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BASIC STATS

Full Name: Lilian Grace Whittaker

Nicknames: Lily (pretty much what she goes by), Lil, Lilith

Date of Birth: May 10th, 1991

Place of Birth: King’s Head Harbor, Rhode Island

Ethnicity: English, Scottish

Languages: English (native proficiency), French (bilingual proficiency)

Religion: Protestant (non-practicing)

Western Zodiac: ☼ Taurus | ☽ Aries | ↑ Scorpio

Sexuality: Bisexual

Relationship Status: Single and soooooo over her ex

Education: Bachelor of Arts in French Language & Literature, Minor in Marketing (Columbia University, Magna Cum Laude, 2013)

Occupation: Marketing & Events Manager at White Woods Winery

Moral Alignment: Neutral Good

Myers-Briggs: INFJ - The Advocate

Hogwarts House: Hufflepuff

Enneagram: Type 2 - The Helper

   ❛ Right… Housekeeper, ❜ he clicked his tongue against his palate before pressing his lips together. Of course he was happy he wouln’t have to do the work there but he found himself wondering if it had been so long since they dated that he’d forgotten she was practically made out of money. Then he realized he didn’t really think about that when they were dating either, aside from when it really mattered. Like he wasn’t feeling guilty about her paying for the trip to New Orleans. That was almost a year ago. So maybe it had been that long anyway. 

   Bash wanted to think that he talked to his sisters for himself and partly yes, he probably did. He stood up for them, he didn’t need to tell Lily about it but he still wanted to because what if it gave him a chance? Not that he himself, personally, hadn’t done anything wrong. That was the problem, that his sisters, maybe most of his siblings, weren’t the only issue. He’d messed up as well and that’s what mattered the most. He’d even lied more than she knew on top of acting like a total asshole.  ❛ Okay… ❜ Truthfully he wasn’t sure what to say but a small smile tugged at his lips.  ❛ Good. I mean… For you. I’m glad. ❜ Fuck, why was this more awkward that he’d thought it’d be? Maybe because she actually didn’t want him there. Maybe because she was over it and he was just pretending to be even though all those weeks in jail should have given him enough time to process it and get over her.

   Brows raised a little when she mentioned her brother. Bash had never really brought him up in their relationship despite knowing he’d passed. It had just been so recent and Bash knew what she was going through. It was tough. He nodded though, letting her move upstairs as he headed to the kitchen, finding an apple before going up the stairs as well. He couldn’t help himself though, leaning against the doorway to the room she was in, with her back facing him. ❛ You never told me much about him, you know… Brendan. You think he’d have liked me? ❜ he asked playfully, although feeling like he knew the answer even though her brother probably wouldn’t have been as bad as her father to him. His voice turned softer then. ❛ C’mon… I told you about my mom. ❜

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Pausing as a snicker escaped her at his question, Lily blinked a few times before answering. “Honestly? I doubt it, he was very particular about the company he kept. He would’ve kept Landon in line, but probably supported his crusades,” the woman answered honestly, sighing at the mention of her best friend’s brother and the man’s disdain towards Bash. “But I think he would’ve come around once he saw that you and I were good for each other at a point in time.” Just because Lily thought that they had no place in each other’s lives going forward didn’t negate that they were what each other needed when their love was alive and well. “The man was an enigma, so I can’t say for sure. There are still so many unanswered questions about him and what was really going on, I don’t even think Nate knows.” She had not expected him to really ask about Brendan, she honestly had simply expected Bash to head to the guest room and keep to himself as opposed to starting a conversation. 

“I kept watching Ozark, it’s not my kind of show but I was hooked,” she mentioned with a shrug as the episode played on the flatscreen television in front of the bed. “Have you kept up with it since...” she asked as her voice trailed off, wondering if he associated it with her as she did with him. “You can go to bed if you want to, I’ll be fine,” she assured him through some tears as she laid against the mountain of pillows on her bed, wiping her eyes. “It’s nothing, I just... I just cry a lot this time of the year, Brendan’s death anniversary and all of that. Five years helped, but didn’t completely heal me,” the woman mentioned through tears, turning away from the man and being torn between wishing he would comfort her and wishing he would leave her be.

