[ASTRID REESE]
London, England

★ ★ ★

Astrid Reese used to be a firm believer that only rich people lived in London. Although it had been years since the theory formulated in her brain, she persistently thought that the kids at her school, with parents who earned more than the average working-class people she was brought up by, would spend weekends in the capital city, shopping and eating out at the most expensive restaurants. Little did she know, the jealousy which she oh so stubbornly aimed to brush under the rug as a teenager, would push her to become one of those parents.

Not quite literally.

Perhaps, it is safe to say that Astrid Reese is money motivated. The woman always had been and, in her personal opinion, she always would be. Precisely why she knew she got where she was at the almost ripe age of thirty-three.

A cold London evening, spent wrapped up in a fluffy, grey blanket. The skies somewhere between all kinds of different shades of blues and pinks and purples. Barely there, the sun disappeared amongst the tall buildings more and more, ultimately leaving it up to the couple of candles flickering on the table, the small, built-in lights sparkling from the tiles and the bright white kitchen light sneaking out through the opened door and glass windows to illuminate the balcony. As Astrid brought a glass of gin and lemonade to her mouth, she switched her crossed legs, propped against the railing in front of her, then swallowed the drink to continue chewing on the frozen raspberry that accidentally swam into her mouth with the sip.

Before she had the chance to locate the noise of a chair being moved, Sofia Jameson appeared right by her side. The exact same furniture Astrid sat on, pressed against Sofia's thighs as she pushed it forward, both hands occupied. One held a glass and a bottle of wine whilst the other clutched a pack of cigarettes, a lighter and a personalised ashtray. Astrid peeked, stretching her neck, as the sound of a car sped through the street, most likely a sports car but she couldn't be sure what kind. Letting her back fall against the chair again, Astrid sighed and looked at her best friend.

"Just so you know," Sofia started out while popping a long, white stick of death between her lips, only to cradle the end of it from the gentle gust of wind. She lit the cigarette. Once the end became orange, she removed her right hand completely and kept the left close to her mouth, index finger and thumb hovering around the cigarette. After she inhaled the smoke deeply, she let go of it, holding it between the two fingers and she exhaled as she said, "I don't condone this," Sofia reminded her best friend, only to get a low chuckle from her as a response. The kind where Astrid was sure to let Sofia know that she did not particularly care.

"I don't know what you mean," Astrid said, playing dumb which earned her an eyeroll from Sofia. The itch to take the cigarette from her started to get worse as it spread all over Astrid's body. It was no secret that she had an issue with putting the deadly habit to rest, especially as of late. Stress made her do insane things—like ruining her lungs.

"Maybe if I say Der—,"

"No."

Astrid did not need to see her best friend's face to know she smirked and her eyes mirrored the line of her lips. Still, as Sofia said, "So, you know what I mean," Astrid couldn't help but turn her head and stare her best friend down.

"I know what I'm doing. That's all you should care about," she said while leaning to the side, resting her weight on her right arm. Astrid took the cigarette from Sofia, regardless of all the rational thoughts that advised her against it. "Besides," Astrid scoffed before she inhaled a round of smoke from the cigarette, resting it between her index and middle finger. She held it in for a second, fixating her eyes on sliding the nail on her thumb under the nail on her pinky. Looking up at the sky, she exhaled the smoke while finishing her sentence. "You never liked him. If anything, you should be ecstatic."

"No, I did not like him," Sofia said honestly. All throughout the relationship, Astrid found it frustrating but now that it was all behind her, she found it hilarious and, actually, to be a massive red flag. Astrid always had been stubborn so there was never any getting through to her. Well, not until something bad happened and she could do nothing but deal with the outcome. "But he is out of your life."

"Yes."

"So why the hell do you want to bring him back into it?" Sofia asked in a gradually rising voice, slamming her palm against her thigh. Astrid sighed and went in for another inhale of smoke, retracting it from between her lips with the index-thumb combo.

"Because, Sofia, I'm—,"

"A dumb bitch," she interrupted her, face normal, voice cold. Astrid groaned but Sofia continued. "Yes. I already know that, honey."

"Well, I don't see why you're questioning me, then," she shrugged, drinking from her gin and lemonade. Chewing on a small ice cube, the both of them remained quiet. "He deserves worse, honestly."

"I'm not saying he doesn't deserve worse," Sofia cleared up and took the cigarette back from Astrid. "What I'm saying is that it makes no sense. You can get your revenge on him in other ways."

Astrid's voice dropped low in fake amusement as she asked, "Really?!"

"Really," Sofia nodded at her, exhaling the smoke into the air.

