Chapter Eighty-Seven


    By the time Gabriel parked in the garage, Lila’s nerves were on edge again. Perhaps it was better for her to go home and give Asher some time and space to think. Besides, since the photos from the disposable cameras had successfully been printed, they didn’t necessarily have to go through them right now. They had all the time in the world to do that.


    “Are you coming, Lila?”


    Lila started, looking around to see where the voice was coming from. It was Asher. He’d somehow opened the car door for her without her noticing.


    “Y-Yeah,” she said hurriedly, unbuckling herself. “Sorry.”


    “No need to say sorry,” Asher replied simply. His eyes seemed filled with disconcertment, but as soon as hers met his, his expression melted into one of unexpected tenderness. It was hypnotic. She managed to stumble out of the car, her stomach flipping as though it was on a rollercoaster the rest of her wasn’t privy to.


    Though she wanted to keep peeking at Asher’s face in the hopes he’d look at her like that again, she didn’t want to look weird so instead went about getting ready to head inside. Asher seemed to be wordlessly following her lead, the bag containing the mangled Charmander and printed photos swinging from his hand.


    Gabriel caught Lila by the doorway as she was taking her shoes off, catching her off guard.


    “Lila,” he said gently, his eyes darting over to Asher and back to Lila, “can I have a word with you, please?”


    The question immediately made her feel as though she was in trouble. Had she done something to offend Gabriel? Was it because they didn’t exchange a greeting or otherwise talk on the way back?


    “Gabriel-” Asher began to say before Gabriel shushed him.


    “I’d like to speak with Lila, Asher,” Gabriel said sternly. “I won’t keep her for long. Hurry on upstairs.”


    Asher looked between them both, his mouth set in a hard line. It didn’t look like he’d listen to Gabriel for a moment, but he obediently turned and headed towards the stairs. Gabriel shook his head in Asher’s wake with a sigh.


    “That boy must be doing your head in,” Gabriel said softly. “Here, let me make you some hot chocolate.”


    “I-I’m fine, thank you,” Lila said tentatively.


    “I insist,” Gabriel replied, a warm smile tugging the corners of his mouth. “I’ve got a stellar recipe.”


    “Well, when you put it like that,” Lila responded, mirroring his smile. “Thank you. I’m keen to try it.”


    “Glad to hear it.”


    Lila pulled out a bar stool at the kitchen’s island counter whilst Gabriel bustled into the butler’s pantry. She heard, amongst the rumble of a kettle, the whirr of a blender, and the banging of various utensils. Just what did this hot chocolate entail?


    Finally, Gabriel emerged from the butler’s pantry, two mugs in his hands. He looked rather chuffed with himself as he slid one across the kitchen counter towards Lila and gingerly placed the other down just in front of him. He leaned across the island directly across from Lila, propping himself up by his forearms.


    “You sure you don’t want to sit?” Lila queried, gesturing to one of the bar stools.


    “No thank you,” Gabriel responded, shaking his head. “I’m rather used to standing all day.”


    “Okay. Thank you, for the hot chocolate,” Lila added, cupping her warm, porcelain mug. It seemed there was a whipped, fluffy cloud floating on the top, covered in chocolate flakes. She poked it idly and heard Gabriel chuckle.


    “It’s a whipped marshmallow,” he explained, taking a sip of his drink. “Don’t tell Ivaan or Asher, but mine’s got a dash of Baileys.”


    “Baileys?”


    Gabriel’s eyes twinkled. “I’ll have to give you some when you’re 18.”


    “Oh.”


    The implication that Baileys was a type of alcohol was evident, and she looked back down at her own drink. The marshmallow seemed to be evaporating along with the steam being emitted from the top, so she took a cautious sip. It was decadent and rich, the warmth sending tingles from her mouth to her fingertips. It felt as though it danced through her tastebuds, coaxing her to drink more.


    “This is amazing, Gabriel,” Lila beamed, her shoulders relaxing. Gabriel smiled, inclining his head to the side.


    “Of course.”


    “Does this have Nutella in it?”


    “And some cream. Unfortunately, though, I didn’t have time to make my own chocolate for this, so it’s just a slightly dressed-up Cadbury hot chocolate powder.”


    “If this was any better, I think I’d die.”


    Gabriel burst into hearty laughter. “We can’t have that, Lila.”