(time skip to the morning after)

The rays of sunlight landed on Lily’s eyelids as they fluttered open gradually, and then suddenly when she rolled over and saw Bash’s sleeping figure next to hers. Had he stayed there all night? “You can have coffee, or breakfast if you’re hungry. But I have to meet someone for brunch, so you’ll have to get going not long after,” the woman mentioned coolly, trying to keep her heart from beating so quickly. Hopefully Bash was as willing as she was to never mention this and pretend it never happened. “We didn’t do anything,” she commented, as if to assure herself more than him. “Right?” 

HIs brows raised a little when she explained how she dropped the wine glass.Lily didn’t owe him an explanation but this one seemed to have a purpose. Although Bash figured he’d get home safely before it got too bad he knew Lily, assuming she’d ask him to stay. That’s be weird and he’d probably had enough weird for a little bit at least and it wasn’t a good idea. She didn’t want him around longer than necessary and he wanted to stay.  ❛ Yeah sure, thanks, ❜ he said casually as she picked glass off the floor, getting the big pieces and going over to throw them in the trash. ❛ You want me to vacuum? ❜ Fuck what was wrong with him, vacuuming for his ex girlfriend who didn’t even want to see him? Idiot.

Sighing, Bash shrugged a little and shook his head as he walked slowly closer to her but stopped before he was too close. ❛ They lied, ❜ he explained, as if he hadn’t lied to Lily as well but that was… Different, wasn’t it?  He had indeed learned a lot from his time with Lily but he’d clearly not learned enough. The question was if he ever would. His lips just pressed together at her words, looking down as he nodded vaguely. A part of him wanted to crack out a joke and ask if she would like to learn some more but nothing came out. 

Then there it was; Lily Whittaker, the ever so considerate and helpful asking if he wanted to stay. Bash raised a brow a little, looking at her like she’d been forced by someone to be nice to him. ❛ Sure, gives me time to help you clean up, ❜ he shrugged. The guest room. Fuck, he’d rather walk home than lay awake in there all night but looking out through the window it didn’t seem like he had a choice. ❛ Thanks. ❜

.

Bash’s offer to vacuum took her by surprise, why would she want him to do that? “You don’t have to, it’s fine. You’re not the housekeeper,” Lily assured him, using humor to hide the fact that the idea of Bash doing any type of housework was far too domestic for her comfort. She needed to move forward, not stay in the past when they were a couple. Him staying here was out of necessity, and had there not been a snowstorm he would’ve been out of the door by now. She was sure that she would’ve never spoken to him after their argument outside of Mike’s in November, yet here he was in her home probably staying the night. 

Lily had no reason to lie about what had transpired with the Landry sisters, she had no intention of even telling Bash up until she blurted it out that night they fought in the street. “Well, I’m glad you talked to them for yourself, then,” was all Lily said about his falling out with his sisters over the lies they told her. Would Brendan have done that to protect Lily, lied to her and made Bash look bad to keep them apart? Her parents certainly had tried it, although she would argue that Ian did so more out of control than love for his daughter. “I don’t want to dwell on our past issues, I think we’ve done a lot of that and it hasn’t been good for either of us. I’m actually in a really good place right now in my life,” she mentioned, looking down as a smile played upon her lips. Was this the growth that she strived for ever since their breakup? If it was, it certainly felt rewarding. 

There wasn’t much to talk about, at least on Lily’s end - she was satisfied with the closure she’d gotten at the New Year’s Eve event, even if she hadn’t gotten an apology for Bash starting a fight with her after seeing her with James. So unless he had something to say after all this time, she was ready to put the topic to rest. “I’ve just been sorting through some stuff of Brendan’s upstairs, so I’m going back to that for a bit. You can help yourself to any food or snacks you want, or head upstairs. I’ve been going to bed earlier these days, but you can stay up as long as you want,” she mentioned as she stifled a yawn, already feeling the exhaustion creeping upon her. It felt weird letting Bash roam her house while she slept, but it would’ve probably felt stranger pulling an all-nighter together. 

