"Greyjoy, I need your help." - Thirrin started her phone call, without any greetings.
"About what?" - Theon asked, who had just returned home from school.
"Math 3. You take this subject, don't you?"
"Yes, I actually do… Why?"
"I need you to come over and explain this goddamned thing to me. It's somehow connected to distribution, I guess."
"Like, now? It's 6 PM, I've just got home and I'm freaking hungry!"
"Don't worry, I'll order something. Please, Theon! I usually ask my cousin for help but he texted me he won't be able to do it now. I'll be very thankful, I promise. Margaery's just left for Pilates and won't be back until like 9 or 10 PM."
"Okay, I'll be right there… - he sighed. - But wait, Snowflake, where do you live exactly?"
"Take the underground and go southern direction. You have to get off at the Hyde Park station, then walk two blocks, then turn left on the second street, walk down that street, on the end turn right and you're at our building. It takes total about 1 hour."
"Gosh, that's a lot… Nevermind, I'll leave in a minute."
"Thanks, I'm waiting for you!"- she hung up.
So Theon turned back and went to the underground station. Random hookup on an ordinary Wednesday seemed like a good idea, even if he had to explain some problems and equations for that. He stared into nowhere as he sat on the train, his phone was in shuffle mode, playing his favorite indie rock playlist.
Life had been quite normal in the last few days. Both were busy with school, Robb brushed under the carpet the events of the weekend and Theon didn't mention that he was texting with Thirrin basically all the time.
When he went upstairs from the station, he got surprised how posh this area looked. Perfect buildings with tasteful and nice Christmas lights, in which the rent was so high he couldn't even imagine. Inhabitants who eat at one of the Dornish restaurants every evening and don't care much about living costs. London was a rich high-stepper city, much more different than Northern Ireland or even than Miami and the Caribbeans, but Theon only realized it then, as he was walking in the annoyingly wealthy area.
He couldn't help but smile when he saw Thirrin in front of one of the houses. She was wearing dark grey sweatpants with black hoodie, her hair was put in a bun on the top of her head leaving uncovered her beautiful pale neck. She was smoking while drinking (probably) coffee from a huge mug.
"I'm here to save you Snowflake!" - he said.
"Finally! I tried to solve some problems while I was waiting for you but I still don't understand anything. I NEED to pass this test at least with 60%, unless I have to take the fucking exam. I don't want to waste my time with fucking math anymore."
"Take it easy, Thirrin. Finish your smoke and let's see what we can do."
"Thanks, Greyjoy. By the way, you look good today."
"I always look good, sweetie!"
He wasn't wearing anything special - black combat boots, black jeans, dark blue shirt, black leather jacket, his hair was messy, plus he hadn'd shaved for days, but somehow he liked her compliment.
"Your're literally my last hope - Thirrin continued. - Really, if I have had anybody else to help me, I wouldn't have commanded you to come over. But the entire class is like "What the fuck is this? What the fuck is THAT?" and Garlan isn't available now because he's showing off his pretty face at a conference. So it's your turn to do some magic."
"Yeah, I guess I know what you're taking and I think I can explain it, unless it's economic math."
"No, it's the simple math 3, you know, the 3-semester-long basic subject that everyone takes who studies math-related things."
"Okay then. But my magic always comes with a price!" - he smirked.
"You're such a nympho, Greyjoy… - Thirrin rolled her eyes. - Whatever. Come in!"
He followed Thirrin into the house. At first sight the apartment seemed elegant, sophisticated and girly. In the hall there were at least
ten different coats hanging and a million pairs of shoes on the shelves.
They went upstairs to Thirrin's room. The place was quite big, or at least bigger than his. Its colors were mostly cold: white furniture, dark wooden and blue details with a hint of silver. There was a big white wardrobe with white dresser, some shelves full of books and little objects, a dark desk with a silver laptop and office chair. It had a little balcony as well, which looked to the quad. On the wall, over the double bed there was a big heart-shaped photo collage. The bed was covered with throwpillows, some books and notebooks. The whole room looked very Thirrin-ish.
"Have a seat! Here's the description of the material, but I think it's useless. Oh, do you need anything? I've already ordered dinner, Indian, I hope it's okay, but I can make you a coffee or something." - Thirrin said.