    The pair fell silent as both continued to sip their drinks. Lila wasn’t exaggerating, though. It really was that good. She glanced towards the stairs. Had Asher closed the door to the rumpus room?


    This was swiftly answered by a tell-tale creak and firm thud ringing from upstairs. With a satisfied smile, Gabriel put down his cup.


    “So, Lila,” he said kindly. “I hear that you’ve confessed your feelings for Asher.”


    Immediately, Lila spluttered on her hot chocolate. He was starting there?


    He gave her a knowing smile as he continued. “I also heard Asher was incredibly callous.”


    Was… that how Asher had described it? That was certainly unexpected.


    “I… wouldn’t say he was callous,” Lila said quietly.


    “You don’t need to defend him, Lila,” Gabriel replied plainly. “Laughing at your face after you’d just confessed your feelings? Then telling you he likes you but won’t date you? That he’s still not over that witch of an ex-girlfriend? And, despite all that, you’re hanging out with him all week and even staying over tonight. None of that looks good for your poor heart, Lila. Not very gentlemanly at all. I thought I’d raised him better.”


    Lila bit her lower lip, holding her mug tightly. She couldn’t disagree – it did look bad. But… it wasn’t as though it was affecting her terribly. After all, he’d… said… well, he said that he wanted her to be his… but he’d also said he wasn’t sure when or if he’d be ready for a relationship…


    She hung her head low, staring deeply into her mug. The marshmallow had all but disintegrated completely. She took another sip, but the joy she’d previously felt had diminished significantly.


    “I’m not trying to make you feel terrible, Lila,” Gabriel said in a low voice, setting aside his drink entirely and giving her his full attention. “I just wanted to check on you and see if you were okay. From what Asher has told me, you tend to put on a brave face. While I’m disappointed in him, I can see that he, at least, is concerned about you. I wouldn’t have let him go today if I didn’t think he was sincere, so you don’t need to worry about that.”


    Lila sighed, pushing her mug away. How was she feeling about it all? Was she okay?


    “I… I’m okay,” she said hesitantly, avoiding Gabriel’s gaze. Despite this, she could tell that he was looking at her dubiously.


    “If you want to talk to someone about it, I’m here,” Gabriel said comfortingly. “There may be some things that you don’t want to talk to Asher about, or your friends, or family. God knows there’s probably a lot of things you don’t want to tell Roxy. I mean Clare.”


    Lila laughed hollowly – he’d hit the nail on the head about Clare, of course, but she wasn’t going to admit to that.


    “I guess… I’m just scared about what happens if we don’t end up dating. I want to respect his decision, of course, but this limbo… it hurts,” Lila finally whispered, her voice cracking slightly. A lone tear fell pitifully down her face and she wiped it away before reaching for her hot chocolate. She gulped most of it down. After she set her cup back on the counter, Gabriel nodded.


    “That all sounds like reasonable feelings,” he said sagely. “It must be a very confusing time.”


    “Yeah,” Lila admitted, her voice sounding more like a whimper. She cleared her throat awkwardly.


    “I can’t make things happen in the way you or I would want it to,” Gabriel added forlornly. “Unfortunately, it’s up to Asher, who, it appears, has his head so far up his ass he doesn’t know what time it is.”


    The unexpected frankness of Gabriel’s statement made Lila choke, a laugh fighting but failing to escape properly. She downed the rest of her drink and gave Gabriel a shaky smile.


    “I can’t disagree with his reasons,” she noted. “After all, I’ve never been cheated on. Nor has my ex been pregnant or gotten someone else pregnant while I was dating them.”


    “Your ex being Isaac, correct?”


    Lila exhaled slowly, holding her head in her hands. “Yeah. Not that we dated for long, or anytime recently.”


    “I see.”


    “I guess after what my brother said, I’m also worried about how Asher’s processing the fact that I dated Isaac. It was ages ago, but my brother said that it probably made Asher insecure.”


    “If he was going to be insecure about it, he probably should’ve acted sooner,” Gabriel said sternly. “He’ll get over it if he hasn’t already.”


    “How can you be so sure?”


    “Because, my dear Lila, love finds a way. Especially if you work together. And, from what I can see, you two work together very well.”


    “L-Love?”


    Gabriel gave her a sympathetic look. “I forget how young and na?ve you two are. Perhaps ‘love’ is too big a feeling for what you’re going through. But I’m sure you understand what I mean.”


