ᵢₘₐgᵢₙₑ ➳ Michael Gray [ON HOLD]

➳ chapter twenty - the makeup

《 forgiveness is not easy when you're still hurting 》

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When they had arrived home Arabella had run off to her room, breaking down in sobs as she collapsed on the bed, burying her face in Lennox's fur while the two dogs whined, Hades lapping at her tears in an attempt to wipe them.

Michael had headed straight for the kitchen upon entering the house, growling to himself about how much of a dick he was after he had heard the first sob from Arabella, before she ran off. He planned on drowning his sorrows and self-pity in alcohol. And that was what he did, drinking until he finally passed out, his head hanging off of the living room couch while he unconsciously shivered lightly at the coldness of the room.

It was around 3am that Arabella woke up, having had an on and off 4 hours of rest before finally giving up, getting out of bed and grabbing her backpack. She threw a few items in it before making her way downstairs, both dogs padding softly behind her.

She slipped on a pair of shoes before making her way into the kitchen and grabbing a water bottle out of the fridge. As she walked back through the living room, she spotted Michael's passed out form on the couch, Lennox laid on the opposite side while Hades laid on the floor besides it. She rolled the blanket off of the back of the couch and over him, noticing how he had been shivering. She watched as he curled up in the blanket unconsciously before shaking her head, sighing and walking out the front door.

The slamming of the door woke Michael slightly but the man remained unfazed as he rolled over and yawned, falling back asleep. It wouldn't be until two hours later that he would wake up to find Arabella gone, or as he saw it, missing.

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Arabella arrived at Finn's house soon after, simply walking inside using the key Finn had gifted her, and slipping off her shoes. Sighing deeply, she turned towards the staircase and began to make her way to the second floor where Finn's bedroom was located, using the banister to guide her in the darkness. Arabella instinctively took a left once she reached the top, but was slightly startled when she felt her bag hit something. Or rather, someone.

Isaiah let out a sluggish groan, he was taken aback by the impact, clearly not expecting an encounter with anybody in the hallway. At first, he assumed it was Finn considering he was no stranger to wandering the house at all hours. But on second thought, Isaiah knew his best friend usually switched the lights on during his midnight strolls. Arabella had shared the same train of thought, and both parties quickly turned on their heels to do a double take.

"Arabella, what the...?" Isaiah rasped, eyes wide with relief that it wasn't an intruder that he had happened upon. Arabella simply whispered a solemn apology and continued on her path towards Finn's room. She really didn't have the energy to explain her presence there right now. Isaiah stood firmly in his place at the top of the staircase, staring after the woman with a concerned expression. If Arabella was there at 3 in the morning, that surely couldn't be a good thing.