"Any suggestions?"

"You could move on? Forget he even exists."

"Wow," Astrid started laughing and she pulled her feet off of the railing to sit up and top her drink off with more gin. Then a splash of lemonade.

"What?" she asked. "Powering through and showing him that you can live life without him—,"

"That worked for you. I can't always be the bigger person in a situation like you," the comment wasn't meant to be offensive in any way, rather it being brought up gently. Not to mention, it was the truth. Sofia Jameson was pure and honest, the perfect human.

"And let's not talk about the unnecessary shit you would stir with the brother," Astrid leaned her head back against the chair and closed her eyes as her best friend went on a tangent. It wasn't like she didn't think about the brother... she just didn't think about him long enough. She thought about getting with him since he was her ticket in to ruin Derek Molyneux. "I understand how cool it must've felt to come up with this plan but babe, can I be honest?"

With a sigh and eyes remaining closed, Astrid said, "Wouldn't want you any other way."

"You are being stupid. You are not thinking straight. You are going to play with this man's emotions while you'll try to get back at your ex and—," Sofia stopped herself from talking because Astrid was laughing into her glass of gin. "You're annoying, you know that, right?"

Astrid never answered. Didn't want to hurt her own feelings, nor did she want to feed into Sofia's beliefs. The plan she had was perfect in her mind, rather entertaining, in fact. Having been left alone and hurt, especially petty, she could do nothing but come up with an insane plan.

"God, Astrid... do you really have to do this?" the question burst out of Sofia like she could no longer hold it in. Sounding like a balloon full of water bursting, the words soared right out of her mouth. "I mean... you shouldn't do this. I'll be the one to get the short end of the stick. You know it."

"God, Sofia... I really have to do this," she mocked her best friend.

"You are the stupidest-smart person I have ever met," Sofia muttered but Astrid heard her. She did not take offence to it, considering the amount of truth it revealed, though Astrid wondered why Sofia felt so against the idea.

"Why not go after the brother of the mistress? What could possibly go wrong?" she asked her friend in a state of doubt. Although it did not last longer than a couple of seconds, Astrid truly asked herself if this would be necessary.

It made so much sense to her.

Derek Molyneux cheated on her after years of them being together. As far as Astrid was aware, she remained as wonderful of a girlfriend as she was when the two started dating. Never did she cling to him. There were no massive arguments. They had sex regularly. She could take care of herself. In her mind, that was the true definition of a perfect girlfriend and yet, the man she had real feelings for, decided to play. He played with those emotions then left her feeling exhausted, confused and most certainly petty.

Then again, if Astrid really considered this, she couldn't have been petty. The meaning behind the word mostly covered those who blow things out of proportion for no reason. Those who take things, events or actions which are normally insignificant, and make them into excuses to be difficult, childish and insanely stubborn.

Getting cheated on may happen all around the world, every single day, to millions of people, but it does not take away from the pain it leaves behind. Any reaction to that is valid.

With that being said, a new conversational topic is then up for discussion, begging the question: where should one draw the line? Is going after the brother of the woman the ex-boyfriend cheated with considered too far?

"You're gonna do whatever you wanna do and I know that," Sofia said with the cigarette between her lips. She poured herself some more wine and Astrid followed the actions like she had nothing better to do. "Just be careful."

"I'm always careful," she defended herself immediately.

"I mean it, Astrid," Sofia's voice sounded firmer, a lot more serious than at any other point during the evening. Out of the two, she had always been the more serious best friend, the one who had their life together with certain goals, set by the different ages they were bound to hit. The straight A student with the law degree and countless opportunities to do what she wanted or things she didn't want. As the realisation hit Astrid, she had to accept that Sofia would always worry about her and want to look out for her because as much as she refused to admit verbally, she was way too oblivious and naïve sometimes.

"Honestly, Sofia, what could go wrong?"

"A lot," she responded, scoffing like she couldn't believe Astrid was so unaware. "For one, you're not over Derek."

"Yes, I am."

"No," she pressed. "You are not. You found out he cheated a couple of weeks ago."

"Exactly. I'm over him."

"Yet you're planning on fucking his new girl's brother to get back at him," Sofia responded like it was a reflex. "That screams just how over him you are."

"He hurt me. I want to hurt him back."

"Okay," she chuckled as the last of the cigarette was smoked and she stubbed it out in the ashtray. "What if you fall for this man? Hm? Or worse," she scoffed. "What if you let yourself be fooled by Derek again? What then?"

"Now you're just being ridiculous," Astrid laughed genuinely. One of those belly laughs. "I am not looking for a relationship with anyone."

