Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-Seven

The next time Lila opened her eyes, her face was nestled against Asher’s chest, the blanket that had been around her shoulders having now fallen to the floor. Light was filtering through the window at the far end of the rumpus room. She clutched Asher’s shirt, inhaling his familiar, comforting scent. Waking up in his arms was something she’d love to get used to. He didn’t seem to be awake just yet, so she pressed her ear to his chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.

“Good morning,” he murmured, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. “How’d you sleep?”

Of course he was awake.

“Good,” she settled on saying with a small smile, sitting up so she could see his face properly. “You?”

“It was alright. I woke up once or twice, but fell right back to sleep when I saw you sleeping by me. I kept having these… weird dreams. That I kept losing you.”

She gingerly touched his cheek and his eyes met hers. They stayed like that for a couple moments before he touched her hand with his, closing his eyes.

“I’m glad I haven’t,” he said quietly.

“Of course you haven’t,” Lila replied. “I’m right here.”

He squeezed her hand before pulling her back onto his chest. “I know.”

They remained like this for a minute or so before Lila stretched her shoulders.

“What time is it?” she asked with a yawn.

“Almost 8,” he responded after checking his phone.

“Shouldn’t we be getting ready so we can be there at 10?”

“It takes you that long to get ready?”

“No… but… well, how are we getting there?”

“That’s a good point. Let me check if Marlene can-” he paused, tilting his head in curiosity. “Actually, looks like Marlene’s called in sick.”

“Called in sick?” Lila stared at Asher in bewilderment. “Has she ever done that?”

“Well, yeah. She’s worked for us for years. It is really rare, though.”

As if on cue, Asher’s phone buzzed and he glanced down at it. It was a phone call from Gabriel flashing on his screen.

“Good morning, Gabriel,” Asher said upon picking up the call. “… No, we’ll be fine. Sounds awful… Lila and I were going to go to the museum this morning anyway.” His eyes flickered to hers and then over to his knees. “If you’re okay with that, then yes please.”

Lila looked at Asher curiously as he nodded.

“Alright, we’ll meet you down there in… is half an hour okay?” He looked at Lila and she blinked back at him. “To get ready,” he clarified.

“Oh. Yeah, should be fine.”

“Yeah, we’ll head down in half an hour. Thanks Gabriel.”

He ended the phone call with a sigh. “Gabriel’s going to drop us off at the museum.”

“At like 8.30? I don’t think it’s open then.”

“It’s not, but there’s a couple of cafes around that area. Gabriel offered to make us breakfast, but I told him we were going to the museum anyway. He then insisted on dropping us off there early so we could get some breakfast. It’s his day off, but he said he heard Marlene coughing almost all night last night.”

“That doesn’t sound good,” Lila responded with a frown. “I hope she gets better soon.”

“Same,” Asher sighed. Then, he abruptly stood up. “Can’t sit around chatting – Gabriel’s doing us a favour.”

She quickly ducked into the spare bathroom, freshening up and getting changed for the day. A beaded jumper over a long-sleeved shirt and some flared pants would do nicely, given how much walking she figured they’d be doing. She pulled out the necklace Asher had gotten her and made sure to display it front and centre, humming as she brushed her hair.

Once she was done, she opened the door to find Asher pacing, a navy collared shirt peeking underneath his grey knit jumper. He had tan-coloured chinos on as well, and it seemed he’d put some effort into his hair again. She smiled – he was still a bit crinkly, but he still looked rather handsome.

“You look really nice,” he said upon laying eyes on her. “I’m glad that necklace suits most things.”

“It does,” she replied, touching it gently. “You look nice, too.”

“Eh, I just threw this on.”

“Nicely.”

He snorted, reaching a hand out for her to take. “No bag today?”

“Nah. I figured I’d just get annoyed with it, since we’re going to be walking around a bunch at the museum.” Then, she paused, her face searing a blush upon her cheeks. “A-Actually, I do need one. Just a sec.”

