Chapter Seventy-One


    It didn’t take long to spot Clare’s car in the half-empty carpark. Her Club music was blaring loud enough through the car speakers that Lila could hear it from a few metres away.


    After climbing into Clare’s car and greeting her as usual, Asher fell entirely silent. Clare must have sensed his off vibe immediately as she didn’t try to engage him in any further conversation, instead preferring to turn up her music even more.


    Now that Term 2 was swiftly coming to an end, Lila spent the car ride home thinking about alternative things she could do in her room whilst Asher finished up on her brother’s accounting. Perhaps she’d continue the new book series that she’d started before exams kicked up? Or maybe she should take the family Switch for the afternoon?


    Lila still considered her options as she hopped into the shower, her home clothes securely sitting on the bathroom counter. The world was her chicken nugget, after all.


    Without reaching a plan of attack to stymie her impending boredom, her mind quickly drifted to her conversation with Isaac. She stared at the tiles coating the shower wall as the water gently warmed her body. The fact that he’d spoken to her so harshly, coupled with the fact that Asher had been up until 2am that morning with him, worried Lila. Despite Asher’s evasive reassurances that she hadn’t done anything wrong, the nexus between his performance at soccer today and Lila’s date with Theo tomorrow was clear. Though, she still stuck by her stance that Asher really had no business being bothered – at least, to this extent – by her going on a date with Theo, no matter how much he disliked the guy.


    ‘If he doesn’t want me, then what’s the point in getting so upset by this?’ Lila thought as she rinsed her hair. She shut off the shower and began to towel herself dry when a knock sounded on the bathroom door.


    “What?” Lila called.


    “It’s Asher,” a voice responded through the bathroom door. Lila quickly wrapped her towel around her body, panic drumming through her veins, tightening her muscles to the point that it was on the cusp of being painful. He wasn’t going to try and come in here while she was naked, surely. She stared at the doorknob for a few moments, but it didn’t move.


    “Hello?” Asher asked, his voice sounding as though he was leaning right up against the door.


    “What’s up?” Lila queried, her voice suddenly shrill.


    “I need to borrow some coloured pens but Daniel doesn’t have any. He said you might. Can I have a look in your room?”


    Lila’s body relaxed. “S-Sure,” she responded, “I have some in my desk drawer, I think.”


    “Thanks.”


    Lila paused for a few seconds, waiting to see if he’d say anything else. He didn’t, so she got dressed and hung up her towel. She blow-dried her hair so that it wasn’t sopping wet before leaving the bathroom in a cloud of steam.


    Lila could see Asher sitting at her desk through her open bedroom door and immediately felt very nervous to approach him, the pit of her stomach tingling. He seemed to be concentrating on something – had he taken one of Daniel’s notebooks into her room to use the coloured pens on?


    Taking a deep breath, Lila approached her bookshelf, looking for the book she’d been reading the week before. She found it and clutched it to her chest, hesitantly crossing the room to her bed. She kept her eyes lowered as she sat down and opened the book to where she’d left off.


    Ordinarily, she would’ve appreciated his silence while she read, but given what Isaac had mentioned, she couldn’t help but overthink about what his silence meant. After rereading the same paragraph three times, she snapped her book shut and looked up at him. To her surprise, he was grinning at an oddly familiar piece of paper in his hands.


    In an instant, she rushed to him, slapping it away from his hands. It fluttered to the ground next to her desk and he jumped at her sudden appearance, his face slightly pink. He glanced at her before descending into fits of laughter.


    “Why were you reading that?” Lila squeaked, her heart racing. How much had he read?


    “It was in your drawer, covering the pens,” Asher managed to wheeze, wiping away barely perceptible tears. “When did you write that?”


    Lila’s face felt as though it would melt off as she glanced to where the paper lay lamely on the floor, its writing face-up. From this angle, the first words she saw were ‘con… I have no idea what I’m doing… pro… neither does Asher…’


    She hid her face in her hands. Why hadn’t she thrown away her stupid pros and cons list?


    “… I think it was the day before Piper took that photo of us. The one she put in the bathrooms,” Lila eventually mumbled, her embarrassment now making her want to pack her bags and run away from home, effective immediately.


    Asher gave a low whistle. “February, huh?”


    With all the force she could muster, Lila nodded stiffly.


