Chapter One Hundred and Sixty-Eight

Though he’d walked her to Design, and now to English, that Monday morning and they exchanged their usual light pleasantries, sitting next to Asher seemed like a mistake if she wanted to be alive and breathing afterwards. Their bodies were so close, his scent – the scent that had intermingled with hers all weekend, the scent that was driving her heart rate close to its limit – somehow making it to her even though she was facing away from him. She didn’t know where else to look, for any part of him brought back a memory of a spine-tingling touch, an electrifying kiss, the vibrancy in his eyes, the way he said ‘I love you’, the things she’d found herself saying to him or…

She gulped, angling herself so she was as away from him as she could get whilst still remaining in her seat. The long weekend had been really intense. They’d managed to study in between their new favourite activity, but, for some reason, it seemed impossible to focus now. How was she supposed to get any work done like this? It was all she could think about. And… more than that, she wanted to know if he was feeling the same – remembering the same things. But asking in a setting like this? No way.

She tried to force her attention onto something else. The final exam was – when? Her mind was befuddled, Ms Shard’s instructions fading as quickly as she’d said them. This week sometime, Lila knew that much since Wednesday until Friday were dedicated to exams.

Taking a deep breath, she opened her laptop, chancing the barest of a sideways glance that she could at his desk, so that he was hardly in view. He seemed to be working away diligently. How… apt. But also slightly disappointing. Was she really that weak, that she couldn’t just get her work done in his presence, now that they were at school?

She inhaled deeply, breathing him in with a fresh batch of oxygen. She was just too in her head again. She could focus on other things. She hesitantly began typing. She was much slower than usual, but progress was progress.

Finally, class was over. She’d managed to answer a single practice question, but not anything else.

When Asher stood, his warm yet looming presence was another reminder of everything that they’d done over the weekend. She scrambled to her feet, packing up as swiftly as possible. Now… it was morning tea. Should they really be left alone again?

’What am I thinking?’ she thought disdainfully. Of course they could be. They were at school.

“Ready?” he asked, looking down at her with a smile. She met his eyes, remembering the last time he’d said that was in very different circumstances. She looked away, feeling her cheeks beginning to heat up.

“Y-Yeah. I’m, uh… ready to go.”

They set off in the direction of the locker room – like usual, except… this was unusual. The first time that they were engaging in their normal, everyday routine after something so… life-changing; at least, for Lila. Neither of them spoke on this journey, and she kept her hands in front of her, as though they’d wander without being under her constantly watchful eye.

Her head was still a mess as she put her things away into her locker and pulled out her morning tea. She wasn’t quite sure whether she could eat, but she supposed she may as well bring it, just in case.

“Hey, Lila,” a voice so quiet and gentle just barely caught her attention, making her jump in surprise. She turned, coming face-to-face with a shameful-looking Elise. Lila’s entire body relaxed as she remembered something else that had happened over the weekend.

“Elise! Hey. What’s up?”

“C-Can we talk? Um, not… now. But, like, at lunch?” Elise’s voice was quiet again, which was very unlike her. Was something wrong?

“Lunch? Yeah, sure. Do you want Asher-”

“Bring him. Please. It’s about…” Elise sighed, folding her arms across her chest. She was avoiding Lila’s curious gaze, her expression deeply uncomfortable. “Isaac and me.”

Lila grinned. “I’m so happy-”

“I’ve gotta go. See you in PC.”

Elise turned around, running into Isaac, who seemed to be trying to slip past them to the exit unnoticed, almost as soon as she did so. He looked awkward as he faced her and took an immediate step back. In response, Elise deftly wrapped her arm around his and dragged him with her to the exit without a word.

Asher, who had also seen this turn of events, approached Lila with amusement sparkling in his eyes.

“Well, there goes those two lovebirds,” he chuckled.

“Yeah. Elise… asked if we could talk with her at lunch. But she didn’t seem happy about it at all. Now that she’s asked to talk, I’m so curious about their reasoning.”

Asher looked in the direction that Elise and Isaac had disappeared to before shrugging. “We’ll find out soon enough.”

He seemed so normal – so much like the Asher she loved – that the tension in her body started to release. They could be normal.

They quickly found themselves in an empty meeting room in the library, Lila’s heart flopping as he shut the door behind them. She settled into a seat and pulled out her morning tea before realising he hadn’t joined her.

“I… have a problem,” Asher murmured. He still didn’t sit down and he looked as though he’d start pacing in a second. She straightened up in her chair, worry now permeating her thoughts.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s… not wrong, but… fuck, you’re addictive.”

“H-Huh?”

He ran his fingers through his hair in apparent frustration before looking at her in despair. “Now that we’re at school, every time you look at me, I just see the expression your face makes when we do things. I’d never guessed how cute yet sexy you could be at the same time and I-I can’t stop thinking about everything we did, the way you smell and taste and feel.” He faltered before whispering, “I-I’m going crazy and now I don’t know how to make it stop.”

Lila smiled in relief. So it wasn’t just her. “You seemed fine in English.”

“Seemed fine?” his voice was strangled, looking past her shoulder instead of at her face. “I was sitting there writing about clowns. It didn’t distract me enough.”

“C-Clowns?”

“Hate the fuckers.”

Lila snorted, though he didn’t seem nearly as entertained.

“Lila, I feel like you don’t understand-”

“Asher, I do. I… could hardly look at you in English. I just… kept getting reminded of how you felt, how you looked at me, what we did, your sounds and just… everything around it. You say that I’m addictive, but I’d say you’re more so. I already told you that the other day. I… think I’m in trouble. And… the crazy thing – I feel the exact same.” She felt her ears growing hot as she said this, but didn’t back down from her words.

He stared at her for a moment, dumbfounded. Then, he crossed over to her and plucked her from her seat, setting her so that she was sitting on the table. The fact that he was so close to her again set her butterflies alight within, the warmth from his body spreading to all the right areas.

“W-What’re-”

She couldn’t say any more than that for his lips were on hers. She tugged at his belt as if by instinct, pulling him closer to her as their passionate kissing became more desperate. He gripped her hips, sliding her forwards so they touched right where they both truly wanted to be. Their breathing was simultaneously laboured, her mind slipping into the sensations he was bringing her.

