Chapter One Hundred and Fifty-Two

Gabriel was shrugging on a jacket as they picked up their shoes from the front of Asher's house.

"Ah, good," he said approvingly once they returned. "Very prompt."

"You know us," Asher replied, opening the door to the garage. "Nothing but prompt."

"Well, I suppose that's true," Gabriel smiled. "In the interests of being prompt, let's go."

Lila wasn't up to talking much on the way over to hers. Gabriel and Asher spoke amongst themselves for most of the journey, mostly about what Asher's study plans were, and what Gabriel was thinking of doing with the pulled pork.

They were a few minutes away from Lila's place when a question occurred to her.

"Gabriel, what's Alex like?" she asked, sitting up straight.

He glanced at her over his shoulder before looking back at the road. "He's a hard worker. Can be no-nonsense when he's dealing with drunk patrons."

"Nothing else?"

"Well… he's nice enough. Complements your sister well, as far as the rumours I've heard go."

Lila tried to imagine what that would be like, but she couldn't. The fact that she hadn't seen Clare with a boyfriend before made this concept incredibly mysterious.

"Have you even talked to the guy?" Asher asked incredulously. "You're being pretty vague."

"The bartenders are pretty self-sufficient. I hardly hear from any of them. The dancers, however, need a lot more attention from me, since their job is far riskier," Gabriel explained. "Truthfully, I don't know Alex on any personal level. Not that I know most of my employees on a personal level, either. Clare is an exception – and only because of you two."

"I suppose that makes sense," Lila sighed. "Thanks, though."

"Sorry I couldn't be more helpful – but it's not as if you won't find out for yourself soon enough."

"Yeah…"

Gabriel smoothly parked at the bottom of Lila's driveway after checking that he was at the right house. Lila and Asher clambered out, with Gabriel confirming that Marlene would pick Asher back up afterwards. They both bid him goodbye and he drove away, his EDM beats significantly louder than they had been on the way here.

Lila unlocked the front door and they both took their shoes off in the entryway, the smell of rice floating towards them from the kitchen.

"Looks like Mum is preparing dinner," Lila said as they slowly made their way down the hallway towards the kitchen. Lila popped her head in and saw that her Mum was, indeed, in the kitchen.

"Hi Mum," Lila smiled. Her Mum looked up.

"Hi Lila, hi Asher," she said pleasantly, wiping her hands on her apron. "I see that you came home a bit early."

"Clare said 4 or 5pm," Lila replied, shuffling in so that Asher could also be part of the conversation.

"Well, dinner won't be until about 6," her Mum said, squinting at the clock hanging up in the kitchen. "I don't know when Clare and her boyfriend will be arriving."

"Okay. Um, Asher and I will just… go upstairs, then. Unless you want some help?"

Her Mum waved her hand. "No, no. I'm making biko with latik now. Very simple."

Lila grinned, looking at Asher excitedly. "You haven't had that, right?"

"What?"

"Biko with latik."

"… I don't think so," he replied with a slight frown. "What… is it?"

"A dessert. A sweet rice cake with, like, a syrup as the topping." Lila gestured wildly, her mind a mess as she tried to describe the dessert.

He shook his head. "Definitely not, then. Sounds delicious."

"In that case, I'll need to try very hard," Lila's Mum smiled. "See you later."

Lila took that as her cue to leave her Mum to it and she led Asher upstairs to her room. She paused as he made himself comfortable on her desk chair. Her Dad had said before that they could have the door closed, when they needed to debrief after telling him about the morphine ring at school. Did that still apply?

'It's not like you'll be doing anything anyway,' she thought with a touch of hopelessness. 'Door doesn't need to be closed.'

Just as she had backed away from the open door and sat down on her bed, she heard the master bedroom door open. Her Dad shuffled down the hallway and seemed ready to pass Lila's door before he popped his head in.

"Oh, hello, kiddo. Hello, Asher."

"Hello, Mr Moloney," Asher straightened up, seeming abnormally tense. Lila felt herself tensing as well upon seeing her Dad's face. He stepped inside and she saw that he was wearing exactly the same outfit that he had been in at 'Beans & Biscuits'. Her heart rate sped up. Why was he in her room now? Was he going to confront them about seeing him at the café?

"I see that your door's open," her Dad commented.

Lila nodded rigidly.

"You don't need to keep it open," he said, his tone holding the barest hint of disapproval of this idea.

"It's o-"

"I'm not about to take back something I let you do just a couple of weeks ago," her Dad said simply. He gripped the handle and seemed ready to leave when Lila stood up. He blinked at her.

"U-Um, Dad," she said, her heart crashing against her ribs.

"That's me," he replied cautiously.

"Um. Well. Uh," Lila flushed, feeling far too shy to ask all of a sudden. Asher's admission that he was terrified of her Dad flooded her mind as she tried to think of what to say.

Her Dad patiently waited for her to speak. She took a deep breath.

"Um, so… on the 1st of September… it's a pupil-free day," she eventually said. She heard Asher move at her desk, but she didn't want to look at him. "A-And it's a Friday."

Her Dad continued to patiently wait for her to finish speaking.

"S-So, I was… wondering if… maybe I could stay at Asher's. From… the Thursday night."

Her Dad instantly looked ready to say 'no', but he instead pressed his lips together for a moment. "Until when?" he finally asked.

"M-Maybe… the Sunday?"

He exhaled deeply, wiping his face with both hands. Then, he gave Asher a long, indecipherable look. Lila glanced at Asher, who looked, for lack of better words, scared shitless.

"I'll have to check with your mother," her Dad eventually said, his eyes flickering to Lila. "It's a very long time."

"I know," Lila replied in a small voice. "It's after our assignments are handed in, though."

Her Dad looked back at Asher. Then, he sighed again. "I assume you heard about the Whitley kid?"

That… was a bit random.

"Yeah, we did," Lila said with mild confusion.

"Are you planning on going out much over that weekend?"

"I… don't think so," Lila's voice was uncertain as she looked back at Asher. Asher shook his head vigorously, his face still pale.

"How are your studies going?" her Dad asked, readjusting his glasses.

"Good," Lila said earnestly. "I made some progress on my English assignment today."

"At Asher's?"

