Chapter Eighty-Four

Asher and Lila stared, dumbfounded, at what lay before them. From its shoddy appearance, Lila guessed that it used to be a farmhouse of some kind – perhaps the true ‘original dwelling’, rather than the workers’ cottage.

The structure seemed ready to fall apart at any moment. If a strong breeze carried through here, Lila was sure it’d blow the whole thing over. The farmhouse, as Lila was calling it, was moderately sized, and quintessentially Australian with its rusted tin roof and weathered wood cladding. The paint, a pale colour that was yellowed either with age, or because that was its original colour, flaked off the façade.

The windows facing Asher and Lila were covered in raggedy, dirty curtains. They weren’t necessarily sheer, but seemed thin – almost to the point of disintegration. From what Lila could see, there were no lights on inside – nor was there any sign of life.

“Whoa,” Lila breathed, taking in the garden (or, rather, lack thereof) surrounding the dilapidated front steps, which looked more apt to give people splinters than support their weight. The grass was wild and brittle, reaching about calf height, and there were plenty of bindis and other weeds dotting the lawn.

“Wonder when it was abandoned,” Asher commented idly, inspecting the surrounds and, in particular, the decaying remains of a clearly once-handsome wagon that sat forlornly by the right-hand side of the farmhouse.

“Judging by the age of the workers’ cottage, the road, and this wagon, I’d say if not before the 1900s, then very early 1900s,” Lila approximated carefully.

“Are you a history buff?” Asher asked with a small smirk, reaching out to touch the bent wheel closest to him.

“Not really,” Lila confessed. “Just know enough to pretend I am.”

Asher snorted, the squeakiness of the wheel he was resting his hand on serving as an amusing backing track. Lila couldn’t stifle the giggle bubbling up within as he continued to squeak the wheel whilst imitating a DJ. She turned away from him, instead inspecting the wilted, dead plants hanging in pots along the front edge of the farmhouse. Neither still dared to step too close to the building for now.

“This might make a cool picture,” Lila murmured, more to herself than to Asher. She pulled out the disposable camera and snapped a picture of as much of the building as she could. Asher jumped into the frame, with a double peace sign and a cheesy, wide grin. Lila grinned back as she snapped a picture of this, too.

“Can’t wait to get that one developed,” Lila laughed, putting the camera away.

“Got any room on your wall for it?” Asher smirked, turning his head towards the front steps. She gave another laugh in response, watching as he inspected the steps more closely. He hesitated, glancing back at Lila, before moving towards them.

“Shame that it’s not been looked after,” Lila observed softly. “In its heyday, it was probably quite nice.”

“I reckon these stairs still would’ve been a death trap even back then,” Asher snickered, placing a hand on one of the steps as if to test the weight it could handle. He then stood back, checking his hand before rubbing his chin.

“Thinking anything useful?” Lila asked playfully, stepping closer to Asher and peering at the stairs herself. Definitely rife with splinters.

“Probably not,” Asher said quietly, his face reddening for just a moment. “Actually, nothing useful at all right now. Did you wanna go inside?”

“Inside the death trap?” Lila blanched. “I’m good having a look here from a safe distance. The early 1900s is, like, the perfect time period for ghosts.”

“Ghosts?” Asher looked taken aback for a second before laughing heartily. “I didn’t take you for being superstitious.”

“I wouldn’t say I’m superstitious,” Lila frowned. “Just a little ‘stitious’. I mean, you can’t be too careful, right?”

Asher shook his head, grinning still. “I guess not. I’m not really a believer, myself.”

“I think I get it from my Mum,” Lila said thoughtfully. “Though in reality, I could take or leave ghosts, I guess.”

“Sure they’d be happy to hear you say that,” Asher chortled. “Maybe one’ll follow you home.”

“Don’t say that,” Lila shuddered. “I’d definitely prefer to leave ‘em. If they exist.”

Asher chuckled some more before his playful energy disappeared entirely. His face drained of all colour and he took a step back, bumping gently into Lila’s shoulder.

“We’ve gotta go,” he whispered, his voice strangled with apparent fear.

“What?”

“Now,” he insisted, his voice quivering. “Right now.”

He turned on his heel, dragging Lila by the shoulder of her turtleneck.

“But why?” she asked, not resisting too much. She looked back towards the house and caught it in the corner of her eye.