    “Did you find the pens?” Lila asked, finally lowering her hands.


    “Yeah,” Asher replied, somewhat awkwardly. “I’ve got all that I need.”


    “Great. Please leave.”


    Asher stood instantly, holding a bunch of pens in his right hand. Lila began to push him towards the open door and was about to slam it shut before remembering the ridiculous rule her parents had imposed on her about it.


    “Lila, it’s fine – you don’t need to be embarrassed by it. I found it endearing-”


    “Oh shut up, will you?!” Lila cried, scuttling around Asher and wrenching open Daniel’s door. She just about threw him into Daniel’s room, though it was clear that Asher wasn’t resisting. She slammed the door behind him and hurried back into her room, diving under the covers of her bed.


    The pros and cons list that she’d written so long ago, though representative of a time when she barely knew Asher, felt like a window to her inner thoughts that she’d never wanted Asher to see. He didn’t need to know the things she’d considered when deciding to help him with investigating his Mum’s disappearance. Her whole body cringed, tightening her blanket around her as she remembered what else she’d written down… ‘con… he’s got a girlfriend… pro… he’s got a girlfriend, so won’t be creepy… pro… I’ll be useful? I think… con… I have to keep it a secret… pro… we share a secret…’


    Within a matter of seconds, Clare arrived in Lila’s room, gently tugging the covers around Lila’s face down. Lila stubbornly pulled them back up.


    “Lila, what’s wrong? Why’re you shouting and slamming doors?” Clare asked gently, evidently giving up on revealing Lila’s face.


    “No reason,” Lila responded vaguely, sniffling.


    “Sounded like plenty of reason to me.”


    “Please leave, sis.”


    Clare patted Lila’s shoulder comfortingly. “Okay. I’ll be in my room if you need me.”


    Lila heard her sister leave as she continued to will herself to disappear. The list she’d written just looked psychotic now. She’d spent so long evaluating the whole situation from so many angles that it must’ve looked absolutely obsessive at best. There was no way that she’d be able to confess her feelings to Asher without looking like a nutjob now. He’d probably just laugh in her face and reject her outright, having seen all that. He’d already laughed at her once over the list that contained her innermost feelings about his request for help all those months ago, after all. It definitely wouldn’t be beyond him to laugh at her confessing her feelings in that case…


    Lila tugged at her hair before running her hands through it all in frustration. She threw the covers off and stomped over to her wardrobe. This was a problem that she wouldn’t be able to resolve right now, with Asher diligently working just a few metres away. At the very least, a problem she could resolve now was what she’d wear tomorrow.


    If she thought about her date with Theo as an information-gathering exercise, perhaps she should wear something that showed her off, like what undercover women in TV shows did to get suspects to talk. Or should she dress casually, since they’d be walking around an aquarium all day? And after the emotional rollercoaster she’d been on since admitting her crush on Asher, was she going to give the date with Theo a legitimate chance?


    ‘What made him want to ask me out anyway?’ Lila thought absently as she perused her outfit offerings. They’d hardly had a full conversation together, and most of the time that she’d seen him, Livi was pestering Lila and Asher. She remembered Theo’s statement, that he normally didn’t go for white girls, when Livi asked if Theo would date Lila. Was he interested because she was part Asian? Should she ask him?


    She spied a grey knit sweater dress in her closet and pulled it out. It was form-fitting and sufficiently warm for the late-June weather that was rapidly growing colder with each passing day. She scrutinised the stitchwork for a moment before draping it across the end of her bed. It would do.


    Now that that had been decided, though, she was still feeling incredibly anxious. If she was this wound up on her date with Theo, she wouldn’t be able to ask him anything…


    She reached for the book she’d attempted to read that afternoon and found an easier time of it now. It didn’t take long until her mind’s eye began building the world crafted by the author’s words, taking her through the cobblestoned streets of the main character’s story. As she tumbled, deeper and deeper, into the world constructed for her, she pulled her blankets around her for comforting insulation. Her eyes flew across the page as she continued to read in earnest.


    Another knock sounded sometime later, collapsing her vivid imagery in an instant. She blinked at the person standing in the doorway and quickly realised, with a sinking feeling, that it was Asher. In contrast to how she’d seen him before and after the game today, though, he seemed to have some life back in his face. He leant on the doorframe, folding his arms as he appraised her.