   Of course when he heard the loud noise of glass on tiles, Bash pushed himself off the wall in the hallway and rushed to the kitchen, quickly reminded of his boots against the floor by Lily who was kneeling down to pick the shards that had become of her wine glass. ❛ Right… ❜ he muttered. Well fuck, now he felt bad, like all he did was make things worse fo her even if it just meant mopping the floor clean of melted snow.  

    ❛ I was actually at the movies with the twins… Spiderman, ❜ he explained in response to her reminding him she was going to mail the card, as he walked carefully across the room, still in his damn boots, to get his the envelope. ❛ Thea picked them up though. ❜ Mentioning his siblings to Lily felt strange. At least Thea. The twins had kept their distance from commenting on Bash’s relationship with Lily. He actually thought they liked her but it didn’t really matter now, did it?  ❛ I mi— ❜ He was about to continue speaking but was cut off by Lily gasping which made him look down, seeing the cut in her palm. 

     Shoving the envelope with his health insurance card in his pocket and placing his motorcycle helmet on the counter, the man quickly opened a drawer he knew very well had medical things in it and offered a small bandage to Lily. Then he squatted down in front of her, glass scattered on the floor around them that he picked up from the pool of red into one of his hands, piece by piece in a moment of silence that was possibly awkward yet somehow comforting, at least to Bash. ❛ I might have to leave my bike here, ❜ he said softly, realizing that meant walking to Bayside but that was okay. Rather that than leaving his bike half-way home. ❛ Thea wouldn’t let me ride with her… She’s not really talking to me much since I got mad after you told me… You know, what they’d told you when I was in jail. ❜

.

Lily couldn’t blame him, he’d likely heard the glass breaking and wanted to make sure she was okay. It didn’t mean that he still loved her, as it was what any decent human being would do - and for all of his faults, Lily still considered Sebastian Landry to be one of the best men she knew. “I was checking the weather advisory on my phone and nudged the glass off the edge. Which, by the way... they’re advising we shelter in place for now as the snow is getting dangerous,” she mentioned, biting her lip and mouthing her thanks as Bash handed her a band-aid. At his mention of leaving his bike here, Lily nodded understandingly. “Yeah, no problem. You can go out and pull it into the garage if you want, out of the snow. I’m getting lunch tomorrow, so as long as you come before noon or after three o’clock I’ll be able to let you into the garage,” she mentioned, sitting on the one of the bar stools as she applied pressure to her wound. 

The mention of Bash’s family didn’t make Lily’s lips curl like it once did, which she proudly recognized as a sign of moving on. A lesson had been learned for her next relationship when it came to dynamics with your potential future in-laws, and she didn’t take it for granted. Brown eyes widened when Bash mentioned that he had confronted Thea about what was said to Lily, as she especially did not expect him to defend her when she was no longer his girlfriend. “You don’t need to stand up to them for me, the past is the past. But I appreciate that you did,” she mentioned, a hint of melancholy in her voice as she wished he had done that almost a year ago. “I feel like I learned a lot from our time together, both about myself and relationships in general. And I hope that you did too.” The words were spoken with genuine sincerity, with no motive but simply wishing that Bash one day found his happiness in whatever form it may take. 

As the combination of wind and snow roared outside, Lily shrugged and bit her lip nervously. Was she really about to make the offer she was about to? “Do you want to... stay for a little while? I know it’s not ideal, but it’d be safer than trying to make your way home in this weather. If it lasts all night, I have the guest room. You’re welcome to stay there.” Being snowed in with your ex wasn’t a great situation, but it was better than Bash having to make his way back to Bayside Bluffs while the weather service issued an advisory against people being outdoors or on the roads.