She hurried into the spare room, digging around for a small bag that she could stuff with period products. She found her faithful cross-body bag and just jammed a variety of things in there, hardly looking to see what she was putting in it.

“Alright, let’s go!” She called after bursting out of the room, her face still hot.

“Everything ok-”

“Let’s go, we can’t keep him waiting!”

Lila grabbed Asher’s hand and started pulling him out of the rumpus room. He stumbled behind her, seeming bewildered by her sudden rush of activity. They climbed downstairs, put their shoes on and headed into the garage.

“Morning, you two!” Gabriel chirped, waving at them as he stood next to his more humble car. “Ready for the museum?”

“Yeah,” Asher replied, giving Lila a sideways glance.

“Yup. Super ready,” Lila grinned at Gabriel, jumping into the back passenger seat. Asher sat in the front with Gabriel, who smoothly pulled away from the garage.

“So, how is Marlene?” Lila asked once they’d travelled down a couple of streets. Gabriel sighed, shaking his head.

“Not in a good way. She was up coughing all night. I think she’ll be calling in sick tomorrow, too.”

“That’s no good,” Lila replied sympathetically. “I hope she gets better soon.”

“Same here,” Asher said. “Thanks for taking us on your day off, by the way.”

Gabriel waved a hand. “All good. I didn’t want to leave you two to fend for yourselves.”

“You do know that we’d manage for a day, right?” Asher laughed. “I’m not a little kid anymore.”

Gabriel looked at Asher before shaking his head. “You’re always going to be a little kid to me, Asher. That’s the way of the world.”

“You say that, until you started shouting at me for not getting with Lila. Pretty sure little kids shouldn’t be dating.”

“It’s fine, she’s a kid too.”

Asher sighed heavily. “You mean well, but one day we’re going to be able to get into your club legitimately and drink, too. In… like a year and a bit.”

Gabriel shuddered. “Don’t say things like that.”

“We’d also be able to vote.”

“Even worse,” Gabriel laughed heartily. “I know time passes, and I do know that you’re not so little anymore, Asher, trust me. But in my heart, I still can’t believe how time’s flown. It’s the perks that come with being so old.”

“You’re not old,” Lila piped up.

Gabriel laughed again. “Tell that to my aching back.”

“I just did.”

Gabriel chortled now, shaking his head. “You’ll make me crash, Lila.”

“Will it fix your back?” she asked with a cheeky grin that neither Asher nor Gabriel could see. She could have sworn that she heard Asher snort very softly from the front seat.

“It might,” Gabriel chuckled.

The conversation moved along to other things – mostly about the games they played in yesterday, general schoolwork and, finally, what they’d be getting up to today.

Gabriel slowed down upon approaching the museum, before looking further along the street. “Have you picked a particular spot yet?” he asked as he idled at a red traffic light.

“Nah, not yet,” Asher replied, “we can jump out now, though.”

Lila and Asher both hopped out of Gabriel’s car, thanking him for the right and farewelling him for the day. Given the looseness of their plans, they said that they’d take the bus home, which Gabriel warily agreed to.

“So,” Asher said, taking her hand and looking around. “Breakfast.”

“I’m starving,” Lila smiled. “Let’s go find a place.”

They wandered down the street, taking in the interesting and somewhat eclectic sights. She hadn’t explored this part of the City for a very long time, so everything felt fresh to her wide eyes. In the early morning rays, which were still weak given the fact that it was mid-winter, she could see splashes of artful murals in alleyways, against buildings, and covering electrical boxes. There were abstract statues dotting the way to the museum itself, under which was the art gallery, though Lila had no idea what they represented besides fancy squiggles. In the far distance, she could see the sail-like roof of the formidably large performing arts hub, complete with theatres and stages of all sizes.

As they journeyed through the sleepy, almost-deserted street, she recalled flashing by this district on the bus when they went to tail Marlene all those months ago, and when they snuck in to Gabriel’s nightclub. She smiled to herself as she remembered all that happened, and what had happened between herself and Asher since.