    “You kinda look like a goblin over there,” he said quietly, a shadow of a smirk across his face. She threw the duvet that she’d cloaked herself in off her shoulders and onto the ground, exposing her knees which were folded to her chest. Undeniably, she probably did look like a goblin, obsessively eyeing its horde of treasure, but she wasn’t going to accept that lying down.


    “That’s rude,” she huffed, straightening out her legs. “You kinda look like… a… um… the stupidest smart-aleck around.”


    “Probably true,” he snorted. “Should’ve added that one to your cons. Or is that a pro?”


    Lila hoisted a cushion resting behind her back and launched it towards Asher’s face. He dodged with an easy laugh before retrieving it and tossing it back at her, her face bright red.


    “I didn’t come here to get things thrown at me,” he said, standing up straighter. “I wanna show you what I’ve done.”


    Lila eyed him suspiciously. “Sounds… ominous.”


    “Eh, probably for Livi. Not so much for Daniel,” Asher shrugged, beckoning Lila towards Daniel’s room. She relented with a sigh, ensuring her place was bookmarked before she crossed the threshold into Daniel’s room.


    Daniel’s eyes lit up as soon as she closed the door behind her, excitement clearly bubbling through him.


    “Lila! Asher’s done!” he said enthusiastically, pulling her towards his desk by her arm. Asher sat down, frowning slightly.


    “Well, mostly,” Asher cautioned. “I’ve got to do a couple other small things, but this is operational as of now. Daniel can start using this system from Tuesday or Wednesday, I reckon.”


    “What system?” Lila asked, her curiosity evaporating her nervousness at being so close to Asher for the moment.


    “This one,” Asher beamed proudly, opening the laptop that Lila recognised as Daniel’s personal one and handing it over to her. Her stomach fluttered for a moment, her cheeks blushing as she received the laptop. It seemed her nerves hadn’t evaporated as much as she’d thought.


    A webpage was open titled ‘Square’. It looked like a business e-commerce website, with various graphs and a myriad of other things at her fingertips.


    “What… am I looking at?” Lila queried as she scrolled through the menu options.


    “We’ve moved online,” Daniel announced, puffing out his chest like a pelican. “It’s the way of the future.”


    “Feel like it’s the way of the present, actually. What you were doing was positively ancient,” Lila snickered, clicking on more things. “It seems like a whole lot of data was put in here, from the start of the year. How’d you do that?”


    “I transferred what was in the notebooks into an Excel spreadsheet,” Asher replied casually, cracking his knuckles. “Though, I then had to triple-check the spreadsheet, to make sure it was compatible with Square.”


    Asher then explained how the new system would work, including the fact that electronic transfers and payments would be far easier. It was actually quite impressive, particularly since he was on the free tier of Square’s membership. One particular bonus, however, was that it would take money right out of Livi’s hands, due to the automated nature of the site.


    “She’s going to be so pissed,” Lila whispered after Asher expanded on that point. Asher looked grim.


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    “Most likely, yeah. I’ll need to coach her through the new system, too. I’ve written up a guide, but I don’t want her messing up all my hard work, either – whether that’s on purpose, or by accident,” he sighed.


    “You’re not going to do that by yourself, are you?” Lila raised an eyebrow as she waited for his response. He glanced at her, seeming surprised.


    “It’d be pretty boring for anyone else to come with me.”


    “You hate her.”


    “Hate is a very strong word. I don’t think I’m capable of ‘hate’.”


    Lila scoffed derisively. “Fine, dislike enough to not want to be within 10 metres of her.”


    “Sure.”


    Daniel was looking back and forth between them as they spoke before cutting in.


    “What’s wrong with Livi? I mean, I know you don’t like her, and you probably shouldn’t after everything, but what has she done to you guys?”


    “It’s fine,” Asher murmured, the shine disappearing from his eyes. “I’ll just ignore her and get it over with.”


    “I’ll go with you,” Lila insisted.


    “I mean, I’ll be there,” Daniel said, looking bemused. “You don’t need to. Like Asher said, it’d be pretty boring.”


    “You can come with us,” Asher said quietly, retrieving the laptop from Lila’s hands. “I’m just waiting on something else before we can see her. That’s why I said Tuesday or Wednesday.”


    “Just let me know when and I’ll be there,” Lila nodded firmly. Asher’s eyes briefly met hers before he nodded as well.


