The Hierophant

AVAILABILITY: closed for @lylasongwrites

The reunion had been a bust. Most people had spent it apologizing to him over a loss that was nearly fifteen years in age, but some people took the moment to pry into his life, wondering if Theodore Myers had led the successful path in memory of his other half. He hadn't, he'd assured them and most gave polite nods when he told them about the bar, but they didn't bother asking anything further. Having Lyla there was an ounce of reprieve and the moments she'd stolen him away had been the only time he'd been able to breathe. Days later and the bubble they'd been living in was starting to feel as if it were going to pop. He'd watched her collection of bags pile up at the doorway, meaning that she was off to her next big trip. "How long are you gonna be gone this time?" It wasn't as if he had any right asking her to stay. They were nothing more than ex-lovers and in his current headspace, he was in no position to make a move towards being more. "Figured you would've made it at least a week before running off again, but hey? When duty calls..." he trailed, tone laced with a faint hint of bitterness that he hoped she wouldn't pick up on. "Need a lift to the airport?"

Lyla was gathering the things she would need for her trip. It had been a last-minute call that she was needed in her publishing office as soon as possible. That itself caused a small amount of stress for her wondering what it was about this time? Was she about to be fired, promoted, or a job opportunity that had come up? If it was a job opportunity, how long would she be gone, and where was it? There were so many questions that raced through her brain as she prepared to pack and leave the comfort of their bubble

" It should only be a couple of days. " Lyla said as she watched Theo leaning in the door frame obviously annoyed that she was leaving. Yet, this was her life and he was aware that at the drop of a dime, she could be off. She felt guilty not being able to stay in their bubble longer than a couple of days, but she intended to come back if she was able. " I know. They just need me in the office in New York like today for some reason. "Lyla voiced she was slightly annoyed about having to be rushed away from him. She knew that her job was not in jeopardy, but it still didn't make her not worry. " I'll be back in a couple days, I promise. " She said as she threw a couple pairs of shorts into her bag before looking at him for comfort. " I would love a ride to the airport, thank you. " She wished he was able to pull himself away even for a couple days to take a break, and live in the moment but knew he had such a deep connection to this town.

" When I get back, maybe we can talk about a little vacation? " She offered since she knew it had been a while for them both since they had a break. " Somewhere quiet, just the two of us? " Lyla added as she made her way to Theo placing a soft kiss on his cheek.

Just as he was her comfort spot to land, Lyla was his too. She was one of the few that had never left him, that had never picked another route in life while he stayed in place with a pick me look on his face. Even while traveling, she'd always made an effort to make him feel included and her invites never went unappreciated. He groaned quietly, her legs tugging him closer as his bottom lip throbbed from the rough kiss she'd placed there seconds earlier. Was this how he wanted to ignore the pang of guilt and heartache in his chest? Maybe. If he buried himself between the thighs of someone he knew well, at least he'd have a momentary dose of intoxicating reprieve while the rest of the world kept spinning around them. On the other hand, it was a temporary fix and somehow, he feared the comedown would be twice as bad. "A classroom would be a first," he murmured beneath a wicked grin. There was no point in trying to tally up all the places they'd gotten intimate. Theo sucked in a shallow breath, the brunette's sweet perfume filling his head and warming him all over. "I don't know." He kept a small look of amusement on his mouth, but his hazel hues flecked in burnt honey stared back at her with a look he assumed she would know well. It was the look of broken uncertainty. The same look he wore in those benders in sanity. If he thought too hard, too long, he'd melt into the floor beneath and not even the pressure of her hips against his lap was going to prevent that from happening. Theo found solace in her touch and the closeness that would have looked all too intimate to anyone passing by and stealing a peek into the room. "I don't want to leave and give people the satisfaction of talking. They'll just say I couldn't handle it and I don't need anyone else feeling sorry for me." He appreciated her offer and the gentle packs that caused heat to spread through his body and up to his cheeks. Ultimately, what he wanted and what he needed to do were two very different things. What he wanted was obvious, but what he needed was to face the noise with the bravest look he could muster. "If we stay in here, I'll just get myself into trouble." It was a weak attempt at making a joke, but it held an ounce of truth. Staying there meant staying close and staying close meant attempting to deny fate. If there was one thing he'd learned over the years, it was that fate couldn't be denied. "What were you saying about that slow dance?"

