Chapter Thirty-Four


    Asher, in his usual dishevelled splendour consisting of a casual t-shirt and wrinkled black shorts, met Lila at the bottom of the driveway the next morning, giving Clare a cordial wave as Lila got out of Clare’s car. As soon as Clare laid eyes on Asher, her face seemed to harden, but she returned the wave before driving off.


    “Your sister seems… displeased,” he said, watching her go. Lila shrugged.


    “She’s not normally, but she’s been a bit grouchy the last couple of times she’s dropped me off and picked me up.”


    “Maybe it’s ‘cause it’s out of her way?” Asher suggested as they both began to walk down the road towards the shopping district again.


    “Dunno what it is, actually. Maybe I’ll ask her.”


    There seemed to be a lot more people walking around at this time in the morning, which Lila remarked to Asher.


    “Probably ‘cause it’s a Saturday,” he posited. “People sleep in more, so their morning routines are a bit delayed.”


    “How far did you get in the book?” Lila asked after a brief pause in conversation. Asher quickly whipped his head around to face her and pointed at the bags under his eyes.


    “Look what it did to my face!” he cried dramatically. “Obviously, I finished the whole thing.”


    Lila laughed deeply, and they launched into an animated discussion about the book, with Lila keeping quiet on spoilers. They reached ‘Beans & Biscuits’ in what felt like no time at all, despite the approximately half-an-hour walk, and the waitress who greeted them was the same who served them yesterday.


    “Good morning,” she said with a bright and cheery grin, handing them each a menu. “You two lovebirds here on another brunch date again?”


    Lila reflexively covered her face in her hands as Asher spluttered beside her.


    “I-Inside, please,” he managed to stammer out.


    The waitress’ smile seemed to grow even larger as she directed them inside next to the barista station. A young man was working behind the coffee machine today, and the waitress reminded them of the options to pay at the register or via the QR code. Neither Lila nor Asher could manage to say anything to her, and she promptly walked over to the kitchen to collect food for delivery.


    They ordered their meals and drinks, this time with Asher going lighter on the volume, in total silence, neither of them seeming able to look at the other. Lila looked around the café, taking stock of the interior. Colourful paintings depicting nature scenes were hung tastefully on the walls within the café, tying in with the fake vines wrapped around the exposed black ceiling frames. There was a board for Polaroid photos along the back, which seemed to have photos of guests who had birthdays at the café.


    Several tables to Lila’s right, she noticed the Uni student again, sitting with his laptop open. Now that she was a bit closer and facing him, she could see that he had a light beard on his face and thin, round glasses. He was still dressed rather casually, sporting the same hoodie as yesterday, and similarly seemed quite absorbed in his work.


    “He seems like a regular,” Lila muttered to Asher, lowering her eyes to the table.


    “P-Probably,” Asher said hesitantly. Lila wanted to ask why Asher hadn’t denied that they were a couple, but, considering she hadn’t either, decided to let it go. They sat in more silence, however, Lila tried to keep her ears receptive to the conversations around her. Most of the patrons were talking about work or their kids, but every so often Lila got a glimpse of a conversation regarding a new starter at the café.


    “… see her? She’s fast…”


    “… name?”


    “Uh… Leigh?”


    “Lena, dummy… don’t you check… work chat?”


    Lila sat up straighter, listening even more intently. Was that the name Marlene was going by here? And that mention of a work chat… perhaps that meant that Marlene did indeed have socials under the name ‘Lena Mathieson’. Lila looked down at the table, straining to hear what else the two staff members were saying.


    “Sad… won’t get to meet her…”


    “Yeah, weekday mornings only…”


    “… long has she… here?”


    “Dunno…”


    A third staff member walked out of the kitchen, carrying a tray of food. She was stopped by the other two briefly, who asked how long ‘Lena’ had been working for.


    “Three months, I think,” the waitress said, before moving on to some tables in the back. The two remaining staff members looked at each other for a moment before speaking again.


    “That long?”


    “… after Christmas…”


    “Huh…”


    The barista behind the coffee machine flashed a grin at his colleagues, suddenly joining the conversation.


    “Saw her… other day… hot.”


    “No chance…”


    “Imma try…”


    “Your funeral.”


    The three staff members burst into laughter before quickly returning to their normal duties.


    “Did you hear that?” Lila asked, nudging Asher.


    “Huh?” he asked, looking at her blankly.


    “Never mind…” Lila sighed. Their waitress appeared next to Asher, holding a tray of drinks.


    “Lovely selection, you guys,” she said in a bubbly voice. “This smoothie is my favourite.”


    She slid the smoothie over to Lila and gently placed Asher’s cappuccino before him.


    “Enjoy,” she grinned, going back to the kitchen.


    They continued to sit in prolonged silence, with Asher seemingly glued to his phone. Eventually, more snippets of conversation from the staff made their way to Lila as she sipped her smoothie.


    “… so cute…”


    “… couple?”