A hulking silhouette was just barely perceptible through the worn curtains. It originally stood stock still and appeared to be watching them intently. Once her eyes fully met its formidable shape, however, it scuttled away and out of sight – disappearing, presumably, into the depths of the farmhouse. Instantly, Lila felt her muscles tense and her breathing quicken. It even seemed that her eyesight was sharper – but, along with these disconcerting feelings, came the overbearing and terrifyingly distinct feeling that she and Asher were prey.

She didn’t need to be told twice.

They took off, with Lila hardly taking a breath – as if taking a breath would be inviting a predator to bear down on her.

Thundering down the road at almost breakneck speed was a much easier task this time around, versus their messy escape from Marlene’s cottage. Lila had no time to ponder as to why that may be – all she needed to do was get the hell out of there. Preferably inside the comfort of Asher’s house, where there were no ghosts, predators, or unknown figures lying in wait for her.

Eventually, they ran out of steam along the road. It certainly was one that stretched on for far too long.

Huffing, Asher slowed his pace down to a moderate walk, and Lila followed suit, struggling to catch her breath.

“W-What… was… that?” Asher asked between gasping breaths. “Or who?”

“I… dunno,” Lila replied, gulping for air as though her lungs were punctured. “Should we go back and check it out?”

Asher stared at her like she was insane. “Fuck no. I don’t want to be kidnapped by some witch of the gallows.”

“I thought you weren’t superstitious.”

“After that, maybe I’m a bit ‘stitious’ as well.”

The sound of their heaving breaths melded with the whoosh of the wind behind them, and Lila could almost feel Asher’s mind ticking away as they rested from their sprint.

“P-Perhaps it’s a squatter,” he finally suggested in a mutter. “No one would live there if they had the choice.”

“Or maybe it’s the owner of the house. It’s connected to your property, kind of, but is it yours?” Lila added after a few beats. Her voice was thankfully clear.

Asher shrugged, placing a hand on his chest as if to steady himself. “Not that I know, anyway.”

“Would we get in trouble for trespassing?” Lila questioned, praying that the answer would be ‘no’.

“Doubt it. Whoever they are – they’re probably trespassing as much as we were.”

“Did you see any other ways someone could get to that place?”

“Nah. That doesn’t mean there isn’t, though. The road might’ve continued on past the building for all we know. Perhaps they had a car parked on the other side ‘cause that’s where the owner preferred it.”

“We should’ve just turned around when you first asked,” Lila shivered. It felt almost as though tiny, cold hands were running along her spine as she recalled the looming shadow in the window.

Asher looked solemn. “Maybe. But… then we wouldn’t have seen it. Not that I’d ever want to go back, though. Again, not interested in becoming a statistic.”

“I… guess I would’ve died of curiosity,” Lila conceded with a sigh. “I’m too nosy for my own good.”

“You and the rest of your family,” Asher noted, though his tone was teasing. His comment broke the tension in the air just enough for Lila to respond in kind.

“It’s in the Moloney genes. Can’t escape it.”

They didn’t speak for a few seconds before Asher checked the time on his phone.

“If we thought Gabriel would be wondering where we were before, he definitely would be now. Let’s head back inside the house,” he said, slipping his phone back into his pocket. Lila made a sound of agreement.

They’d made decent headway on the road already, so it didn’t take them too much longer to return to the grounds surrounding Asher’s house. Seeing the modern, pristine mansion, though mammoth in size and intimidating by nature, was an incredible comfort to Lila after their encounter by the farmhouse.

They crossed the backyard, crept through the side alley to ensure they wouldn’t be spotted by Gabriel, and returned to the two, large front doors. After all that walking, Lila was starting to feel a bit sweaty. She kept this information to herself as Asher unlocked the front doors with his set of keys – a novelty, now that Lila had seen him break out his lockpicking set so many times.

“We’re back,” he called as he swung open the doors. They both entered, Lila ensuring her shoes were neatly in their usual place, and Gabriel bustled towards them, beaming.

“I was starting to get worried!” he cried before gesturing towards the kitchen. “Come, have a taste.”

“Surely it’s not ready yet,” Asher said incredulously. They followed Gabriel through to the kitchen, the smells of sriracha, ginger, mango, and lamb all making Lila’s mouth water.