Lyla had a smirk across her face at what was said between them. They had never been shy about their intimacy. It was hard for them to keep their hands off one another when they were together. It was a passion and love that she had never felt with anyone else, not even her ex-husband. Sure, she loved her ex-husband, but they were in two stages of their life. He wanted to settle and start a life with her, a family. Lyla wasn't ready for that. She had worked so damn hard to get where she was in her career. Settling down to have a family because it was what he and his family wanted, wasn't in the cards for her. "Yeah, it would wouldn't it. " Lyla teased stealing another kiss from his mouth as she let her body slowly grind against him before pulling back.

Lyla knew that if they left, that people would talk. To her, it didn't matter. Her focus, her loyalty went to him always. There were very few people she was willing to socialize in the gymnasium. Even when she had her gaze had never left Theo. The moment she watched him walk out into the hall she followed. Able to tell without words by the body language he needed her. " Fuck them. Who cares what they say. You're not their story to tell. " Lyla had learned that early on, when Olive had first gone missing that people were going to talk, they were going to say not nice things about you because you were close to Olive. Her eyes fall to Theo's as she places a soft kiss on his head trying to comfort the man. " They're all pieces of shit you know. Losers. Look at their lives and look at what we have done, and where we have been. " Lyla's words were soft in a caring tone. " Where we have done it even. " She said jokingly in a way to make him at least smile. " We are so much better than those assholes. " She had paused before speaking again keeping her body pressed to his, needing the warmth of his body.

Lyla just held him. She didn't say anything after that until Theo spoke up. ' I like trouble, a lot. " Lyla said finally pulling him from the tight squeeze she had on him. "Remember when that old lady walked in on us in the bathroom on the cruise down the Nile? I don't think I had ever seen anyone so mortified. " It was on her for not locking the door, but he looked so damn hot in his four-piece suit that she couldn't wait until they got back to the room. " I would love to slow dance, but not out there. " Lyla said as she rummaged for her phone that she had stuck in the built-in bra of her dress. The dress he had bought for her at one of the night markets they had visited in Asia. " Dress is still holding together by the way. " She jokingly teased as he had ripped it one night while they had gotten hot and heavy.

He should have expected something so matter of fact to fall from her mouth. She had never been shy about what she wanted, or how she wanted it, and Theo had never hesitated to oblige. Even in the midst of their shared class reunion, the only thing he wanted was to linger in the hallway a bit longer in the company of her. "I guess I forgot that what you says goes. Call it a shitty memory and too long since you came around." Granted, it'd been him who'd called for space between them. It came with the territory of being a spoken for man, but it had done little to curb their friendship. At the end of the day, he'd always care about her. The quiet padding of her bare feet against the cool tile and the soft taps of his boots was the only noise made as they moved further down the hall and away from the sea of people. He wondered how many of them wanted to brag about how life had turned out for them, simply because Olive couldn't do the same. It was cruel and ironic that the one person who'd always thought she was above everyone else was now six feet under and had been for fifteen years. For once, it was Theo who'd gotten the fair chance at soaring, only to waste away behind the bar that his parents had all but begged him to sell years ago. A brow arched upwards as she pulled him into an empty classroom. Back in the day, he would have been thrilled to enter it with just about anyone, but now, he worried of the trouble that could follow. Well, he'd worried up until she pulled him close and placed an all too short kiss on his mouth. "Mmm," he hummed against her lips as he stepped closer until his thighs collided with the desk. Close wasn't close enough, but it had to do. "I could show you," he teased, tone a devilish rasp as he playfully brushed his lips against hers before he pulled back. Despite the light air that surrounded them, there was still a heavy burden within. "I'm, uh, not sure how I feel." It was honest, perhaps more honest than he was ready to be, but it was Lyla and they'd made a pact to never lie. "Being here... hearing people toss her name around and tell me how sorry they are... it's a lot." Theo's hands fell to each side of the desk, grip tight at the edge as he remained close to her. "But I'm here and uh, I think that counts for something. Just wish people would enjoy the reunion and stop looking at me like I'm a bad omen or like they feel sorry for me."