Then, she broke off, putting her hands on his shoulders. He looked disappointed, though it didn’t dull the edge of lust within his golden-brown eyes. He gently rubbed against her, the action instantly sparking heat within her like a fire-starter, and she trembled, squeezing his shoulders. She wanted him, so badly. It felt like her entire body was aching, and he was quickly reaching her breaking point.

“Asher,” she breathed, “we can’t. We’re at school.”

“No one ever comes into an occupied meeting room. It’ll be fine,” he whispered, grazing his lips against her neck – one of her favourite spots that he’d thoroughly tested. Her hold on his shoulders weakened. She could feel his smile against her neck and she pulled back with a quiver before his lips could get any lower. If his hands explored even a centimetre more, she’d give in right here. But here was-

“Asher – I… I don’t want to get in trouble. And I don’t want you to get in trouble either.”

His eyes flickered down her body before he bent to kiss her lips again – this time far more tenderly.

“Okay,” he said, stepping backwards. “Sorry.”

“No, don’t be. I liked it. I want it – but we shouldn’t.”

“You’re right, as usual.”

“But also…” she looked at him coyly, smoothing down her uniform, tingles of anticipation running down her neck from where his lips had been, “I’m not doing anything after school.”

“Then, I guess you’ll be doing me at mine,” he replied with a flirtatious grin that made her heart skip a beat. “Or preparing for the English exam.”

Lila groaned, this time in displeasure. “When is that?”

“You really weren’t able to concentrate at all, were you?” his tone was teasing as he sat down, straightening his tie. “Ms Shard said it was on Wednesday arvo about three times.”

Lila sighed. Should she really go over to his? Her brain had returned, highlighting that she really didn’t have that long to prepare.

“I want to finish my notes for it tonight,” Asher said, pulling out a mandarin from his blazer pocket. “I can help with yours.”

“Are you sure we’d get any work done?” Lila replied, taking a bite out of her apple. “How many times did we do it over the weekend?”

“Lost count,” Asher remarked nonchalantly, chucking a piece of mandarin into his mouth. “But we did also get work done in between.”

She couldn’t dispute that.

Now that she knew that he felt the same as she did, and they could talk about it a bit more casually outside of his wing of the house, Lila felt far more relaxed.

“I love you,” she said quietly, taking another bite of her apple.

“Where’d that come from?” Asher laughed, his eyes crinkled with happiness. “I love you too, Lila.”

“I was just thinking about the fact that you feel the same way as I do. About… well, the weekend. And that I feel a sense of ease now. I mean, now that we’ve finally done it, there really isn’t much holding us back, right? Except time and place.”

“Except time and place, especially knowing that the world didn’t explode into a billion pieces, and you’re still here and willing,” Asher confirmed with a smile that she instantly returned. “Sorry for holding us back so much.”

“It was necessary for you. I get it.”

“Still, though, I was kinda surprised when you said you love me too.”

“Really?”

“Well, yeah. I’d hoped that you’d say it one day, but I didn’t realise it was going to be that day.”

“I figured out that I’m in love with you weeks ago. I just… got a bit nervous, every time I tried to tell you.”

“Is it because of how the last confession went?”

She couldn’t exactly say no. He sighed.

“I’m glad I said it first,” he said after a brief pause.

“I’m glad too,” she smiled. “It was your turn, after all.”

He grinned, reaching out for her hand. She gave it to him and he gently held it. “Lila, I love you.”

“I love you, too. Though, I must ask – are you getting mushy on me?” she teased.

“I may be. But it’s fine since… when I get you back home and on my bed, you’ll be the mushy one.”

She blushed, swatting at his hand with her free one. “You’re so confident now.”

“It’s hard not to be, with the way you make me feel,” he replied, his tone genuine. “Plus, every little whimper you make tells me I’m doing a good job. You tend to give me a lot of feedback. It’d be harder to not be confident.”

She kicked him in protest and he chuckled, looking at her fondly. “You’re so cute.”

“Stop,” she said halfheartedly. Of course, she didn’t actually want him to stop, but her embarrassment was getting unbearable.

“Why? What’ll you do if I don’t?” his eyes twinkled with mischief.

“I’ve got an idea or two,” she replied defiantly. “You talk pretty big for someone who’s got a weakness for my tongue.”

It was his turn to blush. “Now who’s getting confident?”

She beamed at him. “Your one and only.”

His blush deepened as he brought a hand to the back of his neck. “You’ve found another weakness.”

They continued to tease each other, the increased familiarity with the topic virtually erasing Lila’s shy awkwardness around him. There were times, here and there, when it would creep back up, when he said something particularly tantalising or flirtatious, but once morning tea was over, she felt ready to be normal with him in the outside world again. This new normal… she was really fond of it.

PC on the other hand was strange. Elise pointedly ignored Lila’s eyes as much as she could, instead focusing her attention on her laptop. It didn’t look like Elise was doing much on it, though. Lila contemplated just forcing a conversation, but Grace was also concentrating on her laptop, writing notes here and there.

Truthfully, Lila wanted to talk at least a little about her weekend with Asher – and, really, it was odd that no one had asked her. Except with final exams breathing down their necks, maybe it wasn’t so odd.

So, Lila kept her mouth shut until she met up with Asher again after PC. He greeted her with a loving smile, which she returned with just as much love, holding his hand. His eyes darted past her and she turned to where his gaze had strayed – an escaping Elise, looking back at them with a sliver of fear. Fear?

“Elise-”

Elise immediately turned, heading in quite the opposite direction, which Lila knew wouldn’t take her where she needed to go for her next class.

“We’ll be talking to her later,” Asher said, squeezing her hand. “Let her be for now.”

Lila pursed her lips and began walking towards the STEM area. The lack of Isaac, since they were all heading that way, was something she questioned Asher about, who sighed.

“Like how Elise avoided us just now, Isaac didn’t even want to look at me in PC. He just kept his head down over his laptop and as soon as class was over, he basically sprinted off. I doubt he’ll be waiting for us where we normally split off. I also doubt he’ll talk to me in Chem, but with how the practice tests for the exam have been, I don’t mind so much.”

“So you didn’t get any hints as to what’s wrong?”

