Ava was chilling in her house, laughing occasionally at the variety show she was watching when the doorbell rang. She wasn't expecting anyone since Melanie would be home late that day. She made her way to the front door cautiously and looked at intercom. Her head tilted in confusion when she saw two familiar faces standing in front of the door. She unlocked the door and stared at them as questions started to flood through her head. "Hey, Ava."
"What're you guys doing here?"
"We're here to see you, obviously. We're still friends, aren't we?" Aaron questioned hesitantly.
"Of course, we are. I slept at your house for one night. I might as well be your friends."
"Thank God. We thought you hate us by the way you left without saying a proper goodbye." Felix spoke before heaving a relieved sigh. "I don't hate any of you. You may have treated me like a hoe at first but that's okay. People can change." They choked on nothing when she mentioned the way they treated her the first time she met them. She chuckled when they started stuttering in an attempt to apologize for their rude behavior. "I'm just kidding. I'm not that petty. Come in."
Ava stepped back inside to give them some space to walk inside. "Is there something you need that you have to personally come here and meet me?" she questioned as they took their seats on the couch. "What is that supposed to mean?" A frown was formed on Aaron's face when he spoke.
"I'm sorry if that came out wrong. What I meant was, you guys are leaders in the gang, you should have underlings, right?" she spoke as they nodded in response.
"It must be something important if the both of you come personally."
"Come on, Ava. We're just normal friends trying to catch up with each other. There's no need to complicate things. You don't have to feel any burden by being friends with us. We may be in gangs but we're normal human beings too." Felix spoke. "How's he doing?" she finally asked the question she'd been dreading to ask since the first moment they stepped into her house.
"Not that good. You don't know how big of an effect you have on him. I can see now how important you are to him from seeing the way he's acting after you left. Can't you just come with us?" Aaron heaved a heavy sigh as he pleaded for her to come back with them. "I can't. At least not now."
"Why? What's so important that you have to leave? I know he have a special place in your heart too, Ava."
"A debt, Felix. A debt I have to pay no matter what happens. If I fail in fulfilling my responsibilities, this life I own don't have a meaning."
"Then, let us help you. We can help you and you can come back with us to be with Alex."
"Is there something you two are not telling me?" Ava questioned as the room was engulfed in silence for a short while. "We lied. We're not here to visit you. We need your help." Aaron finally spoke up.
"With what exactly?"
"He's a mess, Ava. After you left, he's neglecting his responsibilities as our leader. The only way to set him back to track is bringing you back."
"So, you're here to take me back?" she crossed her arms and leaned back against the couch when Felix's phone rang. He took the call and immediately sprung up from the couch. "Shit. Yes, we're on our way." He spoke quickly as they took her arm and dragged her with them. She was shoved into the car as Felix quickly drove off. "What the hell is going on?" she exclaimed, starting to panic from the way they were behaving.
"You need to stop Alex or Ray will kill him."
"Why would Raymund kill Alex?!"
"Ray said something and Alex hit him. He's not stopping. Ray won't hit him but he will when his patience runs out. Once he's angry, no one can stop him unless someone dies." Felix explained. "Oh, shit." She muttered by herself when she realized the seriousness of the situation. The three of them quickly ran into the mansion as soon as the car pulled up in the driveway. She could hear a commotion in the living room all the way from the hallway. She ran as fast as she could towards the sound. The first thing she saw was Alex swinging a bottle of whiskey towards Raymund's head but the man avoided it swiftly. From the way Alex was staggering around, he's definitely wasted. When he charged for Raymund again, Ava ran and stood between the two of them.
Alex quickly stopped his arm when he saw her in front of him. "Dammit. Now, I'm hallucinating." Alex let out a loud laugh as he ran his fingers exasperatedly through his hair. Before he could walk away any further, she grabbed his hand to stop him. "You're being irresponsible and aggressive, do you know that?"
"What the hell? You're actually here?"
"You can't just go hitting your brothers when you're drunk, Alex."
"Why're you defending him? He called you a slut!"
"Really?" Ava looked behind her and stared at Raymund with an eyebrow raised. He decided to give a shrug as a response to Alex's remark. "You hit him because of that? You shouldn't have done that. I don't give a shit with those kinds of insult." Ava spoke softly as she took the bottle in his hand and placed it on the table nearby. "Aren't you tired?" she ran her fingers on his hair as he started to calm down with her touch. His head slowly nodded in response. "Come on. I'll take you to bed." She wrapped an arm around his waist and brought him to his room.
She placed him on his bed and pulled the duvet over him before walking towards the door. Before she could walked away, a hand caught hers and a soft voice spoke. "Stay. Please. I need you next to me or I won't be getting any sleep."
"Alex.." she spoke softly and tried to remove his grasp but he tightened it. "Please, Ava." He begged and her heart softened. She slipped under the covers and laid next to him as he wrapped his arms around her waist and snuggled closer. She played with his hair as he fell asleep peacefully moments later. "I want to stay, Alex. I really do." she placed a soft kiss on the top of his head before slipping away from under the covers slowly.