“Not perfectly so, no,” Gabriel laughed breezily. “Doesn’t mean you can’t try a little taste.”

He disappeared into the butler’s pantry, the chinking of plates echoing throughout the house. Lila and Asher exchanged a look. For Lila, her mind was still reeling from the shadowy figure inside the abandoned – or at least, thought to be abandoned – farmhouse. Was it actually a part of Asher’s property? Should they ask Gabriel? Would he even know? And if it was a part of the property, who was that? Or what? How did they get there? Was it even a person, or was it a piece of furniture creating the appearance of a person?

“Alrighty, you two,” Gabriel gleefully called, brandishing two small plates with shreds of lamb placed on top. Lila hadn’t even realised he’d left the butler’s pantry as she automatically received her plate. Gabriel then whipped out two forks and gently handed them to Asher and Lila, his face seeming anticipatory.

“Go on,” Gabriel said, looking specifically at Lila. “It’s one of my favourite dishes.”

“One of your favourites?” Lila repeated in surprise. “Must be good then.”

“It is,” Asher confirmed, scooping some into his mouth. “Shit! That’s hot.”

Gabriel lovingly gestured for Lila to take a bite as well. She was now rather uncertain about doing so, given Asher’s reaction, but he also gestured at her with his shoulders before coughing and fanning his mouth.

Once she placed it atop her tongue, she was instantly transported to a flavour sensation she hadn’t expected. The lamb, though it wasn’t quite done yet, was quite tender and the chutney had done a fantastic job of permeating its sweet flavour throughout the meat. Asher was right though – it was piping hot.

“D-Delicious,” Lila stammered, huffing to circulate air in her mouth. “So good.”

Gabriel chuckled, winking at Lila before saying, “Of course it is. I’ll call you when it’s ready.”

With that, he collected their plates, placed them in the sink, and disappeared into the butler’s pantry, softly closing the door behind him.

Lila and Asher exchanged a bemused glance.

“I… guess we go upstairs?” Lila asked. Asher nodded, and they did so without another word.

Once Asher let Lila into the rumpus room, however, he immediately began speaking – as though he’d been holding it in.

“Alright, we have a list of things to do and think about. Cameras – they should go to the camera store for printing as soon as possible. Are you free tomorrow? Great. Did you want to meet at mine or go straight there?”

Lila shrugged. “I don’t mind.”

“Okay. Maybe we should go together then.”

Lila noticed the beginning stages of a blush forming on Asher’s face. He swiftly changed the topic and his complexion reverted.

“A-Anyway, we also have this code thingy. Did you want me to have a go at solving it?”

“I probably won’t be any good. Was never a fan of them.”

“Rightio. Leave it with me, then.”

Asher crossed his arms, looking intently at the floor. Lila slowly inched her way to the couch as he continued to think, hoping not to disturb him.

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“I’m not gonna get mad if you sit down,” he said after she was about halfway to her destination. “I should’ve invited you to sit. You want a juice or something?”

“Yes please,” Lila replied, hurrying off to her usual spot on the couch. She could have sworn that she heard him chuckle, but he didn’t say anything.

He swiftly returned with two cups of juice, handing Lila one before sitting down next to her. Perhaps it was because she was incredibly aware of where he was at any given time now, but she felt as though he was sitting slightly closer to her than usual.

“Did you wanna discuss theories?” he asked after taking a sip of his juice.

“I think my brain’s fried, sorry,” Lila said quietly, taking her own sip. He remained silent for a few moments before swapping his cup for two sets of joy cons.

“Was kinda hoping you’d say that. Let’s play.”

The next couple of hours flew by without any more discussion or thought about Marlene, the cottage, or the farmhouse. Lila had almost forgotten that even Gabriel was here, she was enjoying herself that much. So, when Gabriel buzzed the intercom to announce that lunch was ready, Lila reluctantly put her joy cons down.

“I know that what I’m about to eat is incredible,” she sighed, “but I was having fun. Thought we’d at least get to this dungeon’s boss before we had to head down.”

“Same,” Asher yawned, stretching his arms high above his head. “Ah well.”

They lazily descended the stairs, the smell of their lunch enticingly wafting towards them.

“Can’t believe you threw me off the cliff like that,” Lila tutted as she stepped onto the tiled floor. Asher chortled.

“I told you it was an accident! I pressed the wrong button.”