“Not at all. But… I think he’s saving it for lunch. Elise must’ve really been upset when she found out he told us.”

Lila squinted, like doing so would reveal the answer in the stones lining their path. “I’m still lost.”

“Soon, my love. For now, just focus on studying for your Maths exam.”

She smiled. “Are you concerned about my grades?”

He laughed. “I told you ages ago that I don’t care what you get – but you’ve been working so hard this term, it’d be a shame to drop the ball now.”

She tapped her chin in contemplation. “I am pretty curious about what my grades will be like at the end of this term. Alright, you win – I’ll focus on Maths.”

“Good,” he replied. “Might give us more time this afternoon.”

She swallowed, her heart fluttering just a touch. “I’ll study for Maths like I’ve never studied before.”

“Prove it and I might reward you.”

The way he just said that, and the way he looked at her now – it made her heartbeat pound; just like how she wanted him to pound her as her reward. Maths had never looked so enticing.

As Asher had predicted, Isaac was not waiting for them. Since that was the case, Asher walked her to her Maths classroom before hurrying off to the Chem lab.

She dedicated herself to studying for Maths, and as soon as it was over, she shot up and darted out of the classroom. Asher was waiting for her just outside – Isaacless and looking a little bit concerned.

Lila held onto his arm and they set off to the locker room.

“Looks like something happened,” Lila remarked to Asher. He blinked down at her.

“Well… like I thought, Isaac didn’t say a word to me in Chem. But he didn’t need to. His face would go from ecstatic, to depressed, to fearful, to nervous and back again. I tried to see if he wanted to walk with me to get you since we’re apparently talking at lunch anyway, but he ran out of there so fast, it was like he was escaping a fire.”

Lila frowned. “They’re so scared about something that’s… such a non-issue.”

“Let’s hear them out. Clearly they want to explain themselves.”

“Let’s not keep them waiting, then.”

They hurried off to the locker room, with Lila feeling more curious with each step. They’d already been found out – so why were they acting like this?

Both Isaac and Elise were huddled outside Lila’s locker when they approached, speaking in hushed, indistinct whispers.

“Hey guys,” Lila greeted, making them both jump. They stepped away from each other, their faces flushed.

“H-Hey,” Elise responded awkwardly. “Um… I was thinking of going to the library for lunch?”

“Sounds good,” Lila smiled. Her attempt at reassuring Elise fell flat – in fact, her body language made it seem as though it made it worse, with the way she folded her arms in front of her as if searching for warmth.

“I’ll just be a sec,” Asher said, glancing at Lila, Isaac and Elise before heading off to his locker. The silence between the three of them was stifling and Lila scrambled to think of something to say.

“So-”

“Lila, can we please not talk now?” Elise immediately interrupted Lila’s attempt. Lila was ready to pass away, crushed by the heaviness of this new silence.

Asher reappeared not a moment too soon with his and Lila’s lunch, and they moved as a group to the library with not a word shared between them. They wordlessly searched for a meeting room and coincidentally ended up in the same one from this morning. Lila tried to not be distracted, her mind flitting between how Asher kissed and touched her here and the expression on Isaac and Elise’s faces.

Lila and Asher took their seats opposite Elise and Isaac respectively, and somehow the oppressive atmosphere kicked it up a notch. Facing their two most talkative friends when neither of them appeared to even want to open their mouths was an odd experience.

Lila and Asher exchanged a look. Were… they just going to sit here, staring at each other?

Isaac cleared his throat.

Then said nothing.

Lila tapped her fingers on the edge of the table. If neither Elise nor Isaac said anything soon, she was in half a mind to get up and move countries. With Asher, of course.

'“Of course?” What am I even thinking?'

“U-Um…” Elise faltered. She inhaled deeply… and said nothing further.

Lila and Asher exchanged another look before nodding at each other.

“As… much fun as this staring contest is,” Lila said gently, “are you guys going to say anything?”

Elise pressed her lips together before looking up at Isaac. He returned her gaze and, just as Lila thought they’d sit here with nothing having changed again, he tentatively placed his arm around Elise’s shoulders.

Though Lila was confident that Isaac wouldn’t just make up being in a relationship with Elise, this physical confirmation before her eyes almost made them pop out of her skull. Isaac met her eyes and gave a reluctant sigh.

“Surprise,” he said lamely, lowering his arm from Elise’s shoulders. “We’re dating. Have been since the last day of the school holidays.”

Lila raised her eyebrows, waiting for more information.

“Sorry… just… kinda worried I’ll open my mouth too big and, well, upset Elise again,” he murmured.

“Guys, please,” Lila said firmly. “We’re all here in a private meeting room, we’re all best friends and I know I’m curious as heck about all the details. Tell us everything – especially why you’ve kept it from us.”

“Y-You’re not mad?” Elise asked faintly.

“Of course I’m not mad,” Lila replied. “Honestly, I’m overjoyed.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“Then… why didn’t you text me?”

Lila paused. It seemed like not texting Elise had been a bad move.

“I didn’t know whether Isaac had told you he’d told us and I thought you might need space.”

“I… see.”

Elise and Isaac both seemed far too awkward to have a productive conversation. So… to draw them into one, Lila could only think of one thing to do. Tease them.

Lila’s eyes glimmered with mischief. “So, Elise, did it turn out that Isaac looks good in red?”

“W-What?” Elise stammered.

“Well, before Isaac started working at Maccas with you, he asked if he’d look good in red since he was going to pick up his future girlfriend at work.”

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Elise blushed, her shoulders relaxing some. “… Well… I won’t say that it works against him.”

Isaac seemed flustered, looking between both Lila and Elise.

“Must’ve been the red, then, since you guys are almost always at Maccas,” Asher grinned, evidently catching on to Lila’s plan. “You’ve conditioned her to like the red. Looks like you need to buy some more red shirts, Isaac.”

Isaac’s expression turned uncomfortable. “We don’t actually work at Maccas as often as you guys think we do.” He took a deep breath before saying, “You know those bruises you saw on Elise a while ago, Lila?”

“When you saved her from a fryer?” Lila asked, straightening her posture. It worked.

“Yeah. Well. Actually, it was because I’d been railing her at school-”

Asher made a sound of badly suppressed shock. It might’ve worked too well.