Lily’s message had been recieved hours before he’d seen it but he’d checked his phone because he had promised the twins to see the new Spiderman movie with them at the movie theatre in Sandport and had to know what time he had to be there. He’d replied that he’d come get it in person instead, mentioning the time the movie ended in his text and then taken his motorcycle through the rough wind to watch the movie. He barely understood a thing but it was a good time with two of his siblings and they seemed excited at least, meanwhile he caught himself thinking about seeing Lily a few times throughout the film. 

When it was over he made sure the twins were picked up by Thea since the snow had gotten worse. She offered him a ride too but he said he wanted to take the bike home, not mentioning his little stop on the way that was in the neighborhood. It did take a little longer to get there than he thought it would though, the weather getting worse by the minute but he plowed through, taking it easy on the slippery roads until he arrived at Lily’s place. 

He took off his helmet, holding it under one of his arms as he rang the doorbell and the brunette opened to give him his health insurance card. It was a quick visit, he realized that, she didn’t want him there. Yet, she invited him in when she didn’t find the card and Bash gave her a polite smile before closing the door behind himself. ❛ Alright… ❜ he mused, leaning against the hallway wall as he waited for her to come back. Like her economy depended on her heating bill being low. Fine, maybe it was just… environmentally friendly. Whatever. ❛ Might actually need it later, the weather’s insane, ❜ he joked, as if him ending up at the hospital was anywhere near funny.

.

Lily may not care for Bash in the way she once did, but she wasn’t about to leave him out on the porch when it was below freezing and a blizzard was expected. “The weather is exactly why I said I’d mail it,” she called out from the kitchen, knowing that it may have been a reason but it wasn’t the sole one. Him being in her home brought up too many memories of their past. The sound of his motorbike pulling into the driveway as Lily excitedly made her way to the door, waking up on Sunday mornings to make breakfast together, the pair entertaining their mutual friends in the living room together. And here they were in the present, with Bash once again inside Lily’s home. 

Reaching for the envelope with the name Sebastian Landry written on it, Lily was far too eager to get the transaction over with that she knocked the glass full of red wine, the kitchen tiles covered with the liquid and shards of glass as she cursed. Grabbing some paper towels, she saw Bash in the doorway of the kitchen, evidently having heard the crashing sound from the hallway. “I see you’ve forgotten the no shoes rule,” the woman quipped coyly, tilting her head to the counter. “Your card is up there, you can take it and leave. Don’t want you to get caught in this snow. Which, by the way... isn’t riding around in a snowstorm a bit reckless, even for you?” Before he could answer, Lily gasped as a shard of glass gashed her palm. Putting pressure against the minor would on her hand, Lily looked up at her former boyfriend as she stayed kneeling on the floor. “It’s nothing, just a small cut. I’ll be fine.”

Hey, I was going through my drawer in my bedside table and I found your health insurance card. I can mail it to you since it’s still valid, do you still live at your same address you were living at when we were dating?

That was the text Lily had sent to Bash, already having put the card in an envelope that was waiting to be addressed upon receiving confirmation. What she did not expect was for him to insist on coming over to get it, in spite of the fact that it was snowing heavily and there was a weather advisory in place that was set to last overnight. Considering it was the fifth anniversary of Brendan’s passing as well, Lily would’ve much preferred to be alone with her thoughts that night instead of mentally preparing to see Bash again. Even though they ended their conversation on civil terms at the New Year’s Eve event, it did not mean that she was looking to make him a part of her life again. Exes were exes for a reason.

Pacing in her kitchen while gripping a glass of red wine, Lily’s brown eyes darted to the clock on the oven and trying to time how long it’d take Bash to get there. He said he was ‘already in the neighborhood’, so it wasn’t like he was coming from the bluffs like he usually was. Was it obvious that she’d been crying? She hoped not, she didn’t want him to think anything of her emotions. Her emotions that had nothing to do with him. 

As the doorbell rang, Lily’s feet brought her to answer the front door and saw Bash Landry standing in the doorframe amidst the snow that seemed to be piling up by the second. “It was no big deal for me to mail it, you didn’t have to come out in the snow,” she mentioned, reaching inside her pocket and realizing it was empty.