    “… I guess so.”


    “Would you like another hot chocolate?”


    Lila’s eyes flickered to her empty cup. Whilst it was certainly the best hot chocolate she’d had in her life, it was rather rich on her stomach. She shook her head.


    “No thank you, Gabriel. It was very good, though.”


    “I better let you go before Asher stomps downstairs like the grumpy little gremlin he’s been over the past few days. If you need to chat, or just want another, I’ll be right here.”


    “He’s been grumpy?”


    “Very much so. I ripped into him, but I think he’s far angrier with himself than I could ever be at him. Still doesn’t mean he couldn’t have gone about this in a far better way.”


    “I think it was fine.”


    “Lila, if it had been me, I would have never laughed at you,” Gabriel said gravely, his expression impressing upon her the seriousness of his perspective. “He told me why, but that’s no excuse. He could’ve, instead, taken some more time to process rather than impulsively laughing. If it was me, I also wouldn’t have you stay over under any circumstances – until I’ve figured everything out, at least. Confuses the issue. Crosses a boundary.”


    “Should I go home then?”


    “No, no. That’s not what I mean. By virtue of him offering it to you, he’s already buggered it. If you’re not being pressured to stay, and you’d like to stay, then by all means – the onus isn’t on you.”


    Lila wasn’t too sure if she understood the point Gabriel was trying to make, but went along with it anyway.


    “Most importantly, I’d give both of us space to reflect and think on things – at least a week, if not more. He’s being too wishy-washy. It’s not helpful to anyone, including him. That way, I could come back with a clearer head and idea of what I want and how to achieve it whilst respecting your tender feelings. I know what he thinks he wants but he’s not thinking about the respect part – and that’s a big one. He’s so giddy about the fact that you return his feelings that he’s completely forgotten about the fact that you deserve and need some time. I don’t blame you at all for visiting again, of course, but he should take a step back. One misstep, and you’re hurting – then there might not be any relationship at all. You might even resent him in the end, and I don’t think either of you want that.”


    Gabriel paused, surveying her carefully before continuing. “Case in point, I could tell in the car that something was off with you, Lila – you were frowning up a storm though your eyes were practically glued to him, and you didn’t say anything to me. Something’s on your mind about this all, and he’s not letting you have your time.”


    Whilst Gabriel wasn’t exactly wrong about that part (given Lila had been spinning in circles at the fact that they saw Holly), Lila couldn’t very well explain that their hanging out was completely necessary. A necessity that couldn’t be dependent on how their relationship (or lack of one) was going – it was far too important. Though, perhaps staying over wasn’t as necessary…


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    Gabriel straightened up, grabbing both of their cups. “Go on up. I’ll call you once dinner’s ready. Oh – but before I forget, for breakfast, are you a sweet or savoury person?”


    “Generally savoury,” Lila smiled, standing up and tucking the bar stool under the counter. “Not like I won’t eat something sweet if it’s in front of me, though.”


    “Of course,” Gabriel chuckled. “I’ll have a think on the menu for tomorrow morning.”


    “Thank you. I’m sure anything you make will be perfect.”


    “You flatter me too much,” Gabriel gushed, waving a hand bashfully. Lila giggled, feeling better now that their conversation had ended on a positive note. He disappeared into the butler’s pantry and Lila took that as her cue to head upstairs.


    When she opened the door to the rumpus room, she found Asher just before it, mid-pace, his face looking incredibly anxious.


    “… Hi,” Lila said lamely, scooting inside and closing the door behind her.


    “Hi,” Asher replied, his body tense and stock-still.


    “… Everything okay?” she asked, avoiding his eyes by looking at the couch.


    “Sure,” Asher stated. “Everything okay with you?”


    Lila sighed heavily. “I guess so… Gabriel just gave me a lot to think about.”


    “Oh. Like what?”


    Lila didn’t exactly want to tell him, but before she could think up something vague enough, he shook his head.


    “Actually, don’t tell me,” he insisted, stepping aside and gesturing to the couch. “I can guess. Probably similar to what Gabriel yelled at me about this morning.”


    Lila simply nodded before sitting down cross-legged in her usual spot.


    “Juice?” Asher queried, walking over to the kitchenette.


    “Maybe just a water, please,” Lila responded. “Gabriel gave me some hot chocolate.”


