Accomplice《Lilix》

PART 32: Impressed

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"I let him kiss me, Leo. I let him kiss me, and I kissed him back. And I liked it."

Lila's cat purred. He didn't care about her dilemmas, as long as he could keep pawing at the fabric of her sweater. She ignored his antics as her thoughts continued to slip out of her mouth.

"I like him. I like him way more than I thought I would."

She sighed. Gabriel Agreste was still under suspicion, article after article being posted about him. The man--and probably his son, too--despised her. Instead of preparing for the worst like a rational human being, here she was, gushing over a boy.

"Maybe I should have stayed in the hospital longer," she muttered. She breathed in and out, feeling mostly healed ribs. Leo's paw lifted up her shirt slightly, and she could see the splotches where her bruises faded.

Lila still thought about the moment sometimes. Even in school, when she was drowning out her classmates' gossip about her, the sound of the bell would be replaced by the sound of her bones cracking. And in the comfort of her bed, when she closed her eyes in an attempt to fall asleep, she'd open them out of fear of waking up in the hospital again. On nights like that, she would calm herself down by thinking of Felix, who had no problem expressing how much he cared about her, who went out of his way to prove that he'd always choose her side.

As always, Kira left a mark on her. She just hoped that this one would go away quickly.

Her mom was out, but she enjoyed the feeling of being alone in the apartment. The kitchen was clean, the studio was empty, and the only thing she wanted was another pint of pistachio ice cream.

Before she could decide whether to go raid the freezer or not, the doorbell rang.

That's weird. Why is she home early?

Lila scooped up her cat and set him down on the floor. Instead of following her, Leo curled up into a ball near the edge of the bed.

"Gee, thanks for your company. I really appreciate it." 

The bell rang again, and she rolled her eyes. "How many times have I told her not to leave her keys behind?" she muttered under her breath. But the hope her mom had remembered to buy more ice cream motivated her. 

When Lila opened the door, her heart stopped.

Kira Blanchet stood in front of her. Alone. Without handcuffs, bodyguards, or anything to hold her back.

Lila's flight or fight instantly kicked in. Her flight kicked in a little sooner. But before she could get as far away as possible, Kira spoke. "Your hair is a mess."

She froze. Kira didn't move, her dark eyes locked on her.

Lila recollected herself before Kira could sense her fear. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"So vulgar. Is that really a way to greet an old friend?"

"Don't try to scare me," Lila said. "Where's the sick turn? The part where you tell me how pathetic I am before you try to kill me?"

Kira rolled her eyes, and it was the first time Lila saw the dark circles under them. "Unfortunately, it's not coming this time," she said, dusting off her dress. Black, her signature color. Even in the midst of legal troubles, she still managed to feign being put together.

"Hurry up. I don't have all day."

"Don't be so full of yourself," Kira snapped. She took a breath and forced a smirk. "I just thought you'd like a little update on where I've been."

"Oh yeah?" Lila leaned against the doorway, the corner of her lip turned up. "Tell me all about what jail is like. I wanna know how they treat arsonists."

"I wish I could tell you," Kira said with a pout. "But really, I'd bore you to death. None of it matters when my parents could buy the police station if they wanted to."

A paragraph of swears and curses appeared in Lila's brain. But she couldn't lose her cool. Not now.

"So, what now?" she managed to ask. 
She'd mostly asked herself, but Kira toyed with her hair as she responded.

"Questioning. Interrogating. Jail, most likely." She shrugged. "Not for too long, though. You know how it is."

Lila did know. All it would take was a lot of money, and that could easily be covered. "And after that?"

"Maybe I'll try to ruin your life. Maybe I won't. It all depends on my mood. Either way, I'm impressed, Lila." When Kira noticed the shock on her face, she reveled in it for a moment before continuing. "Not only are you clever, but you're a total bitch. I can respect that. I am curious though."

"About?"

"Felix. Do you plan to rip out his heart and step on it?"

At the mention of Felix, Lila dropped the banter and narrowed her eyes. "Not even close," she said sharply. She wanted to keep Felix's heart in his chest. She wanted that heart to keep loving her. She wanted him to be standing there right now, so she could see the disgust on Kira's face as she placed her lips on his.

"You really have changed," Kira said. "I remember when a simple compliment used to leave you speechless. Now look at you. Ruining entire corporations."

Lila smirked. "Character development, don't you think?"

"Damn right." Kira's expression softened, but the confidence in her eyes didn't.  "You know, I was thinking about Belle--"

"Stop right there." Lila took herself off the door frame so that she was staring Kira down. "I don't ever want to hear her name come out of your mouth, got it? You don't deserve to say it."

Kira let out one of her wicked witch cackles. The one that used to make Lila feel like a bug that could easily be stepped on. "Am I not allowed to mourn?" she laughed.

"Oh please, I want you to mourn," Lila said. "Unfortunately, I don't think you're capable of that."

"Don't think you're the hero of this story. Or hers."

Lila scoffed at that. "Any story where I'm the hero shouldn't be published."

"Aw, don't say that," Kira sniped back. "Maybe in some twisted, messed up alternate universe."

Lila looked her over. For a moment, she saw the charismatic friend who had taken her in. She saw hands with too many papercuts and platform shoes that had to be shown off. She saw plans to sneak away from parents and backup plans for if they didn't work. She saw giggles and ice cream and boy talk and everything in between.

When she looked her over again, the mirage faded.

"Goodbye, Kira."

Kira shook her head as if she was disappointed. But Lila knew her well enough to know that the gesture was probably caution, not disappointment.
"Don't enjoy the peace for too long, Lila. Life likes to do this thing where it dangles happiness above your head, so you have to jump for it like a pathetic child."

Lila stood there, trying to make the words sink in. But they wouldn't. She'd just helped ruined the reputation of a world-famous designer. She was supposed to be stressed to the point of panic. She was supposed to be terrified of the consequences.

Instead, she couldn't remember the last time she had felt so calm. Maybe life was dangling happiness above her head, but she'd never give it the satisfaction of jumping for it.

"Thanks for your concern. I think I'll be happy for a while," she finally said. "Try not to get in too much trouble. And say hi to your dear parents for me, will you?"

Kira looked her up and down one more time. If there was anything else she wanted to say, she hid it behind the gaze of her dark eyes. Before she could get too far, Lila called out to her.

"One more thing."

When Kira locked eyes with her, Lila smirked.

"You were right. He is a good kisser."

For once, she knew that there wouldn't be a response. She slammed the door, ending what she hoped to be the last chapter of their story.