He squeezed her hand and she looked up at him, still smiling.

“What’re you thinking about?” he asked, matching her smile with his.

“Well… I was just remembering that the last time I saw this place, we were going to Gabriel’s nightclub. Dressed like a pimp and a hooker, apparently.”

He laughed hard enough to evidently disturb the peace of a passing jogger, who gave them both an odd look before jogging on slightly faster.

Asher sobered up with a wide grin, pulling her closer as they continued down the street. “That was the last time I went through here, too. Feels like a lifetime ago. Have you come here for other things, though?”

Lila shook her head. “Not really. I think Clare had a dance performance once, like, 10 years ago or something. I usually go to the City itself, if I go there at all.”

“Huh,” Asher paused, looking down at her briefly. “Not even to see a play or something?”

“Nope.”

“We’ll have to fix that. If we’ve got a spare moment, let’s look at what’s showing.”

The prospect of another date with Asher made Lila’s heart flutter before it turned into a drum at the realisation that this was technically a date, too. A breakfast one… where they could be a genuine couple rather than a disguised one.

“What about this place?” Asher suggested after a few metres, pointing to a quaint-looking corner café. It didn’t look overly busy, but wasn’t empty, either. Several patrons were sitting outside underneath large striped umbrellas, sipping coffee and eating a variety of foods – the most popular choice seemingly being a bacon eggs benedict.

“Looks cute,” Lila replied. “I think the menu’s on the stand over there.”

They perused the menu before simultaneously exchanging a look.

“Yeah?” Asher asked.

“Yeah,” Lila nodded. “Unless you don’t want to?”

“Nah. C’mon.”

He led her inside by her hand and organised a table for two inside. The café interior was made up of exposed red brickwork with plenty of plants on shelves and linework paintings. There was also a bookshelf which patrons could borrow from whilst they had their food. Behind the café were ornate, white French doors, which opened up to a secluded back alley for more customers, though Lila was definitely glad that Asher had chosen to sit inside.

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They ordered their food – for Lila, an omelette with spinach, cheese and chorizo and a hot chocolate, and a big breakfast for Asher with a cappuccino.

“Coffee this morning?” Lila queried once they settled into their seats.

“Of course. Gotta be as wide awake as possible to take in all the exhibits,” he grinned, reaching out for her hands. She gave them to him and he stroked the back of her hands with his thumbs, seeming contemplative.

“So… today’s the day,” he murmured after a second or two. “What’s the plan?”

“For?”

“Well, to try and get Isaac and Elise together.”

“Ah.” Lila hadn’t thought that far. Would giving them an opportunity alone help do the trick? But… that would mean that she and Asher would need to distract Grace or otherwise take her away from Elise and Isaac… which sounded unappealing.

“When are we going to talk to Grace?” Lila asked quietly. “About… her partner.”

Asher sighed heavily, squeezing her hands. “I was leaving that up to your discretion… but I can see that it’s getting harder for you to keep pretending nothing’s wrong.”

“Am I that obvious?” she groaned, hanging her head low.

“From what I’ve seen, yeah.”

Lila pursed her lips before looking up at Asher. “Well… do you reckon we could finish up the investigation into Jason and his cronies this week?”

Asher blinked at her. “How?”

“Well… Zack seems to be a key player. He also doesn’t seem to be too tough to crack. Not the brightest bulb in the tool shed or whatever-” Asher snorted but didn’t otherwise interrupt, “-and, now that we know what we’re looking for, I reckon we could take some photos of a deal or two.”

“And… what? Blackmail him?”

Lila shrugged, the innocent look across her face hampered by the smirk tugging at the corners of her lips. “Not the first illegal thing we’ve done.”

Asher sighed again. “It’s not. But… he’s my teammate. We’ve got, like, four matches of soccer left or whatever.”