“I-Isaac, did you have to say it like that?” Elise’s face instantly turned crimson before she hid it behind her hands.

“Lise, I’m sorry. I’m freaking out and saying whatever’s coming to my head since the honesty train has long left the station,” Isaac replied, running his hands through his hair, the stress on his face clear as day. “There’s no brakes on this thing, now that the cat’s out of the bag and I’ve started talking about it. Heck, it’s conducting the train. Besides, like Lila said, they’re our best friends, right?”

Lise? Was that Isaac’s nickname for Elise? Aside from how Elise’s name didn’t need to be shortened, it was jarring – seeing this intimate familiarity between the two of them when Lila and Asher had been trying to get them together the whole term. Coupled with Isaac actually touching Elise, it was almost too much for Lila to reconcile.

“Yeah… but-”

“I know it makes me look bad, but I’ve been wanting to tell Asher about us since the first time we did it. You said you wanted to be as honest as possible this morning. You even said that being unable to tell anyone details has been killing you since you love to talk.”

Elise lowered her hands, though her face was still just as red. “Yeah… go on.”

“Actually,” Isaac said, knocking on the table for a moment, “we use ‘working at Maccas’ as a cover. There hadn’t yet been a point where hiding our relationship had to be so bold that when you saw the bruises that I’d given her from… uh, my enthusiasm, I guess, it was the beginning of the end for my sanity. It disgusted me, how easily and quickly I made up that lie about catching her from a fall. Since then, we’ve fought on and off a lot about… well, me wanting to tell you guys and Elise wanting to keep it to ourselves… including just before we all went to the museum.”

Lila blinked. “That’s why you guys were so weird and almost running away from each other?”

Elise nodded, giving a small, reluctant sigh. “Yeah. Every time you asked me what my progress with Isaac was, it took everything I had to not just straight up say we were banging and had been dating since the start of the term.”

“Same here,” Isaac interjected. “Man, this weekend was the best I’d slept in a long time. It was honestly such a relief, when I accidentally let it slip, even though I was terrified of Elise’s reaction. Being dishonest to you in particular Asher has been killing me, dude. Especially when you and Lila made comments about how honest I am – it felt like you were shooting me in the heart each time.”

“Why were you dishonest?” Asher asked, seeming concerned that Isaac had felt that strongly.

“It… it’s my fault,” Elise said quietly. “I… was… I don’t think ashamed is the right word, but the fact that we started off banging before getting into a relationship made me feel like we’d done it all backwards and… that you might judge us. Especially since… well, when Lila asked about having sex in relationships to Grace, they were already official when they started. That’s how it’s supposed to go. At least… how I thought it should.”

The mention of Grace and her relationship made Lila’s eye twitch, but she didn’t say anything.

Elise took a deep breath before adding, “It was also because you guys hadn’t gotten your shit together when we started dating properly. We – well, I – didn’t want to ruin what you guys had going on by announcing that Isaac and I were together. I was afraid that it’d distract you from getting settled in a relationship after all the work everyone had put in. Then, when it finally happened, it was too late. How were we supposed to say that we were keeping our relationship a secret for weeks? I didn’t want you to be mad at us or feel hurt for keeping secrets, and that’s one of the reasons why Isaac kept it a secret, too. And lying about when we started would’ve made me feel even worse since I hate lying to you to begin with. Which… just meant that we kept keeping it a secret. And… I could see how much pain Isaac was in, when he’d cry about it-”

“Oh geez, we’re getting that honest?” Isaac seemed embarrassed but otherwise didn’t tell Elise to not continue. She did glance at him and he smiled at her, which seemed to encourage her to keep going.

“-but I was just… too scared. You’re so important to me, Lila, and I didn’t want you to judge us, and I didn’t want to hurt you since… you were really sad that Asher hadn’t asked you out yet. Then… well, you were upset about not going further with Asher and I wanted to give you advice and be there for you, but I couldn’t let myself. I-I’m sorry for holding back on that, I hated seeing you so distressed but… I also didn’t want to see you look at me differently if I’d have said that I’d been with Isaac for weeks and didn’t tell you since… you would’ve asked why I had advice about sex when I should’ve been a virgin. And… the longer it went on, the more I felt like… the fact that I kept it from you would hurt you since we’re best friends, and it’d hurt you even more knowing how long I’d been hiding it.”

At this point, tears snaked down Elise’s face and she hurriedly wiped them. Isaac leaned closer to her, placing a hand on her opposite shoulder before rubbing her bicep and comfortingly kissing her on the side of her head.

Lila and Asher exchanged another look – one that was laden with guilt. Lila hadn’t considered this as a reason for Elise and Isaac’s behaviour. After all, Lila and Asher’d kept so many secrets from Elise and Isaac at this point that they deserved to keep some from them, too.

“Elise, you really didn’t need to worry about that at all. I don’t think less of you at all.”

“R-Really?” Elise asked, her eyes wide.

“Shit yeah,” Asher agreed with a nod. “How it happened doesn’t matter to either of us – just that it happened. I mean, trying to get you together became a whole project after Isaac said you were cute when he called me about how worried he was for you since you were overworking yourself.”

Both Elise and Isaac turned an interesting shade of pink.

“You… did what?” Elise asked, tilting her face to look at Isaac’s. He bashfully placed a hand behind his head.

“… Yeah, well, after you told me I couldn’t tell Lila the state you were in, I called Asher to see if he had any advice. Uh, she was there and I was on speakerphone, by the way. I didn’t let Asher get a word in to tell me she was there until I finished venting. I was… really worried about you. You weren’t healthy then.”

Elise smiled, nudging him gently. “You’re such a sap.”

“Only for you,” he grinned, kissing her again on the side of her head.

“Oh no, is that the sound of me vomiting?” Lila asked playfully.

Elise rolled her eyes at Lila. “Says you, the sappiest one of them all.”

“Actually, I think that’s Asher,” Isaac piped up, glancing at him. “Every night at camp, he was stressing about the fact that Lila wanted to get it on with him, and that he really wanted to, but he didn’t want to hurt her, or rush into it, or lose control, or whether he should tell her he loved her before or after, or if he’d be so terrible she hated him-”

“Alright, alright, you’ve made your point,” Asher interjected, his face glowing with embarrassment. “Didn’t realise the honesty train included my insecurities. Whose cat is driving this thing?”