“Glad to know the ‘launch teammate’ button is really close to whatever you apparently wanted to do.”

“I got my just desserts in the end,” Asher reminded her with a smirk. “That miniboss came outta nowhere and smacked me to death in, like, half a second.”

They both laughed, entering the dining room and taking their usual places.

Gabriel entered, holding a large, exquisite serving dish upon which was a mound of steaming, slow-cooked lamb. He beamed at them, noting that he would be back in a minute, and departed with a pep in his step. Lila smiled in his wake. His love of cooking was certainly a joy to see.

Her smile froze on her face, however, when Marlene next entered, carrying a small bowl of a yoghurt and chutney sauce and a plate of toasted garlic naan breads. She looked to be wearing what she usually wore to her café job, though Lila wasn’t too sure. She was sure, however, that she heard Asher’s breathing halt altogether, but she didn’t dare look at him.

“Hello,” Marlene greeted them serenely, placing the items on the table. “I hope you don’t mind my joining you all for lunch. Gabriel invited me to enjoy the lamb. It’s one of my favourites.”

“And,” Gabriel sung behind her, holding plates and sets of cutlery, “I’ve made so much, we’ll be eating it for days. May as well have Marlene join us!”

“G-Great,” Asher stuttered. “More the merrier.”

Of course, Asher sounded completely unmerry as he said this. Lila checked the time on her phone as Gabriel placed her plate and cutlery set before her. It was 2.05pm. From what Lila could remember, Marlene generally returned home at 1.30pm…

It felt as though Lila’s stomach disappeared entirely, replaced only by a sickening whirlpool of nausea. Had Marlene already gone home?

But Marlene seemed normal – cheery, even. Not at all like the victim of a slap-dash break-and-enter who returned home to a distressed cat and unlocked doors. It had felt violating enough for Piper to have placed a photo on the inside of Lila’s locker door. Lila couldn’t even imagine how violating it would feel to have her house broken into like that…

Suddenly, the fact that they had broken into the house of someone who, for all intents and purposes, was a good employee of Asher’s family, and had been around for quite some time, began to weigh on Lila as though a car was sitting on her shoulders. She watched as Marlene disappeared once again, towards the kitchen.

“Lila,” Asher whispered in her ear, his eyes full of concern. “Let’s just eat, okay?”

She nodded, looking down at her bare plate. Gabriel returned with a colourful salad and Marlene sailed in close behind with a pitcher of iced tea. They assembled their plates of food in relative silence, except for murmurs of appreciation towards Gabriel.

Though the food was mouth-wateringly delicious, as expected, Lila couldn’t help but worry about what Marlene was thinking. Of course, it would be an easy task for Marlene to check her CCTV holdings and see them both, but… had she done that yet? And had she noticed a third party’s presence in her cottage?

“So,” Marlene said, tilting her head to the side after taking a sip of iced tea. “What did you two get up to today?”

Lila pretended not to hear Marlene as she took a bite of food. What could she say? ‘Broke into your house and assaulted your cat, what about you?’

“We took a walk down to the shopping district,” Asher replied, his tone steely. Lila glanced up at him, but he didn’t look at her.

“That must’ve been lovely,” Marlene replied, a genuine-looking smile on her face. “Go into any of the shops?”

“The bookshop,” Asher responded shortly, shovelling some food into his mouth.

“Any interesting books?”

“I didn’t know you would be so interested in what Asher and Lila got up to,” Gabriel laughed, piling more food onto his plate. “Now I’m curious!”

‘Please don’t be,’ Lila privately begged.

“There were a few, but I’m mulling over what I’d like to buy,” Asher answered, ignoring Gabriel’s comment. Lila was impressed at the speed at which Asher was flying by the seat of his pants.

“Why not get them all? You’re on holiday,” Marlene suggested politely.

“That’s an option, I suppose,” Asher replied, giving her an empty laugh. “I’ve been thinking about getting some collector’s editions of the Brontë sisters’ works.”

“You don’t say,” Marlene sounded stunned, though her eyes gleamed with excitement.

“I’m hoping to get a head start. For our English assignments next term. Apparently, we’ll be reading something from that era, but the writing can be a little hard to understand. I just need to get reacquainted with the style, since it’s been a while since I’ve read them. Did you want me to help you with that, by the way, Lila?”