    “There’s something for you to think about, though,” Asher said, turning to face Daniel.


    “Me?” Daniel looked surprised.


    “Yeah. Since all the proceeds are going to be loaded into a bank account, you need to figure out a way to not make this look suspicious to your parents. Since you don’t work. This is a lot of money, and a lot of turnover, too.”


    “Fuck,” Daniel uttered, biting his nails. “This does look suspicious.”


    “Do you even have a bank account?” Asher asked, opening up Google on the laptop.


    “I do, but Mum and Dad monitor it. Well, mostly Mum. Shit.”


    “And you can’t open one on your own,” Asher surmised.


    “You’ll need to get one at a different bank, so Mum can’t find out,” Lila said thoughtfully. “And I doubt they’d let me help you open one as your guardian, since I’m not 18 yet. But… there’s someone we know who would be able to go as your guardian.”


    Daniel paled. “Anyone but Clare. Seriously.”


    Lila shook her head. “Has to be Clare. She’s related to you.”


    “She’s going to rake me over the coals. I’d rather Mum and Dad just find out right now.”


    “She won’t,” Lila said, crossing her arms. “I’ve… been talking to her about a few things. She’s stopped being so nosy. She’ll be chill.”


    Daniel looked at Lila doubtfully. “Clare? Chill? With my business? Unheard of.”


    “She’s noticed you acting odd this year,” Lila pointed out. “Has she asked you about it?”


    Daniel fell silent.


    “Thought so,” Lila smiled. “Let me grab her.”


    “W-Wait, she can’t know about all this,” Daniel said desperately, grabbing Lila’s wrist before she could open the door.


    “She’s just going to open a bank account with you,” Lila replied, taking her wrist back gently. “That’s all we’ll tell her.”


    “Can you come with us? To the bank,” Daniel asked quietly.


    “Like I was going to just let you run around with Clare undefended while doing something weird like this,” Lila scoffed. “I was always going to go with you. Even though she’s on her ‘no nosiness’ streak, it can’t last forever.”


    A look of relief washed over Daniel, and Lila took this as her cue to grab Clare. She tentatively knocked on Clare’s door.


    “Come in,” Clare replied, her voice slightly muffled. Lila popped her head in.


    “Can I borrow you for a sec?” she asked. Clare was sitting behind her vanity and peered up at Lila, her makeup brush halfway to her face.


    “Is it about why you’re upset?” Clare queried, standing up from her vanity and meeting Lila at the door.


    “No, it’s for Daniel.”


    “Oh. That’s rare,” Clare quipped, though she had a small smile on her face.


    They promptly piled into Daniel’s room, which was quite crowded now.


    “Cosy,” Clare commented as she crossed Daniel’s room and sat on his bed. Lila sat beside her, and the two sisters looked at Daniel expectantly. He opened his mouth as if to say something before tightly pressing his lips together. He started shaking, his demeanour perfectly matching that of a particularly nervous whippet. It was painful to watch, but Lila waited with bated breath.


    “C-Clare,” Daniel eventually managed to say, “I…”


    He trailed off, swallowing hard. It was no use. Lila had to intervene.


    “Clare, we need you,” Lila said quickly. Daniel looked at Lila as she spoke, relief flooding his eyes. “Well, Daniel needs you. He needs a new bank account.”


    Clare blinked slowly. “Sorry?”


    “H-He needs a new bank account but he’s too young to open one himself,” Lila explained, her nerves flaring as she tried to ensure she wouldn’t give too much away.


    “He’s got one though,” Clare frowned, crossing her arms.


    “He needs one from a new bank,” Lila insisted. “I’d go, but I’m not old enough.”


    Clare turned to Lila, suspicion colouring her expression. She opened her mouth, as if to say something, before Asher interjected.


    “He’s doing some work for me, but since he’s too young to work, we need to keep it on the downlow. He’s been interested in doing some accounting, and I needed help managing my financial situation. I don’t work, but my parents give me money for my grades and they also put some away in investments.”


    Clare gaped at Asher for a few moments, her eyes darting between Asher and Daniel.


    “You want Daniel to help you?”


    “He’s great with numbers,” Asher replied genuinely, “but he’d benefit greatly from more practical examples. Tutoring theory only gets you so far.”


    Clare narrowed her eyes at Asher. “Something’s fishy about this.”


