If Only

routine

"well i'm going to get ready for work but you guys are welcome to stay, keys under the mat and just lock it if you leave" Aria smiled before exiting the kitchen and walking into her room

lizzie watched as Aria left before looking at you with another amused smile on her face, "does she really just trust us here?"

"oh course, i mean what are we going to do?"

you saw a glint in lizzie's eye that you chose to ignore and you began to sip the cold coffee you had forgotten about

things were tense, you didn't want them to be but it was almost impossible to stop. things had been hard for a while between lizzie and you, and now that things were to go back to normal there was always that anxiety in the back of both of your minds wondering what would go wrong next

nothing had gone wrong in the twelve hours that you had decided to be friends, if anything this is the best things had been. there was comfort in knowing what was to come, friendship. nothing more and nothing less, and lizzie seemed content with that

while you pondered life, lizzie had gone to the couch to fold the blanket she slept with last night and think and boy she thought a lot

she thought about how she was scared to make you uncomfortable now, knowing that you only wanted to be friends. she thought about every movement she did, even if it was only playful. it wasn't bad, if anything it was good for now, you were talking to her and she couldn't be happier however she did miss having someone romantic in her life

she was codependent on Robbie, which in turn made it hard to leave. it wasn't that she needed him for anything but she didn't want to be alone and it felt good whenever someone complimented her on her wedding ring or asked how her husband was going. now she had to stop herself from being codependent on you, although it was much healthier to be close to you then Robbie

Lizzie thought about things for a while, realising that in order for things to go back to normal she would have to go back to routine and that meant going back to her house. Robbie was long gone, the paparazzi had seen him in Illinois which was confusing because he didn't know anyone from Illinois that Lizzie knew of

"can you give me a ride to my house?" lizzie asked abruptly, you looked at her wide eyes before nodding

you knocked on the bedroom door and told Aria where you both were going, Aria simply told you to stay safe

you walked down the steps of the complex with her, getting into the cold car that was left outside in the brisk morning air

"you can turn on the radio" you smiled as you started the car up, hot air filling it from the vents

Lizzie twisted the nob and quiet tunes played, Lizzie tapped her foot while looking out the window and you tapped your hand on the steering wheel as you exited the parking area

before you knew it you were pulling into the driveway of Lizzie's beautiful house, the light making it look amazing. you turned off the car and it began to get cold again

Lizzie got out pretty quickly, in a hurry to pack Robbie's things and put them in storage. you didn't move, not knowing if she wanted you there or not

"come on inside, it's chilly out here" lizzie said, ducking down to see into the car. you nodded before quickly taking off your seatbelt and following her inside

you hadn't been here since the night Lizzie kicked you out after Robbie came home unexpectedly, you were confused back then but now you understood. you decided to not bring it up and focused on the dinner party instead, the night in the garden

you looked around, things hadn't changed much but the house definitely looked lived in. it was comforting yet eery, like you weren't welcomed there

"do you want a glass of water?" lizzie asked, snapping you back to the real world

"oh no thank you, but hey,  what did you want to come back here for? want to grab something ?" you declined and then asked

"just wanted to see how much i needed to pack of Robbie's things but now that i see the house i think it's mostly just clothes and instruments" Lizzie said while running her finger over the kitchen counter

"are you going to sell the house?" you asked, completely forgetting how soon it was

"i don't know, i guess we'll see how good my lawyer is. i might not even be able to keep it from Robbie" lizzie chuckles, but it wasn't a happy one.. it sounded frustrated

"do you need a place to stay for the time being? my place is always free" you offered almost immediately

"Y/n, i don't think that's such a good idea. i think we need to go back to our old lives" lizzie said again, filling a glass up with tap water as she spoke

"what why? are we not going to talk anymore?" you asked quietly

"we'll definitely still talk but i don't think we should be alone in your house together, friends don't normally move in" Lizzie replied, stopping her actions  momentarily before saying the last sentence

"friends totally do, Aria and I were roommates"

"not friends with our past, or did you forget already?" Lizzie asked, putting down the class of water and walking closer to you

you took a step back, not knowing what she was thinking

"calm down, y/n. i'm not going to ambush you with my lips again, i've learnt better" Lizzie softly smiled before clearing her throat, "but for now i think we should be in separate places, take time for ourselves while also continuing to be friends. sound good?"

"uh yeah" you breathed out, it was impossible to fight this as it was the most logical next step

daily life has to go back to normal and that meant being away from Lizzie most days but that's what friends do. they take time away from each other, right?

so after making sure Lizzie was all set at her house you made your way back to yours. your car felt empty, Lizzie may had left but her perfume definitely stayed. the sweet scent of vanilla and cinnamon made you feel warm enough to the point where you didn't even turn on the car heater

"back to routine" you thought to yourself

A/N hi guys ! lemme know what things you want to see from the friendship between y/n and Liz :)