"Yeah? Why is that?" the smirk began to grow on Sofia's face as she knew the truth would spill from Astrid in a matter of seconds.

But could she admit it? Could she find it in herself to leave her best friend feeling victorious? Somewhere deep down, the fact that she was not over Derek Molyneux was more than an understatement. To spend three years with someone then suddenly be without them is not the easiest change of lifestyle to get accustomed to. Astrid was bound to be in the healing process still, right? She could be the perfect definition of a stubborn person and it still wouldn't take away from the ugly truth:

Astrid Reese's heart was bleeding.

"I'm just not ready."

"... because?" Sofia questioned, more so awaiting the revelation which was already crystal clear to her.

"Because-I'm-not-over-Derek," she hurried into saying, half of her face hidden in the large gin glass, essentially making it impossible to hear her perfectly.

"Huh?"

"You heard me."

"Mnh-mnh," she shook her head. "Say it one more time."

"I'm, um... I'm not-over-Derek," she bit the end of the sentence in half, swallowing it deep into her guts so no one could tell what she really felt. At that point, Astrid sensed the burning stare of her best friend and she swore she could smell burning flesh. Her own burning flesh. The skin of her cheek. Much to her dismay, the woman knew she was going to have to repeat it until it felt satisfactory to Sofia. And so, quietly, but much more articulated, she said, "I'm not over Derek."

"Wait, you're not?" Sofia gasped. "I—but I thought you said—,"

"Ha-ha," Astrid rolled her eyes then focused her attention on the view before her. Lights and a dark sky, the sound of ambulance sirens coming and going. Then it was quiet. "I'm not over him and that's why I want to do this. To get over him. So, I know I won't be fooled by him. Because I'm getting over him in a way that makes sense to me."

"I understand."

"But?"

"There are healthier ways of achieving the outcome you want," Sofia sniffled and her chair creaked as she got comfortable. "However, I will not be bothering this topic anymore."

Pushing her tongue into her cheek, Astrid hummed, "Yeah?" knowing very well that Sofia couldn't go too long without bringing it up again. Curiosity had always been her downfall.

"For tonight."

"Right."

"So..." the dramatic exhale made Astrid peek one eye open and turn her head. Sofia motioned her hands and pushed her head out a little, kind of like she tried to get a question across but failed. "Is there a picture? A video?"

"Of?"

"What do you mean 'of'?" she sat straight up and so did Astrid. Sofia turned and placed her feet on the floor, situating her wine glass on the table between them. "You know what of!"

But as Astrid hummed a mysterious, "Umm..." it was obvious she knew what she needed to show a photo of. Who she needed to show a photo of.

"C'mon!" Sofia nudged her. "You found him, what? Almost a week ago and you've shown me no pictures. Is he ugly?"

"Oh-ohohohoh," Astrid laughed, tilting her head back to gulp down the remaining alcohol in her glass. "If that man is ugly, I don't know anyone who I would consider attractive. But—,"

"No butts. They are to sit on and to be slapped. In your case, hopefully by this sexy brother."

"But I don't want to show a picture. Not before I can land him," she finished her thought. "Which is not because he is ugly. Just to reiterate."

"Just to reiterate."

"Yup," Astrid nodded. "In fact, he might be slightly out of my league."

"Shut up!" Sofia's jaw physically dropped as she opened her mouth. "You've never said that. Ever."

"I know. I was so embarrassed thinking it when I found his Instagram."

"And?"

"And what?"

"Did you follow?"

"After some heavy stalking, yes."

"So, his account is public."

"I was shocked," Astrid mentioned as they continued on with the conversation, both of them completely gripped by the topic. Truth be told, with Astrid being in a relationship for three years and Sofia focusing completely on her career and personal life, neither of them had the time to bring men home or even discuss it in this manner.

"Did he follow back?"

"I haven't checked."

"Well, check it, then," came the answer with a gentle kick to Astrid feet. "This is so exciting. It's exciting, isn't it?"

Raising an eyebrow as she unlocked her phone, Astrid asked, "Weren't you against the idea not too long ago?"

"Oh, be quiet," she waved her friend off and got back into the comfortable position from before. Watching as she put her perfectly pedicured feet back onto the railing then reach for the glass of wine she rested on the table, Reese had no other option but to pick her phone up and check if she received a new follower yet. "How old is the brother, anyway? Do you know anything about him?"

"His Instagram gave away enough," she said. Sofia scoffed. "He loves his sister which he already has in common with my dickhead-of-an-ex. I scrolled down a little and it turns out he's a bloody doctor."