"Well, yeah."

"Alright. I'll check with your mother."

"Thanks, Dad."

Her Dad gave Asher another hard stare before nodding at Lila. "See you later, kiddo."

He left her room, closing the door behind him. As soon as it clicked shut, Asher heaved a massive exhale.

"Holy shit, Lila, are you trying to kill me?" he gasped, clutching at his chest as though his heart was giving out.

"S-Sorry. I just remembered when he was in here, and… well, it was either that, or asking what was in the bag Marlene picked up."

He rested his forehead on her desk. "Tell Marlene to bring a body bag to take me home."

"That's a bit dramatic, though I suppose she'd probably have one."

He snorted into her desk. She sat back down on her bed, thinking.

"Asher, why did my Dad keep looking at you strangely?"

"Dunno," he mumbled. He didn't move to look at her and she was suspicious that he, in fact, knew.

"I feel like that's a lie."

He turned his head towards her, though he still rested it on her desk. "I dunno, Lila, maybe it's because his daughter just asked to have a three-night sleepover with her boyfriend. Of course he's going to look at me weird. I hope he's not upset with me."

"I don't really get it, though. Sure, it's a long time, but why does he have to look at you like that?"

"He's trying to suss me out, Lila."

"For what?"

He turned his head the other way. "My… intentions."

"For what?"

"Look, if you don't understand, maybe it's better to live in bliss."

Lila huffed. "But I want to understand."

Asher sighed. "I… don't want to talk about it. Especially not when… bringing up Jason's murder like that sounded a bit like a threat."

"A threat? What, you think my Dad's the accomplice?"

"Definitely not," Asher said shortly. "At least, that's not what I'm referring to."

"Then why-"

"I don't want to talk about it."

Lila fell silent. It'd been such a whiplash of emotions with Asher today, and she wasn't quite sure what to do with herself now. So, they remained like this for quite a few minutes until Asher sat up.

"Sorry," he murmured. "Not only about… not talking about what just happened, but also… earlier. For stopping our kiss."

Lila stiffened. "Don't be," she replied robotically.

"I… I am, though."

"I'd rather you weren't."

"Lila, you've said that before, but I don't understand."

"As much as I want to explain, if I try I might end up crying."

"So you are upset with me."

She sighed, flopping backwards on her bed. "Not exactly."

"That doesn't sound like someone who's happy with me."

"Asher… like how you didn't want to talk about whatever it was with my Dad just now, can we please not talk about this?"

"… Okay."

She closed her eyes, feeling the beginning stages of tears brewing. If she thought about it too much, she would be inconsolable after yet another broken kiss. If only he'd be cruel – then it might hurt less, since it would make sense. Being kind only made her think there really was something wrong with her – something he didn't like. Otherwise, why did it keep happening?

"Should we play some board games?"

His suggestion made her glance at him. He was fidgeting in her seat, his nervousness painfully evident. A flash of guilt for not getting into her feelings coursed through her, but… she didn't want to snap at him or cry when expressing them to him, either.

"Okay," she murmured reluctantly.

"We don't have to," he said hurriedly. "I just thought, since we're waiting-"

"Let's go."

They left her room without another word and she knocked on Daniel's door.

"What?" he called tersely.

"Asher and I are gonna play some board games downstairs. Wanna join?"

She heard some rustling before Daniel opened his door.

"Isn't old mate supposed to be here soon?" he asked, his expression less than impressed.

Lila shrugged. "Clare only told me to be here around now. Not sure when they're coming."

"Well…" he looked at Asher before straightening up. "I'll come down soon."

"Righto. We might play some card games rather than set up a whole board game."

"Cool, cool." He snapped his door shut.

With that, Lila and Asher went downstairs and into the living room. Lila squatted down in front of where the board games were stored and looked up at Asher.

"Any of them stand out to you?" she asked, pointing at where the card games were stacked. He bent down, perusing the titles.

"You said card games, yeah?"

"Well, it just makes it less complicated to pack away once dinner's ready."

"Alright… well, what about those?"

Daniel joined them shortly after they set up the first card game and they played for a while before Lila sighed.

"Daniel, you heard about Jason, right?" she asked softly.

He paused his card shuffling, a dark look crossing his face. "Yeah. 'Course. Everyone has. Some girls in my class were crying about it yesterday afternoon."

"… How are you holding up?"

He sighed, restarting his shuffling in contemplation. "Feeling like, well, it was better him than me. Since… it started 'cause of my business."

Lila hesitated. She almost said that it had started far earlier – but she actually didn't really know when the Banker started operating.

"When did it all start? Your business?" she settled on asking.

"When school started this year," he replied, dealing out the requisite amount of cards. "Borrowed money from my buddy over the summer holidays, then another mate asked to borrow some off me. Charged him interest then paid the first back in the first week of school."

Lila exchanged a brief look with Asher.

"What's that look for?" Daniel asked, his eyes narrowed.

"Nothing. Who's starting this round?" Lila hurriedly said. Her deflection didn't seem to work but before Daniel could press the issue, the telltale sound of the front door opening caused all of them to stop what they were doing.

"He's here," Daniel hissed, scrambling to pick up the cards.

"Why are we packing up?" Lila asked as he swiped her hand from her.

"What, are you intending for him to play with us?" Daniel's voice started to rise, as though on the verge of panic.

"Whoa, dude, chill," Lila frowned. "Why-"

"'Cause he's going to be old and probably lame, since he's Clare's boyfriend."

"Okay, rude, but I mean Asher's older than you-"

"He's not lame though."

"Actually, Daniel, I really am," Asher interjected. "I spend most of my life studying."

"For not-lame reasons."

"Well, I don't actually have a real goal-"

"Mum," Clare's voice sang from the entryway. "We're here."

"Pack this shit up," Daniel urged.

With nothing else to do, and Daniel's frantic behaviour disturbing her some, Lila helped pack up the card game.

"Well, now we look weird as hell, sitting around an empty table," she said to Daniel with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, these are beautiful!" Lila heard her Mum rave in the kitchen before he could respond. "Clare, get a vase, will you?"

"Should we-" Lila attempted to suggest taking a look in the kitchen, but stopped speaking after seeing Daniel shake his head.

