Arya slept on the couch that night with Nymeria curled beneath her feet. Gendry had asked her and then told her to sleep in the bed with him. He even said he forgave her for punching him in the stomach. But that didn't mean she forgave him for misplacing her gloves.
She lost the race because of him. She lost her money. And worst of all, she lost in front of Joffrey after being obnoxiously self-confident. And it was Gendry's fault. He moved her gloves.
And yet, she isn't really mad at him. She wants to be mad at him, but the fury isn't there; instead, there's just a mild, simmering resentment bubbling within her.
No- she isn't mad at Gendry. She's mad at herself. She said she wouldn't get involved, wouldn't get attached or distracted to anyone or anything, and yet, Gendry has infiltrated every moment of her life. If they aren't working on her car together, they're in bed. If they aren't at a race, they're splayed out on the couch watching re-runs of Friends.
It has to stop.
No matter how much Arya enjoys spending time with Gendry, she knows she needs to put distance between them. She doesn't have time for a relationship. Especially since now she needs a job, and Sansa has decided to take down the entire Baratheon family.
It has to stop. But will Arya really be able to pull away?
"Previous work experience?" The manager of Burrito Bonanza chews on the end of her pen as she thumbs through Arya's application. There's a blob of guacamole on her polo shirt and half a tortilla chip stuck in her thick, curly hair.
"I don't have any, but I'm a fast learner," Arya says. She looks around the restaurant, taking in the long lines and tables of dirty dishes. "And it looks like you guys could really use an extra hand."
"I don't like hiring newbies. They usually show up late if they show up at all, and it takes too long to train them."
"Like I said, I'm a fast learner. And I'm very punctual." Arya grits her teeth, trying her best to smile. I can't believe I have to try this hard to get a job at a place like this. They should be begging people to work here.
"I don't know..." The manager continues to chew on the end of the pen as she looks Arya up and down with a skeptical eye. "How old are you anyways? You have to be at least sixteen-"
"I'm eighteen."
"Really?"
"Yes, really." Arya crosses her arms. "Would you like to see my identification?"
The manager waves her hand in dismissal. "What about transportation? Do you have a way to get here every day?"
Finally, Arya manages to really smile. "Yes, I have a car."
"Well that's good at least." The manager finally drops the pen on her clipboard and offers Arya her hand. "All right, I'm Rhonda. We'll hire you for today, and if it works out, I'll put you on the week's schedule. Sound good?"
Arya shakes her hand. "Yup. Where do I start?"
Rhonda turns around and screams towards the back of the kitchen. "Hot Pie! Get out here!"
Hot Pie? A short, round, full-faced boy emerges from the kitchen. He must be around Arya's age. There's a dirty apron tied around his waist, and he has a long, sharp knife in his right hand. "What's up?" He asks.
"This is Arya. New girl. Show her the ropes because I don't have time."
"Sure thing, Ron."
"It's Rhonda."
"Sure thing, Ron." Hot Pie grins before motioning to Arya. "Come on new girl."
"You smell disgusting," Jon says as soon as Arya walks into his apartment.
"Can I use your shower? And maybe crash here for the night?" Arya asks, already heading back towards the bathroom.
"Aren't you staying at the motel?"
Arya almost laughs out loud. She's been sleeping at Gendry's place for the past week now, but of course, Jon doesn't know that. He would kill Gendry if he knew that. "I was late on the bill," Arya responds. "And that's why I smell like a fucking dead animal- I had to get a job today."
"A job? Are you really that low on money?"
Arya shrugs her shoulders. She doesn't want to ask Jon for help. Not after he made it clear that she shouldn't have come to San Diego in the first place. "It's fine. I just need to stay here for a night. Nymeria could use the company anyways. She misses Shaggydog and Summer."
"Sure." Jon runs a hand through his hair. "No problem. Towels are in the bathroom."
"Thanks."
After her shower, Arya throws on a tank top and a pair of sweatpants. She finds Jon in the small kitchen with Nymeria and Ghost by his feet. The two dogs perk up their heads when Arya walks into the room, and Nymeria wags her tail with a few, small thumps. "Come on," Arya says, "Let's take them for a walk."