Lila choked on a piece of the lamb, tapping her chest to dislodge it. Thankfully, it easily did so.

“S-Sure,” Lila rasped. “I’ve never read them.”

“Are you sure you want to buy your own copies?” Marlene enquired, scraping the remains of her food onto her fork. “The ones you have in the library will do you just fine.”

It seemed that Marlene’s challenge of Asher’s intention shocked him as he took a moment to respond.

“Quite sure. Those versions are quite dated and frail now. Unless you may have some copies hidden away somewhere?”

Marlene smiled. “Perhaps.”

Lunch passed without any further conversation, which Lila tentatively considered a success. At the very least, it provided far less opportunity to slip up regarding today’s true activities.

“A very important question, Lila,” Gabriel said sweetly upon getting up from his chair. “I have been very hard at work making baklava for today’s dessert. Are you staying for dinner?”

Lila cast a nervous look at Asher. Really, given the oppressive uncertainty she felt regarding Marlene, and her impending reaction to finding out that they had broken into her house, she would rather go home immediately.

“Absolutely,” Lila found herself saying as soon as Asher’s round, pleading eyes returned her gaze.

“Perfect,” Gabriel’s brilliant smile captivated Lila – there was no way she could go home without dinner now.

“Let’s go for a walk,” Asher said abruptly, suddenly standing up. Lila knew not to question him now, particularly given Marlene’s curiosity-laden expression.

“Where to?” Gabriel asked, beginning to collect their dishes.

“The park,” Asher instantly replied, extending a hand towards Lila. She took it, her heart skipping a beat as she did so, and he helped her up. She quickly let go and he placed his hand in his pocket.

“Are you sure you don’t need any help, Gabriel?” Marlene asked, also standing up from her seat.

“I can’t have you work on your time off,” Gabriel insisted, shaking his head. “Having you help bring the dishes out was already a selfish ask. If you try and do any more, I’ll feel terrible. See you when you start your shift.”

Marlene gave him an easy-going smile before nodding at Asher and Lila.

“I shall see you two later on this evening,” she said pleasantly before taking her leave and disappearing towards the front doors.

“Should we head off, then?” Lila suggested awkwardly.

“Yeah,” Asher replied, his face seeming less than enthusiastic about the prospect of ‘this evening’.

“Enjoy your walk, you two,” Gabriel chirped, leaving them behind in the dining room with a grin.

Lila wasn’t quite sure if they would enjoy their walk but said nothing of the sort to Asher as they slipped on their shoes and departed into the brisk, chilly afternoon breeze.

Marlene was nowhere in sight, which seemed to allow Asher to relax. His gait, at least, wasn’t so rigid and uptight.

“She hasn’t asked us about whether we were in her cottage,” Asher observed through gritted teeth. Lila made a sound in agreement but otherwise simply followed wherever Asher was taking them. She wasn’t quite sure that he had a destination in mind though, after a few minutes of silent walking, Lila began to recognise the surrounds as being near the park.

“Maybe she doesn’t know that we were in her cottage,” Asher mumbled, looking down at the road. He stopped walking altogether, his face twisted with anxiety. Lila stood next to him, trying to think of what to say. But there was no comfort in lying.

“I… think it’d be pretty obvious,” Lila replied in a whisper. “If not just due to the fact that she’s got duct tape on some of the cameras.”

“Sorry,” Asher sighed despondently. “I can’t believe I forgot to take the tape off.”

Asher kicked his toes into the ground, his arms folded across his chest. He seemed by his posture alone like a man who’d given up all hope.

“I mean, it’s not like we could go in there and delete the footage of us putting the duct tape on or us entering her house. I tried to log into that computer, but the password was not something I had any hope of knowing,” he finally said reluctantly.

“Do you reckon she’s gonna confront us?” Lila twisted her fingers together as she said this.

“She’ll have to,” Asher responded grimly. “I mean, even if she’s not mad, though I'm not sure why she wouldn't be, she'd have to tell us to stop or something.”

“At least we have our photos,” Lila said softly. “I doubt we’d be able to go in again, but we don’t have to since we’ve got the photos.”

“It’ll be interesting to see what we missed,” Asher conceded with a nod. He looked down the pavement towards the direction of the park for half a second before grinning devilishly at her.

“Race ya to the park.”

Just as the words left his mouth, he burst into a run like a bullet from a gun.