"What's got you in such a mess?" Lila whispered, reaching out to grab his arm. "Seriously."

"I don't want to meet him."

"Why?"

Daniel seemed to have trouble articulating his thoughts. "… 'Cause… Clare will move out, won't she?"

Lila blinked. That was… a really unexpected conclusion to draw.

"Daniel-"

"There you guys are," Clare beamed, appearing at the entrance of the dining room. Lila and Asher immediately stood. Daniel instantly looked sulky, staying put in his chair.

"Hey, Clare," Lila smiled. Clare looked over her shoulder and gestured at someone before stepping inside the dining room properly.

Alex looked much the same as he had in Coolisimo, with his ear piercings running to the top of his left ear and exposed, muscular arms showcasing his sleeve tattoos. His chin-length hair, instead of an updo, was left down and neatly styled with loose waves. He had a trimmed, light beard that Lila didn't recall him having at Coolisimo, though. He was dressed rather smartly in a black polo shirt, long, dark-grey jeans and a thick, silver watch.

Lila met his eyes – bright blue and perceptive-looking – and was surprised to see how nervous he looked, his hands firmly in his pockets. In fact, she half wanted to tell him where the bathroom was since he looked like he really needed it. The flash of recognition in his eyes seemed to only increase his nervous demeanour, and they all remained silent for a beat too long.

"Uh, this is Alex," Clare finally said, gesturing to him. "My boyfriend."

Asher took the lead in walking over to Alex, holding his hand out for a handshake. "I'm Asher, Lila's boyfriend."

The two shook hands, the faintest trace of a smile crossing Alex's lips. "Nice to meet you," he responded, a heaviness behind these words that Lila hoped Daniel wouldn't catch on to.

Lila followed up with her own handshake, her eyes flashing down to the numerous rings adorning his fingers. His hands were calloused and his handshake was just as firm as she expected from someone who possessed such serious muscles.

"I'm Lila," she said, avoiding his eyes. "Clare's sister."

"Nice to meet you." The awkwardness increased considerably as Alex stepped back with a nod.

Lila glanced behind her at Daniel – who looked shocked and slightly terrified. Despite Alex's nervousness, he still carried an intimidating aura that evidently spooked her brother.

'Not old and lame, is he?' Lila thought as Daniel scrambled from his chair.

"Uh, I'm Daniel," he said faintly. "Clare's brother."

"Nice to meet you."

Did Alex… not have any alternative greetings? Lila glanced at Alex again and he somehow looked even worse now that he'd greeted everyone here.

'Must be the nerves…' she figured, taking a step back as well.

Had Alex never met a partner's family before? By contrast, Asher hadn't been quite so… whatever this was. But, then again, they were just friends when he first met her family, and he somewhat knew Daniel before they started getting close this year. Seeing Clare as 'Roxy Wurld' had also significantly broken the ice, once everyone was settled on the fact that they had encountered each other in a nightclub when, for all intents and purposes, none of them should have been there – if they were as they portrayed in their day-to-day lives.

In saying that, though, Asher had acted similarly as Alex was now when Lila asked her Dad about staying over at his for three nights…

"Oh, were you guys playing something?" Clare asked, pointing to the mound of card games sitting on the table.

"We… were," Lila said, giving Daniel a sideways glance.

"Perfect. Mum said dinner's about half an hour away. How about we play this one? It's quick." Clare suggested, moving over to the dining room table. Alex remained as close to the entrance as possible.

"Sit next to me," Clare smiled at him as she opened the box she'd selected. "This one's really fun."

He slowly sat next to Clare as she read out the instructions. They played a few rounds in complete silence before Asher was out.

"Dang," he said ruefully, displaying his hand. "One more draw and I would've won."

The next round eliminated Clare, who had a similar reaction before looking at Asher.

"Asher, can I borrow you for a sec?" she asked. Lila looked at her sister curiously. Was it about a game plan to make Alex feel more comfortable?

"Sure."

Daniel looked horrified at being left behind with Lila and Alex but didn't say anything as they continued their game. Eventually, the silence got to Lila.

"… So… Alex," Lila said slowly as she waited for Daniel to put a card down.

"Y-Yes?" he asked, clearing his throat.

"Are you excited for dinner?"

"M-Me?"

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'I almost prefer how he was at the nightclub,' Lila frowned, placing her card on top of Daniel's. 'Even though he got us kicked out.'

"Yeah. Have you had Filipino food before?"

"No," Alex replied, placing his card down on top of Lila's. "Never."

"Tocino's my favourite. Did Clare tell you what it is, at least?"

"She said it's a surprise," his voice was as soft as the smile on his face.

"Well, I'll at least let you in a little. It's a type of pork dish."

"That's unfortunate. I'm vegetarian."

The atmosphere dropped past awkwardness straight down to a strange type of surreal hell.

"What?" Lila asked, glancing at Daniel. Alarm began to flood her as she contemplated getting up right now and seeing if there was something else for him to eat-

"I'm only joking," Alex said quietly. "I win, by the way."

Lila wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry.

"Good one," Daniel chuckled, bringing all the cards to himself. Had… Alex's odd joke warmed Daniel up to him?

Daniel handed out a new set of cards to Lila and Alex before picking his cards up and looking intently at Alex.

"So, what do you do?" Daniel questioned, his eyes narrowed as he scrutinised Alex. Alex shot a look at Lila who instantly looked down at her cards.

'Don't look at me! You'll give everyone away!' she internally panicked, forcing herself to otherwise maintain a calm exterior.

"I, uh, work at a nightclub. A-As a bartender."

"How'd you meet Clare?"

Lila could feel Alex's eyes on her again.

"A party."

"Oh. When?"

"About a year ago."

"Oh. How long-"

"Sorry," Clare's voice interrupted Daniel's line of questioning and both Lila and Alex visibly relaxed. "Is it too late to join this game?"

Asher trailed in behind Clare, avoiding Lila's curious gaze. His cheeks were tinged with pink and, in the absence of meeting his eyes, Lila looked at Clare. Clare winked at her, seeming rather pleased with herself. Instead of making her feel relieved, Lila immediately felt on edge. Had… Clare meddled?

