The Last Favour

The odds of being thrown in unprecedented situations with someone you dislike are rare and few in this day and age. The odds of being thrown into their family politics less than two week from meeting them are... well, nonexistant. The author of my life didn't seem to get that memo. On a lovely quiet morning I decided to sit and work on oneof my many essays, minding my business in the library when the chair facing mine was suddenly pulled back for someone to settle in it. I debated on keeping my eyes glued to the screen and my earphones in place, and I would have done just that if they didn't slide a rectangular box towards me.

I took one bud out and looked up from the box to meet a pair of glacier-blue eyes fixed on me. I wouldn't exactly say I am surprised at the sight of him by now. I had lost count of the many times he appeared before my eyes when I least expected it so I sighed and lowered my laptop screen, waiting for him to say something.

He motioned to the box, attempting to look nonchalant as he spoke quietly. "It's a peace offering."

I wonder if I had missed something since the last time I saw him at the clinic. "I'm sorry, what?"

"For, you know." He scratched the back of his head and shifted awkwardly. "Getting off on the wrong foot the last few times."

"Define getting off on the wrong foot." I folded my arms expectantly. "No, tell me why are we even talking in the first place?"

He looked annoyed, probably half-tempted to just leave which I would not have minded. "I- well, I apologize for the way I spoke to you the last time."

"Okay, that's a good start. And?"

Had we not been in a public space, I believe he might have just strangled me. I admire his attempt at patience nonetheless. "Look. Lily, right?" I nodded. "I shouldn't have treated you the way I have so I'm sorry for that. Dominic-

Understanding dawned on me. Of course it had to be freaking Dominic. I leaned closer to the table. "Is this about Primrose? If it is, I don't know why you believe that I'd be of any help. You're her brother. I'm just a stranger. It's not like she could trust me more than you."

"That's where you're mistaken." He cut me off. His jaw was clenched and he looked a mixture of both mad and devastated at the same time.

Sensitive topic. Got it.

"What I'm trying to say is." I cleared my throat, interrupting his thoughts. "Even if I can help, I have no idea how to."

"Are you willing to help though?" He latched onto my comment and I wanted to facepalm myself right then and there. Why am I a magnet of unfortunate events?

"You're missing the point."

"I'm Adam." He extended his hand for me to shake. I looked at it hesitantly before shaking it and quickly retrieving my hand back, ignoring the remnants of warmth on it. I let him speak. "Things between Prim and I are complicated to say the least." He seemed to consider his next words carefully. "I was hoping I can fix it on my own. She still won't even allow me to be near her. I really tried."

"Have you?" The sarcastic comment escaped me before I could control it. I collected myself and apologized quietly, feeling bad upon seeing the disturbed look on his face. At least he seemed to genuinely care. "Answer me one thing." He met my gaze curiously. "What's happened between you two to ruin your relationship?"

Adam looked away, suddenly finding the rows upon rows of books interesting. I can understand it if he doesn't want to divulge any personal details. That's not what I'm aiming for but I, at least, need an indication of what kind of problem we're dealing with here. He can't just expect me to magically work it out on my own and know exactly how to help.

"She doesn't trust me anymore." He said solemnly.

I stopped tapping my knuckles on the table and looked closely at his face. There seemed to be layers of emotions and thoughts he was trying to either shut down or keep from tumbling out accidentally... but what do I know anyway?

"I failed her twice now: not being there for her when she most needed me." He sighed deeply, running his hand back and forth on his forehead as he filtered out all the emotion from his voice. "I understand if you don't want to get involved. You are under no obligation to, and you probably hate my guts. Just know that this is extremely important to me. Ro trusts you- no, she loves you and she would listen to what you have to say."

I inspected my nails absentmindedly, thinking about things from Prim's perspective. This was a tough spot to be put in. While he did seem genuinely sorry and willing to earn her forgiveness... "Was there a good excuse for it, you not showing up for her? Was it worth it?"

Taken aback, he probably wasn't expecting to be put on the spot or asked those kinds of questions. I ran my fingers through my messy tangle of hair and sighed. "I understand this is important to you and it's absolutely none of my business, but Prim is what matters to me in this entire ordeal. No offense, but I only care about her and what she might be thinking or feeling. She already went through a lot, even in the little time I've known her, and I won't exactly be chuffed to help you out if it'll cause her pain."

Adam stared at me for longer than necessary or proper. I could not read the look on his face or any of his thoughts, but I started to become antsy and uncomfortable under his intense gaze. At last he sat back in his chair and huffed out a laugh, shaking his head. Unexpectedly, he had a little smile when he looked at me again. "I have my reasons. Good enough even for Prim. I promise, or at least I hope. She won't let me speak to her and even if I tell her now, she might not take my word for it. That's why I need to earn back her trust."