    “With the whipped marshmallow?”


    “Yeah.”


    “It’s awesome, isn’t it?”


    “Yeah.”


    Asher fell silent as he poured some drinks into cups. She hadn’t necessarily wanted to give him one-word answers, but she couldn’t muster the energy to rave on about it as she usually would have. She was actually rather tired.


    He set down the drinks on the coffee table, next to the paper bag containing today’s purchases without a word, settling into his own usual place on the couch. He pressed his lips together, seeming awkward.


    “There’s a bit of time before Marlene gets home,” he said after a few moments of utter silence.


    “Okay.”


    “It’d… probably be a good time to look through the photos, at least.”


    “Oh. Yeah, the photos.”


    Asher gave her a sideways glance before pulling out the envelope from the paper bag.


    “Wanna go halves?” he offered.


    “Probably more efficient that way.”


    “That’s what I was thinking.”


    He quietly passed her half the stack of photos and she began to flick through them. It looked like the ones she was holding were from the latter half of their exploration.


    Besides the inordinate amount of ducks, nothing stuck out to Lila beyond what had already stuck out to her. She stopped her flipping when she reached the photos of the farmhouse. Just looking at these photos – the one of the farmhouse without Asher and then the one with Asher looking silly just in front of it – made her feel as though bugs were crawling under her skin. She flipped them so she didn’t have to see them for now. Creepy farmhouse aside, it probably wasn’t relevant to Marlene anyway.


    She flipped through her stack again before pausing at the picture of the Bachelor of Security Studies.


    “Hey, Asher,” Lila said, an idea forming in her mind. “This Bachelor of Security Studies… do you reckon Marlene’s just hired security? Well, not ‘just’. But that her main role is kinda like a live-in security guard?”


    Asher looked up at Lila, his face puzzled. “What do ya mean?”


    “Well, think about it. What normal maid can just… drag a man through a window and punch him to unconsciousness? Especially as calmly as she looked. I don’t think I saw her scared for a second.”


    He lowered the photo he was inspecting, realisation crossing his face. “Wait, that actually makes sense.”


    “Thanks.”


    Asher snorted. “I didn’t mean to sound condescending.”


    “Never said that.”


    He playfully rolled his eyes at her before looking pensive. “I dunno if you remember this, but… at the beginning of the year, before we broke into the study the first time. I said that we’d had a few attempted break-ins over the past few years. Do you think she’s here to prevent those?”


    Lila shrugged. “Is your family housing some sort of secret treasure?”


    “Not as far as I know,” Asher replied, pursing his lips. “… But… I guess you could say my Dad’s pretty important.”


    “Well, yeah. CEO of the only Private Hospital for yonks.”


    He glanced at her, a flicker of a smirk coming and going so quickly she might’ve imagined it. “It’s actually the hospital my great-great-grandfather helped set up or something like that. We’ve got a long lineage of that kind of work, at least.”


    “I see. So, perhaps the treasure is really your Dad?”


    “Maybe?”


    Lila stared at the photo of the Bachelor of Security Studies once more. Why had Marlene framed it in such a way that they couldn’t see who it was awarded to, when it was awarded, and where she’d studied? Though, perhaps the best way to be a security guard for a residential house was to be secretive about it. That way any would-be intruders would be caught off-guard and quickly dismantled.


    “Do… you reckon she’s… I dunno, defended the house like that before?” Lila asked quietly.


    “I honestly have no idea. She seemed really efficient with it. The fact that I’d been in the library since the attack and watching it unfold on CCTV and hadn’t noticed anything amiss? Maybe she’s done it a whole bunch of times.” Asher replied thoughtfully. “Either way, if she is hired security, she does a bloody good job of it, whether that was her first time or her 50^th.”


    “Hmm…” Lila murmured, turning her attention back to the pile of photos before her. They sifted through their respective photos for a time, neither speaking though both seemed to be sorting them into piles. Lila, at least, was sorting her piles out into categories that ranked how important or interesting the photos were so she could narrow down what to focus on. For example, the picture of two duck statues sitting as though they were having a chinwag on the desk in the spare room didn’t remotely fall into any important or interesting categories.


    Without warning, Asher’s phone buzzed aggressively on the coffee table, making both of them almost jump off the couch. Asher gingerly picked it up, but before he could do anything with it, it slipped out of his grasp and onto the floor. With a sigh, he bent down to grab it.