It'd been so long since Clare had meddled in Lila's business that she'd almost forgotten that was her sister's favourite activity. Her eyes darted to Asher again, who still refused to look at her. What had Clare said? Had she told him about how Lila cried this morning? Was there any way to save it? Convince him that Clare was joking?

"It's your turn, Lila," Daniel frowned. Lila jolted, staring down at her cards. She put a random one down, her anxiety increasing with each second that Clare continued to look smug.

They remained like this until Clare leapt up.

"Yes!" she beamed, throwing down her last card. "I win."

"Ugh," Daniel grumbled, collecting everyone's cards yet again. "She's never going to let that go."

"Nor should I," Clare replied loftily. "I'm just going to check on Mum. I'll be back."

Silence once again prevailed as Daniel stacked the cards in Clare's wake and Lila noticed Alex smiling.

"I reckon we should start packing everything away," Lila said, standing up and picking up the assortment of games she'd brought over. "Dinner will be ready soon."

"I-I'll help," Asher stammered, grabbing some from her and the game Daniel had finished closing. His face returned to its pinkish hue and she noticed his eyes drift down to her chest before he turned on his heel, marching back to the living room.

Lila quickly followed him, and, once they were alone in the living room, she couldn't hold her questions back.

"Asher, what did Clare say to you?"

"N-Nothing," his voice broke as he placed the card games back into the cabinet. He cleared his throat. "Nothing at all."

"You're acting far too weird for her to have said nothing."

He reached his hand up in a silent demand for the card games she was still holding. She gave them to him and he wordlessly packed them away.

"Asher-"

"It's nothing."

"Asher… please?"

He sighed, hanging his head briefly. "Uh, look. I'll… tell you later. But much later."

"You've got lots to tell me 'much later'. I'd rather know now."

"I think I'll die if I tell you now."

"That's-"

"My honest feelings."

She pursed her lips. If Asher wasn't going to tell her, she'd just have to interrogate Clare.

"I'm guessing it had nothing to do with getting Alex more comfortable with the family?" she finally asked.

Asher shut the cabinet door and stood up. "There was that."

And more, clearly.

It was Lila's turn to sigh. "Asher, you've said that… you can't shut up around me and that you're really honest with me, but lately I haven't seen that."

He looked at her like she'd physically slapped him. Then, he ran a hand through his hair with a sigh. "You've been keeping things from me, too."

So Clare had said something about what she'd said to her in the car this morning.

"Whatever Clare said, it was probably a joke-"

"She said you'd say that."

"W-Well, she, uh, likes to be dramatic-"

"She said that one, too."

"You don't need to take her seriously-"

"And that one."

To have a meddling sister who knew her so well was endlessly frustrating in situations like these.

"Alright, well… I'll just have to ask her what she said to you."

"I doubt she'll tell you."

"I'm pretty persistent."

It was the first time he'd smiled since they started this conversation. "I know."

Now she was even more confused.

"If we don't go back now, they'll come looking for us," Asher said pointedly, glancing towards the hallway. "Plus, I think Daniel's in shock."

"He's not the only one," Lila replied, crossing her arms. "I… don't know what I was expecting, but Alex is like a really buff mouse."

Asher snorted. "A buff mouse?"

"Timid like one, but he's got intense muscles." She flexed her own meagre ones to illustrate her point.

"What, are you into that?"

Lila shivered. "No thanks. Too intimidating for me."

"Even if he's got the personality of a mouse?"

"Even then. Imagine a buff-ass mouse running at you in the dark. Then, you look at him with a little too much scrutiny and he runs the other way? Horrifying."

He chuckled. "Sometimes, you say the strangest things."

"They may be strange, but I bet you'd scream if you saw that."

"Though I want to argue with that logic, I'm finding that I can't."

She smiled at him and he tentatively stretched out a hand for her to take. She accepted and he led them back to the dining room, which Daniel, Clare and Alex were busy setting up.

"Oh, good," Daniel said, foisting the silverware at Lila. "Set this up, will ya?"

"And what'll you do?" Lila asked, taking it all the same with a frown.

"Stand around and direct all of you," Daniel replied, as though it were obvious. "Turns out I'm pretty good at that."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Lila rolled her eyes and started placing cutlery in their requisite spaces. Asher busied himself with placing serviettes down and Clare eventually disappeared, bringing with her the garlic rice and side dishes. Lila's Mum followed closely behind with a large serving dish full of tocino.

"Daniel, please get your father," Lila's Mum asked, wiping her hands on her apron. "He's just in the office."

He obediently left, and Lila's Mum smiled at everyone else. "Sit down," she said, flapping her hands at the chairs. "I'll just get the drinks."

She left, returning alongside Lila's Dad and Daniel, both of whom were laden with cups and two bottles of juice.

"Hello," Lila's Dad said to Alex, his expression cryptic. He crossed over to Alex who clumsily stood and shook his hand.

"H-Hello. I'm Alex."

"You can call me Rob," Lila's Dad said pleasantly.

"N-Nice to meet you, Rob," Alex stuttered. Lila's Dad promptly sat down across from Alex, which seemed to only intensify Alex's skittishness.

Lila's Mum entered the dining room without her apron, setting a vase of brightly coloured flowers in the centre of the table before sitting next to Lila's Dad with a beam.

"Dig in," she said, gesturing at the food. Daniel immediately began dishing food for himself whilst Asher poured drinks and passed them along. Lila patiently waited for Daniel to get out of the way, and Clare explained what was on the table to Alex in a low voice.

Eventually, everyone had full plates of food and began eating.

"This is delicious," Alex said after a few bites, his blue eyes seeming even bluer with his enjoyment.

"I'm glad you like it," Lila's Mum replied. "It's a family favourite around here."

"I can see why," he said earnestly. Lila met Asher's eyes and they exchanged a small smile. It seemed that Clare had found someone who enjoyed food, at least.

"So, Alex," Lila's Dad said after a few more minutes of eating. "What do you do with yourself?"

Alex took a swig of his drink with a shaky hand before answering, his eyes flickering to Daniel and back to Lila's Dad. "Uh, I work as a bartender."

"Anything else?"

"I study botany."

"Botany?" Daniel's voice was incredulous. "Not… personal training?"