    “Totes! Just look…”


    “… look like babies…”


    “I know… makes it cuter…”


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    “Young love!”


    Lila looked up at the staff members who were speaking, and they hurriedly turned away from each other and promptly walked in opposite directions. Lila’s face began to heat up and she looked back down at the table. Were they talking about her and Asher?


    “Sorry I didn’t say anything before, Asher,” Lila said quietly after a few more moments of silence, swirling her straw in her drink.


    “About what?” he asked, still not looking up at Lila.


    “I mean, like, denying that we’re on a date and stuff… I think the staff have the wrong idea.”


    Asher’s eyes fluttered to hers for a moment, before staring back down at his phone. “That was my mistake to make, not yours. After all, I’m the one in the relationship. You don’t need to explain yourself.”


    He still seemed moody, so Lila didn’t try to coax him into any kind of conversation. Their food arrived shortly after, and the waitress gave Lila a wink before leaving. They ate without speaking, with Lila not hearing anything of interest anymore. Eventually, they finished their food and pushed their plates together.


    “Shall we go?” Lila asked, getting ready to stand up. Lila caught the Uni student’s eyes flickering towards her as she said this, but he quickly looked away again.


    “Guess so,” Asher sighed. “Seemed kinda fruitless today.”


    “Dunno about that,” Lila said as they made their way to the exit. “I think there was a bit of fruit.”


    Out in the open, Lila relayed what she had heard about ‘Lena’ to Asher, who nodded thoughtfully once she finished.


    “She did seem a bit more tired than usual a few months ago, but I thought that was just due to the stress of Mum and all that. But since she seemed to get over it pretty quick, I didn’t ask about it,” he said slowly, a hand on his chin.


    Lila again felt the strange sensation of someone following them, but still couldn’t see anyone of note. Perhaps there were more neighbours of Asher’s who were coincidentally walking this way.


    She didn’t ask Asher about it since he seemed deep in thought all the way up to his house. Besides, she’d just make herself look silly again if they were just neighbours. It was probably nothing.


    Once inside, Lila found her pair of slippers waiting for her in the hallway again. She’d almost forgotten that today was Gabriel’s day off.


    “Hello, Mr Wagner. Hello, Lila,” Marlene greeted them from behind the kitchen counter once they shuffled towards the kitchen.


    “Morning, Marlene,” Asher said in a monotonous voice.


    “Did you two enjoy your breakfast?” Marlene asked pleasantly, looking between the both of them.


    “I did,” Lila said with a nod. “The place we went to has great smoothies.”


    “Sounds like a nice place,” Marlene smiled tightly. It did not reach her eyes.


    “A-Anyway, what time did you say you were leaving?” Asher asked, glancing at Lila.


    “I’ll probably leave around 1pm,” Lila replied, checking her phone’s clock. “I’ve got a couple of things I want to plan for semi. Plus, school starts in two days and I am so not ready to go back. Need some time to prepare.”


    “Makes sense,” Asher nodded. “I’ll probably do the same when you go, to be honest.”


    Lila texted Clare, asking if she could come at around 1. Clare reacted to Lila’s message with a ‘thumbs up’, so Lila confirmed this with Asher and Marlene. Marlene smiled again, this time with more warmth.


    “See you when you come back down,” Marlene said curtly, turning around and heading into the butler’s pantry.


    Lila and Asher traipsed upstairs. As Lila sat down on the couch, Asher retrieved her book and returned it to Lila.


    “Hey, when we have English next, could you maybe let me borrow the second one?” he asked, somewhat bashfully.


    “Sure,” Lila said, perking up as she put it in her bag. “Though, no all-nighters, alright?”


    “I’ll try,” Asher said with an easy grin. Lila playfully rolled her eyes and Asher set up Mario Kart for them. They played a few rounds until the sound of Clare’s horn called Lila downstairs.


    “For the record, I won,” Lila said, sticking her tongue out at Asher.


    “Yeah, yeah,” he said, waving a hand. “And you’ll never let me live it down, either.”


    Lila grinned at Asher before sobering up quickly.


    “I’m starting hockey again, the day after semi,” she said. “So, I don’t know when we’d be able to meet up again about this.”


    “I’m starting soccer again the day after semi, too,” he replied with a heavy sigh. “We did get some info, so I think we can sit on it for now. I want to think a little bit more about what it all means.”


    Lila slowly stood up, stretching before saying, “Okay. That makes sense to me. I think we’ve got English on Monday morning,” she added, stifling a yawn.


    “Sounds right to me,” Asher replied, walking to the door to the landing and opening it for Lila. They descended down the stairs, encountering Marlene who was about to enter the library, equipped with a vacuum. She dusted her hands and walked over to Lila and Asher.


    “Leaving so soon, Lila?” she asked. Lila nodded.


    “Unfortunately so,” Lila said.


    “Will you be returning anytime soon?” Marlene asked, looking sharply at Asher.


