Tug Her Heartstrings

"Frey... why do we have to leave the two alone together?"

Arvid complained as he groaned, making Frey laugh.

"Well, you told me you wouldn't want your friendship with Angeal to be ruined... so I'm doing her a favor of leaving her alone with her crush! It might make things develop between them!"

When Frey said this, he stopped in his tracks. The thought of them being alone disturbed him, especially now that he knew Angeal has a crush on him.

'I can't let that happen!'

Arvid spun around and walked towards the opposite direction of the grocery store.

"I have to go to them."

When Frey looked back, her eyes widened to see the retreating figure of Arvid. Since his strides were too big, Frey ran then grabbed on to his arm to stop him.

"Hey! I told them that we would follow them back later!"

Arvid sighed exasperatedly, feeling desperate to go to where Arlo and Angeal is, in the Library Cafe.

"But the thought of them alone bothers me..."

When Frey heard this, she stifled her laugh then she released him the moment she felt assured that Arvid won't run away.

The other purpose of why she left the two alone was not only to make them get to know each other... but it was also to provoke Arvid to realize his true feelings for Angeal, making him confess to her as well.

Frey knew that Arvid was scared of their friendship to have a sudden change; he was afraid of their relationship to fall into ruin.

Frey knew that "what ifs" are just hypothetical cases or situations. To her, she would rather be upfront than have those possibilities scare her thoughts.

She wanted Arvid to realize this in this manner.

Frey went in front of Arvid to get his attention then spoke.

"Remember... you guys were tasked to do groceries. We have to do it then give it to Gwen."

When the young immortal heard this, he sighed once more then shook his head, leaving him with no choice.

"If only you hadn't sent that text message..."

"Ah..."

Soon after, it began sprinkling.

The light pitter patter of rain turned into wet thuds as the icy water raced to meet the ground—the sprinkling turned into a torrential downpour. The clouds grew darker and darker. A flash of lightning spooked Frey, making her cling on to Arvid for protection.

The bone-chilling cold seemed unbearable in the howling wind and icy rain. The sound of thunder rolled through the area as another lightning bolt split the sky.

Knowing that lightning and thunder were part of Frey's fears, Arvid put his arm around Frey's shoulder then whispered to calm her.

"Let's enter the grocery. Come on."

The two of them quickly ran inside the grocery, seeking for shelter from the rain. Luckily they were near the building for them to escape from the sudden change of weather.

As the automatic door of the grocery opened then closed, the two of them looked outside.

The rain fell down constantly like an endless bucket of water being poured down from the heavens. It made the two sigh, knowing that they might be stuck in the grocery.

They didn't even have their umbrellas with them!

Frey looked at Arvid worriedly then voiced out her concern.

"How are we going to bring home the groceries?"

When the young immortal heard this, he chuckled as he shook his head.

He didn't expect for Frey to forget that he has powers!

The young immortal bent down to whisper near Frey's ear, sending shivers down her spine.

"I can teleport... remember?"

The moment Frey heard this, she blinked her eyes a few times, almost forgetting that her best friend is an immortal with powers.

"Oh, yeah! You're right," she commented then she gave a small giggle as she looked at the grocery. "Let's go do this then! I like doing groceries," she added then from Arvid's pocket, she took the grocery list given to him by Angeal.

Frey excitedly got a push cart from the side then gave it to Arvid quickly, as if shoving the cart to him. The young immortal squinted his eyes at her as she walked slightly ahead of him.

"You seem to be having fun," he remarked and Frey looked back at him, telling him a story about why she enjoys groceries.

"When I was a young girl at around six or seven, I enjoyed grocery shopping with my mom. It's like a a major outing for me."

When she said that, they were already in the fruits aisle. She looked at the list on Arvid's hand then put 3 bunches of bananas and 6 clusters of grapes inside the cart then continued telling her story.

"I was always amazed at the seemingly endless rows of groceries and household items inside the chain grocery stores we went to during our outings. Candy even has an entire aisle! It was always a pleasure to me going to groceries, even now!"

Arvid rolled his eyes at the girl as he chuckled, finding the thought of enjoying groceries an unusual thought.

The young immortal hated everything about grocery shopping. He hated the crowds, the queues and the aching feet.

He also took exception to overly attentive shopping assistants, the perky seasonal music playing in every store and all the special deals tempting him to spend even more.

"Good thing you enjoy it so much. For me I hate it," Arvid commented, making Frey look at him.

"I'm kind of simple minded," she replied, making Arvid smile at her as he pushed the cart around, following Frey.

As they went around the grocery almost filling up the push cart with the items listed on the list, Arvid felt grateful for Frey to be around to make shopping fun. Also, he was amazed to see how quick their task is to end compared to when he does shopping with Angeal.

Frey knew the grocery well like the back of her hand!

Once they searched and put in the cart everything they needed, they cashed everything out.

All in all the items were in four big shopping bags, making it difficult for the two of them to carry it if they were to walk to the bus station.

Luckily, however, Arvid has powers to make things easier for them to carry around.

"Wait for me outside. I have to pay these and make a call," Arvid instructed her then Frey nodded, carrying two of the groceries, and one worker carrying the other two bags to help her.

At this moment, the rain had already calmed down. Frey put down the groceries as she waited for Arvid. The worker also put down the bags beside her then left after Frey thanked him.

After a while, two boys approached her, making Frey feel uncomfortable.

"Oh! Are you hailing for a cab? Do you need help carrying the groceries? We could help!"

Being talked to by strangers, Frey gave them a cold stare, then spoke at them sharply.

"I don't need help. Scram."

The two men laughed, feeling confident since other people were far from them. With that, it was easy for them to approach the girl easily.

"Come on... you don't have to be so cold."

When the boy was about to grab her hand, the three of them were surprised to suddenly see another hand grabbing the guy's wrist aggressively.

Frey instinctively looked at the person who stopped the man.

It was him, Arvid.

"Ah, ah, ah!"

The guy winced as Arvid's grip tightened on the guy's wrist, as if wanting to break his bone in such a slow manner!

The young immortal coldly looked at the guy who dared almost touch Frey, then spoke, anger etched in his voice. With his free hand, he pulled Frey closer to him to protect her.

"She told you guys to scram. Now get lost!"

The moment he said this, he let the guy go, making the two of them run away in fear. Frey's eyes blinked a few times, surprised and thankful that Arvid came in the nick of time!

The young immortal looked down on Frey as he felt her shaking, her usual strong aura replaced with fear.

"It's okay now... I'm here."

When Arvid said that, Frey looked at him and their eyes met. The young immortal gave her a smile, making her heart beat faster each second.

It was his usual smile yet somehow, Frey found his smile different.

Arvid gave her a smile that just seems so genuinely sweet with just the right touch of shyness.

With that, an unexpected warmth rushed through Frey's veins... leading the spark to tug her heartstrings.