Alex looked at him in confusion. "No… should I study personal training instead?"

Clare smacked Daniel's hand in disapproval. "Don't be rude."

"I-"

"Did you grow those flowers yourself?" Lila's Mum cut Daniel's attempted protest off with a stern look at both Clare and Daniel. She gestured towards the vase in the middle of the table.

Alex beamed. "I did, actually. I have a small flower garden on my balcony."

"Do you grow any fruit?" Lila's Mum asked, her eyes sparkling with interest. Lila internally groaned. Anything to do with homegrown fruit made her Mum absolutely crazy. Her driving landmarks tended to be banana, pawpaw or citrus trees they found growing outside people's houses. Unfortunately though, her Mum's efforts in growing any such trees at their house had not borne fruit, something she bitterly bemoaned every time they found a successful plant.

"I do," Alex replied, straightening up in his seat. "My strawberries and tomatoes live outside, but I have a small lemon tree in my living room. It drives my roommates crazy whenever I'm away since they have to water it."

"A lemon tree? Do your lemons get big?" Lila asked. She'd never thought about the logistics of a whole tree just hanging out in someone's living room.

"A decent size. I should've brought some, sorry."

"Do you know how to grow banana trees?" Lila's Mum asked. Her enthusiasm was clearly mounting as she looked at Lila's Dad, nodding furiously.

Alex nodded. "At my parents, I grew a small banana tree."

"You'll need to help me with mine," Lila's Mum insisted. "I've tried for years to get them to grow nice and big, but nothing's worked."

Clare seemed delighted by her Mum's insistence. Alex's face flushed.

"I-I can have a look," he said with a nervous laugh. "It might come down to soil quality or the temperature around here, though. So, I can't promise anything, unless you have a greenhouse?"

"See, Rob, I need you to build me a greenhouse," Lila's Mum pouted.

Lila's Dad sighed. "If I had the time, I would, dear."

"I can help," Alex suggested.

Just like that, Lila knew for sure that he had won their Mum over.

"I've been trying to get my husband to build me one for years," Lila's Mum said with a forlorn shake of her head.

"Well, as I said, I've been busy-"

"Busy not building me a greenhouse."

"Edith."

Lila's Mum winked at Alex before breaking into laughter. "Don't be so serious, Rob. I'm only teasing."

Her Dad grumbled indistinctly before taking a bite of some more tocino.

Lila glanced at Daniel, who seemed like he had no idea how to appraise Alex anymore.

"What's with all the tattoos?" Daniel questioned after a beat before shovelling rice into his mouth. "You in a gang of plant nerds?"

Clare's expression turned murderous, though it quickly calmed after Alex lightly brushed her hand with his.

"One of my roommates is an apprentice tattooist. He's actually a mate from school, so I've always known I'd be his canvas one day. I think tattoos are pretty neat."

Neat? That was certainly a way to describe tattoos.

"Especially when they're free. Plus, he can't say no to watering my plants since I'm decorated in his practice work. There are a couple that I've paid more experienced professionals for, though."

"And, what, your other roommate is a piercer?" Daniel raised an eyebrow at Alex.

Alex chuckled. "No, I did the bottom ones on a bus on the way to school with a safety pin, then figured I should go professional from then on."

"A bus?" Daniel gawked. "Why?"

"Why not? I thought they were pretty cool, but I didn't want to spend the money to get them done. Then, I realised that was a bad idea."

"Yeah, it would be," Daniel responded gingerly. "Clare, your boyfriend's insane."

"Daniel," Lila's Dad's tone was severe. "I'm not above sending you to your room even though we have guests over."

"Sorry," Daniel mumbled, pushing some rice on his plate.

Alex laughed. "No, it's okay. It's not the first time I've heard that, and he's not wrong."

"Besides, maybe that's just the way I like it," Clare said affectionately, smiling at Alex.

Daniel wrinkled his nose in distaste. "Ew."

Lila snorted, more in reaction to Daniel than Clare, though throwing up from the sweetness emanating from her sister was a close second.

Lila's Mum looked around at everyone before engaging in more plant-related discussion. Lila felt herself switching off and could see that Daniel and Asher had the same thoughts. By contrast, Clare seemed incredibly interested in the conversation, hanging on to every word Alex said.

She'd never known her sister to be interested in plants – in fact, Clare usually hid in her room whenever their Mum requested deweeding assistance – but perhaps it was because Alex was talking so passionately about it that made Clare look so smitten.

Their discussion morphed into more topics of conversation, including where Alex lived, how long he'd been studying (he was apparently in his final year), whether he enjoyed his work as a bartender (which, accompanied with a bright red face that Lila could only assume stemmed from the fact Clare also worked there as a dancer, was a yes), and even questions from Alex to the family about their interests. When he asked Lila about hers, the first thing that jumped to her mind was investigating things with Asher, so she instead lamely answered something about board games. Alex seemed keen to know more about the board games they had, so a commitment was made to play one or two after dinner since it wasn't quite so late.

Soon enough, everyone's plates were empty and the family began to stack the plates and cutlery. Clare stood to put them in the kitchen and Lila's Mum followed. They soon reemerged with plates of individually cut pieces of biko, which appeared to take Asher's curiosity.

"Wow, Mum, it's been a while since you whipped this one up," Clare commented once she finished giving out pieces to whoever needed them.

"I thought it'd be a good occasion," Lila's Mum smiled, passing out spoons to everyone. "Besides, Asher hasn't tried it, right?"

"Definitely not," Asher said, inspecting his piece closely. "This smells amazing."

"Eat," Lila's Mum nodded encouragingly. "There is more."

There was silence as everyone took a spoonful of their sweet, chewy rice cakes. The taste of coconut syrup was welcome and the flavour of pandan carried through the dish, combining into something quite addictive.

Once all the plates were spotless, the Moloney siblings discussed what the best board game to play would be. Once decided, Daniel retrieved it as the rest of the family cleared the table and wiped it down.

"Thank you for dinner," Alex said gratefully as Lila's parents were leaving for the last time.

"My pleasure. I'm glad you enjoyed it," Lila's Mum replied. "Don't forget you promised to help me with my banana tree."

"I'd love to."