A grin came upon her face as she leaned forward now, previously she was leaning back putting all her weight onto her hands. " That's right, and don't you forget it. " Lyla said taking the soft kisses Theo placed upon her lips. She scooted her body forward so she was now sitting on the edge. Leaning in again she gave him a harder-pressed kiss biting his lower lips as she pulled away knowing how much he loved her roughness. Lyla wrapped her legs behind her so their bodies were touching. " Oh yea? Show me then. " She teased in her voice letting her hip fall into his. Her arms fell to his shoulders as he opened up to her of how he was feeling about this whole ordeal. If she was being honest, she had only come all this way to see him. She flew a days worth of time to be with him, to be there for him because she KNEW he would need her at the end of the day. As she would need him.

"Mm. " She hummed as she really felt that. It was hard to be here. It was hard to see everyone they had graduated with thriving and living their own lives yet Olive never got the chance. Olive never was able to experience anything outside the small world of college. She never got to get married if she choose to have children. It was depressing to think about so she always tried to push it out of her mind. Lyla tried to not bring Olive's name to light when speaking to others, but she heard whispers around her. Buzzing like a mosquito in her ear. She listened intently to Theo. Wanting him to know that she was just there, she was present and listening. That she cared about him, she really cared about him. In more ways than she was ever able to put into words.

" It is, and hey if you want to get out of here at any point you let me know okay? " Lyla finally spoke as she returned her hands to intertwine with his again like they had previously in the halls. " We can go down to Johnny's pick up some greasy ass food and go watch movies back at your place. " Lyla offered as her head fell to rest on his shoulder. Placing one soft kiss on his neck in a way to comfort him. " I'm here because you're here. I wouldn't miss anywhere you were. " Her words were soft as she spoke. She couldn't be here alone, nor would he. They leaned on each other now more than ever. He had always been her biggest cheerleader and protector in a way. She wouldn't be half the woman she was without having Theo in her life. " Let's just stay here for a while and if you want to go back, we can. if you want to leave we can leave. "

Susana had been right about one thing — the reunion was completely fucking insufferable. He'd grown tired of the longing looks of sorrow and how too many people lingered around the in memory board in the back. He wondered if most of the people had realized how much Olive hadn't given a shit about any of them, or if they'd tricked themselves into believing she'd ever actually cared. That was the thing about Olive that no one else had realized. She was a master manipulator and while the whole world was tripping over themselves for her approval, all he'd ever wanted was to be detached from her altogether. Unfortunately, twins didn't have that ability to walk away. No one realized how deep that tie went, even after the other had been lost. "Who said I was slow dancing tonight?" He cracked a faint smile, one hidden by the dimly lit hallway. Truth be told, he wanted to avoid the mass of people out of fear of one face in particular. If the woman he'd wanted to marry was somewhere in the crowd, he didn't want to see her. "I'm not big on getting shitfaced these days either. Mostly spend my nights watching other people do it for me." He had a rule at the bar, one that Harvey had instilled years earlier. No one was ever going to reach that point under the owner's supervision, even if it meant losing out on sales. One's safety was important and so far, no one had stopped coming in yet because of it. Her touch caused the tension in his chest to ease slightly. He allowed his own to fall in between the dips of her fingers and his thumb stroked gentle circles into her skin as he glanced down at her. "And where are we going?" There was a whole school to explore, one that he'd known better than the layout of his own apartment, but that was too many years ago. He gave a gentle squeeze to her hand, his dark hazel gaze finding hers. "For the record, I like how you get after two glasses of wine."