"No, I'm okay. Can I see what you've already done?"
"Sure." - she handed him a notebook and sat beside him on the bed.
Theon quickly looked over the notes and calculations written with sharp, scratchy handwriting while Thirrin was staring at him, like she really would expect some miracle. Then he reached for a pen and a calculator and started re-doing the first exercise Thirrin had failed.
"I know a formula which makes this easier to do and understand - he explained while writing. - You have to divide the first partial result with the quadrat of the given item, then multiply it by the variate. Got it?" - he underlined the final result twice.
Thirrin nodded slowly.
"Yeah, I think so. How do you know this?"
"From school? Engineers like doing things the easiest and fastest way possible."
"Okay. Could you transform it into a blanket formula?"
"Sure. There's three more, I give you all, then try to do some exercises using them."
He wrote down all the four formulas and gave back the notebook. Thirrin smiled, opened a book and started solving a problem. Theon was watching her as she was writing. She looked incredibly sexy as she was chewing her lips and twisting her babyhair while thinking. He leant closer to her, put his arm around her slim waist and his hand onto her thigh.
"This one seems correct. Try another one!" - he whispered.
Thirrin nodded and began to write down the given data but suddenly dropped the pen and looked into his eyes furiously:
"Could you please place your hand elsewhere? I cannot concentrate if you keep rubbing my thigh!"
"I wasn't rubbing your thigh."
"Whatever, back off, Greyjoy - she shook her head but he noticed she was breathing more heavily. - I know what you want and you're gonna get it as soon as I completely understand everything." - she returned to her work.
"So caressing your thighs turns you on?" - he asked fiercely.
"This question doesn't help either." - she didn't even glance at him.
"But seriously. What turns you on?"
"You know it very well."
"I wanna hear it from you."
"Okay then - she closed her notebook. - Sassiness. Smile. Good smell. Nice hands, strong but lean. Back muscles. V-line. Confidence. Mouth that tastes like smoke. Lip biting while kissing. Intelligence. And a tiny bit of arrogancy. You?"
"Long hair. Silky skin, almost transparent. Full lips. Sharp collarbones. Making out under the sea. Rounded butt. Neck kissing. Decadence."
"Neck kissing in which way? When you do it or when you get it?"
"Both. What about your… 'arrogancy'?"
"You seriously ask me? - she laughed. - It's your everyday attitude: 'I'm the king of the sea, I sleep with mermaids and I don't give a shit what you think about me.' And the most annoying thing about it is that you OWN it, Greyjoy. And that's smoking hot."
"She sees through on me. This is frightening." - he thought. However, he didn't say it out loud.
"I take it as a compliment, Snowflake." - he smiled.
"I meant so. But what about decadence? Do you go for trashy girls?"
"There's a difference between decadent and trashy. Trashy girls open their legs for everyone and they're desperately want to be fucked hard, while a decadent girl admits she likes sex and isn't afraid to try something new. Just like you."
"If you think about decadence in the Gatsby-way, I'll accept it."
They were looking in each other's eyes, not saying a word. Theon could feel the air pulsing around them, his entire body was already burning inside just because of the touch of Thirrin's cold hands. She said exactly what he was thinking of:
"I can't concentrate of the fucking distribuition anyway…" - she grabbed his face and kissed him hard. He kissed her back, their tounges dancing wildly. She climbed onto his lap, unhooked his belt and her right hand went straight into his pants. He moaned as she caressed him so softly yet strongly that he was afraid he would finish before the best part. Luckily or unluckily Thirrin stopped for a moment to take off her tee and search for a condom in the nightstand. Theon followed her example, got off as many clothes as he could in 30 seconds and took advantage of the fact that he was kneeling behind Thirrin (who tried to rip off the package with shaking hands), grabbed her boobs from behind and kissed her neck. Feeling and tasting her flawless minty-scented skin made him even more crazy. With his free hand he carefully started removing her pants. He wasn't surprised when he felt lace under the cotton.
"That's why I called you decadent" - he whispered to her ear.
Thirrin turned back, smiling, with burning fire in her ice-blue eyes.