"We'll let you kids have fun," Lila's Dad said, readjusting his glasses.

"See you later," the Moloney siblings chorused. Their parents slipped out of the dining room and Lila turned her attention to setting up the board game.

This board game had a much more comfortable atmosphere than the card game they'd first played with Alex. Lila still wasn't quite sure what type of vibe Alex was giving her, but she hadn't seen any red flags, at least. She could tell that both Alex and Clare were deeply devoted to each other, with the amount of subtle touching, glances and smiles they'd shared since arriving home. Aside from how nervous Alex had been, there wasn't anything that stuck out to Lila that she needed to address with Clare, anyway. Plus, he'd kept their actual first meeting a secret thus far, even though she'd been afraid that he'd give it away through his nonverbal language – but no one seemed to pick it up.

They played a few rounds of the board game, and Alex's sense of humour began to shine. He seemed to prefer a deadpan, sarcastic type, which explained his vegetarian joke quite well. He was still rather quiet generally, but Lila was beginning to think that he might naturally be quiet, which, in her opinion, complemented her boisterous sister very well.

The beginning of the end of the night came when Daniel started yawning. Clare picked up on this pretty quickly and reminded everyone that they actually had school tomorrow – which was a rude awakening for Lila. She'd almost thought it was the weekend.

"I'll just let Marlene know to come get me," Asher said to Lila as they began packing away the board game.

"Alright," Lila sighed reluctantly. "I wish you could stay."

"Sorry."

"Ew," Daniel interjected, his nose wrinkled once more.

Lila frowned at him. "One day, you'll find out what it's like and you won't think it's so ew."

"Yeah, but that won't make your sappiness any less gross to me," Daniel countered.

Lila rolled her eyes at him. "Whatever. You wanted this, remember?"

Daniel smirked. "No, no. I just wanted Asher to stop pining-"

"Wow, look at that, the board game's all packed up," Asher said loudly, pulling the closed box to him. "I'll just put this away."

Lila thought she heard Alex chuckle but when she glanced at him, he looked utterly serious. Asher promptly escaped to the living room.

"I think I better get going," Alex said to Clare. She nodded and they both stood.

"You're not going with him?" Lila asked.

"Nah," Clare replied nonchalantly. "I'll just see you tomorrow, yeah?" she asked Alex directly.

"Of course," he said. "It was nice to meet you guys."

"You too," Lila responded warmly.

"Yeah," Daniel said, though Lila could detect that he was still slightly resentful about it.

Alex waved at them both, which they returned, before following Clare. Lila guessed that Alex would be saying his goodbyes to her parents and likely Asher before leaving for the night.

Daniel slumped in his chair, which forced Lila to look at him.

"What?" she asked.

He sighed. "Nothing."

"Doesn't seem like nothing."

"… Do you reckon Clare's boyfriend is a weed dealer?"

Lila blinked. "Huh?"

"Well, he likes plants, and he looks like a full-on drug dealer with his tattoos."

"I'm so confused. How did you jump to that conclusion?"

Daniel grew quiet. "Not sure."

"Daniel, are you trying to dislike him?"

"… No. I'm going to bed."

"Daniel, something's up with you. Is everything-"

It was at that moment that Asher scurried back into the dining room, his face pink. Both Daniel and Lila looked at him in mild confusion.

"Let's head upstairs," Asher said after taking a deep breath.

"What happen-" Lila tried to ask.

"Please," he interjected.

With no objections coming to mind, she warily stood and followed Asher up the stairs and straight to her room. She heard Daniel following them, but she didn't necessarily want to continue the conversation openly in the house. Whatever was going on with Daniel seemed… private. Something that perhaps even Asher shouldn't be privy to.

She closed the door to her room behind her and watched as Asher just about collapsed on her desk chair.

"What happened to you?" she asked, still bemused. She sat down on her bed, facing him.

"Your Mum and Dad said yes to the sleepover," he said, looking away from her. He spun on her chair before sighing. "After they asked me a whole bunch of questions about what we'd be doing."

"Which is?"

"Hanging out. Studying."

Lila raised an eyebrow at him. "It seems like there's more to the story than that."

"There… may have been some stern looks."

"About what?" Lila laughed.

"About treating you right and not letting you get murdered."

"Is that all?" Lila laughed again. "You seem so worked up over something that you're already doing."

"I guess I have a good track record of not letting you get murdered," Asher quipped. Then, he ran a hand through his hair in annoyance. "Treating you right is a bit hit-and-miss at the moment, though."

"What makes you think that?"

"If I was, then you wouldn't need to cry and keep it from me, right?"

It seemed like Lila would need to tell Clare off for making Asher feel this way.

"Asher, that's not from you mistreating me-"

"Then what is it from?"

Lila uncomfortably fiddled with her hands. "Frustration at myself."

"Which you wouldn't feel if-"

"Asher, please don't blame yourself. I'm just… impatient and that's really on me. Sorry, I… don't mean to be."

He exhaled deeply. "No, Lila, I'm sorry. I really am."

"Like I said before, that makes it worse."

"But why?"

She squirmed slightly, now avoiding his probing gaze. "If you were mean about it, or if you just weren't sorry, then it'd be easier since I could blame you. It's because you're kind about it that it makes me feel like there's something wrong with me that you don't like but you don't want to tell me to spare my feelings. Or that… maybe you're lying to me by saying all the right things but not actually meaning it."

"Lila… there's nothing wrong with you, and I'm not lying to you."

She couldn't help the tears now. She wiped them away and stared at her lap rather than at him. "So then why? Why say things like you want to, but you can't? Why can't you? It must be a problem with me."

"No, Lila, it's a problem with me."

"It can't be," she whispered. "You're you."

He faltered. "Lila, I'm not perfect."

"But you're perfect enough for me. Except for… that." She threw herself backwards onto her bed, placing an arm over her eyes.

The silence was particularly loud now, interrupted only by the sound of her blood rushing through her head. Why did she say that? Maybe he'd think she was clingy or weird now. Of course he wasn't perfect, but she loved him anyway even with all of his flaws; though she didn't want to say that, either. Not yet, anyway.

Then, she heard him move. Was Marlene here already?