    “Clare-” Lila’s attempt to dissuade Clare from prying further died in her throat when Clare raised a hand in a ‘stop’ motion.


    “But I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt. Plus, I don’t want to get all up in your business. This year with Lila has shown me more than enough that it’s a bad idea to force it. It can backfire terribly,” Clare said seriously. Daniel’s eyes were wide with shock and Lila looked at him smugly.


    “Told ya,” Lila nodded at Daniel. “She’s new and improved.”


    Clare glared at Lila. “Don’t push your luck. It’s taking everything I’ve got to not try and dig into the both of you. And you’re suspicious as heck too, Asher.”


    Lila saw both Daniel and Asher pale and stood up. “Says you,” she said lightly.


    “Yeah. Says me,” Clare chuckled, sharing a meaningful look with Lila before sighing heavily. “Damn. You can tell we’re related.”


    Clare walked towards Daniel’s door, resting her hand on the doorknob. She looked at Daniel over her shoulder.


    “I’ll set up an appointment for Monday. You want a different bank than the one Mum and Dad set you up with, right?”


    Daniel nodded silently, and Clare smiled gently at him.


    “I know of one. Buck up, kid. You’ll be right,” she said comfortingly. “No need to look so scared of me.”


    With that, she disappeared through Daniel’s door, shutting it softly behind her. Lila blew all the air out of her cheeks before flopping back down onto Daniel’s bed.


    “Thank God she said yes,” Lila said quietly.


    “Thanks, guys,” Daniel said earnestly, looking between Lila and Asher again.


    “Don’t mention it,” Asher replied, looking back down at Daniel’s laptop. “Once we knock that, and the other thing I’m waiting on, out the way, I can finalise everything and we can move forward with the new system. You might need to iron out some kinks, but feel free to customise anything in whatever way you want after you test it out.”


    “I’m impressed,” Lila suddenly said, “about your lie.”


    Asher turned in his chair to face Lila. “It wasn’t all a lie. If you’re going to try and lie about something, adding some truth helps. Makes it more convincing. Besides, I reckon Daniel could be a real whiz at all this. I’m in two minds if I should invest in the Banker at this point, looking over the books like I have. Clearly got a good gig going. Either way, I probably would hire him to help me manage my finances in the future.”


    Daniel blushed before pushing Asher’s shoulder. “Don’t say corny shit like that, man,” Daniel bemoaned. “You’ll make me fall in love.”


    “That’s the goal,” Asher grinned cheekily at Daniel. “Trying to be indispensable here.”


    “So that Lila can’t get rid of you?” Daniel asked, raising an eyebrow at Asher. A tinge of pink across Asher’s face didn’t go unnoticed as he turned back towards Daniel’s laptop. Lila’s heart began to race as she waited for Asher’s response. Would… he say yes?


    But just as her hopes began to build, they were dashed upon his reply. “Not at all,” Asher said in a low voice, peering closely at the screen. “I just like being needed.”


    Lila’s heart twinged with disappointment. If he had said yes… perhaps she would’ve been able to confess her feelings…


    Lila abruptly stood up again, getting ready to go back to her room. Daniel hurriedly blocked her path.


    “While you’re here,” Daniel said breathlessly, glancing at Asher. “What’s up with tomorrow?”


    “Tomorrow?” Lila asked blankly.


    Daniel rolled his eyes at her before responding. “Heard that you’re going somewhere with Theo.”


    “Yeah,” Lila replied bluntly, sidestepping Daniel. “I’ll be out all day. Might be home late. At least, I’m having dinner with him.”


    Lila heard Asher take a sharp intake of breath and looked over at him. He seemed to be shaking minutely, though his eyes were still fixated upon Daniel’s laptop screen. ‘Again with the weird reactions,’ Lila thought with a frown. But she guessed, given Asher’s response to Daniel’s question, that this reaction was due to Asher’s feelings on relationships.


    “Why’re you going?” Daniel asked, placing his hands on his hips.


    “None of your business, dude,” Lila responded shortly.


    “I thought you’re supposed to go on dates with people you like,” Daniel added, his voice sullen.


    “What’s with the 20 questions?” Lila countered sharply, glancing uneasily at Asher. To her relief, he was still looking at Daniel’s laptop. She was sure her face was a deep scarlet, both with anger and embarrassment at being interrogated about her date with Theo with Asher right there.