“You bitch!” Lila shouted behind him in surprise before chasing him. He simply cackled, his long stride leaving her in the dust.

It was just what she needed - a light-hearted race, without any fear. It was certainly far better than the other sprints she had earlier that day.

Instead of sitting on a bench, as was their usual practice at this park, Asher kept going towards the swings before belly-flopping onto one. He groaned in pain as Lila stopped short of him.

“You idiot,” Lila smirked before laughter overcame her. He looked up at her, his expression offended, before he started laughing as well, slipping off the seat of the swing and onto the bark below it.

They probably both looked as though they were crazy or hopped up on something, as neither of them stopped laughing for a good few minutes. Perhaps it was due to catharsis, or Asher really was that amusing. Luckily, they didn’t have to worry about freaking out other park patrons - no one was out and about, likely because it was far too cold.

Lila sank down onto the bark next to Asher, rubbing her stomach gently to soothe her aching muscles. It wasn’t a comfortable seating arrangement, due to the shape of the bark, but the faint woody smell she was inhaling eased her.

“What a day,” Asher remarked, looking up at the overcast sky.

“Could say that again.”

“What a day.”

Lila rolled her eyes as she pushed his shoulder with her own, and he snickered. Neither exchanged a word for several minutes.

“… you’re surprisingly good at lying to Marlene on the spot,” Lila commented idly. She glanced at him and saw that he was grimacing, as though her words had physically hurt him. He pulled his knees up to his chest and hugged them before responding.

“I don’t wanna be,” he admitted quietly, looking down at his knees. “I… don’t exactly know how to put this, but… lying, breaking and entering, stalking, entering nightclubs illegally… even swearing up a storm… skipping class and soccer practice… heck, even wearing crumpled clothes every day. I can’t even recognise myself anymore. Feels like the only thing that stayed the same was my grades. Can’t even say that my friendship with Isaac is the same, after all the debt stuff.”

“How’s it different?” Asher’s admission to his friendship with Isaac being different alarmed Lila somewhat as she sat up straight, shielding her eyes so she could look at Asher comfortably. He shrugged.

“It’s not a bad different,” Asher replied. “Just… different. I guess he feels like he owes me, but in more than money. It’s kinda like he’s trying too hard, y’know. Maybe he’s just overcompensating ‘cause he feels bad for me bailing him out like that. He’s still the goofball I know and love, but… he doesn’t need to go so far out of his way. If anything, I owe him.”

He gave her an uneasy sideways glance before looking back down at his knees. “I owe him a lot, actually.”

“Like what?”

He placed his head on his knees. “Can’t say.”

“Why not?”

“It’s… embarrassing.”

“Not like I haven’t embarrassed myself in front of you plenty.”

“Guess that’s true.”

“You’re not supposed to agree.”

“Sorry.”

“It’s a joke. And what did I say about apologising.”

“S-… yeah.”

“That’s better.”

Lila smiled at Asher to reassure him that she wasn’t being too serious. He returned the smile before sighing heavily, as though he had way too much air in his lungs that was fighting to get out.

“Fine. I guess… here goes. Since… you were brave.” He paused, and she watched with bated breath as he seemed to be choosing his next words carefully. “I know Isaac broke up with you because of me. I was too jealous and hurt, I suppose. Upset that he’d asked you first, and upset that you said yes, then upset that I couldn’t even pretend to be happy for him. He never told me that I was the reason why, but… I knew. I also knew that he really liked you at the time. It was a decision he agonised over. And he chose to be selfless for me. I’ve never felt like I’ve repaid him for that. And this year, he’s been trying to get us together. Even though I can’t…”

Pain seeped into his voice in such a way that it almost strangled his words entirely, but he soldiered on, Lila’s eyes glued to him. “He’s known all this time how much you… well, how much I’ve liked you over the years, and he’s been trying his damnedest this year. I don’t think I’d ever be able to repay him, even if we never end up dating.”

Asher’s last sentence stung Lila, interrupting her heartbeat for a second. The possibility that they never ended up dating was something that she knew, but it had been entirely unexpected that he would bring it up so candidly. Did… that mean he wasn’t thinking it’d happen?