    “Ah shit, I accidentally pressed speaker,” Asher sheepishly muttered, looking warily at Lila.


    “Duuuuude,” a voice Lila distinctly recognised as belonging to Isaac called out not a second later. “I can’t freaking keep up with this chick!”


    “Yo-” Asher attempted to speak before Isaac cut him off.


    “Seriously! I’ve been trying to get as many shifts as I can with Elise, but damn, she’s going to put me in an early grave or something. I’ll have to go to hospital for being overworked.”


    “Isaa-”


    “And, get this, not only is she working almost 24/7, but she’s training up to be a Manager, bro. Has she forgotten that we’re still in school? She works so hard and is lowkey an inspiration. But, like, how do I get her to take a break?”


    Lila blinked rapidly as she tried to process what Isaac was saying. Elise was working hard? That wasn’t necessarily outside of the realm of what Lila knew about Elise. Ever since she started working at Maccas at the end of last year, she’d really buckled down and put in a lot of work there. So why was Isaac complaining? And why was he trying to get shifts with her?


    “Hold u-”


    “I’m going crazy, man. This week she’s rostered on for sixty hours. That’s not healthy – she’s gonna collapse. I’m really worried. Plus, she told me that I can’t tell Lila-”


    “Isaac, you’re on speaker.”


    “What?”


    “I’ve been trying to tell you this whole time. Lila’s here.”


    “Hi,” Lila called out, exchanging a bemused glance with Asher.


    “Uh oh. Elise’s gonna kill me.”


    Isaac instantly hung up. Asher took one look at Lila’s face before dialling him back. Asher pressed his ear to his phone, waiting for Isaac to pick up.


    “It’s too late,” Asher said into his phone, amusement in his voice. “You may as well keep telling us.”


    Asher paused, nodding in response to whatever Isaac was saying. Lila wondered briefly whether Asher knew Isaac couldn’t see him nodding, but thought just as quickly that that would be stupid if he didn’t.


    “You do know that Lila would probably smack the both of us if we didn’t let her into the conversation, right?” Asher continued. He pointedly avoided making eye contact with Lila, a grin spreading across his face. She nodded vehemently in agreement and she thought she saw his grin widen further.


    Asher nodded again, before saying a quick, “Thanks, dude,” and turning the speaker back on.


    “Hullo, Lila,” Isaac’s glum voice sounded from the speaker. “It’s me again.”


    “Heya, Isaac,” Lila smirked. “What’s this about Elise?”


    Isaac sighed so heavily into the phone that Lila wasn’t convinced that he had any air left in his lungs. “I’m not supposed to tell you.”


    “I feel like you already did,” Lila replied, her curiosity certainly piquing.


    “I… definitely did,” Isaac admitted. Asher snickered, but it didn’t seem like Isaac picked up on it.


    “So, what’s wrong? Why’re you trying to get shifts with her?” Lila asked, biting back a smile. She hadn’t told Asher about Elise’s crush on Isaac, but… the only explanation Lila had was that Isaac liked Elise, too.


    “She’s, like, one of the best workers and she’s really good at showing me the ropes,” Isaac responded plainly. Then, he paused. “And… she’s cute.”


    Lila grinned. “Cute, hey?”


    “You can’t tell her I said that.”


    “Wasn’t going to,” Lila said haughtily.


    “I might,” Asher teased.


    “Please don’t,” Isaac begged. Lila could almost feel Isaac’s blush from where she was sitting.


    “Why not?” Lila queried. If Elise knew Isaac had said that, she’d probably go insane.


    “I… just can’t have her know,” Isaac’s voice had dropped to a low whisper. “A-Anyway, that’s not what the point of this conversation is.”


    “What, then?” Asher asked.


    “Well, I’m being serious when I say that she’s working ridiculous hours. She’s also clearly not taking care of herself. I saw her almost fall into a vat of oil ‘cause her eyes were blurry from lack of sleep. That’s why I have to be on the same shift. No one else is noticing all this, and when I bring it up, our Managers say I’m obsessed with her or something. They’re not doing anything about it, they’re not reducing her hours and they’re hit and miss with letting her take her full 30-minute break.”


    “She told me she’s going to Germany on exchange,” Lila said matter-of-factly. “Europe is so expensive. I just reckon she’s working as much as she can to save up for it.”