    “Just making conversation,” Daniel shrugged. “Aren’t I allowed to ask questions?”


    “You are, but you’re going to turn into the old Clare if you keep going,” Lila said pointedly. “I’m going back to my room.”


    Daniel didn’t resist and she left, finally collapsing into her own bed. Why was Daniel asking her about that? Especially with Asher in the room. Did Daniel not know that Asher disliked Theo?


    Lila shook her head, picking her book up again. Either way, Daniel obviously didn’t know how to read the room.


    It was an hour or so before Lila was called down to dinner, which was an incredibly quiet one. After Asher told her parents that he’d lost his soccer match, much of the conversation had centred around Clare and her progress in her studies. Lila hadn’t felt much in the mood to contribute today, instead preferring to push her vegetables across her plate absentmindedly.


    “Are you joining us again tomorrow?” Lila’s Mum asked Asher as everyone began scraping their plates and piling them together.


    “I’m not sure,” Asher replied politely. “Now that exams are over, Daniel will have to see if his upcoming topics are something that he needs tutoring in.”


    The rest of the table looked at Daniel in unison and he threw up his hands defensively.


    “Why’re you all looking at me?” he asked nervously.


    “It’s been a pleasure having you around,” Lila’s Dad said, smiling warmly at Asher and ignoring Daniel’s question entirely. “We’ve all enjoyed your company. Please don’t be a stranger.”


    Asher’s face reddened as he awkwardly stood, collecting a stack of plates. “I’ll try not to.”


    “There’s the way,” Lila’s Dad grinned, picking up his own stack of plates.


    After packing up from dinner, Asher joined Lila in her room, though he seemed cold again. Lila felt almost as though she was getting whiplash from the number of times that Asher’s mood changed, especially lately.


    “I hope you enjoy your date tomorrow,” Asher suddenly said, his eyes not lifting from the book he was reading.


    “That’s a surprise,” Lila replied softly, turning the page of her own book. The words began to swim before her, and she knew she wouldn’t be able to read any more if Asher was going to keep talking to her.


    “A surprise?” Asher queried, looking up at her. “Why would that be surprising?”


    Lila bookmarked where she was up to and closed her book, setting it beside her with a sigh.


    “Asher, you’ve been off ever since I told you about the date. I thought you’d rather the date go poorly, since I’m going with Theo.”


    “That’s…” Asher trailed off, turning back to his book. “That’s not it at all. I want you to have fun.”


    Lila’s pulse began to beat in her throat. A question was fighting its way out her mouth, but she still didn’t know whether she should ask. If the answer wasn’t what she was hoping for… then that would spell the end of the idea of confessing to Asher at all.


    But if she didn’t ask, then she’d be left wondering. And if she was left wondering, then she’d be left hoping. And if she was left hoping, then she’d go stir-crazy.


    “A-Are you… je-” Lila’s question was halted by the ringing of Asher’s phone. He pulled it out of his pants, his brow furrowed in apparent confusion.


    “It’s Isaac,” he said simply, staring at the caller ID flashing on his screen. “He doesn’t normally call outta the blue. I think I should take it.”


    “Yeah, go for it,” Lila replied, her posture deflating.


    “What’s going on?” Asher asked, putting his phone to his ear. Lila couldn’t hear Isaac’s reply, but Asher sighed heavily.


    “I’m still at Lila’s, dude. Can this seriously not wait?”


    After a pause, Asher unexpectedly stood, glancing at Lila apologetically. His face was white again, and she could tell that it was serious.


    “Just give me a minute,” he said before leaving her room. She heard him rush downstairs, but nothing further of his conversation with Isaac.


    Lila buried her face in her hands. She’d been so close to asking if he was jealous… but she’d been getting so many mixed signals from Asher that it was probably better to not ask at all. She’d make herself look stupid if he said he wasn’t, and after him reading her pros and cons list, she didn’t want to make herself look even more stupid today. Lila shook her head before cracking open her book again, seeing as Asher hadn’t come back just yet.


    When Asher did return after a few minutes, his eyes seemed wary.


    “What happened with Isaac?” Lila asked, sitting up straighter. He crossed over to her desk, his body language rigid as though his joints were in dire need of oil.


    “Nothing,” Asher responded as he opened the book again. Lila could see his face growing redder by the second.