"Lila," he said softly, his voice right next to her. "There's absolutely nothing wrong with you. You're perfect enough for me, too."

He didn't actually mean that, right? If she lowered her arm and saw his face, she'd be able to see that he was lying. So, she kept her arm up. That way, she could feign ignorance and spare her feelings.

Then, her bed moved, as though he was climbing onto it. Her heartbeat quickened. What was he doing?

She found out a moment later as he gently removed her arm from her face. He then held her wrists in his hands beside her head, his face a bright shade of red and eyes determined. He shifted so that his knees were on either side of her left leg. She couldn't untangle his intentions, for her brain was starting to short-circuit due to how close he was.

He bent his head towards hers and they kissed, with Lila being slightly reluctant. Surely, this was a pity kiss, since she'd just been crying. Any second now and it'd be done, leaving her cold and wanting more but unable to ask.

He kept his hold on her, even as his tongue caressed hers. She began to feel lightheaded – as though she were floating. She tried to enjoy it, but the feeling of dread – that he'd stop their kiss in a panic before she was ready for it to be over – began to knot itself in her stomach. Any second now… and she'd be disappointed again. But… for now, they were still kissing.

His lips were so soft, so kissable, and she just wanted to feel them against hers, as though she were parched and he was her only source of water. It was like she was getting more dehydrated with each passing second, causing her desperation to maintain their kiss to grow, and, to her surprise, he kept going, deepening their kiss even more with his tongue.

How long had it been? Seconds? Minutes? Hours? Time had become irrelevant as she slowly transformed into putty in his hands. He was so warm – but she'd learned from this morning; no sudden movements, no attempts at taking her shirt off. Not that she could, with how firm his grasp on her wrists was.

Her heart was swelling as they continued to kiss. Her stomach unknotted itself and instead felt like it was swooping. Though she couldn't figure out how long it'd been, she was dead sure they'd never kissed this long before. She smiled against his lips. This was what she'd been longing for. Especially since he didn't seem scared; not now, at least.

They continued on for a while, neither picking up the intensity but both matching the rhythm they'd naturally fallen into until he eventually slowed to a stop. Instead of disappointment coursing through her, she only felt tingles of joy. That… had felt really good and was definitely long enough to keep her smile on her face.

His eyes sparkled as he lifted himself above her, his chest rising and falling as though he was out of breath.

"That… wasn't so bad," he said after a moment. He seemed quite pleased with himself, his smile brilliant in its elation.

"I really liked it," she replied softly, taking in every detail of his expression. She wanted him again, but for now… this was perfectly satisfying, especially with how delighted he looked.

"I did too. It… it was easier to feel in control since there's so many people in this house," he confessed in a murmur. His hold on her loosened slightly but he stayed where he was for the most part. "It seems like the threat of someone coming in here at any moment is enough to keep my head where it's supposed to be."

"But we've kissed in my room before and you still felt… nervous, I guess."

"The door being closed helps."

"That doesn't make sense, if lots of people being here makes you feel more in control of yourself."

"Well… with the door being open, the threat was painfully real at any moment. With the door closed, there's at least a second of lead time to be… appropriate. And… keeping my hands… uh, occupied means they can't do something I don't want them to."

"I… see."

She really wanted to know what he didn't want his hands to do but if he was finding ways for him to stop freaking out, she didn't want to ruin it by pressing him. They fell silent as he looked into her eyes, the eye contact mesmerising her. Would he kiss her again? Or was she just being greedy? His eyes flickered down her body and she suddenly felt self-conscious – particularly about her basic choice of outfit. There was hardly anything for him to enjoy.

Then, his right hand released her left. He brushed it against her cheek, resuming their eye contact. It seemed, for some reason, that he'd stopped breathing for a moment, his face deepening in colour. He inhaled deeply before, with a tremble in his smile, his hand grazed her shoulder and eventually found its way to her boobs.

She'd never felt a guy intentionally touch them before – and feeling this guy, her boyfriend, in fact, do it gave her a strangely pleasant jolt that she wasn't expecting. Her heart rate instantly picked up, its beat so strong she could hardly breathe, her brain struggling to comprehend what was happening aside from how good it felt to be held by him like this. He ran his hand across both before resting on her left one. He gave it a gentle squeeze and a low, involuntary moan escaped her lips-

Knock-knock.

"How's my two favourite virgins?" Clare's voice called. In an instant, without Lila catching how it happened, Asher was on the floor next to her bed, the thump that accompanied his fall sounding painful.

The door opened, revealing a gleeful-looking Clare. She looked between them both, her glee changing to confusion.

"You're doing it wrong," she remarked to Asher, who was rubbing his elbow which had connected to the floor.

"Get out," Lila said shortly, embarrassment both at the sound she'd made and the fact that Clare was now in here, being embarrassing, taking control of the colour in her cheeks. She armed herself with a cushion, ready to throw it at her sister before her sister raised her hands in surrender.

"I would," Clare said apologetically, "but I just wanted to chat with you both before Asher has to go."

Lila lowered her cushion and begrudgingly sat up, hugging it against her chest to conceal her still-furiously beating heart as if it were thundering out of her ribcage. Clare closed the door and pulled Lila's desk chair slightly away from Asher before sitting in it. He slowly sat up and Lila could see his whole body wince. Had he landed on something next to her bed?

Before she could fret, her sister began to speak.

"So… what'd you think?"

"Of?" Lila asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Alex. Duh."

"He seemed surprisingly shy. Or at the very least nervous as hell," Lila said, glancing at Asher once more. He seemed fine as she added, "I didn't think he'd be into plants like that."

She recalled what Daniel had asked, about whether Alex was a weed dealer and she snorted. "Actually, Daniel seems to think he might be a weed dealer. He's not, is he?"

Clare bristled. "What an idiot. Of course not. I'll talk to him after this-"

"Actually, sis, that might not be a good idea," Lila said hurriedly, straightening her posture. "I'll talk to him."

"Why wouldn't it be a good idea for me to talk to him?" Clare asked, raising a suspicious eyebrow.

"I think… he's having some trouble adjusting."

"Adjusting? To what?"

"Well, you've never brought a guy around. I mean, I already know it's serious, but it sends a message to the rest of the family, y'know. That you think he's worth it."

