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MillionNovel > Scattering Lilac Ashes > Chapter One Hundred

Chapter One Hundred

    Chapter One Hundred


    Once Lila arrived home, she checked with Asher about what time he was thinking of coming over. When he said ‘11’, Lila was filled with a sense of panic. Now that Asher wasn’t helping Daniel with the Banker’s finances, that meant he would be spending all that time until dinner with Lila… What could they even do?


    Her room, in comparison to his wing of the mansion, was tiny. Her family did have a Switch, but none of the games that Lila usually played with Asher. At this point, too, he’d almost read her whole book collection.


    Lila assumed that she’d need to have the door open again, which unfortunately meant they wouldn’t really be able to talk about the investigation.


    She hoped that sleep could provide her with an answer. Tucking herself into bed, she caught sight of the bag Asher had given her sitting on her desk. She hadn’t yet unpacked anything, but perhaps she could have a quick read of the book he’d gifted her to lull her into sleep.


    Waking up several hours later to the sound of birdsong outside her window, Lila realised that she’d fallen asleep reading. Luckily, the book wasn’t damaged, and she gently closed it and placed it beside her bed.


    It was 8am, so Lila went about her morning routine as usual without any idea of what they could do today. Just hanging out together was looking more and more like the only option, especially as she still wasn’t too keen on leaving the house.


    As she finished tidying her room at about 10.30am, a new suggestion occurred to Lila. They had some board games that they could play – maybe even rope Daniel and Clare, or her parents, into playing with them.


    Lila skipped down the stairs, narrowly avoiding stacking it as she rounded the corner towards the living room. The board games were kept under the TV mainly – not that they had too many to choose from.


    Humming, Lila opened the cabinet door, taking stock of what they had.


    “You seem like you’re in a good mood,” grumbled Clare, clad in pyjamas and a messy bun atop her head. She promptly sat with a huff on the couch. She turned on the TV, which began blasting whatever had been on last. She quickly muted it with a wince.


    “You seem like you’re in a bad mood,” countered Lila, pulling out two card games, and reading the back of one to see if it’d be suitable.


    “Could say that,” Clare muttered.


    “What happened?”


    Clare gently kicked her feet against the base of the couch before sighing heavily.


    “I asked… that guy for a break, and he agreed. I thought he’d at least ask why, or resist a little. Instead, he said he was thinking about having one too.”


    “Oh.”


    “Then I took, like, ten shots at the bar and my head is pounding. I’m lucky Gabriel took pity on me and sent me home in a cab, but that was kinda embarrassing.”


    “That sounds like the consequences of your actions.”


    “I know,” Clare groaned, covering her eyes with both hands. “So stupid. Who even thought up that idea?”


    “What, that your actions have consequences? Mum would probably say Jesus.”


    Clare shot Lila a withering look. “That was a rhetorical question, smart ass.”


    Lila poked her tongue out at Clare before turning back to the cabinet and continuing her rummaging.


    “So? What’s up with your insufferable perkiness?” Clare asked, her tone disapproving beyond measure.


    “Oh, right, you were already at work when I came home. Asher’s coming over at 11.”


    Clare leapt up. “Jesus, Lila, you should lead with that! I’m just in my pyjamas – not to mention braless.”


    “Honestly? Didn’t even occur to me that you’d want to change,” Lila replied with a shrug. “Besides, you’re the one that started complaining about your not-boyfriend almost immediately.”


    “You’re an asshole!” Clare called as she scrambled out of the living room to head up the stairs. Lila smirked to herself as she continued browsing.


    Eventually, she picked a few games and stacked them on the dining room table, satisfied with her collection. Checking the time, she’d have about five-


    Knock knock.


    Or… no minutes.


    Lila headed over to the front door and unlocked it. She could see an Asher-shaped silhouette through the frosted glass of the front door and nervously smoothed down her hair.


    Twisting the doorknob with a tentative smile, she was confronted by a tense-looking Asher, dressed far more neatly than she had seen in a while.


    “Hey,” she said simply. His face split into a beam, and, without her consciously deciding to do so, she opened her arms as an offer for a hug. His beam grew wider as he stepped forward, pulling her into his warm, sturdy chest. Pleasant bursts of tingles shot down her body as she pressed her face closer to him – inhaling as much as she could, as quietly as she could, of his familiar, comforting scent. It had the strange effect of calming her down considerably whilst revving her heartrate up simultaneously.


