Now that Eisen looked at her, he couldn’t help but notice something off about Aren. For a minute, he was scared. Maybe Aren was mad at them after all. Maybe she hadn’t come over just to talk or whatever. But no. No, this was Aren. She wasn’t manipulative. So… what was that look on her face for? He put his hand on her shoulder and guided her farther into the apartment. “Do you want some cake or something?” he asked, releasing her shoulder and relocking the door. “We’ve gotten two cakes so far today,” he mused with a laugh. Way more than expected. If they’d gotten anything other than what they gave each other, he’d have been surprised. Three was triply surprising.
As was standard for when Aren came to visit, he knew that he’d need to put tea on for she and Rory. They always talked, and Eisen felt a little left out because he wasn’t as smart as they were, but right then, he didn’t care what they talked about. Any company, even company which left you as a third wheel, was better than being threatened or beaten.
Her mention of her text made Eisen chuckle emptily. “I just left my phone in the other room today,” he pointed over his shoulder to the bedroom. Maybe the death threats had come to pass that day, but Eisen wasn’t going to risk hearing or reading any more. He might break, and he didn’t want to break in front of Rory. Eisen wandered into the kitchen, opening the shutter between it and the living room as he put the tea on. “It’s definitely appreciated,” he chuckled. “What kind of tea do you guys want tonight?” Eisen had accrued a lot over the years and most of it was for the two of them, since he didn’t drink it himself.