"Of course I do."

"So, it's really new to Daniel."

"Even though there's this guy?" Clare gestured at Asher.

"I said that to him before, and even still, apparently. So… let me talk to Daniel, alright?"

"Okay, okay," Clare relented. She paused before a small smile graced her lips. "Alex was pretty cute, though."

"If you say so," Asher interjected from the floor.

"You're right about him being nervous," Clare said after giving Asher a brief look. "It was adorable."

"I'm glad you think so. At first, I thought he was really weird," Lila said candidly.

"Rude."

"Especially after I said tocino was made from pork and he said he was vegetarian. Then he said he was joking and promptly beat Daniel and me both at the card game"

Clare laughed. "He so would do that."

"I am glad that he didn't let slip that he'd already met us," Lila said quietly. "Daniel asked how you met and Alex said you guys met at a party, by the way."

"Yeah, that's our cover," Clare said just as quietly. "Obviously, you guys and our parents know otherwise, so I doubt it'll come up again."

"Is he normally so timid?" Asher asked.

"He's kinda like me, where we get a different persona when we're working. Outside of work, yeah. I told Lila it took him, like, a year to get the courage to ask me out on a date."

"Well, that's shorter than it took me," Asher observed.

"Anything's shorter than it took you, my guy. I heard you liked this one since Grade 7 or 8."

"… Probably more, to be honest," Asher murmured.

"Cute," Clare smirked.

"Anyway," Lila interjected, her face beginning to feel warm again, "I can tell he's really into you. It's sweet. You guys seem like a good match."

Clare smiled once again. "It makes me really happy to know that you think so."

"Seems like he won Mum over pretty quick, too."

"A part of me thought he might, since he's pretty respectful and, well, we know how Mum loves plants. I just… couldn't get over the fact that he looks quite the opposite of what I know our parents want for me."

"I know. But, hey, it went well. Not sure on Dad's perspective though."

"To me, he seemed to think Alex was alright," Asher piped up.

"Really?" Clare asked, seeming eager to know more.

"Yeah. At first, he was looking at Alex all intense, but by the end he seemed satisfied – like he'd sussed him out."

"I never noticed that," Lila said incredulously.

"I, uh, pay lots of attention," Asher replied, his tone unconvincing. Had Asher been observing Lila's Dad intently because of today's drop, or because he was scared of him?

"You gonna bring Alex around again?" Lila asked swiftly before Clare could ask any follow-up questions, in case it was the former.

"Well, Mum was still insistent about the greenhouse idea, so he'll have to come by to make good on that promise. Probably wouldn't look so great if he didn't."

"Is there a reason for his intense muscles, by the way?" Asher queried. Clare blinked down at him.

"Yeah? He works out."

"Clearly, but, like, is he an athlete or something?"

"Oh, God no. He just likes going to the gym, plus it gives him an edge against wild ones," Clare replied, an amused smile flickering across her face.

"You know, we heard that in the club," Lila said, suddenly curious. "What does that mean?"

"Wild ones? It's interchangeable with wild child. A code word for our club. Essentially, it's underage people that've snuck into places they shouldn't. Like you two."

"Somehow, I feel like you're never going to let it go," Asher said.

"Definitely not. One day, I think I'll tell our family the story."

"Please don't," Lila and Asher both said in panicked unison. Clare narrowed her eyes at them.

"So you were up to something nefarious," she said as if she'd caught them red-handed. At that moment, Asher's phone buzzed on Lila's desk. He sat up even straighter and grabbed it.

"Wow, Marlene's here," he said, getting to his feet. "Looks like I've got to go."

"That's right," Clare said, her eyes still narrowed. "Marlene also works for you."

"Well, technically my family, yeah," Asher replied, looking down at Clare in surprise.

"You know, Alex mentioned something weird," Clare said slowly, tapping her chin. "He said you guys showed him a photo of someone who looked familiar, but he couldn't quite pinpoint her."

A chill began to take hold of Lila's heart and she clasped her hands together in an attempt to capture her remaining warmth. Clare was really close to the truth now.

"Did he?" Asher asked, his demeanour far calmer than how Lila felt.

"Yeah. Was it Marlene?"

"Can't remember now. I've gotta go, study is calling my name and I can't fall behind," he said abruptly. After unenthusiastically saying goodbye to Asher, Clare looked deep in thought. They couldn't escape fast enough, though Lila did take the time to knock on Daniel's door to tell him Asher was leaving.

Daniel seemed morose at this fact and gave Asher a half-hearted goodbye. They finished their round-tour of goodbyes in the living room, with Asher looking slightly stressed as he said goodbye to her parents. Lila decided not to comment on this, though she still thought that there was something more to the story he'd told her about his conversation with her parents.

Lila unlocked the door as Asher put his shoes on.

"So… I guess… this is it," he said softly, turning to her in the doorway.

"What do you mean?" she asked, panic starting to build in her chest and constrict her throat. It almost sounded like-

"Until our assignments are in," he reminded her. "I… can't really hang out, except for morning tea and lunch."

"Oh." She'd forgotten about that commitment he'd made. She started to deflate. It would be a couple of weeks before they could see each other outside of school and sports again.

"But you'll be coming to mine on the 31st of August," he said, tenderly stroking her cheek. "Then, the term will be over before we know it. We won't need to worry about schoolwork at that point."

She placed a hand on his before he could pull it away from her face. "Yeah."

"I'll see you tomorrow," he smiled. He took his hand back and seemed about to leave when she clutched his shirt.

"You're forgetting something," she said coyly.

"Of course," Asher replied, shaking his head. "I'd… been thinking about the other one."

She didn't need to ask about what he was referring to nor could she help the beam on her face. "Well, I'd still like this one to end the night."

His eyes softened as he returned her smile with a chuckle. "I didn't realise it made you so happy."

"Of course it did. Asher, I-" she swallowed, her almost confession dying once more in her throat. That had been close. "I've been waiting for something like that."

Guilt passed through his eyes, though it swiftly disappeared. "Goodnight, Lila," he murmured, leaning in for a kiss that she quickly met. Soft, sweet and just enough to make her smile again, they separated shortly after.

"Goodnight, Asher. See you tomorrow."