Lyla found her old chem lab class now, hoping it was open so they would have somewhere quiet to talk. She tried the handle with her free hand that also held her shoes. They had been killing her feet already and was too lazy at this point to go out to her rental to swap them out for her flats. The classroom was at the end of the long hall tucked away slightly from every other classroom and office. Lyla pushed the door open slowly, forgetting how heavy it could be when trying to do it one-handed. Not wanting to let Theo go. Something about having him close. Holding her hand into hers was so comforting to her. Even when they traveled, they always held hands as they walked down the old cobblestoned streets. " Here. " Lyla finally said as they made their way into the classroom, making sure to lock the door behind them. The door itself only was able to see the back of the classroom if anyone decided to look in.

" I don't want to go back, not yet. " Lyla said as she lead him to one of the tables towards the front of the room. " Linda's creepy husband keeps coming over to talk to me. I really can't anymore. " She smirked at his comment about liking how she would get after two glasses of wine. " I'm too old to get shit-faced myself. I have learned to limit myself, well I have gotten way better about it. " Lyla said laughing as she placed her shoes on the table before releasing her hand from his finally so she could sit on the edge of the desk. Her hands immediately went back into his. She places a quick soft kiss on his lips, even sitting on the desk she wasn't to his height and had to lean up to reach him. " Tell me, how are you feeling? " Lyla asked knowing that if being back here for her was hard, it had to be worse for Theo. There were too many unanswered questions about what really happened. She was always and would always look out for Theo, be his biggest cheerleader or hype man if needed. She wanted him to nothing more than know his feeling was valid.

Her eyes watched him, hoping their getting away was okay. She really just needed a break from the mindless chatter with people she didn't really give two shits about. " You don't have to tell me, I'm just here okay? " Lyla added knowing sometimes he didn't want to talk about it and that was okay she got it.

He'd always wanted someone to give a shit about him, but when he'd finally found someone who genuinely did, he couldn't stand it. It wasn't her fault. She'd wanted to see the whole world and Theo had wanted that for her. Maybe even a part of him had wanted to see it too, but leaving Angelwoods behind wasn't an option for the man who carried burdens tied to the town. If he left, that meant giving up on everything he'd leaned on for fifteen years — it meant giving up on a cold case as if it never really mattered anywhere. He just couldn't do it. Everyone else could move on, and he could try as hard as he wanted, but a part of him would never let go. Not until he had real answers and seeing as fifteen years had already passed him by, he doubted he ever would. "You had a dip in your schedule," he countered quietly, a low hum of a breathy laugh rolling off his tongue. That was something he didn't hear from her all too often. She was everything, doing what she did best. If only he had a traveler's soul and the clean conscious, perhaps he could have done the same. "You know, I don't think anyone would have blamed you for staying away. It's fifteen years. I'm sure we'll have another one in fifteen more." He chewed at his bottom lip, his nerves getting the best of him. Maybe no one had said her name aloud, but he'd spotted the memorial in the corner of the room that people ghosted by as if it weren't really there at all. Theo cleared his throat, his glossy gaze shifting back towards the case. He'd been at every party, but no one ever seemed to remember him there. Even his towering height wasn't enough to drain the spotlight from his twin. Oh, how they'd be so different at the core. "It was fun. You know, being able to drink that much without a shitty hangover the next morning." That memory was enough to pull another low laugh from the pit of his stomach. College had mediocre for him, but he would turned back time for another day if it meant getting to see Olive again. "I think we should probably head back in. I could just another round of that punch." If feared if he started talking, he'd never really stop, and that was a misfortune he couldn't afford.