Lila had the briefest image of Mr Snugglebutt driving a train and suppressed her impending snort with a deep breath. Asher’s eyes met hers and he winked – had he thought the same?

Isaac smirked. “Well, it’s been obvious that you finally did it and the world didn’t collapse, so I think we can laugh about it now.”

“Ha ha,” Asher replied sarcastically, his face still red. “Hilarious.”

“I will say, though, trying to give you advice without letting you know that I wasn’t a virgin anymore was probably the hardest thing I’ve had to do in a hot minute,” Isaac added, his tone serious. “Especially since you were so riled up about how you knew your delay was upsetting Lila, and you didn’t know what was wrong with you and why you couldn’t just do it. I couldn’t exactly tell you to just get lost in the moment, and that even if it hurts her, it’ll get better with time. And, well, general advice about how to try and not make it hurt, since you were at your wits end about that part in particular.”

Isaac sighed, running a hand through his hair before continuing. “I wanted to tell you that once the first was over, there wouldn’t be any of that pressure on you, since it can only really go up from there and to just get it over with so you’d stop stressing yourself half to death. Trying to reassure you that it’d be fine, since she wanted to, was doing my head in without telling you that kind of information. You’re too smart for your own good, too – even one out-of-place word would’ve tipped you off. I’m glad Finley was there at camp with us so he could tell you to shut up since your rambling went on for, like, hours.”

“Thanks for airing out literally everything,” Asher frowned. “Anything else you want to add about how embarrassing I am?”

“Nah, that’s about it,” Isaac chuckled. “I’ll let you know if I think of anything else.”

“Anyway,” Lila said, turning her attention to Elise after making a mental note to grill Asher about all of that later, “you really didn’t need to worry any of that. I’m sure that Asher and I would’ve gotten together anyway, even if you had announced your relationship with Isaac. It just would’ve been an exciting topic of conversation. We… well, we were actually talking about our game plan about how to get you two together just before Asher asked me to be his girlfriend at the end of week one. But it seems like you were already official by then.”

“… Oh,” Elise breathed, looking mortified.

“I’m just more disappointed that we weren’t the ones to get you together,” Lila said reassuringly.

“Uh, actually,” Isaac said, prompting Lila to look at him, “you… kinda did, Lila.”

“I did?”

“Yeah. When I talked to you about Piper’s murder and I said I didn’t want to tell Asher that you’d been murdered, you replied with something like ‘I don’t want to explain to Elise that you’ve been murdered, either’. You then made a lame excuse about how she wouldn’t want the guy who works with her all the time to disappear, but I knew that was you trying to save the fact that you basically told me she liked me. So… when I took a walk with Elise in the park the next day, and she was scared because of her Mum and the murder and money and all of that – huh, they’re all ‘m’ words – I was 100% confident that we were reciprocating our feelings for each other. Since you’re Elise’s best friend and it sounded like a slip-up.”

“You perceptive bastard,” Lila grumbled. “I thought you bought it. Here Asher and I were, worried that you were ignoring all the signs Elise was giving you all term because you weren’t confident – when, actually, you did exactly what we thought you would’ve ages ago. Well, not to say we predicted you’d just jump to that first, but you at least acted on it pretty quick after our conversation.”

“Well, I’m not sure how to feel about being called a perceptive bastard, but I think I’ll take it as a compliment?”

“Please do,” Lila sighed dismissively, shaking her head. “So, what then?”

“I… well, it didn’t really feel like the right moment to confess, since Elise was crying a lot, so… I just started kissing her and we went from there. I didn’t realise at the time that it would escalate like that though.”

“So, what did you think at the time?” Lila questioned Elise, raising an eyebrow.

“… I didn’t want to let him go at the time, since he was paying attention to me. After everything was said and done, though, I kinda… just thought it was pity sex,” Elise said softly. “It didn’t help that he freaked out a bit.”

“It was really sudden,” Isaac grimaced. “Not that I didn’t want to, or that I regretted it, but I was stressed that Elise would’ve thought I was taking advantage of her since she was so emotional just before it happened. Of course I freaked out, I really liked her and I thought I just… kinda ruined everything. Especially since it was the first time for both of us… and not exactly the most, uh, romantic of situations.”

Elise smiled at him and lightly touched his cheek before continuing. “Anyway, of course I didn’t feel that way, but with his freak out, I thought for sure it was a one-time thing. I was worried that… he thought I’d taken advantage of him since I’d been crying and all that which to me meant it must’ve escalated because of me. When we worked together again the next day, it… was a bit awkward, since I guess neither of us knew what the other thought about it. I just knew my heart hurt for him, in a weird way, so I asked to talk to him after our shift was over and… somehow, we did it again. I thought we were going to be friends with benefits and I just… went with it, because it felt good and I liked him a lot back then-”

“What, and you don’t now?” Isaac asked, his tone light and playful. She looked up at him.

“And I liked him a lot back then-”

“Hey! Answer me, woman!”

“You know the answer, silly,” she grinned, her eyes bright with amusement. He huffed dramatically, and she carried on.

“But yeah, I didn’t want to say anything since I didn’t want to ruin it. We… might’ve ended up going for it a lot more than we should’ve, for friends with benefits without protection, until he bought me some flowers and chocolates and asked me to be his girlfriend after one of our shifts. It was really sweet. I cried, especially since I knew he’s allergic to flowers but still got them for me. He kept going into the back room to check where he’d hidden them, like, every ten minutes, sneezing every time he opened the door. I thought he was sick and told him to go home, but he was determined to power through just for me.”

Lila couldn’t help mirroring the smile on Elise’s face as she recalled an evidently treasured memory. Isaac looked intensely bashful as Elise continued. “He… also asked at the time if we could drop some shifts so we could spend time together, which I’d already promised Lila I would. So, we did. And… like Isaac said, we’ve been disguising some of our, uh, ‘sessions’ as Maccas shifts and hide away at school until everyone’s gone. Otherwise, we hang out at his.”

“So, if you guys are going all the way on campus, what’s up with being so uptight about Asher and me just kissing?” Lila folded her arms in displeasure.