“I can do the blackmail,” Lila replied confidently. “Easier to show my Dad what comes out, too.”

“Surely these underhanded techniques would compromise his investigation?” Asher raised an eyebrow at her.

“If he was with the Police, maybe. But… if he knows that there is evidence of something going on, my Dad’s more than capable of following his own path to find it.”

“A cappuccino in a mug,” declared a bespectacled waitress from beside Asher. He straightened up, letting go of Lila’s hands.

“Thanks,” he said gratefully to the waitress. She inclined her head before setting down the hot chocolate before Lila.

“Food will be out soon,” the waitress said, hurrying along back to the serving station without waiting for a response.

“She’s friendly,” Lila murmured, blowing on her hot chocolate. Asher chuckled, shaking his head, but otherwise didn’t say anything as he also blew on his cappuccino. It was still too hot for Lila to drink, so she set her cup back down and instead used it to warm her hands. Asher set his down as well, his expression thoughtful.

“So, a week you say?” he said, glancing at Lila before looking back at his cappuccino.

“I reckon so. We’ve got enough info to know that Zack’s probably a good target to follow. Not only was he part of deals at our school, but it seems like he’s setting up deals at other schools.”

“True.”

“Then… I guess we could talk to Grace after that.”

Asher met her gaze before raising an eyebrow again. “At camp?”

“Shit, is that next week?”

“Sure is. Hope you’ve started packing.”

“Not at all,” Lila held a hand to her forehead, the warmth momentarily distracting her from the news that she needed to get ready for camp. “It’s Monday to Friday, yeah?”

“Yup. If I were to hazard a guess, based on the last camp we went to that was like this one, I’d say that our classes would be going through the activities together.”

Lila paused. Asher was in 11F, and she was in 11E… so it made sense, if they decided to pair classes together to go through the activities. Her eyes sparkled as she realised what else this meant.

“We could do a part two to Mission Cupid at camp.”

Asher smiled at her. “Sure could.”

“… As for Grace… maybe talking to her at camp would help. I don’t think Ms- uh, her partner’s going to our camp, so talking to Grace alone, if we could, without her being able to get brainwashed by Ms- her partner right after we speak could help.”

“All sounds like good points.” He hesitated for a second before speaking again. “My next debate is this Friday, by the way. It’s another home one. Uh, against Sandy Lakes.”

“I almost forgot you did debating,” Lila laughed. “I’ll be there.”

He beamed at her, relaxing even more now as he took a sip of his cappuccino. “Can’t wait. Last debate that you saw was rough. I’ll do better on Friday. Promise.”

Lila smiled. “It wasn’t that bad. But I’m excited to see what you’ll come up with on Friday.”

“Same,” Asher laughed.

“The big brekkie?” The waitress had reappeared, hold two trays of food. Asher accepted the big breakfast and set it down in front of himself. The waitress placed Lila’s food in front of her before bustling back to her station without another word.

Lila eyed Asher’s food for a moment before digging in to hers. He smirked at her.

“Jealous?” he asked as he sliced a bite-sized piece of sausage off and speared it with his fork.

“No,” Lila replied almost too defensively. “Just looking for hot sauce.”

“Hot sauce? In my big breakfast?”

She tapped his foot with hers and he chuckled, leaning over to the condiment station. “Luckily, here’s one I prepared earlier.”

“Thanks.”

She poured the sauce over the omelette before taking a bite. It was a great combo, with the tanginess and spicy edge from the sauce and chorizo blending well with the mildness of the egg.

She saw his eyes flicker to her food before he quickly averted them.

“Jealous?” she teased, waving a bit of her omelette on her fork.

“Undoubtedly,” he nodded before leaning forwards and taking said bit of omelette into his mouth.

“Hey! That was mine!” Lila cried, looking regretfully at her now-empty fork.

“And it was delicious,” Asher grinned after swallowing it. “Here, have some of mine.”