“Oh, uh, I forgot it on the kitchen counter. You can... come inside just so the heat doesn’t escape. I’ll be right back,” Lily mentioned awkwardly, cursing herself as she made her way back to the kitchen. 

It felt a bit odd talking to her while she was wearing the mask but it was part of the outfit, he got that. Bash went without one, although it was oddly tempting to just draw a Batman mask around his eyes. In the end he decided not to, figuring it might be hard to get black marker off his face when he got home. People would have likely recognized him anyway so what was the point? Well, the aesthetic, he guessed, because he still recognized most people he knew there. Especially Lily.

❛ I did… Not a popular topic, maybe especially at Christmas Eve dinner, ❜ he admitted quietly, pushing his hands into the pockets of his pants. They hadn’t talked to him much the next day and he hadn’t gotten much answers either but Lily cleared it up pretty quickly. Sure, maybe he should trust his family over his ex but on the other hand, the latter had never lied about such things, meanwhile his sisters were known for not liking Lily, or the Whittakers at all, so it made a bit more sense they’d try to keep them apart and make Bash look like an ass so she’d push him away further. ❛ Yeah. They did, ❜ he sighed, pressing his lips together.

Maybe it hadn’t mattered if they lied or not. Lily probably wouldn’t talk to him anyway. Especially after last time. ❛ Me too. ❜ Well, he wished it hadn’t ended at all, to be fair, and a little, stupid, selfish, child-like part of him still had hope. It seemed she was there with someone else though, since she’d been expecting someone for midnight but Bash couldn’t help but wish he could give her that kiss, like last year. 

.

Lily feeling like Bash would never put her on par with his family was a reason she called off their relationship, but it didn’t matter now. She didn’t want him to do that like she once had, it was no longer a priority. “Well, it’s up to you what you do with that information. But if you don’t want to bring it up to them, then I get it.” It’s not like him standing up on her behalf now would change anything about her feelings towards him or their relationship.

At his admission about regretting the way they ended, Lily smiled sadly yet she felt as though that may have been the closure she needed. Part of her had been holding onto the negative feelings about him. Their exchange of words in the street, the glares Lily had directed at him at the baby shower, and now when he stood opposite her, with fifteen minutes until 2022. But part of healing was letting go and moving on. 

“I’m not going to spend my time being mad at you anymore,” she decided confidently. “I loved you and I want to remember those memories, not the bad ones. There was happiness in my life because of you, and there’s still happiness in other ways now. But I want to remember our time together fondly, even if we never speak again after this.” It didn’t negate the problematic aspects of their relationship, but nuance was possible in this case. “We can’t go back in time and change the past, but I am glad we had this talk.”

The grand clock indicated the time, with Lily knowing that she should go find Timeo. “Happy new year, Bash. I hope you find what you’re looking for.” And with that, Lily downed the rest of her champagne and slipped past him, feeling bittersweet yet positive about their conversation.

  It was too close to midnight to seek her out, Bash knew that, so he decided to wait til the new year. Talk to her in 2022, about something he’d been thinking about since the last time they spoke. Okay, fine - speaking might not be the right word. Arguing. That’d what they had done. Again. Maybe he shouldn’t even try to find her at all but he needed to tell her.     Fuck. There she was. Twenty minutes til midnight and his feet were taking him right to her on the balcony, not following his plan at all but he wasn’t actually sure if he would be able to find her after the fireworks, now was he? So he took his chance, surprised by how friendly she sounded when he apprached, like she’d been waiting for him. Of course, she had been expecting someone else. That made sense.     ❛ I know… I just— ❜ Bash said quietly, cutting himself off with a sigh to scrach his temple as he forced a smile while thinking. Would she even listen? ❛ I’m not gonna fight. ❜ It was as much of a promise as he could give, really. This time he wasn’t there to talk shit, he just wanted to clear things up because although he’d been in a different headpace, drunk and jealous when he last saw her he had heard her saying something about his sisters that didn’t sound correct at all. ❛ I just wanted to ask, because… You said something. About my sisters. ❜ Bash swallowed, trying to keep eye contact with the woman who didn’t want him in her presence at all. ❛ What’d they… say? Cause I didn’t call ya’ from jail for money. I just wa— ❜ he shrugged sheepishly, like he was admitting his feelings all over again. ❛ I just wanted to talk… To you. ❜

.