Isaac and Elise now looked incredibly awkward – almost more than they had this entire conversation, if that were humanly possible.

“… We… might’ve gotten caught at one of our spots… making out and maybe touching, I can’t remember,” Isaac said sheepishly, clasping his hands together on the table. “Uh, when I said… that Lucas was complaining in Engineering about him getting detention with Cecelia?”

Lila raised a suspicious eyebrow. “Yeah?”

“… He was complaining to me about it when we were sitting next to each other in detention.”

“Did he know you were there because you’d been caught with Elise?”

“No. I made some lame excuse about forgetting my hat too many times. Which, I mean, I do, but that’s not why I was there.”

“And I’m guessing you were in detention with Cecelia,” Lila said to Elise, who nodded.

“Yeah, we had detention on a different day to separate us. So my excuse was also hat-related. I’m kinda surprised she didn’t figure it out since the teacher for detention gave us both a lecture on behaving appropriately on campus. I mean, it clearly applied to me, too, but she never said anything about it or asked who I was with or anything like that.”

“So the reason for being so intense about us is because you got caught and you didn’t like detention?” Asher snickered.

“Basically. I sat there stressing about how horrified you’d be if you were there because you were caught doing things with Lila. Plus… I wasn’t lying when I said I was jealous of you two since I couldn’t tell you guys about us which also meant I couldn’t hold or touch Elise like I wanted to in the open.”

“You idiot,” Asher replied affectionately. “I’ve been telling you to stop being so worried about the whole being caught thing. You were projecting way too much for something I don’t have a problem with.”

“You don’t get it though, now all the teachers are onto us! They hardly leave us alone at lunch,” Isaac complained.

“Seriously?” Asher asked, his tone surprised.

“Seriously. I’ve been stressed that you’d spot us at lunch on days we’re not eating together and see the weird ass behaviour from the teachers and put two and two together. Even the literal security guards that’ve seen us wandering around after hours are far more chill than the teachers. I… also figured that it was a good diversion, to annoy the two of you enough so you’d stop bugging me about dating Elise.”

“Well, it did work a bit,” Lila reluctantly agreed. Then, she gave Isaac a sympathetic look. “Sounds like you’ve just been stressed this whole term.”

“Exactly!” Isaac bemoaned.

“Sorry,” Elise mumbled. Isaac turned to her and clutched her hands.

“Lise, it’s fine. I’ve told you that again and again. It was uncomfortable for me, sure, but the idea of telling everyone so late was keeping you up at night. That’s not good when you’re caring for your Mum and doing everything else, too.”

“Isaac…”

Lila sighed. “Both of you guys are… really considerate, but it was seriously unnecessary – especially if it was going to cause you such strife.”

“Well, strife is a bit-”

“Lila’s right,” Asher said, interrupting Isaac. “I know you don’t like lying to me Isaac, though you’re pretty good at it, it seems. I’m guessing the whole Anika thing was to throw us off?”

“Sorry…” Elise repeated. “I… panicked and just picked a random girl at work.”

“And forgot to tell me that you’d done that,” Isaac added. Elise grimaced.

“Yeah… glad you picked up on what I was trying to do.”

“Of course. I’m a perceptive bastard, apparently.”

“So, then, when I was teasing you guys just before the memorial assembly for Jason, your reactions weren’t because you were shy?” Lila asked.

“We’d just been talking about how well our secret-keeping was going,” Elise replied after a reluctant exhale. “That you guys didn’t have a clue. But then it kinda felt like you were onto us, with the way you were talking to us. We’d… forgotten to keep our distance and body language neutral, we were that pleased at our success.”

Asher snorted. “Well, I’m not not known for my impeccable timing.”

“You were so adamant that Isaac wasn’t into you, too,” Lila said with a shake of her head. “Before the memorial started.”

Elise once again looked uncomfortable. “I had to really sell it. It… was pretty hard to lie about him not being into me when he’d just been y'know, like, the night before. I was going to tell you and Grace right then but Mr Lockwood said that the assembly was starting soon so it got real quiet. I felt bad about how relieved I was that I was interrupted, but it helped me keep a lid on it for a bit longer.”

“Then… how you guys were acting when Isaac asked you to come watch the game?” Lila asked.

“We thought you might figure it out,” Isaac replied with a shake of his head.

“I really wanted to watch the game, but we’d decided that I couldn’t,” Elise added with a touch of sadness. “Then, when you gave us the opportunity, it was hard to hide how excited I was. It… it’s actually nice that you guys found out before the game. I don’t have to hide that I’m supporting Isaac as his girlfriend.”

Lila smiled at Elise, who was looking at Isaac with a tender expression.

“How often were you guys on the verge of telling us?” Asher asked, looking between Isaac and Elise.

“Too often,” Isaac said, tearing his gaze from Elise. “Like, twice a day at least. If you haven’t noticed, I’ve been practically running away from you all term ’cause I’m worried it’d all come flying out my mouth. Which, it did.”

“You really should’ve told us sooner,” Lila said gently.

“I mean, now that we know your reactions… I feel like we would’ve. But I thought you’d be really mad. Especially since… there’s that whole thing about Isaac being your ex,” Elise trailed off.

Lila shook her head. “I told you ages ago, it doesn’t matter to me. Does it matter to you that I’m with your best friend?” Lila looked at Isaac who also shook his head.

“Obviously not. I’ve told Elise about a billion times that it’s fine,” he said with a weary sigh.

“I will say though, it’s kinda funny that I can say that my best friend’s been banging my ex,” Lila grinned. “In most cases, that would incite violence, I think. But seriously – we kissed, like, twice and I hated it.”

“Ouch,” Isaac interjected.

“I told you that,” Lila said shortly.

“Yeah, well, I don’t think anyone likes to know that their kissing sucked so much that the other person hated it.”

“You hated it too!”

“Anyway,” Asher cut in with a slight frown, “clearly there’s nothing wrong with the way either of you kiss – just that the two of you weren’t compatible together. Which should surely make you feel better about it, right Elise?”

“I guess…” Elise sighed. “It just sounds really bad, that I got with your ex behind your back and that we’ve been banging and all that.”