He separated out some portions of each of his items and placed them on her plate, a small smile on his face as he did so. He looked at her, seeming satisfied with himself. She smiled at him and cut a larger portion of her omelette and put it on his place.

“It’s o-”

“I don’t mind sharing,” Lila said quietly, interrupting his attempted protest. “Besides, you said it was delicious, right? Only fair to share it.”

He fell silent as he pulled his plate closer to him, his face slightly pink. “Thanks,” he murmured before eating.

Lila watched him for a few moments before her smile turned into a grin. “Did I make you shy again?”

“No… but I’m just thinking that you’re really sweet. Since you gave me more even though I stole a bite,” he replied plainly, actively avoiding her gaze. “You really didn’t have to.”

“Nor you,” Lila said pointedly. “You realised I wanted some and gave it to me even though I didn’t ask.”

His eyes met hers and he chuckled. “’Course I did. You look so happy when you eat something good, and this is pretty good. Plus… I reckon I’m starting to figure out what it looks like when you want something. Which… is pretty important. To me.”

The now-wholly familiar feeling of being flustered returned in Lila’s cheeks before settling in her throat. She simply nodded, unable to muster the ability to respond. He pressed his lips together in apparent amusement.

“Seems like I got you shy,” he observed before continuing with his meal. Again, she failed to find the ability to respond and decided to just eat her food before she embarrassed herself further.

Eventually, after they were almost done with their food, their demeanours had relaxed some – enough to start talking again.

“So, if we’re talking to Grace at camp… or at least, trying to, what’re we going to do about today?” Asher asked, taking his final sip of his cappuccino.

“I have no idea,” Lila sighed. “Try and not be weird as hell?”

“Doubt that’ll work.”

“I know. I just… beyond the fact that we found out who Grace’s partner is, it’s also paired with the imagery,” Lila shuddered. “Like, damn.”

“I get what you mean. Not necessarily the best kind of scene to stumble in to, so of course it would be burned into your brain.”

“Ugh, can I get a new one? This one sucks.”

“No can do. Even if I could make that happen, I happen to like this one. Wouldn’t trade it for the world.”

Lila shook her head, unable to contain the smile across her face. “You’re so sappy.”

“What can I say,” Asher replied, his cheeks tinged with pink, “I am a sap. Not gonna deny it.”

“Lucky for you, I’m a sap too.”

Asher seemed surprised by this admission, his colour deepening. “You are?”

“If you haven’t realised by now, I think I’ll need to get you some glasses,” Lila replied loftily, taking her last sip of hot chocolate and patting her mouth with a napkin.

“… Got the number for Specsavers?”

She smirked at him, placing her used napkin onto her plate. “Unfortunately, no. You ready to go?”

He looked down at his empty plate before nodding. “Yeah. It’s getting pretty close to 10, too.”

They promptly left the restaurant with their hands intertwined, the fresh air reinvigorating Lila. That had been delicious enough to put her into a stupor if she wasn’t careful. She quickly checked the time on her phone. It was 9.50am.

“Knowing our friends, they’re probably waiting for us already,” Lila said after pocketing her phone.

“Probably,” Asher concurred. “We can afford to stroll, though.”

Stroll, they did, past the myriad of murals, colours, and far more people than when Gabriel dropped them off.

The concrete steps leading up the museum’s grand, sandstone-coloured entryway, combined with the excited chatter of patrons invited Lila and Asher along. As they cleared the steps to the cathedral-like glass doors, behind which a full-sized whale skeleton suspended high in the lobby peeked into view, Lila could see that many of today’s patrons were families with young children. For a moment, Lila felt incredibly out of place, with the collection of prams and toddlers glued close to their parents filing through the front doors. However, once Lila laid eyes on Elise and Isaac standing off to the left, the feeling instantly disappeared.

It reemerged with a vengeance when she realised, to her immense disappointment, that neither Elise nor Isaac appeared friendly with each other. In fact, they looked like awkward strangers – not at all like the mischievous duo who had hidden themselves to lie in wait for Lila and Asher just a few days ago.