Lily’s New Year’s Resolutions had very little to do with her ex-boyfriend, but she was about to add staying away from Bash to the list of her other ambitions. She was still upset over their last exchange, but part of her also missed him and what they had. Arms crossed skeptically across her chest, Lily’s eyes narrowed behind the silver mask that adorned her face at his promise to not fight. “Fine , but if it starts heading that way I’m leaving,” the woman concluded after a few moments, not stepping closer to him but relaxing her shoulders as she waited for him to speak.

"Why are you asking me instead of asking your sisters?” The question was spoken softly with curiosity, not the same snark she had used when they argued in the street. “They said that you just needed help with money, but you got it taken care of so there was no need to return your calls. That’s all.” Had they lied? Perhaps, but Lily knew that their love for their brother outweighed their skepticism towards her. “It’s nothing, they were just looking out for you like siblings do. I don’t want to get involved with your family’s drama, so I don’t want to speak further on this,” she confirmed, giving him a confident nod. It was worth it when they were together, or at least Lily thought so. “I... I wish things ended differently between us, for what it’s worth.” He could take that however he wanted, but it was the truth –⁠ in an ideal world, they would have still been together, either already engaged or close to it. But this was reality, where they needed to go their own ways before ruining what was left of their past.

“Does your doctor know you’re here?” Lily asked, somewhat jokingly but also genuinely curious. Within a month from her due date, and Sanem was active as ever. “Honestly, I’m impressed - you really are a trooper,” the woman mused, surveying the crowd and wondering how her best friend was managing right now. “What if I... did this as a job? Full-time event planning, independently,” Lily mused, knowing that Sanem was never the type to talk her out of an outrageous idea. Maybe this time, Lily didn’t want to be talked out of it. “It’s just a fleeting thought, you know I’m not about that ‘new year, new me’ concept.”

It was twenty minutes to midnight, with one of Lily’s hands resting on the balcony while the other gracefully held a champagne flute as she admired the party that had come together. Her mother wasn’t thrilled about her working with the hotel over the winery, but there were perks to this one such as the space and the convenience of the availability of overnight accommodations. She scanned the crowd for Timeo and didn’t see him, feeling a presence approaching and chuckling to herself. “I guess you found me, just in time for — “ she started, turning around and expecting to find the Frenchman she loved years ago. But instead, she was face-to-face with the ex-boyfriend she didn’t come with that night. 

“Not here, I’m working,” she told Bash, almost pleading with him to let go of whatever he hoped to tell her. “I mean, preferably not ever, but especially not here. I don’t want to fight with you anymore.”

