The Retribution Chronicles

A d e | e l e v e n

Despite his comparative inexperience, when Ade thought date, he thought dinner. Somewhere nice, obviously, and dark to set the mood. Somewhere popular enough to be known, but also so exclusive a table was worth a lung. Somewhere that left an impression. Mini-golf certainly would, of that Ade was sure, but he worried it would be the wrong one.

"I'm not sure," Ade admitted with a wince. "Miriam doesn't seem like the type of girl to enjoy that sort of thing."

Ryan stared hard then burst into a fit of laughter. "You're joking right?" he snorted. "All her and Wes do is that stupid shit."

"Which is why he's in the friend-zone."

"Fine." Ryan raised both hands and shrugged. "I'd take a girl like Miriam for drinks then."

"Drinks?"

"Yeah, everything's better with alcohol any—"

"Can I talk to you?"

Ade stiffened; he'd know that voice anywhere. Once upon a time he rather liked it, that is when it was moaning his name, but now it served only to turn his blood to ice.

"Lydia." He glanced up at her. For once she wasn't frowning, glaring, grimacing. In fact, Ade couldn't read her expression at all. She was like a blank slate waiting to be drawn over. "Can I help you?" he asked, eyes narrowed to catch the smallest change in her features.

"Yeah, I need to talk to you."

"Right now?"

"I doubt you're doing anything important." With that, she flounced towards the foyer. Ade stood, not without grumbling, and shuffled in her wake until they made their way to the basement. In his mind's eye he saw them pressed up against a wall, his mouth brushing against her neck, hands gripping her waist while hers explored the front of his jeans. Then he blinked and the promise fluttered away, replaced with Miriam's smile and an eerie sense of calm.

"So?" Ade stuffed his hands in his pockets and leaned against the wall, head cocked to one side. "What have I done now?"

"Nothing." Lydia rolled her eyes so hard Ade had the overwhelming urge to do the same. "I realised I left a necklace at yours."

"You're just realising now? Must not be that important."

"Oh no, I noticed weeks ago, but now I can just about tolerate your presence enough to ask for it."

"Cute."

Ade expected a scowl, she was known for them, but she barely batted an eyelash at his patronising tone and asked when she could stop by to pick the necklace up.

"Today?" Ade raised a brow.

"Do you have something better to do?"

He didn't, obviously, but he still made it sound like a chore and said, "Let's just get it over and done with."

"Now?" Lydia asked.

"Why? Do you have something better to do?"

She let out a puff of laughter and shook her head. "What's the rush?"

"We'll have the place to ourselves."

Her eyes narrowed. "Since when do we need the place to ourselves."

"Since now," Ade said firmly. "I mean, do you want the necklace or not?"

"Whatever." Lydia was back to rolling her eyes. "Meet me outside in five minutes."

Ade was faster that Lydia, collecting his things in record speed and jogging his way out of the library. She appeared six minutes later, backpack slung over her shoulders, and brushed past. "So," she said when Ade fell into step beside her, "who is the girl?"

"Who said there's a girl?"

"Come on Ade," she laughed, "cut me some slack. I'm not a fucking idiot, of course there's a girl. One who clearly knows Daniel."

He ran his tongue over his teeth and cast her a sidelong glance. "Her name's Miriam," he said, watching, waiting for a flash of recognition. Thankfully it never came, saving him from doling out another apology.

"What's she like?"

"Why do you care?"

Lydia shrugged. "Curiosity. I mean she must be some girl to get you so—"

"What?" Ade asked sharply.

"Nothing," Lydia laughed. "It's just that you usually don't care."

"Who said I do?"

"No one." Lydia raised both hands. "But if you do care about her, then I'm happy for you."

It was Ade's turn to laugh.

"I'm serious," Lydia said with a soft smile. "You may be an arsehole, but even arsehole's deserve to be happy."

Ade laughed harder and shook his head. The right thing to do was thank her, insult and all, but he merely allowed the conversation to lapse until they the flat. He stuck his keys in the door, expecting complete and utter silence, but was instead met with a Beyonce song and the unmistakable sound of laughter.

"Shit," Ade whispered.

"If you want me to come back another time I—"

"Ade?" Abi appeared in the doorway; Ade silently cursed. She took a step towards Lydia and offered a hand. "Hi," she said, "I'm Abi."

"Lydia."

They shook hands and, much to Ade's horror, Abi asked if they'd met before.

"Once I think," Lydia said; Ade's chest tightened. "At a flat party during first year. You were dating my flatmate, Femi."

Ade released a slow breath just as Abi let out an almost wistful sigh. "Ah Femi," she said, "what an arsehole. Anyway, how do you and Ade know one another."

"Old friends," Ade said all too quickly.

Abi narrowed her eyes for all of five seconds, then shrugged and turned on her heel. "Daniel and I are leaving in a minute," she said, "so you'll have the place to yourself."

"Don't worry," Ade responded in record speed, "take all the time you need. Lydia was only coming to pick up a—" He stopped himself. Necklace was too incriminating, too real. But book, pen, magazine, meant nothing, so he threw out the first option and sagged with relief when Abi accepted it as fact and headed back into the living room.

"That was close," Lydia whispered while slipping past.

Although Ade wanted to agree, he played dumb and said, "What was close?"

"Abi." Lydia opened his bedroom door. "Her and Miriam are friends, right?"

"Yes." Ade thought back to their earlier conversation. "But I thought you didn't know Miriam."

Something odd flitted across Lydia's face, then glanced at his bedside table and said, "I don't, not really. I did, however, meet her at the same house party."

It was three years ago. Enough time had passed that an apology wasn't necessary, not if it wouldn't get back to Miriam. So Ade stepped past, opened the middle draw on his bedside table and produced a delicate gold chain. "Here," he said, handing it over. "We good?"

"So good." She dropped the necklace into her backpack, slung it over her shoulder and headed for the door. "I guess I'll see you around," she said, smiling softly.

Ade rocked back on his heels and nodded once. "Yeah," he said. "I guess you will."

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