    This hug was much shorter than yesterday’s, which suited Lila just fine – any longer and her head would burst into flames, due to how hot her face felt.


    “Hey,” he finally said, his kind eyes filled with unbridled happiness. “It’s been a while since I’ve been here.”


    “Yeah,” Lila said lamely, stepping aside to allow him entry. “Nothing’s changed about this place.”


    He chuckled, taking off his shoes as Lila locked the front door. He looked around the hallway before pointing at a framed picture of Jesus along the left side wall.


    “That one’s new,” he grinned.


    “Shit, is it?” Lila asked, genuinely surprised.


    “At least, I don’t remember it,” Asher responded. “Maybe I’m misremembering.”


    “I thought you were infallible.”


    Asher snorted. “That’s a lie, and you know it. I’ve made plenty of mistakes.”


    “Dunno about plenty,” Lila said loftily, leading him towards the stairs. “Unless you count being here one of them.”


    “Definitely not,” Asher flashed her a cheeky grin. It felt as though his grin had knocked her heart out of rhythm for just a moment before he added, “Going upstairs?”


    “You might wanna put your stuff down in my room, at least,” Lila replied, coughing slightly and looking up at the staircase.


    “Sounds like a plan.”


    Lila led the way up to her room, ensuring her door remained open. Her parents, it seemed, were having a lazy morning, for Lila hadn’t seen either of them all day. That didn’t mean, though, that neither would pop in and assess whether Lila and Asher were behaving appropriately.


    Asher placed his bag down next to Lila’s bookcase before sitting down cross-legged in front of it, perusing her offerings.


    “I haven’t really gotten anything new,” Lila said, sitting down on her desk chair.


    “There was one that I was really curious about last time I visited,” Asher replied, peering closer. “This one.”


    He pulled out a fantasy book and cracked it open, his eyes flicking down the page with incredible speed. He nodded once he was finished with the first page, seeming satisfied.


    “Can I take this one with me?” he asked, holding it up in the air.


    “Sure,” Lila responded with a nonplussed shrug. “Go hard.”


    He smirked, placing it into his bag, before leaning back on his hands and looking up at her. “What’s on the agenda for today, boss?”


    “Boss? I like the sound of that one.”


    “What can I say? You’re one of two masterminds.”


    Lila’s eyes flickered to her open doorway. She hadn’t heard anyone creeping around, nor did she see anyone now, but his comment made her nervous. In a house like this, even the walls had ears.


    “Shit, sorry,” Asher said hurriedly. “I’m an idiot.”


    “You’re just used to operating in the privacy of your rumpus room,” Lila replied. “I get it. It’s fine.”


    “Lila-”


    “Anyway, this house is far less entertaining than yours. Plus, it’s squashy as all hell. So, I set up some board games downstairs. We might even tempt Clare and Daniel to join us,” Lila announced, jumping to her feet. “Let’s go.”


    Asher didn’t seem pleased that Lila had cut him off, but he didn’t press the point. They had just passed Daniel’s room when he poked his head out.


    “Lila, why do you sound like an elephant?” he asked grumpily. Asher turned around, having descended the first step downstairs.


    “Sorry, should get on a diet, aye?” Asher joked. Daniel’s eyes bulged.


    “Asher?!”


    “In the flesh. You seem happy to see me.”


    “Of course,” Daniel replied, straightening up. “I’ve been wondering when you’d show your face ‘round here again. Lila’s been moping for the past week, it’s been sickening.”


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    “Has she?” Asher’s eyes met Lila’s and she immediately looked away.


    “Sure has,” Daniel snorted. “Do you have a minute?”


    “Do I need to be involved in this minute?” Lila queried.


    “Nah,” Daniel replied. “Don’t worry, I’m not gonna do anything to Asher. He’ll leave in one piece… I think.”


    “Sounds ominous,” Asher nodded, walking back over to Daniel’s room. “I suppose it’s about the thing?”


    “Yup. That thing.”


    They disappeared into Daniel’s room and Lila sighed heavily. She may as well set up one of the board games, at least.


    By the time she finished, Asher appeared in the archway of the dining room, a proud smile on his face.


    “I’m assuming that Daniel wanted to show you how he was going?” Lila questioned, sitting cross-legged in her usual chair whilst shuffling the deck they were going to be drawing their hand from.