"You're shitting me."

"Swear on everything that's greater than me," Astrid put her hand on her chest, looking at Sofia with a dead look in her eyes. "He obviously did an undergraduate degree in Medicine—and he looked incredible in his cap and gown—and then he posted of him getting his, uh... you know that certification they get when they pass their training and all?"

"No?"

"It's something like," while thinking hard about the word, she tapped her middle and index fingers against her thumb, clicking her tongue against the roof of her mouth. "Ah—Certificate of Completion of Training. CCT."

Sofia gave Astrid a look that spoke volumes before she said, "I don't want to know how you know that."

"I zoomed in on the picture," she said with a shrug. "Anyway—oh my god. He followed me back!"

"'Course, he did," the reply came from Sofia like she expected nothing less. Rather sure of herself and confident in the fact that any sane person would follow her best friend right back.

"No, Sofia, he followed me back," she repeated with so much excitement gripping at her words that it felt almost strange to her. She has not been quite so thrilled about something in a very long time. "My account is private. He couldn't even stalk me. And he followed me back."

"He wants to follow you, you mean," she laughed. "And get a grip, babe. You're thirty-three, acting like you're fifteen and your crush glanced at you."

"Wow. Condescending much?" she teased but then ended up sighing because what if Sofia was right? What if she was being a little too giddy about this? Quietly, she wondered, "Am I?"

"A little bit," Jameson mentioned. "But to be fair, I'm glad you can still feel this way."

"What way?"

"This way," she smiled but it confused her friend even more. "Happy. Excited. Definitely excited. I haven't seen you so buzzed about something like this in so long."

"Really?" Astrid sounded soft and maybe a little surprised.

Sofia's lips curled upwards as she let her eyes fall on Astrid's. Reese couldn't be sure what that look meant, it could've been one of pure love. "Really."

"So, maybe I was a bad girlfriend," she muttered under her breath. The faint insecurity surrounding her in that moment was new to her as she usually closed negative thoughts completely out of her mind. Having tortured herself with such exhausting concepts during her teenage years and part of her twenties, making the decision to take better care of her mental health was crucial. These on and off moments scared her because getting pushed off the edge could only lead her to one exit.

"What makes you believe that?"

"You're my best friend. You're not gonna lie to me about how I... behave, right?"

"Mhm."

"So, I haven't been too excited or happy lately. Which explains why Derek cheated."

"Shut up, Astrid."

"Why? I'm right."

"Okay, maybe you weren't excited or the happiest when you were with him but that didn't give him the right to go and fuck some other woman," Sofia said a little more harshly than she meant to react. Astrid knew that the frustration wasn't aimed at her but she couldn't help gulping as though she had done something wrong. "And I'm sorry but maybe it's his fault that you weren't happy and excited as one should be when you have the chance to be loved by someone. Hell, I doubt he ever loved you like you deserve to be loved."

"Fuck me," Astrid laughed. "How long have you been keeping that to yourself?"

"A while," Sofia admitted. "I just—well, I didn't want to hurt you."

"You couldn't hurt me if you tried."

"No, that's not true," Jameson argued. "I could."

"Well, you wouldn't have, if you told me this while I was with Derek," Astrid told her best friend but as soon as the words were out there, lying in the open, she couldn't be sure. In all fairness, Astrid Reese could be petty. Headstrong when she believed people were criticising her because who else would ever defend her if it wasn't her?

"False."

"Whatever," she sighed, giving up the bickering. Refocusing her attention, she scrolled around the account of her new follower.

harrystyles.

Over two-hundred posts and not a single selfie. How was that possible? Every photo shared was of him and with other people. Sunsets. Beaches. Woods. Harry Styles seemed to be a smart, sexy and adventurous man. One particular post revealed he was the older child in the family, which, for some odd reason, intrigued Astrid. It wasn't like she didn't see the photo before, it was the caption which read, 'HBD to my not so Little Sister' that she managed to miss on her first stalk mission.

A family man.

Then there was Astrid with a plan to indirectly mess with said Not So Little Sister.

The bare thought caused Astrid's chest to rise and fall deeply, thinking to herself, 'Let's hope there won't be a reason to discuss family matters until absolutely necessary.'

★ ★ ★

[A.N.]

[Welcome to the beginning of DECEIVED. It has been a long time coming. I'm very excited to see where this will take us, and I hope you will enjoy the journey. Fingers crossed that Hastrid will get their happy ending somehow. If not... well, that'd be unfortunate.] 

[As always, don't forget to vote and share your thoughts. I will make it my personal mission to respond all the time.]

[With love, B.]