“Sure, it might sound bad,” Lila said frankly, “but it’s not. Seriously. I love Asher-”

Isaac gasped and Elise elbowed him in the side.

“I already told you she said she felt that way,” Elise remarked.

“But to hear it directly in Asher’s presence,” Isaac grinned, nodding emphatically at Asher. “That’s another insecurity down.”

Asher glared at him. “I will tackle you right here over these desks if you don’t shut up about that.”

Isaac laughed, raising his hands in surrender. “Alright, alright. Sorry, Lila. As you were saying?”

Lila shook her head at their antics. “I love Asher,” she repeated and Isaac hid his mouth behind his hands after Asher glared at him again, “and, honestly, most of the time I forget that Isaac and I were ever an item. It’s beyond fine. Elise, there’s no one that I’d rather entrust with your heart, as long as you’re both happy.”

Elise and Isaac both turned red once more, their eyes wide with shock.

“You seriously feel that way?” Isaac asked incredulously.

“Of course,” Lila blinked at him in confusion. “You’re a bit weird, but overall a good guy and you make her smile and laugh like no one I’ve ever seen before. Plus, it looks like you’re able to keep up with her fiery debates and sassy jokes. I trust that you’d treat Elise well since I already know you care a lot about her – even before getting together. The fact that you’re still together despite all the pressure you two were under to keep it a secret shows me that you both really like each other, too. That seriously makes me happy to see, as one of Elise’s best friends.”

Isaac looked incredibly touched. “That… actually means a lot.”

Elise and Isaac exchanged their own look – one which, to Lila, seemed like it was giddy. Then, Elise’s expression turned apologetic as she looked at Lila, taking a deep breath.

“Lila, I’m sorry for bugging you, about the whole Asher forcing you to study stuff. It… was deflection. To make you stop asking me about Isaac. I mean, at first, I was genuinely worried about it but… when I saw how uncomfortable it made you, and how focused you were on getting me to understand that he wasn’t, I knew it was something I could use to get you off my back. I’m… really sorry.”

“Well, I’m glad that’s cleared up,” Asher said, “I thought for a minute you hated me.”

Elise’s guilt only seemed to increase. “Sorry. I don’t, for the record, especially with how happy you make Lila.”

It looked like Asher was almost overwhelmed with relief. Had he actually been that worried?

“I’m… really glad to hear that, Elise,” Lila smiled, her hand subconsciously tracing the ‘A’ of her necklace. “It’s not like it was the worst plan,” Lila added, looking between Asher and Elise.

Then, Asher had a question of his own. “So… when Lila said you should make a move during PE and you ran away crying – that wasn’t because you thought you had no chance. It was because you still couldn’t bring yourself to tell us?”

Elise grimaced. “Yeah. It almost broke me, but when you said that Isaac wouldn’t lie to you, since you’re best mates, I just couldn’t. I couldn’t expose Isaac like that since you really believed in his honesty.”

Isaac winced. “Sorry I was such a dick to you after, Asher.”

Asher waved his hand. “Water under the bridge. I’d also tell you to shove it if I was in the same situation, but probably much earlier. Like, the second time you pressed.”

“I guess… it really sounds like we’ve been torturing you two all term,” Lila said after a brief pause. “Sorry. I also feel pretty dumb, not picking up that you two were actually together already. Now that we know, it’s… actually been pretty obvious.”

“Now that I know you would’ve been happy to hear about it, despite you two not being official… I feel pretty dumb, too. What was all that worrying for?” Elise gave a light, self-pitying laugh, her embarrassment almost flowing off her.

“Were you ever going to tell us?” Lila asked.

Elise and Isaac exchanged a look.

“Yeah,” Elise said, interlocking her fingers together. “Probably.”

“When?”

Elise sighed, folding her arms in contemplation. “… After you guys started banging. With how Isaac talked about Asher’s, um, overthinking, I thought it’d be months away which, I dunno, I’d convinced myself was better. That I’d be able to get the courage by then to tell you.”

“And so that’s why you kept wanting to know what I meant by ‘kinda’ doing more,” Lila replied in understanding. “Usually, you’d get the hint and back off a bit earlier.”

“Yeah,” Elise responded in a small voice. “Sorry. Even though I thought I had months, the past couple of weeks of waiting has been agony. I… was really hoping I could tell you soon.”

“Well, if that’s the case, then we would’ve found out now anyway,” Lila said comfortingly.

“Yeah, I guess so,” Elise replied, her expression seeming slightly happier. Then, she waggled her eyebrows, her usual playfulness returning to her now. “I told you you’d probably get up to something, Lila.”

Lila blushed. “I-I still wasn’t convinced.”

“Oh, I know – but you’re hard to convince for these kinds of things. Not sure why.”

“That’d be my fault,” Asher said softly. “I hadn’t exactly been giving the right kind of signals.”

Elise gave him a scrutinising look, which made him shift in his seat slightly.

“You should stop doing that,” she said firmly. “I don’t know how Lila’s heart has managed this year-”

“Elise, it’s fine – Asher’s given me all I’ve ever wanted,” Lila insisted. “I’m beyond satisfied, so there’s no more mixed signals to give.” Everyone turned to stare at her and she realised a little too late how that sounded.

“I-I mean-”

“Nah, we’ll leave it at that,” Isaac smirked, his eyes on a reddening Asher. “The hell did you do to her?”

“I think it’d be better to ask what the hell she did to me.”

Lila pointedly looked away from all of them, her own face feeling hot.

“What kind of moves did you pull on each other?” Isaac asked incredulously. Then, his eyes widened with realisation. “Did you spend the whole weekend banging?”

“Not… the whole weekend,” Asher replied bashfully. Lila readjusted herself, her mind flashing through exactly what happened. It would probably be easier to count the times that they hadn’t been.

“The way you said that is so suspicious,” Isaac chortled. “Man, did you do any study? Besides on each other. Maybe you’ll lose your Dux status-”

“Isaac,” Elise admonished. “Stop being rude. You’ll freak Asher out.”

“Sorry Lise, sorry Asher. I just feel really free at the moment. And hungry. I think my stomach is gonna eat itself if I keep waiting any longer.”