    “Yup,” Asher confirmed, taking a seat opposite Lila. “He’s doing a lot better than I’d thought he’d be. Not that I thought he’d be doing terribly – but he’s actually just that good now. It’s awesome. How do we play this one?”


    They played a couple of different board games, their rowdiness eventually attracting the attention of Clare and Daniel, who both decided to complain first before demanding their own Meeples and set of cards.


    “My, I haven’t heard you guys be this boisterous for an age and a half,” Lila’s Dad laughed at about 12.30pm, approaching them with curiosity. “Oh, you’re playing that one? Who’s winning?”


    “Who do you think, Dad?” pouted Clare. “The cheater, clearly.”


    Lila’s Dad raised an eyebrow at Clare before glancing at the rest of the table. “And… who’s that this time?”


    “Me,” cackled Daniel, throwing down a card and doing a victory jig in his seat. “Suck on that, losers!”


    “Aha! You admit you’re cheating!” Clare cried, pointing at Daniel. He stuck his tongue out at her.


    “Never said that. I’m just the winner,” he replied smugly.


    “Actually,” Asher interjected, throwing down one of his cards. “I’m countering that one.”


    “I trusted you!” shrieked Daniel, frantically looking through his remaining cards. Lila’s Dad chuckled before moving along to the kitchen.


    Asher gave his best imitation of an evil laugh, cracking up the rest of the table. Lila was glad to see that Asher was getting along with her siblings. It was surprising, in a way, since he didn’t have his own siblings. Despite that, he fit in so well that it felt that they’d all been friends for years – rather than the short few months that Asher had interacted with Clare and Daniel.


    “Lila, hurry up,” Clare’s impatient voice snapped Lila out of her thoughts. She was so distracted that she’d forgotten the strategy she was going with – until Daniel countered something Lila wanted to do.


    Eventually, Lila’s parents reappeared in the archway.


    “Lunchtime, kiddos,” Lila’s Dad announced, gesturing to the kitchen. “Something light, since we’re having tocino for dinner, apparently.”


    “That’s right. Hope you like sandwiches, Asher,” Lila’s Mum added kindly.


    “Sandwiches are man’s best friend, that’s what I say,” Asher replied with a grin. “I’m sure they’re very tasty like everything else you’ve made, Mrs Moloney.”


    “Oh, stop it, you,” Lila’s Mum said bashfully, holding her right hand to her face. “If you keep it up, we’ll just keep you here forever.”


    Asher’s eyes darted to Lila for a moment before he smiled again. “Not a bad idea.”


    Lila’s Dad coughed abruptly before gesturing again to the kitchen. “Well, go grab some before I eat them all.”


    Asher placed a card down before dusting his hands and standing up. “Sounds great. I win, by the way.”


    Immediately, Clare and Daniel began decrying Asher’s win, picking up his card between the two of them and glaring at it. Lila smirked, standing up to follow Asher into the kitchen.


    There were a variety of different types of sandwiches with various salads, meats and cheeses, all cut up into quarters. It was reminiscent of Lila’s first visit to Asher’s house, actually-


    “Get out the way, dummy,” Daniel huffed from behind Lila. “Stop spacing out. Or, if you’re gonna space out, do it outside.”


    Lila rolled her eyes at Daniel, bumping him with her hip. “You’re so rude.”


    “Take after my big sis.”


    “Hey!” Lila and Clare simultaneously objected. Asher chortled, instantly stopping when both Moloney sisters rounded on him.


    “Look, I can’t help ya when both of you react,” Daniel snickered. “You guys just outed yourselves.”


    “Shut it, or I’ll dunk you in the sink,” Clare retorted. Daniel snickered again but otherwise heeded Clare’s instruction.


    Everyone had lunch in the dining room, including Lila’s parents. They mostly talked about the board game, including Asher’s suspiciously impressive win, and their plans for Monday. It seemed everyone had a busy schedule.


    After lunch, Asher suggested hanging around in Lila’s room for a bit – mostly so he could lie down on the floor.


    “You do know that we have a couch in the living room, right?” Lila chuckled, placing both their plates into the dishwasher. “Surely that’s more comfortable.”


    “It probably is,” Asher replied with a nod, “but… I… never mind.”


    Lila glanced at him in surprise. “What do you mean, never mind? Now I’m minding.”


    “Well… I’m trying to be careful with my words here. Since… yesterday.”


    “Now I’m definitely curious. What’s up?”


    “Are you two flirting in here?” Clare asked, pushing past them into the kitchen to put her own plate away. “This atmosphere feels rife with it.”