    “Lila, I don’t know if you know this, but the German sister school isn’t sending anyone over this year. That means we don’t have an exchange with them this year,” Asher said, looking at her through narrowed eyes. “Something got buggered up on their end and it was too late for the students to sign up.”


    “The year’s not even half over,” Lila noted in surprise. “Why would that matter?”


    “They’re supposed to attend our school, if it all went to plan, in, like, August? Well, next term, anyway. But because they’re not coming through, the College allowed the reciprocal exchange to be skipped. For the Grade 12s, if they wanted to go, they’re going in around June next year, even though they’d have graduated. Just to make it fair,” Asher finished his explanation with a satisfied tap of his chin.


    “How do you know all that?” Lila tilted her head as she waited for an explanation. Asher gave her a sideways look, before rubbing the back of his neck.


    “I’d been planning to go this year, actually,” he said, seeming embarrassed by the idea. “I went to the preliminary meeting last year and they said they’d let me know in the new year if I’d be suitable to go. Since I don’t take German, they had to negotiate with the school and it looked like it was going ahead until something happened. Visas, maybe? Or maybe no one wanted to come? Dunno. But when school started again, I… didn’t want to go anyway.”


    Asher gave Lila a meaningful look before adding, “Actually, I didn’t see Elise at the preliminary meeting.” Then, he stopped speaking, his face draining of all colour. “I saw Piper there, though. Ayla too.”


    Lila shuddered. What would’ve happened if Piper had gone to Germany with Asher? Though, if Piper had gotten her way, perhaps they’d be dating and all would be well. The thought made her stomach turn and she refocused her attention on Asher’s phone. There was no point thinking about the “what ifs”. The trip wasn’t happening this year, and even if it was, Piper was expelled.


    “… trying to ask her what she needs the money for,” Isaac was saying exasperatedly as Lila zoned back in. “She won’t tell me. Just that it’s super serious.”


    Lila furrowed her brow. She’d heard absolutely nothing like that from her conversations with Elise over the past year. As far as she knew, there wasn’t even anything minutely bothering Elise besides how to deal with her crush on Isaac. All that had changed about her was that she was working a whole lot more… but now that the Germany exchange trip she’d been talking about all year was busted… what was she working for?


    “I’m guessing by your silence, Lila, that you either know exactly why, or you know nothing at all,” Isaac sighed.


    “Unfortunately, it’s the latter,” Lila replied gravely. “I really have no idea. She tells me everything… so I thought.”


    Asher’s eyes met Lila’s and she swiftly looked away, shame rising in her throat. The fact that she was sitting here, hovering over his phone amongst a plethora of pictures of Marlene’s house wasn’t lost on Lila. It would be entirely hypocritical if she were to get upset at the fact that Elise was hiding things from her. In saying that, despite her rational brain telling her so, Lila couldn’t help but feel dejected that Elise was hiding something to the point of struggling this much.


    “Should I talk to her?” Lila asked quietly after a few moments of silence between the three of them.


    “Definitely not,” Isaac said flatly. “You’re not supposed to know something’s wrong. Maybe I can… I dunno. Work it out with her. I…”


    He sounded lost in thought as he trailed off before adding in a whisper. “She’s my friend, too.”


    “When did that happen?” Asher inquired, raising an eyebrow at Lila. “Thought you couldn’t stand her.”


    “Nah,” Isaac replied dismissively. “That’s all just banter. A-Anyway – Lila, how can I get her to stop overworking herself?”


    Lila mused on this point before exhaling heavily. “This is Elise we’re talking about. She’s a stubborn one. Probably why she doesn’t want to tell anyone anything. She doesn’t ask for help, even when she needs it.”


    “Sounds familiar,” Asher interjected seriously. Lila shot him a reproachful look as she continued to think.


    “Honestly… the only thing we could do is figure out what it is she’s struggling with and help her without telling her we’re helping her,” Lila eventually proposed.


    “What, give her money?” Asher blinked at Lila in surprise. She shook her head.


    “She wouldn’t accept a cent. We can help in other ways, though. Making sure she eats, for one. And, if we can figure out what’s going on, maybe there’re non-money related things we could do.”


    “I’m really worried about her health,” Isaac added. “You guys haven’t seen her these holidays, but she looks like a ghost.”