I nodded, surprised I'm actually considering involving myself in these murky waters, yet there's a part of me that wants to help however I can. There is no lie in what I said about caring for Prim, but as much progress as she made since I met her, she still strikes me as lonely and troubled even now. She never mentions it, but every young girl misses and craves her family, especially one she seems to have a strong bond with. "Okay. What do you have in mind?"

"You'll help?" He straightened up in his seat.

I nodded, eyeing him cautiously. Just because I agreed to help doesn't mean I trusted or warmed up to him. I still have my reservations. "Do you actually have an idea where to begin?"

He looked at my stuff strewn on the table before shrugging. "Having her not run away from me every time I try to talk to her would be a good place to start."

I took a deep breath to calm myself down. Okay, I guess he has no idea how to do that judging by the last time he showed up unannounced. I spun my pencil while thinking of a way to get Prim to soften up to the idea. "Throwing her unprepared into these situations won't work."

"She's stubborn." He shrugged. I raised a brow at him in an 'and you're one to talk?' manner.

"I'll talk to her beforehand." I at least hoped she would listen to me. "Can't guarantee it will work, but we'll see if she warms up to the idea."

He looked relieved. I didn't know if I was raising his expectations too high, and I frankly didn't care. He would be an idiot to think I can quickly fix whatever went wrong between them. Now, I'm more annoyed he didn't remove himself from my space. I thought this conversation was over. "Is that all?"

He looked from me to the brown box and suddenly got to his feet. I just remembered he brought that along. "Wait, what's this?"

Adam shifted his eyes before replying dismissively. "An offering of peace, as I said before."

"We're not exactly enemies." I shrugged, pushing the box back towards him. "You didn't need to."

His hand stopped mine, then he retrieved it quickly. "Just keep it. I'll see you around."

I continued working on my essay and doing my best to avoid the unopened mystery box. One would say I'm afraid it'll blow up in my face and this entire thing would be some big joke he was playing. I shook the silly thought from my head, and picked it up to open it on my way out.

Everything had to wait and take the back burner when I left SHU. The sight of my best friend's boyfriend leaning on a motorcycle with some girl straddling his waist as they were all over each other made me freeze on the spot. I almost dropped my belongings feeling sudden rage overtake my body. I didn't even realize I was halfway across to where they were until I watched them helplessly zoom away from the perimeters. I stood there dumb-struck, not knowing how to proceed. This has to be enough reason to break the long silence and reach out to Maddie. She has to know her boyfriend is a lying, cheating, piece of shit.

I marched angrily towards my bus stop while ringing her a dozen times and being directed straight to voicemail each time. It didn't help that she was the one ignoring me now, and my mood soured even further. I fumed silently when I called her mom to see if she was home. Dr. Rowanda had noticed that something's been off between the two of us but didn't question me on it, thankfully. She did, however, tell me that Madeline was staying over at some friend's place.

"Woah." I bumped into a considerably tall person, staggering backwards. They reached out and steadied me on the spot. "Why do you look like you're on your way to murder someone?"

I frowned, looking up to see familiar warm brown eyes. "Ben! Oh, I'm so sorry. I should have paid attention."

"It's alright." He chuckled. "How are you?"

I took a deep breath, trying to fix my dishevelled hair. "Right now? Not so sunny. Are you good?"

"I'm good." He pulled me closer to him. Surprised, I cleared my throat in embarassement when I noticed I was standing on the bike lane. "Why are you upset?"

"Is witnessing your best friend's boyfriend cheating on her reason enough?" I could commit violence towards that jerk right now.

"Shit." He squeezed my hand. "I'm sorry. Is your friend okay?"

I shook my head and put some distance between us. "I'm not sure she knows and she's not picking up my phone calls right now."

"Oh." He looked awkward which was understandable. I'm not sure he planned this kind of interaction today.

I gave him an appreciative smile anyway. "Thank you for asking though. I'll be on my way now."

"You're taking the bus?" He asked, glancing at the stop a few feet behind us. I nodded. "Let me give you a ride. My car is just around the corner anyway."

"It's really okay. I'm used to getting the bus-

"Lily, It's not a bother. Give me a minute to get the car, yeah?" He left me no room to argue because he was already jogging round the corner when I closed my mouth and sighed. It wasn't a crime to let him give me a ride, but it didn't sit right with me to get random favors from people whom I can't offer anything back. Ben had always been extremely nice to me ever since Dominic introduced us. We rarely got to talk but from what little I know of him, he reminds me strongly of someone from my past.