    “If it’s nothing, then why do you seem off again?”


    “Don’t worry about it.”


    “I can’t help but worry about it.”


    “What does that mean?” As the question left his mouth, he looked up at Lila, his eyebrow arched. It was almost as though he was testing her – as if… he was trying to goad her into saying something.


    “If you don’t know, then I’m not going to explain,” Lila said brusquely, turning her attention back to her book. ‘Get the hint…’ Lila thought desperately to herself. Despite her bravado, her heartbeat pulsated all the way through to her fingertips as she held the edges of her book.


    “Do… you like Isaac again?” Asher questioned in a whisper, his voice wavering like the flicker of a candle.


    “The fuck?” Lila’s words slipped out before she could restrain her immediate reaction. She stared at Asher now, his eyes staring back into hers. Lila began to laugh at the ludicrous suggestion.


    “Are you insane?” she eventually asked as he patiently continued to watch her. “Me? Like Isaac?”


    “It happened before.”


    “Before I knew him, yeah,” Lila responded, putting her book down. “Then I realised he was a bona fide idiot. Great guy and funny, sure, but… I prefer someone a bit more intellectual. Or at least, with a zest for learning things.”


    “Someone like Theo, then?” Asher’s voice was ice-cold, his expression even colder. It was as though he’d entirely frosted over as Lila struggled to find a response. In theory, Theo would tick that box, sure… but surely… Asher would realise she was talking about him.


    “I-”


    “Marlene’s here,” Asher interjected before Lila could continue. He started packing up with more force than necessary, throwing the book he’d been reading into the depths of his bag and zipping it up. He hoisted his bag over his shoulder with a thump and left Lila’s room without a backwards glance. Lila’s eyebrow twitched – how did he know Marlene was here? He hadn’t checked his phone.


    “See ya, Daniel, see ya, Clare,” Asher called as he went downstairs, his footfalls heavy.


    Lila followed him down the stairs, almost losing her balance. Her legs seemed like jelly – useless at holding the rest of her up. He was quick, though, and had already said his goodbyes to Lila’s parents and almost had his shoes on when Lila joined him at the front door. He jumped back and she stepped between him and the door to unlock it.


    “Asher-”


    “Have a good time tomorrow. I don’t need to hear about it. See you at school.”


    Asher’s words sounded more like a command than a friendly suggestion. He pushed past Lila and was outside before she could think of something to call him back. Taking a deep breath, Lila shoved her feet into thongs and chased after him into the inky darkness that shrouded her front yard.


    “Is there anything I should ask him?” she wheezed, grabbing onto his bag. He stopped walking and looked over his shoulder at her, his face contorted in disgust. She instantly let go.


    “About what?” Asher spat.


    “Daniel’s stuff,” Lila replied, shrinking back from him towards her house. Asher blinked at her before his face relaxed into one of neutrality.


    “I’m sure you can figure it out,” he said simply. “We don’t have a starting point yet, so you can’t go wrong.”


    “Okay,” Lila nodded.


    “Bye.” Asher turned swiftly on his heel and continued his journey towards Marlene’s car. Lila was half-surprised that she was here – she hadn’t noticed as the car lights were off. Marlene waved at Lila whilst Asher got in, slamming the door behind him. Lila waved as well, though Asher didn’t seem to have noticed.


    Lila watched them drive away, her swirling mix of emotions rooting her to the spot for a moment. She exhaled deeply, watching her breath rise in the freezing night air. If she stayed here until hypothermia took over, then she’d be able to avoid the date with Theo tomorrow…


    ‘Or he’d show up and think you’re going to the aquarium in house clothes,’ Lila thought cynically. She headed back inside the warmth of her house, any joy that she’d had from spending the afternoon with Asher having vanished completely.


    Lila holed herself up in her room for the rest of the evening, trying to think of the kinds of questions she could ask Theo about his involvement, or knowledge, of the disappearing money. Her efforts were constantly impeded, however, by the re-emergence of Asher’s reactions that afternoon in her mind’s eye.


    Lila couldn’t make sense of him at all. On one hand, he wanted her to have fun and a good time with Theo, and on the other, he seemed bothered by the whole idea. Was it really his aversion to relationships and dating that was driving his behaviour? Or was it his dislike of Theo? Or was it something else?


    ‘What aren’t I seeing?’