Asher seemed to sense this, too, as he exchanged a perplexed look with Lila.

Now that she was observing them, in circumstances that appeared as though neither of them noticed Lila or Asher, Lila instantly doubled back, pulling Asher with her down a few steps from the landing.

“You need to ask Isaac what’s up,” she hissed breathlessly.

“I was planning on it already,” Asher frowned, though Lila could tell that it was about the situation, rather than her insistence.

“Good. But… what the heck is going on?” Lila paused before a theory came to mind – one which made her gasp.

“Do you reckon one of them confessed and the other rejected it?” she asked in a hushed whisper.

“What, like you and me?”

Lila winced. “Don’t remind me.”

“Sorry.”

“Anyway, yes and no. If they’re acting like this and that did happen, then clearly it wasn’t reciprocated. Just a flat-out rejection.”

“Hmm…” Asher appeared to seriously consider this as he brought his hand to his chin. “Possible… but Elise would’ve said something to you about it, right?”

“I’d like to think so, but she has kept a couple secrets from me in the past. But at the same time, I know for sure that she likes Isaac. She said so herself.”

“So, it’s doubtful that she’d be the rejector?”

“I think so, at least.”

Asher hesitated before sighing heavily.

“I don’t think that he’d reject Elise if she confessed, but it’s not as though I have enough data on Isaac to know how he’d react in romantic situations. How he’d react if he’s gonna lose a board game, sure, but… well, all I’ve got romance-wise is how he was with you, and I couldn’t get myself to be around him when you guys were dating…” he glanced at Lila as he trailed off before sighing again. “What I do know, though, is that Isaac’s confidence drives him most of the time. As soon as he loses it, he’s lost everything. Like with the gambling. He becomes hopeless for a while if his over-reliance didn’t pan out. So… he either asked her out, and she said no, or he can’t find his confidence to do so, and he’s just turned into… this awkward, unrecognisable version of himself.”

“Ugh, why are they both so plausible?” Lila groaned in frustration, folding her arms in front of her chest.

“Look, I’ll gather some info,” Asher promised in a low voice. “If he’s just lost confidence, then it’s a matter of helping him find it again. I would be surprised if that was it, though. Once he decides on doing something, he goes for it, even if he only has minute shreds of confidence.”

“No kidding,” Lila murmured, pursing her lips together as she mulled over Asher’s words.

“Why’re you two just standing here on the stairs, whispering?”

Grace’s voice made Lila’s heart jump, and not in a good way.

“Jesus, Grace, way to give me a heart attack,” Lila choked, placing a hand on her chest.

“Sorry,” Grace giggled, her demeanour rather lively. “The opportunity was just too good. You both look way too serious for a Sunday.”

“Are Sundays meant to be unserious?” Lila questioned.

Grace shrugged. “For a heathen like me, definitely.”

Lila snorted.

“Anyway, why are you guys just lurking over here? The door’s that way, you know,” Grace queried, her expression genuinely curious.

It was in this moment that Lila realised that they hadn’t actually told Grace about their plans to get Elise and Isaac together, even though she was supposed to be their co-conspirator. Too many things had come up lately.

“Well…” Lila paused, looking up at the top of the stairs to ensure that neither Elise nor Isaac were listening in or otherwise coming to see where they were. “We’re trying to get Elise and Isaac together.”

“You too?” Grace seemed surprised, her eyes wide.

“What do you mean by ‘you too’?” Asher questioned, looking just as bewildered as Lila felt.

“Why do you think I’ve been abandoning them together at morning tea and lunch?” Grace’s eyes sparkled gleefully, her posture indicating she was rather proud of herself.

‘To make out with your girlfriend?’ Lila thought cynically.

“Not that it seems like it’s been going well,” Grace added with a despondent sigh. “When I am with them, they have these really weird, unromantic vibes. They chat and laugh, sure, but it’s like they’re beyond shy for some reason.”