Lyla scrunched her face as he mention anyone not blaming her for not wanting to come back to this place. The thought of just blowing it off had crossed her mind, yes. Any excuse to spend time with Theo was enough to at least pass through for a couple days. She liked to come and check up on Theo when she was rolling through. Sometimes, she could tell he would get caught up in his own thoughts and what-ifs. Lyla was that way if she let her mind wander too far at the topic off-hand. " If I didn't show up, who would you slow dance with huh? " Lyla let the playfulness in her voice bring a small smile as she pushed his shoulder.

Those days were behind them both now. The crazy parties, staying up all night only to drag themselves to class. She didn't miss them. She was much more into relaxing on the beach, drink in hand. Lavish beach bungalows over never-ending seas. " I don't miss drinking that much. I mean you have seen how I get after two glasses of wine. " Lyla said trying to keep the mood light. " Nah, come on. " Lyla the last thing she wanted to do at that moment was to have another conversation asking how someone had been. She grabbed Theo by the hand letting her fingers intertwine with his. She had walked these halls so many times for her classes. " They won't miss us, plus if I have to ask someone how they have been one more time tonight I will puke. "

character — @lylasongwrites

After so many half hugs and fake smiles, Theo had slipped out the side of the main room, the eighties music fading as he made a short trek down the hall. He paused at the trophy case, a big one in the middle having been won by his sister's volleyball team too many years ago to count. Apparently they hadn't won much since, or keeping it cased in was more important than replacing it with something newer. He heard a quiet padding down the hall that grew louder with every step they took towards him. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of who had joined him away from the madness that was the reunion. "I thought you would have been somewhere halfway across the world right about now. You mean to tell me you took a break for this little old thing?" It wasn't little, but it most certainly was a thing. To his surprise, plenty of people had shown up, most of which he hadn't seen or heard from since the day they'd parted ways. "They still have the trophy in here," he added, a low rasp in his voice as his gaze shifted back to the case. He'd never been one for sports, but her? She'd been the star of everything she did. It was as if a spotlight followed her every move. "I still remember when they won state. Whole goddamn school went mad." It was the first and apparently last time in school history and they'd gotten a whole three day weekend to celebrate. "You think they'll send a search party if we don't go back?" He knew they had to, but the idea of running was appealing.

Lyla had taken off the six inches of white heels she had paired with a long flowy flower-adorned dress. The dress was linen, white flowers speckled with small yellow hand-sewn sunflowers. It was a dress she had picked up on her last trip to Vietnam at a street market. Lyla with her career lived out of whatever she was able to stuff into her carry-on. Of course, it always changed with the season at hand. Her eyes caught a tall, dark-haired figure staring aimlessly into the trophy case. The halls of this place felt eerie, dark, and filled with unanswered questions. Questions about what had really happened to her best friend. Lyla made her way to the case, filled with concern as to why Theo had stepped away. Wanting nothing more than to comfort the man she had grown so fondly attached to over the years. They spent so many years together, running away from their own real-life problems. Some nights tangled up in bed in a different country, nights spent in deep conversation. She cared for him, in a way she didn't for most. Always having a deep connection to their own past. " I had a dip in my schedule, and I would NEVER give up the chance to come to check up on you. " Lyla said in a softened voice as she joined him next to the glassed case. " I mean, I was halfway across the world yesterday, but that is beside the point, I'm here now. "

Lyla's eyes wander to the case now looking at the trophy as he reminisced about the day he held so close. It was a relief to see that memory brought back up. She and Theo had a very close connection, more than what most would consider friends. They just got one another even when no words were spoken, they just existed in peace. Lyla's eyes went to the trophy, then to Theo, letting her hand slip into his. " I do remember that night. That celebration party was probably one of the wildest parties I have ever been to. " She said with a laugh. She just wanted to be there for him, like she always had. Pushing her own feeling aside of not wanting to be at the reunion. He and a very few others were the only reason she showed up. " Nah, I don't think they would really care. " Lyla spoke her voice still soft, in care of his feelings. " Do you want to go talk? " She offered to him instead of standing where they would easily be found they could go somewhere a little more private. She was always conscious of his feeling and offered herself to him to just be there for him when she could.