"The decadent girl wants you to fuck her - she said while putting on the condom very slowly and very seductively. - Hard" - she added, when she finished.
"Be careful what you wish for." - Theon smiled back before he entered.
Later he only could recall the feelings. Her pulsing body around him, the taste of her mouth, the screams, the scratches on his back, and the way they looked at each other as they finished together - again.
"Wow. It was awesome - Thirrin said after some minutes, still catching her breath. - First partial result divided by the quadrat of the given one, then multiplying the whole thing with the variate. Who knew I learn so fast after a nice round?"
"It's exam season soon Snowflake - he smirked. - Maybe I learn fast too in this way."
"I don't know about you but during exam season I tend to be very nervous and according to studies sex helps relieving the stress level."
"We can do an experiment, if you want to…"
They suddenly heard the bell ringing.
"Oh, dinner is here! - Thirrin jumped out of the bed, quickly got dressed and ran downstairs. - I'll be back in a minute!" - she yelled from the stairs.
Now that he was left alone (and put on some clothes too) he looked at the photos over the bed. There were many of them, range selection of everyday moments and special occasions. Sunsets, holidays, group pictures taken in nice clubs, on festivals and on board, graduation photos, simple snapshots. In a lot of pictures Thirrin was together with a girl who took after her a lot. Same heart-shaped face, same petite and slender figure, similar smile, however, this girl had light brown hair, brown eyes and peachy skintone. She looked overall warmer and more extroverted. He was wondering who she could be, when Thirrin returned.
"I love many things about sex, and eating after doing it is definitely one of them" - Thirrin handed him a plate.
"I couldn't agree more, you deserve a high-five, Snowflake."
They laughed and started eating really fast.
"Gosh, that's awesome - Theon sighed with his mouth half full. - Or I guess I've been hungry enough to eat basically anything."
"Considering that we burned about eight hundred calories ten minutes ago, I'm not surprised. By the way, I saw you were observing my collage. Do you like it?"
"Yeah, it's pretty cool. I can see you've traveled a lot. Only in Europe?"
"Also in Africa, but I've never crossed the ocean. I've been in France - like Alpes, Riviera, Paris -, in Spain - like Ibiza, Barcelona, Andalusia, Tenerife-, in Amsterdam, in Rome, in Tuscani, in Marakkech, and we cruise some weeks in Greece every year."
"Cool - he nodded. Cruising meant something different for him. Aquamarine endless sea, palm trees, white sand and beautiful mixture girls. But also fresh start, new beginning, chance for a new life. He smudged away the distracting thoughts and memories about a much harsher and rougher seaside. - Who's the guy on that photo?" - he asked instead pointing at a group picture. There were four people on it: Thirrin, the almost-Thirrin-girl, a guy who looked too pretty to be straight and a handsome guy who rested his arm around Thirrin's waist. The guys were wearing tux and bowtie, while the girls were dressed up in white long evening gown.
"Are you being jealous? - Thirrin laught. - If he were my ex, I would have already got rid of the picture. No, he's Garlan, my cousin."
"Who helps you via FaceTime?"
"Yes. Everybody is my cousin on that picture, actually. The girl is Margaery, you know, my roommate slash best friend, and the other guy is Loras. It was taken on our debutation ball."
"Debutation ball? - Theon asked with wide eyes. - Do you live in the 19th century or what?"
"No, we're just Tyrells, which means our family belongs to London's high society and we have to attend events like this. Grandma insisted to go to the debutation ball when we were sixteen. We didn't have a boyfriend back then and didn't want to be escorted by some douchebags either, so we asked Garlan and Loras to be our partners. Mine was Garlan. It was a good party, after all. I drank an entire bottle of Dom Pérignon AND took some shots of Absolut, then I made out with a guy in the ladies' room. Which was three times bigger than a normal one. Fun fact, I didn't lose my virginity there only because the guy was so drunk he didn't know how to go under my dress. Also, I was too drunk to unzip his pants."
"You must have been truly drunk. I mean, I've even had blackouts and stuff, but I've never been that drunk that I couldn't have gone down on a girl."
"We were teenagers, with a lack of experience! Spoiled and restless teenagers…" - Thirrin sighed. - "I take these down - she collected the empty plates. - Would you like anything else?"