    “Are you sure I shouldn’t talk to her?” Lila’s voice began to rise in a panic – it really didn’t sound good at all.


    “No ma’am,” Isaac refused politely.


    “How about,” Asher piped up, his eyes darting to Lila and back to his phone, “we go visit the Maccas?”


    “You guys?” Isaac clarified. “Why?”


    “It wouldn’t be out of the ordinary for Lila to see how Elise is doing if she looks that bad, and then interrogate her.”


    “Hey, I don’t interrogate,” Lila pouted. “Just question calmly.”


    “I think that’s the same thing,” Isaac replied monotonously.


    Lila fell silent before Isaac began to speak again. “She’s on tomorrow night. You guys could have dinner there or something.”


    “Are you on tomorrow?” Asher asked.


    “Yeah, 4 ‘till 9 tomorrow night. Why?”


    “Might be better if Lila tries to talk to Elise on her own, without me sitting there.”


    “True,” Isaac relented with a sigh. “I’m not working long enough for a break, but I’ll come entertain you occasionally.”


    “Sounds terrifying,” Asher joked.


    “You bet it will be, mate,” Isaac quipped. They chuckled before Isaac sighed again.


    “… What if something bad happens to her and I’m not on shift?” he asked quietly.


    “What would you do if you were on shift and something happened?” Asher countered.


    “Dunno. Freak out, probably.”


    “Then you may as well freak out at home,” Asher said simply, folding his arms. “You can’t help what you can’t help. Elise is very capable, and it’s not like she’s working completely alone.”


    “You’re right,” Isaac said gloomily. He sighed again. “Alright, I better let you guys… get back to smooching or whatever, I guess.”


    “Definitely not doing anything like that,” Asher said firmly, his face bright red. “Talk to ya later, dude. Don’t worry so much – you won’t be able to help her if you’re so anxious.”


    “I know, I know. Thanks for listening guys.”


    Isaac hung up the phone and Asher sat back, his face looking contemplative. Lila readjusted her jumper awkwardly, her face flushed. Of course Isaac had to throw that line in there…


    “Any ideas on what Elise is up to?” Asher’s voice snapped Lila’s attention back to him.


    “None,” Lila shook her head earnestly. “And that worries me.”


    “Odd. Would Grace know?”


    “I dunno why she’d tell Grace and not me. Although… I guess it’s not outside the realm of possibility… but I’ll ask Elise tomorrow. If I ask Grace and she doesn’t know, she might freak out and decide to go to Elise. It just… really bothers me. She’s always so happy to talk about herself and her life. Not in a bad way, of course. But I’d never considered the idea that she was even capable of keeping something from me.”


    Asher nodded slowly. “Alright. Well… it feels a bit weird to ask this, but should we go back to looking through the photos? The Elise problem we can look into tomorrow.”


    “You’re right. Let’s keep going.”


    They flipped through the photos again in silence, Lila trying to take in every detail. Marlene was certainly enigmatic. As Lila’s concentration refocused on Marlene, her worries about Elise slipped to the back of her mind. They’d get to the bottom of that issue tomorrow…


    “Alright, well,” Asher yawned after about half an hour of silent viewing. “Let’s take inventory of the photos. Maybe write down what each photo is, what we think about it, that kinda thing. Did you bring your laptop?”


    “I did,” Lila confirmed, rubbing her eyes. “What’s the time?”


    “It’s… oh shit, it’s almost 6,” Asher said, jumping up. “Gotta put these away.”


    Lila instantly followed suit, scooping up the photos she’d been looking through and handing them to Asher. He seemed anxious as he looked wildly about the rumpus room, looking for a spot to put them.


    “Why don’t you put them in the spare room?” Lila suggested. He stared at her blankly before the idea seemed to register in his mind.


    “She probably wouldn’t go in there, since you’re staying over,” he said thoughtfully. “Plus, it’s an odd place to hide something. Righto, I’ll do that.”


    He disappeared into the spare room. Lila didn’t join him. She heard the banging of various drawers before he emerged a few seconds later.


    “Found a good spot,” he said, sounding pleased with himself. “Even if she pops in, she won’t see it unless she goes digging.”


    “Good.”


    Asher rocked on his feet for a moment, glancing around the room. “So… wanna play?”


    “’Course I do. How’s that even a question?”