I thanked him quietly and got inside. The atmosphere wasn't as awkward as I anticipated. He was a smooth conversationalist considering the fact that he was usually very quiet. I found myself enjoying the little talk as he artfully asked and let me rant about my feud with Madeline. I didn't realize how much I needed to talk about it to another person who is unbiased and has an external point of view.

"You both had enough time apart to process what happened. It's not always bad to take the first step to fix the situation with someone who means a lot to you. Maybe she doesn't know exactly how to express her frustrations to you." He said. "Things like this can get complicated when someone else is involved, but it's not your duty to make sure she and Dominic get along. They're adults. They can figure things out for themselves. You don't need to side with one of them or the other."

"Is it easier said than done or am I just over-complicating it?" I sighed, feeling silly for sounding so unsure.

He shot me an understanding smile. "You're doing your best. Don't be too harsh on yourself."

"How are you so wise?" I raised an impressed brow.

He chuckled. "The gift of being the eldest out of five siblings I suppose. Diplomacy becomes your natural asset."

I tried to imagine him babying and resolving conflicts between wild younger siblings. "I wish I had an ounce of that, honestly."

"You're pretty tactful yourself." He added. "You just don't see it."

I looked at the road ahead. I wasn't exactly clueless about Ben. He's been showing interest in me lately whenever we got to meet. I fear I'm reading too much into it. I haven't been put in this kind of situation before. That and I wasn't looking for any romantic relationship to begin with. Maybe I am judging him through the lense of the past, through the actions of someone he isn't even aware exists, but I can't help but be on the defensive.

Ben stopped the car in front of my house before long, not making a move to end the conversation. He just paused for a few seconds and turned to face me. "I like you, Lilianne." I pressed my lips tightly in a line and looked at him searchingly. He continued. "It feels slightly wrong to be telling you this. Dominic will probably kill me considering how many times he warned us to stay away."

I had a slight suspicion that might be the case. Dominic was protective to a fault. I wondered if he'd told the guys on the team to keep their distance since they all seemed to tiptoe around me whenever I went to see their games or practices.

"Ben." I started hesitantly.

"I know. I guessed you didn't share the same feelings. It was a reach, even for me." He chuckled, kneading his neck. "You are out of my league, but I thought I should tell you. I just wanted to be honest."

Heat crept up to my cheeks. I had a hard time responding. "Don't say that. You're being too generous. You're team captain, have you seen how many girls are after you?"

"Not you though?" He teased. I was glad he kept the conversation playful. I'm not sure I can navigate any heavy confrontational stuff at the moment. We shared a laugh and the atmosphere seemed to grow lighter.

"Can I take you out on a date sometime?"

I was so surprised I could've choked on air and was lost for words. He looked amused. "You can say no, but please humour me."

I returned his smile. Maybe I can do this much. No expectations. No pressure. Just a date. "Okay."

Ben seemed happy about my response. I thanked him before climbing out and waved goodbye as he drove away.

My eldest sister Emilia was standing in the doorway, eyebrow raised. I ignored her silent judgement and almost walked in successfully, but of course she couldn't keep her mouth shut for two damn minutes.

I counted down from ten to keep calm, heading for the kitchen to get a glass of extra cold water. She followed me in. "Didn't know you had a new little boy toy. Until when will you keep this up?"

"Mind your own business, will you?" I glared at her.

She raised her nose in contempt. "It says a lot about you, bouncing from boy to boy. Whatever would people think."

"They could all go to hell for all I care, and maybe reserve a seat for you there too." I walked upstairs to my room, trying to escape a fight with her.

"You might want to watch your mouth." She nagged, following me. At this point I'm beginning to suspect she picks fights with me on purpose for whatever sick reason she has. "Why should I be surprised? You disrespect everyone. You do whatever the hell you like without consideration for our family or reputation. You spend your time whoring around. I guess it really runs in your blood-

"I dare you to finish that thought Emilia." I stopped dead in my tracks, turning to face her with a venomous glare. She must know some lines aren't to be crossed. However snobbish and entitled she must be, we never bring up the dead and faultless in our arguments.

"What the hell is going on here?" Isabelle's voice broke our stare down. I forgot she was staying the week. "What happened?"

"Your sister happened." I walked to my room to pick up a jacket, dropping my heavy backpack on the desk so I can get out of this house and breathe some air.

"Lilianne." Belle called after me as I descended the flight of stairs as if chased by hellhounds. "Come back, Lily!"

I responded without looking back at her. "I'm leaving. Don't expect me back tonight."