    “Oh, go away,” Lila frowned, crossing her arms across her chest. “You’re giving me so many mixed signals.”


    “All I’m saying is, get a room.”


    “This is a room.”


    “Get one without me in it!”


    “You came in here!”


    “Are you guys fighting?” Asher questioned, his eyes looking wary. Both sisters turned to him with identically amused expressions.


    “Nah,” said Clare.


    “Not at all,” added Lila.


    “Why’d you ever think that?”


    Asher’s face wrinkled in confusion. Lila glanced at Clare who smirked back. It looked as though Clare wanted to say something else, but Lila wasn’t in the mood to hear it. She was still curious about what Asher was going to say…


    “We’re heading up,” Lila announced, more to Asher than to Clare. “See ya later.”


    “Door open, Lila,” Clare replied in a sing-song voice. “Otherwise, I’ll bust in there and you’ll have to pay for a new door.”


    “Yeah, yeah, not like you could ‘bust’ anything.”


    “Busted a few things in my time. Nuts, for example.”


    “Jesus Christ,” Daniel hollered, having just entered the kitchen, armed with his own plate. “Did not need to hear that.”


    Lila took this as an opportunity to escape, dashing out of the kitchen with Asher in tow.


    Lila almost closed the door as Asher flopped down in front of her bookcase, lying on his back and staring up at the ceiling. With a sigh, Lila widened it further before looking down at Asher.


    His eyes slid over to her face, a serene smile twitching the corners of his mouth.


    “What?” he asked, his tone playful.


    “Just thinking about where I should sit.”


    He patted the space next to him. “Here’s a spot I prepared earlier.”


    She laughed before settling cross-legged into the requisite spot. “I was also wondering what you meant, about me ‘never minding’ what you were about to say.”


    Asher looked back up at the ceiling, exhaling loudly. “Thought you would’ve forgotten.”


    “Me? Never.”


    “… Suppose not.”


    He remained silent for a few moments before exhaling loudly again – this time with a touch of defeat.


    “If you wanna know so bad… then I guess I’ll say it. What I was going to say was that… while your family is really fun, and I love hanging out with them, I came here to be with you. So… I guess I wanted to steal you away for a bit. Even just to hang around and do nothing.”


    “O-Oh,” Lila uttered softly. She hadn’t realised that he would feel that way – perhaps because he seemed to be enjoying himself thoroughly while playing board games. It did make her heart flutter in her chest though – that he was choosing her, above everyone else, to personally spend time with.


    “… Sorry,” Asher added, placing a hand over his eyes. “I know you said that I shouldn’t say things like that.”


    “I did ask for this, though,” Lila replied, her face turning progressively pinker. “S-So don’t feel bad.”


    Asher dropped his hand to the side, a sound of frustration escaping his lips. “It’s my fault.”


    “Asher, we’ll get trapped in an apology loop.”


    “I guess you’re right.”


    They remained still for a few moments before Lila suddenly jolted up.


    “What’s happening?” Asher asked, his tone entirely bewildered.


    “I remembered I got you something,” Lila replied absently, beginning to rifle through her closet. “I put it in here for safekeeping, but I completely missed bringing it yesterday.”


    Asher didn’t respond as Lila continued to look through her belongings. Where had she put it?


    “Aha!” she cried, victoriously reemerging from her closet. Asher sat up, eyeing her curiously as she approached, her hands behind her back.


    “Guess what it is,” Lila said cheerfully.


    “Uh… a book?”


    Lila shook her head.


    “Um… a game?”


    Lila shook her head again.


    “A snack?”


    “Three strikes,” she declared, pulling the stuffed duck that she’d won at the show out from behind her. “I won this little guy at the show.”


    “You won this?” Asher looked floored as she passed it along to him. “I suck at carnival games.”


    “Sure did,” Lila grinned, sitting back down next to him. He fondly patted the duck’s fluffy head before lifting it up over his own.


    “Approved!” he beamed, bringing it back down to his lap. “He’s really cute. I’ll have to hide him, though.”


    “Hide him? Why?”


    Asher gave her a very serious look. “Not only is he really cute, but he’s also a duck. Marlene might try to swipe him.”


    Lila laughed. Just as she expected, he picked up on her pointed choice of animal and his concern for his new fluffy companion was endearing.


    “You’re right, stealing him is pretty tempting,” she conceded with a grin.


