t want to get on my bad side” Wren flipped her hair and began matching to the pub, all the while grumbling to herself.
The moment she pushed the double doors of the pub, she had the attention of everyone in the pub. As usual, they whispered as she walked past them, some whistling and others yelling out insulting and degrading words.
“Hey” she called out to Gwen.
“Hey” Gwen had already spotted her friend walk into the room. After what she had just heard, and judging by the look on her friend’s face, she knew the blonde will need something strong.
“What the hell happened?” Gwen whispered, pouring herself a shot of whiskey.
“What do you mean” Wren questioned with a frown.
“Between you and Luke I mean. What was all the commotion about?”
Wren Austin smiled. Not because what Gwen had said was funny, but because she was amazed at the devotion of people in her personal life. The incident with Luke happened barely a minute ago and somehow, Gwen was aware of it.
“How did you know about that?” inquired the blonde as she brought her glass to her lips.
“I had two customers here who wouldn’t shut up about it” Gwen replied.
Wren Austin shook her head in amusement.
“It’s nothing. I already shorted things out” Wren Austin iterated before gulping down her drink.
She slammed the glass on the table, squeezing her face as the alcohol burned his insides. After that, both girls fell into an awkward silence as the tension from their conversation within the day filled the air.
“Gwen-“
“No, Wren. You were right. I shouldn’t force you into something you aren’t ready for. If anything, I should be on your side. I was there that day and I remember everything like it happened yesterday. You cried for weeks after that day and as your friend, I should understand that you want things to happen at a pace you're comfortable with” remorse was filled in the young girl’s voice
Wren Austin smiled in appreciation. “No, Gwen. I shouldn’t have snapped at you. I know you were just looking out for me” Wren said with a smile, earning a smile from Gwen. But her smile was momentary as she looked past Wren and her gaze landed on a very amused Giovanni.
“Shit” Gwen cursed.
Wren Austin didn’t have to turn to know that he was standing behind her. The smell of his cologne engulfed her nostrils.
“Hey, Aus” Giovanni O’Connell called out as he leaned on the counter.
The voice sounding in her ears, Wren Austin understood that her day could in fact get worse.

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