Just like that, with the air cleared, the four of them started eating. Lila watched Elise and Isaac drift closer together before feeling Asher’s shoulder against hers. She looked up at him and he smiled, his eyes flickering back to Elise and Isaac. They were busy sampling each other’s lunches, laughing as they tried to swat the other from their food.

It was exactly as Lila had thought – they were a cute couple. Now that she was taking note of Elise sitting directly in front of her, she could see that Elise’s cheeks were fuller, her overall colour back, and smell the faint scent of mangoes emanating from Elise. With the way Isaac was now feeding Elise, her giggly protests filling the room, Lila could tell he’d been making sure she was taking care of herself.

With a satisfied nod, Lila continued eating, glad that, though it had been a slip-up, her mistake had given Elise her life back.

Eventually, lunch was dangerously close to being over and the four stood.

“Um, I did have a question for you guys,” Elise said, testing the zip of her lunchbox. “Isaac and I haven’t told Grace and… I think we should, especially since we’ll be having lunch together on Wednesday. Can you guys be there while we tell her?”

“Of course,” Lila nodded, looping her arm with Elise’s. “I’m curious to see her reaction.”

“Of course you are,” Elise laughed, the relief showing on her face.

Asher opened the door to let Elise and Lila through before following behind with Isaac. Lila and Elise kept their arms linked when a question crossed Lila’s mind – one that she’d been thinking about for a while.

“So, the yoghurt tub thing a few weeks ago,” Lila smirked, turning her head to look at Isaac, “you acted real weird, Isaac – especially weird since you guys were dating by then. Why?”

To her surprise, he looked embarrassed. “I don’t wanna talk about it. Elise can tell you later.”

“Don’t wanna talk about it? How’s that off limits?”

Elise patted Lila’s arm, her face pink. “Let’s talk about it later.”

“Alright…”

“You’re so embarrassed,” Asher laughed, nudging Isaac. “What’d you do?”

“Shut up,” Isaac replied, kicking at Asher’s feet, which he nimbly dodged. “I’ll start asking what you did in a sec.”

Asher’s subsequent laugh had a hint of panic and Isaac gave him a smug look in return. “See!” he said triumphantly.

Asher scowled and Isaac jogged forwards, giving everyone else a wave.

“I’m gonna go ahead to the lockers,” Isaac called.

“Not without me,” Asher replied with a hint of menace before chasing after Isaac, who shrieked as he sprinted down the path, disappearing from view in seconds. Asher wasn’t far behind and Lila was glad that she’d secured her lunchbox well with the dramatic way it flapped about on his wrist. She wouldn’t have enjoyed becoming a victim of a wayward Tupperware container, after all.

Elise shook her head, a small smile on her face. “Stupid boys.”

Lila concurred in a murmur and they leisurely continued their walk to the locker room as though nothing had happened.

“Still though… at school?” Lila queried after a few moments of silence.

Elise made a small squeak, her attempt to wriggle out of Lila’s arm steadfastly blocked.

“… there’s a spot behind the pool where no one can see,” Elise mumbled in defeat. “Drawback is that it’s right next to a house and I think they can see what’s going on, but no one’s ever told us off there. The disabled toilet in the Gymnasium works too, if the stupid basketball boys aren’t running through the corridor and banging on the door. Kinda ruins the atmosphere.” She paused. “And there’s a spot down the stairs by the Dance practice rooms in the Performing Arts area.”

Lila held in her impending shiver at the mention of the Performing Arts area. She wasn’t going back there if she could help it.

“We only stay back if Isaac’s parents are caught up at work after school. Otherwise, we’re at his. Or we actually go to Maccas. We are still employed somehow.”

“Do they know you’re dating?”

Elise nodded. “They tried to schedule us on different shifts but the turnover’s been so intense and we work well enough together that they gave up. That’s… well, you know how Isaac was stressing about his review?”

“Yeah.”

“Well… it wasn’t wrong to say that he’d been having a bit of a day but… they asked for a review after we’d been caught kissing in the back room.”

“Did you get a review?”

Elise shook her head. “No. That’s why he was so freaked out. I’ve been working there for ages now, I’m like a permanent fixture but for him… they’d easily fire him – at least, that’s what he thought. Andy did the review for him, and he’s pretty lax so I already knew it wasn’t going to be a firing offence. I just think he wanted to make Isaac sweat just a little. Andy helped to train me and all that since we didn’t have any Crew Trainers when I started, so we’re friendly enough. When Andy told me off for kissing in the backroom a day or two after it happened, he also said he wasn’t going to fire Isaac but remind him to keep his hands to himself. Same with me, of course, but he was more amused that I managed to get a boyfriend, I think. The Crew Trainer offer for Isaac was legit, too – Andy didn’t tell me that one until after Isaac rejected it. Isaac said… that he didn’t want to be a Crew Trainer ’cause he’d be away from me longer than he wanted to be.”

“That’s sweet,” Lila grinned. “As much as he was saying Asher’s the sappiest, I think Isaac’s sappiness is on par.”

Elise returned Lila’s grin, her cheeks only slightly pink. “Yeah. He’s really sweet to me.” She looked down at the floor for a moment, her brow slightly furrowed as though trying to remember where she was up to in her story. “After that, that’s when they tried to put us on different shifts but they stopped bothering pretty soon after.”

“I see.” Lila paused, craning her neck to see if Isaac and Asher were nearby. They weren’t, so she gave Elise a cheeky look. “So, the yoghurt tub thing?”

Elise sighed. “Well, he did say I could tell you… essentially, when I threw it at him, he… got into his mind that I needed payback.”

“What, was he aggressive?”

“No, but… it turned out that he can be really dominant and that I really like it. A lot.” She blushed, the deep red colour almost making her glow. “It’s, uh, why I got those bruises. I know it looked intense, but I’ve discovered that I just bruise easily.”

“I feel like I know how you discovered that, so I’m not going to ask. Though… dominant? That softie?”

Elise nodded, unable to meet Lila’s eyes.

“And you, you spitfire, like it?”

Elise nodded again.

“Damn,” Lila laughed. “Never would’ve guessed that one.”

“He gets a bit embarrassed when we’re no longer in the moment,” Elise said as her eyes travelled beyond Lila’s shoulder. “Anyway, Grace’s coming. See you at Modern History.”