    “You reckon she’d steer clear if he’s next to Mr Munty the Charmander?”


    Lila snorted. “You named him Mr Munty?”


    “You gotta admit, it’s pretty apt for that goofy face.”


    “You’re not wrong. I mean, he is a bit terrifying, but so is Marlene. I reckon your odds are fifty-fifty whether it would make her want to steal him even more.”


    “You’re so right,” Asher sighed, looking forlornly at the duck. “I mean, if she steals it, it’s not like I don’t know where she lives and how to get in.”


    “She’s probably changed the locks, you know.”


    “With a lockpicking kit like mine, new locks aren’t a hindrance. By the way, where are those bad boys?”


    Lila heaved herself to her feet again, this time poking around in her desk drawers. She pulled them out just as an out-of-breath Clare skidded to a halt before her open doorway.


    “Guys, guys, it’s bad,” she puffed, drawing their attention to her immediately. Lila tried to nonchalantly hide the lockpicks behind her back, but it didn’t seem like Clare was looking at her hands at all.


    “What’s bad?” Lila queried tentatively, inching closer to the desk again.


    “The police are here.”


    “Sorry, the what?” Asher instantly stood as well, alarm permeating his expression.


    “The police,” Clare replied impatiently. “They’re here for you.” She pointed at both Lila and Asher, who exchanged a glance.


    “F-For us?” Lila gulped audibly, clenching her fingers tightly around the lockpicks, which somehow felt five kilos heavier than they had a moment ago.


    “Yes. Hang on, I’ve gotta get Mum and Dad. The police’re waiting for you downstairs. Go, go, go!”


    Mirroring Clare’s urgency in their footsteps, Lila and Asher legged it down the stairs. It was only once they reached the bottom that Lila realised she was still clutching the very suspicious lockpicks. Why were the police here? Had Marlene raised a police report about their breaking and entering into her house after all? Were they about to get arrested? Lila would’ve liked to say that she hadn’t done anything worth being arrested for – but she couldn’t deny that she’d committed a couple of crimes in the past few months.


    “Here, let me take those,” Asher said softly, removing the lockpicks from her fist.


    “T-Thanks,” Lila stammered. She didn’t want to move from the landing, now that they were both here… though hiding from the police would surely look terrible.


    “… Should we greet them?” Asher questioned, his face pale and sweaty, the nervousness rolling off him like a tsunami.


    “I think that’s what Clare implied,” Lila whispered, though she still didn’t attempt to walk. They stood there for a few seconds before Asher nodded.


    “Righto, let’s get it over with,” he said, his tone clearly a false bravado. She knew him well enough by now that he was scared witless. Getting in trouble with teachers or parents was one thing… but… the police? That was a whole different level.


    Lila engaged in her breathing exercise, counting backwards from 10. She managed to get through the whole sequence, which helped her physiologically calm down. Psychologically, she was still a mess. But a determined one, nonetheless.


    Lila passed Asher without a word. She could hear him following behind her, his footsteps muffled by his socks. The hallway, though she was sure it measured the same as it always had, felt about twenty times longer – each step forward felt as though she’d also taken a half-step backwards.


    Once she was close enough, she could see two silhouettes in the frosted glass pane. The two silhouettes looked significantly intimidating – was it due to how bulky they appeared, or because of her fear? She also thought she could hear hushed whispers, though the contents of which remained indecipherable.


    Lila rested her hand on the doorknob, straining her ears to try and hear both the conversation occurring outside the front door, and any footsteps or movement from upstairs indicating her parents were coming down. With no luck on either front, Lila took one more deep breath, glancing behind her shoulder at Asher.


    He looked stoic, his arms defiantly crossed in front of his chest, jaw tightly clenched.


    “Relax,” Lila said softly. “We’ll see what they want. There’s probably no need to be so on edge.”


    Asher’s jaw twitched before he nodded, taking his own deep breath. He shoved his hands in his pockets before gesturing towards the front door with his head. He was ready for her to open it.


    But was she?


    Looking back at the doorknob, it felt strangely foreign in her hand. Had it always been shaped like this?


    She shook her head. What, had someone come and replaced it in the few hours it’d been since Asher arrived?


    ‘Don’t be an idiot,’ she admonished herself. ‘Let’s get this over with.’


    With one more shaky breath, Lila twisted the doorknob, swinging the front door open, her mind not quite prepared to see who stood on the other side.
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