(This is a trigger warning. This story contains domestic violence. If you suffer from domestic violence please seek help in your retrospective communities.)
"Cian, you have to try this really weird sandwich I invented. Two slices of white bread, butter and it has to be butter not margarine with salt and vinegar chips. Then you have to coat it all in yellow mustard. Here try it!" stated Wren as she passed him half of her weird sandwich. Cian took a bite. He wasn't used to people outside of his pack cooking food for him. He loved that Wren was cooking for him.
"Woow, tis is rwelly gwood." he tried to say as he ate the sandwich. "Needs something though and I know what it is." said Cian as he went around the bar.
"What does my amazing sandwich need to help it be more amazing-er?" teased Wren. It had been a few weeks but she was still getting over Layton's death. She no longer cried openly during the day but at night, when she was alone, she cried. Cian didn't regret that he'd killed Layton. Layton had been an abusive bastard. But, Cian loved Wren. He hated seeing Wren mourn Layton's death.
"A Guinness is what you need...Guinness makes everything better. Guinness is good for you." stated Cian. He grabbed a glass and poured a pint like he had a million times before.
"Slainte" he said as he held the glass up to Wren.
"What's..that mean?" questioned Wren as she took a sip, her mouth was still full of sandwich. Then she wiped a bit of foam off her lip.
"It's like cheers or L'chaim but more. It's a celebration of the life that we live. That's Slainte." said Cian. He also poured himself a pint to join Wren.
"Awesome." said Wren as she drank her Guiness down in a few big sips.
Wren had several drinks both Guiness and ciders. Cian kept pouring. He was there to watch Wren. He also understood that she needed a break...from everything. She'd lost her asshole husband who she had always lavished all her time, energy and money on. Wren had put Layton before herself and now she had nothing to focus on. She'd also been working extremely hard for Cian without complaining. So Wren kept drinking and Cian kept pouring.
"Cian, can I tell you something?" questioned tipsily Wren after her fifth pint.
"Sure, what's on your mind Wren?" Cian questioned. He was a firm believer of "in vino vertias". As a bartender he'd heard lots of truths revealed, mostly they were truths he didn't care about like cheating on taxes, petty work things, how a husband should have married his high school sweetheart instead of his wife...general boring human things that Cian didn't care for. However, he wanted to know Wren's "in vino vertias".
"Ok..." said Wren as she took another swig of Guinness, starting on her sixth pint. "But, you have to promise not to be mad at me or think I'm a bad person. Cause what I'm about to say is really terrible, don't be mad." cautioned Wren.
"It doesn't matter what you say Wren. I promise I won't be mad." said Cian. Wren was definitely tipsy, maybe drunk. He decided to cut her off and pushed another one of her weird sandwiches towards her. Food would help.
"So...here it is. Man...it's SO bad. I'm glad Layton is dead. I know I was his wife but I hated him SO much. Everyday I would have to go home to him. He said the meanest things to me. I lied to you about falling down or breaking my arm on the airbag. He used to beat me up! I'm glad he's dead." said Wren. Then she put her head in her arms and sobbed. She cried and cried and cried with big heavy unrelenting tears.
Cian didn't know what to say to Wren. He'd never been good with expressing his feelings or reacting to emotions in others, even to his own pack. Still, he felt like had to say something. Wren was opening up to him. Cian acted on instinct and from the memories of romantic actions in the few movies he'd seen. Cian came around the bar and hugged Wren. He inhaled her pepperminty smell. She smelled wonderful.
Wren wasn't done talking. "I wouldn't have married him, if I hadn't gotten pregnant. I'm not American. I'm Canadian. I used to live on a lake up in the NorthWest Territories. It's so wild and beautiful up there. I really miss it. Nothing and no one for miles. There's still undiscovered land..anyway Layton used to have a Coca-Cola truck route through there. He always talked to me about the big city..with movie theaters and stores. Cheyenne isn't that big of a city but it's WAY bigger than the shit hole of Stony Lake-- that was my foster home. Cheyenne has a movie theater and some stores. Anyway, Layotn got me pregnant and seduced me with his big city talk. We moved here...I'm an illegal immigrant. Well, long story short,I was only with Layton a few weeks before he started hitting me..everywhere and he hit HARD. I think that's what caused me to lose the baby. But, anyways that's how I wound up here. Now I'm thousands of miles from home, an illegal immigrant and I have no family. '' Wren continued her tears were unrelenting. Cian just patted her on the back, wishing he knew how to better comfort his love.
Wren, like him, was packless. She, like him, was alone. In this moment it wasn't about sex from Cian. He wanted to have a relationship with Wren. Cian wanted them to be alone together as one. Tightly woven together: unbreakable.