“A-Anyway,” Asher coughed slightly as he continued to speak. “Every second I’ve been with you… has felt like a dream. Mostly because I didn’t think it’d ever happen, that we’d be so close. But… Isaac’s encouraged me – to keep hanging out with you and stuff – the whole way. Even while I was with Holly, when I tried to play off that I didn’t like you. I think he knew for sure.”

Lila held her face in her hands, to hide the furious blush flooding her cheeks. Again, with the effect he had on her…

“He… said that you couldn’t shut up about me,” Lila’s voice was muffled, as she was still burying her face in her hands. “Back in Term One. And that he felt sorry for Holly if you were talking about me with her.”

“What? When?”

“When you saw us on the hill at lunch. When I first heard about the rumours Piper was spreading.”

“Ah. I see.”

Asher looked nervous as he turned his eyes towards the sky again, given his visibly trembling knees. She considered that this reaction was likely due to the fact that he was being so open about his feelings about her and Isaac. Possibly for the first time ever.

“Thanks… for telling me,” she said earnestly. “Sometimes I think that the fact you like me back is a lie, since, well, we’re like this, but when you say things like that… it’s very reassuring. I think… if I were to tell others about this situation, they’d say that you’re stringing me along, or saying what I wanna hear to try a friends with benefits arrangement or something.”

“Jesus,” Asher uttered incredulously. “You reckon?”

Lila nodded emphatically. “Yeah. It… kinda seems that way. I guess a lot of people wouldn’t get it, why we’re not together if we like each other.”

Asher’s face turned from one of intrigue to guilt as he picked at his nails. “I’d never… just do that with you. U-Unless you wanted to, of course. But since I’ve liked you for so long… I think I’d be disappointed in myself if I didn’t try for a full relationship with you. Friends with benefits works for some, but you’re not just… you’re worth more than that. Worth someone cherishing you, at least.”

Did… that mean he was thinking they’d end up dating? Lila couldn’t disentangle his intentions anymore, they changed so rapidly with the wind. Though, judging by his fidgety appearance and the lack of confidence he had just now, Lila was sure he didn’t know either. He would definitely need to talk to Gabriel, or someone suitably qualified. Of course, if the outcome of Asher’s conversation with someone like that was that he wouldn’t date Lila at all, then… she supposed it’d be fine. She’d probably cry about it for a month or a year, depending on how it all went down, but… he was his own person. She couldn’t control him.

“Wanna swing?” Asher suggested, breaking Lila out of her frankly depressing thoughts. She blinked rapidly at him as she registered his words.

“Oh. This one?” she pointed at the swing Asher had hurt himself on and he nodded, standing up.

They ended up hanging out on the playground, talking about nothing in particular besides the weather, the books they were reading, and releases of things that they were excited about in the near future. They also swung around for a bit before moving on to the slides, the ‘gym’ equipment, and the other facilities around the park.

The sun began to set, signalling that it was time to go home. It was only five o’clock when Lila reluctantly climbed down from the big net in the centre of the park. Asher unenthusiastically stopped his own climbing activity and met her at the bottom before they took off at a leisurely pace towards Asher’s house.

“You mentioned before that you could hardly recognise yourself,” Lila noted as she pulled her arms across her body. The cold was starting to freeze her insides, now that the sun had set.

“Yeah,” Asher replied. “I can’t. I still don’t know whether it’s good or bad, but… I mean, that list I just pulled outta my head is a real troublesome resume for a goody-two-shoes like me. Well, like I used to be.”

“It’s giving bad boy,” Lila chuckled. “You’ve had good reason to do everything you listed, though. It’s not like you’re doing it for fun, or because you’re bored. So, I don’t think you should beat yourself up about it.”

“Dunno, crime’s a slippery slope,” Asher said seriously. “What if, after the prowess I’ve shown in opening locks, I decide to rob people? Then I’d get arrested and then I wouldn’t be able to finish this year’s assessments and I’d have no shot at being a doctor, or in the medical field at the very least, like my parents want.”

Lila couldn’t hold back her snort. Of course he’d be worried about his grades. He glanced at her before laughing himself.

“It… sounds a bit ridiculous, doesn’t it?” he queried, running his hands through his hair. “To be worried about grades more than jail as a 16-year-old.”

“Do 16-year-olds even go to jail?” Lila pondered.

“Probably. Wanna test it?”

“No thanks.”

They both laughed together again. Asher’s suggestion to take a walk to the park and hang out there – that had been a very good one in the end.