“Well, I don’t think we’ve seen Elise like someone that she actually hangs out with,” Lila replied, furrowing her brow as she tried to remember Elise’s past crushes. Definitely people from afar. And Elise also hadn’t dated anyone in all the years Lila knew her.

“That’s true,” Grace conceded.

They both looked expectantly at Asher.

“What?” he asked somewhat nervously.

“Well? What’s Isaac like around a girl he likes?” Grace pressed.

“Uh… last time he mentioned anything, he asked her out pretty quickly. Kinda like he’d already made up his mind by the time he said anything to me.”

“Who was that?” Grace sounded perplexed by the notion that Isaac had asked someone out.

“Who do you think?” Asher responded, raising an eyebrow. Now it was Grace and Asher who looked expectantly at Lila.

“Anyway,” Asher said swiftly before Lila could say anything, “I’m not the right person to ask about that. I never noticed that he liked Lila, and when they were together, I… well.” He coughed slightly, seeming rather uncomfortable.

“Oh, I know you avoided them both like they were bullying you just with their mere existence,” Grace replied casually, waving a hand.

“I wasn’t that bad,” Asher’s voice sounded mortified.

“Not bad enough for Lila to notice,” Grace shrugged nonchalantly.

“You both do realise I’m standing here, right?” Lila grumbled.

“Of course we do,” Asher smirked. “Why else would we be talking about it?”

Lila huffed, though she was privately glad that she was relatively normal with Grace, and that Asher appeared comfortable with her past with Isaac. Even though he had reassured her that he wasn’t bothered by it yesterday, seeing the proof of his assertion eased her mind significantly – particularly after what Clare and Daniel said about Lila’s ex being Asher’s best friend.

Asher slipped his hand into hers, his grasp firm, yet gentle.

“Either way, looks like we’re all going to try and get them together. Any plans to run off in the distance and leave them along together?” Grace asked with a twinkle in her eyes.

“Guess that’s the only plan, besides watching them like hawks,” Lila replied reluctantly. She had hoped for something a bit more sophisticated than that, but nothing was coming to mind.

“Let’s get going,” Asher said, squeezing her hand. “Before they start wondering where we are.”

The trio climbed the steps to the landing, finding themselves a few metres away from the main entrance. Elise and Isaac had remained the exact same distance apart, with the exact same awkwardness shared between them. They both lit up upon seeing Lila, Asher and Grace and simultaneously flagged them down.

“Took you guys long enough,” Isaac remarked once they all grouped up just by the front doors.

“Sorry,” Asher replied sheepishly. “Got caught up chatting.”

“Well, chat with the rest of us, yeah?” Isaac responded with a wink.

‘No can do,’ Lila thought to herself, holding back her impending smirk.

Now that they were all here as a group, Isaac seemed to have come alive once more. Elise glanced at Isaac before looping her arms with Lila and Grace.

“Let’s go take on the museum!” she declared, pulling them forwards with surprising strength.

Though it was cold outside, the museum itself wasn’t heated. The high ceiling, complete with more skeletons of marine life hanging just underneath, provided an inviting and inquisitive atmosphere. To the left was a large cloakroom, staffed by one staff member in a Security uniform. Lila quickly checked what the others were wearing – it seemed that none of her friends or Asher needed the cloakroom.

To the right was the entrance to a gift shop that seemed to be at least twice the size of the one at the aquarium. Straight ahead was a large lobby with several encased displays of replica fossils, alongside several benched seating areas. There were also bathrooms past the seating areas to the right, and a café directly across from the bathrooms to the left.

At the very back was a set of grand-looking stairs with an elevator just beside the stairs. Asher had a quick look at the fossils located here before giving the group a thumbs up.

“Just a teaser for what’s to come,” he said upon reaching them. “Ready to go up?”

Lila glanced at Elise and Grace who both nodded. They piled in to the elevator, with Elise’s arm still curled around Lila’s and Grace’s.