It's warm outside. Even though the sun set hours ago, Arya can still feel the heat rising from the dark, paved streets. Jon leads them down a few blocks towards a small patch of sparse woods. Ghost, familiar with the area, roams forward, and Nymeria follows quickly behind.
"So," Arya says. She grabs a tiny branch from a tree and snaps it off, swishing it in the air as she walks. "We need to talk."
"About the family."
"Yes."
"Arya," Jon says, his voice filled with trepidation. "I told you, I haven't talked to most of our family for years now. I'm not sure I should really get involved in anything."
"Just because mom aban-" Arya pauses, thinking carefully about her words, "Just because you and mom haven't been able to get over what happened in the past, it doesn't mean that you aren't part of this family. We all love you, and I think if you just tried, if you just put more of an effort forward-"
Jon laughs harshly. "You think I didn't try, Arya? You think I just let mom kick me out and then I decided to disappear for six years? I tried. And every time I tried to get in touch with Bran or Rickon or you or even Sansa, mom shot me down. She didn't want me to be a part of the family anymore. She thought I was dangerous. She thought I would damage another one of her precious children."
"I didn't realize-" Arya cuts off, suddenly remembering the phone calls answered with hushed voices and a locked door, the ripped up letters in the trash, and the one time...
"You tried to visit us, didn't you?" A memory, a flash of a dark car, a slammed door. "It was a year after you left. I had just gotten home from school, and mom was outside talking to someone in a car I didn't recognize- she was screaming, and when she saw me, she slammed the car door, and the car sped off..." Arya furrows her brow. "I didn't even ask. I just assumed it wasn't my business, but it was you, wasn't it? You were trying to come home?"
Jon bows his head. Arya wants to reach forward, to comfort him, but she decides its best to let him have his space. "She wouldn't let me come home. She wouldn't even let me see you guys."
Arya shakes her head, bile rising in the back of her throat. It's too unfair. She can't believe her mother could be that horrible. "That bitch," Arya spits out.
"Don't say that," Jon says quickly. "I mean it. She's not a bitch- she's just- she had to blame someone. Bran got hurt, and we all know he's her favorite, and she had to blame someone. But she loves all of you, and she cares for all of you, so don't call her that."
"But how can she treat you like this? You're her son!"
"I don't know, Arya, but it doesn't matter now. I'm a grown man, and I can take care of myself."
"But you shouldn't have to. Maybe- maybe now that time has passed, you can try again. Or I could set something up so you could at least see the boys. You're their family, Jon, and that's more important than anything."
"Is it?" The uncertainty in Jon's voice stirs something within Arya, like it's just hit her how terrible, how unmerited his later childhood was.
"Of course, it is. And that's what I wanted to talk to you about. Sansa needs our help. And she's family, so we're going to do everything we can to help her. All right?"
Jon stops walking and leans against a tree. The low-hanging branches hood his eyes. "It's not my business."
"But maybe if you help Sansa, it'll help you reconcile with the family. If we don't try anything, than it'll stay like this forever. Someone has to make a move, and it has to be you."
"I don't know."
"Please, Jon. For me. Let me at least explain to you what's going on, and then you can decide whether or not you want to help, okay?"
Jon sighs. "Okay."
Arya pulls her car into Gendry's garage. The shop is closed on Sunday's, so the parking lot is blessedly empty. Arya chews her lip, half-hoping Gendry will be there, half-hoping he won't.
At first the shop seems empty, but when Arya gets out of her car, she can hear music coming from the back office. Damn, Arya thinks. She considers getting back into her car and driving away, but she needs a tune-up before the race with Joffrey tonight, and this is the only place she can get it for free.
Maybe I'll just do it myself, and Gendry won't even notice...but as soon as Arya reaches for the rolling tool chest, a door slams, and long steps sound down the hallway. Arya stills her breath. Her palms feel cold and moist. Why is she nervous? This is Gendry. Just Gendry.
"What happened to you yesterday? Where were you?"
Arya snaps her gaze up. Gendry is standing in the doorway, still many feet away from her. He's wearing his loose workpants and a tight white tank top. Arya's eyes flick over his long, muscled arms, and a flash from an earlier night dances across her mind. His arms clutching her own. His body pinning hers to the bed.
Arya licks her dry lips and takes a step forward. "I had to sort some stuff out."