    “Don’t know,” Lila shrugged. “We might take up your suggestion about ANZAC Day, at least.”


    “I should think so,” Marlene said with a warm smile. “I still think that it would be a delightful use of a public holiday that falls on a Tuesday.”


    Lila and Asher exchanged a look before Lila tentatively said goodbye to Marlene. Marlene returned the gesture and continued on her way to the library, vacuum in tow.


    Asher inputted the security code to the alarm system and opened the door for Lila, a distant look on his face.


    “See you on Monday,” Lila said softly, hesitating to put her shoes on. He nodded solemnly, but eventually managed a small smile.


    “I better see you on Monday,” he said. “I need that second book.”


    <hr>


    Lila spent the rest of the weekend ensuring that her outfit for semi was ready and preparing to return to school. She packed her school bag on Sunday night after refamiliarizing herself with her timetable. She did, indeed, have English tomorrow morning. Lila carefully packed her copy of Romeo and Juliet alongside the second book for Asher in her school bag, before a knock sounded at her door.


    “Lila?” It was Clare’s voice.


    “Yeah?” Lila called, glancing behind her left shoulder. Clare gently opened Lila’s door and slid into the room.


    “I was just checking on you,” Clare said quietly.


    “Oh,” Lila replied with a small smile. “I’m all good.”


    “Uh huh,” Clare said doubtfully, crossing her arms. “I know that you probably don’t care about my opinion on the topic, but don’t you think seeing Asher, like, six times over the holidays was a bit excessive?”


    Lila turned her body towards Clare, her eyes narrowed in confusion.


    “Where’s this coming from?” Lila asked, folding her own arms across her chest.


    “I’m just saying that Asher has a girlfriend, and you’re just torturing yourself by seeing him so often. Especially at his house. I’m worried about you, you know.”


    “There’s no need to be worried,” Lila said with an incredulous laugh. “I’m not just hanging out with him for fun.”


    Clare raised an eyebrow. “So he’s making you hang out with him? And here I thought my opinion of him couldn’t get any lower.”


    “He’s not making me do anything,” Lila said with a frustrated sigh. “I’m just helping him with some stuff.”


    “I found this in Daniel’s room,” Clare said in a half-whisper, pulling out a stack of photos from her cross-body bag. “Lila, you don’t need to hide stuff from me.”


    A surge of anger filled Lila as she looked at the photos that had caused her so much grief only a few weeks ago. Lila thought she’d gotten them all from Daniel…


    “Is Asher making you do stuff with him because of this?” Clare asked, her voice growing more forceful with each word. “When I dropped you off at Asher’s the other day, I realised it was taken outside his place. Is he blackmailing you?”


    “No,” Lila said stiffly. “Did you talk to Daniel about it?”


    “No. I don’t think he knows I took these.”


    Lila sat down on her bed, fuming.


    “Tell me what happened with these,” Clare pleaded. “I need to know.”


    “… some girl had a crush on Asher and spread this photo around school,” Lila said forcefully. She recounted some of the events of the past couple of months, including discovering that Piper was stalking Asher without his notice. She finished her explanation by saying, “I was getting calls and messages from dumb guys ‘cause of it all. But I dealt with it. She’s been suspended.”


    Clare took a deep breath and put the photos back into her bag. She held her face in her hands for a few moments, clearly struggling to put her feelings into words. Finally, she looked up at Lila, her eyes flashing with anger.


    “Obviously, while I care about how the rumours were impacting you, I’m more interested in the fact that you’re bending over backwards for this guy who doesn’t seem to care about the damage he’s doing to you. Lila, that’s so messed up. He’s clearly using you for whatever he needs help with. If he was a decent guy, he’d leave you alone after all this.”


    Lila stood up again, anger ripping through her chest. Recounting the hell that they’d been dragged through over the last term had only served to make Lila relive the emotions she had felt. What did Clare know? She had no idea of the agony Lila and Asher had shared. Clare had no idea that Asher had spent a lot of time pushing her away from helping him. But if she was just going to have a go at Asher, without a critical thought in her head, Lila wasn’t about to participate anymore.


    “Get out,” she spat, throwing her hand towards the door. Clare stepped back in surprise.


    “Lila-”


    “I’m not having this conversation with you,” Lila hissed. “He does care and he is a decent guy. Get out of my room and out of my business.”


    Clare left without another word. Lila instantly regretted tossing Clare out, but was still too angry to call her back or apologise. She’d get to it another day, once she cooled down. She knew Clare meant well, but this was also exactly why she never wanted to tell Clare about it all. She was far too meddlesome and nosy, with a talent for making Lila feel worse about herself with things like this. It wouldn’t be long until Clare ran to their parents, to tell them some conspiracy about how Asher was treating Lila. She might even show them the photos...


    Lila closed her eyes, inhaling deeply. She couldn’t dwell on all that. It was all in the past now. A new term was on the horizon, likely with its own secrets and discoveries to unravel...