"No, thanks. - he shook his head. - But what about going outside for a smoke?"
"Okay, cool."
She ran downstairs and returned in less than a minute. She opened the balcony door, put on her hoodie and they went outside. The evening was dark and cold, only the light of the room filtered through the windows. They lit on their own cigarettes (simple strong for him, lighter minty for her), leant out on the rail, smoking in silence, standing very close to each other.
Theon hesitated for some minutes before he asked:
"In the centre of the heart… There was a picture of a woman. Very beautiful, with wavy brown hair… She was like the older brunette version of you."
"Because… She was my Mom - Thirrin answered and swallowed. Theon couldn't see her face clearly but he was sure her eyes were shining with tears. - She passed away when I was ten."
"I'm sorry, I…" - he hugged her shoulders.
"Don't be, you didn't know… She was the eldest sister of the Tyrell siblings, the smartest and the most beautiful. She went to the Royal Business, just like me. She met my Dad there. He's from Edinburgh, he came to London because of his studies. Mom had a love/hate relationship with London and our family, because she hated the society duties. She was kind of a rebel, I think, but in a very sophisticated way. Anyway, after their graduation both started working for the Golden Rose Inc and after some month Mom convinced my unlce to open an office in Scotland and my parents moved there. I was born in Edinburgh but we always spent Christmas and winter break in London. I loved it, I loved being with my cousins. I knew Mom also wanted more children than only one. I was ten when she got pregnant. Then, in the summer, right after the end of the schoolyear, she started feeling sick. Dad took her to hospital inmediately. She got some infection, or I don't know, but she lost the baby. She broke down, mentally and physically. She followed my sister to the death in 48 hours - as she was talking, her face didn't reflect any emotion, only her voice became a little bit weaker. Is she really that strong or she just wears an armour? - Me and Dad fell apart. Without the Tyrells we would have gone insane. We moved to London because we needed the people who knew Mom in her entire life. We were supposed to stay in Highgarden for a couple month, until we found our own apartment, but we stucked in there. Dad started working at the Golden Rose's selling department, I changed school… We put each other together, but we've never been able to forget Mom, and we never will." - she finished her monologue.
Theon didn't know what to say. Her sudden coming out surprised him. He's never been to a situation like this before. He practically lost his family too - but mostly it was his choice, not his faith.
He just hugged her tighter and squeezed her hand. She drooped her head onto his shoulder and squeezed back his hand.
"I'm so sorry for your loss" - he said honestly.
"Thanks - she looked up to him. - I don't know why I just told you all of these, but thanks for listenting to me. Can I hug you?"
"Of course, Snowflake."
She hugged him tight, resting her head on his chest. He pulled her closer and kissed her forehead softly. They stood there for some good minutes. Then…
"Thirrin, I'm home! - a woman yelled from downstairs in nice and sweet tone. - Sorry for being late, I just did some grocery shopping so we could eat some real and HEALTHY food instead of the ordered junks! Gosh, this class was insane, Nymeria literally KILLED my butt, but I loved it! She's the best Pilates instructor ever… Thirrin, are you awake or what? Anyway, I'm gonna be in my room, if you want to talk to me!"
"Looks like Margaery's got home" - Thirrin whispered.
"Then I should probably leave. It must be very late."
"Okay. But wait… - soft footsteps, opening and closing door. - Now we can go, everything's clear!"
He picked his stuff up and followed her down the stairs. They tried to be as quiet as possible, then stood in the doorstep.
"Thank you again, Theon - she said. - For everything."
"Any time - he smiled. - That's what friends are for. Excluding sex. Sometime in the weekend, American Horror Story?"
"Sure, just text me! Goodnight!"
"You too, Snowflake" - with that, he leant to her and kissed her, hugging her waist, running his fingers through her tangled hair.
He was thinking of this strange night while he was sitting on the train, traveling home. It was his first time getting close to a girl's soul - and he found the most mysterious and unpredictable one in the world.
Her soul's been broken more than once, I'm sure. I know one reason, but what about another? Also, am I strong enough to handle two broken souls in the same time? Is there a reason why we run into each other that night?