"You haven't been answering your phone."
"Dead battery."
Gendry takes a few steps forward. She can see the buried anger in his blue eyes. "That's bullshit."
"Fine." Arya slips her phone out of her pocket, drops it to the ground, and crushes it with the sole of her boot. "Broken phone."
"Why are you doing this?" Gendry's voice isn't mad; it's just low, accusing.
"Doing what?"
He laughs, quick and harsh. "Doing what?" He takes a few more steps and starts slowly pacing around the shop, nearing Arya with each and every loop, like a hawk circling its prey. "Doing what? How about ignoring me? How about slipping out of my apartment at the crack of dawn? How about punching me in the stomach and then refusing to speak to me?"
Closer and closer. Their bodies are inches apart, and Arya won't back away. She can handle him. "I won't stand for that kind of crap, Arya. I think you owe more to me than that. I told you I was hesitant to do anything with you because I thought you might be too young, too immature. And you're only proving me right by acting like this. You can't just run away from people."
Yes I can. I ran away from my entire family.
"You can't just pick up and leave and expect them to be waiting for you when you wander back. What the fuck am I to you? A mechanic? A friend? A lover?" He says the last word tauntingly, like it's a joke that they could ever be that intimate. "Because I like you, Arya. I think I've proved that well enough by now. But I'm not going to stick around if you're going to treat me like this, like some fucking stray dog that you pet or feed when you feel like it."
He takes another step forward, and Arya has to crane her neck up so that she can maintain eye contact. She can feel the heat of his blue-eyed gaze burning into her, and she won't be the first to look away.
"So what's it going to be?" Gendry asks.
Arya bites the bottom of her lip. Tell him, she thinks, tell him that it's over. Tell him that you don't have time for him. Tell him...
"I need a tune-up on my car. For the race with Joffrey tonight. Also, I need you to be my witness at the race."
Gendry sighs and shakes his head. "No."
"What?"
"I won't do it. Not until you give me an answer."
It's too much. She doesn't have time for this. She never wanted this- she just wanted him. It shouldn't have to be this complicated. "I don't know what you want from me, Gendry. I'm sorry that I'm not some perfect fucking women."
"I don't want you to be perfect, goddammit! I just want you to be fucking honest with me. Is it really that hard for you to just be honest?"
"I've never lied to you. Maybe I've kept some things from you, but I've never lied to you."
"Is there really a difference?"
"Yes, I-" She wants to scream in frustration. She knows she shouldn't have come here. It was a stupid idea. What Gendry said was true. She can't expect him to just wait around for her to show up and leave as she pleases. But it's who she is. She can't change who she is for him, or for anyone.
"Look," Arya finally says, trying to gather her thoughts. "The other night, I was mad at you. You fucked things up. I lost that race because of my gloves. I know that's not entirely your fault, but in my mind, I would have won if I hadn't spent time with you. It's like I was being punished for being with you. And I don't have time or the fucking mental liberty to think about things like that. I need to concentrate on the races and on my family, so I'm sorry that I can't be more consistent or stable or whatever, but there's a lot going on right now, and you're not my first priority."
Damn. That sounded harsh.
Arya looks up, and sure enough, a flicker of hurt passes through Gendry's eyes, but he quickly masks it. "I never asked to be your first priority," Gendry responds. "I just want to be on the fucking list. Can you do that for me, Arya? Can you put me on your fucking list?"
No, say no. Tell him that this is the end. That you don't have time.
Gendry's blue eyes are boring into her own, and she can feel him crawling under her skin, into her every thought and emotion. She can feel him inside of her, and she can feel that he's already part of her in some way. And she doesn't want to lose that. No matter the consequences. No matter how dumb it is to let this carry on.
"Fine," Arya says. "You can be on my fucking list."
A/N – Short chapter but alas, school has started, and writing time is limited. I figured a short chapter now was better than a long chapter that I never get finished.
I quite liked this Arya x Gendry scene- even if it was a little overdramatic. (sue me it's fanfiction)
How do you guys feel about Arya? I want her to be a flawed character, but I hope I'm not making her too annoying. I just feel like her selfishness/flightiness is a pretty important part of her character.
Thanks for reading and reviewing!