lily whittaker + fashion | new year’s eve 2021 

“Uh, yeah- I definitely know Aless.” Her brows raised instinctively, a specific interaction between them having burned a mark across the innards of her skull. She’d suppose it could scar the bone. The Italian destined for the same blemish. “We didn’t date. We just…” The secret was too deeply rooted to pluck out and spill. It was all too unfair to reveal Aless’ shortcoming before he dared to utter it himself. That alone was a scenario unlikely to come to life. “We went to church together.” Cora wasn’t a religious woman - her cousin would know that well enough. Still, the truth could be twisted and tweaked. It was entirely possible that Cora had a lapse in judgement; a moment in which her sins grew too ghastly to harbour. She had lived through plenty enough that one would expect God himself to shun her. “I wouldn’t put too much thought into it. Have you seen his friends? I’m pretty sure even Max now thinks with his brain penis.”            How the final sentence stirred something unpleasant within her. Features contorting at the sheer weight of it. An uneasiness which would fail to go unnoticed. Lily wouldn’t require further hint as to how the particular man had influenced such response. He had existed somewhere deep within her for years, a muted and misshapen version of himself. Construed over the years that she had grown - new cells replacing those that he had touched. Until he had sought her out, caught somewhere between liquor and nostalgia.            “Y’know how I feel about Bash. He stirred up the family enough that being around your father was almost manageable,” she continues. “But that pales in comparison to your happiness. Hell, even if I want to poke this James’ eyes out with my own fingers, I’d tolerate him if it meant you were happy. You deserve that at least.” She understood the mentality. Cora had experienced it herself once upon a time. Sometimes those you loved weren’t destined to exist as a constant. “It means I’ve truly outdone myself. I’m officially a fellow - my final step until I’m official. All this training will have finally paid off.” A reality that once seemed so far out of reach now closing in. “Attendings still wear navy, so it won’t change. I just get to be all the more impressive.”

.

Lily was not particularly religious, even though she believed in God and celebrated a lot of the common holidays. But she hadn’t known Cora to be a churchgoer. “Is that code for something? Is he a client of yours?” Lily asked, figuring that that was why her cousin was being secretive. “Sorry, client confidentiality. I’ll drop it but... good to know you’ve made his acquaintance I think?” Lily guessed, twitching her mouth slightly. A surprise laugh escaped her mouth, followed by an apologetic look to the nail techs for her outburst before Lily recomposed herself. “What’s the latest with you and Max? Have you spoken to him lately?” she asked, knowing that Cora’s high school boyfriend was a complicated subject. They had history, and whether that history would be revisited or remain in the past was to be seen.

“I’m going to the Christmas Eve dinner, my parents said they have an olive branch to extend. I figured I could hear them out and see what it is, and just leave if it’s bullshit,” Lily mentioned, knowing that her absence from the last few holiday events had likely stirred something within the family. “Ever since Brendan passed, my dad has been insufferable. I mean he wasn’t great before, but... the man could use some therapy. I have no idea what to expect, maybe it’s a piece of jewelry or a trip somewhere. It’s hard to tell with them, but I’ll try to have an open mind to this. Are you going to be conveniently working so as to avoid the family gathering?”

“I knew we were friends for a reason,” she replied with a grin, probably why she was drawn to Lily as a friend. “Just hanging out lowkey, if it happens it happens, I don’t want to push her into anything,” she always gave Chloe an out for most social situations if she needed one. “I got burnt to many times doing that.” it was was she had done with her ex husband, and she had been left to pick up the pieces. Every moment of their relationship had been rushed into impulsively, from their first meetings through to their rushed wedding, everything had been impulsive. She wanted to take her time with something for once, she didn’t want to rush into things with Greyson and eventually ruin it. 

She listened quietly as Lily spoke about Bash and their encounter at Halloween, eyes widening a little as she realised what had gone down and forced herself not to laugh, just a little, at the picture it created. “No, you definitely don’t.” she replied, and she partly wondered whether Bash had done it deliberately. “Oh ? Cute? I’m here for it, definitely. If he makes you happy, then double here for it.” she replied, before taking another sip of her wine. She thought about the question of thanksgiving, swirling her paintbrush in the paint to distract herself. “Maybe, I haven’t asked him. It’s that, or going to my sisters. Where my mom will be. Chloe would like to see her aunt and uncles, but I don’t know if I’m ready to expose her to my mom.”

.

“Everyone moves at their own pace, no harm in taking it slowly. Especially if you both have children and careers of your own.” Plus, Olivia had been through a divorce and her own heartbreaks, she certainly had experience. “I was ready to marry someone in college, or so I thought. I loved him but he was French and I’m American, so marriage was our only way to be together. I always told myself that if he’s meant to be in my life, we’ll find our way back to each other some day,” Lily reminisced, hoping that Timeo was doing well and had found what he was looking for in life. “But I think we all take lessons from past relationships and learn from them moving forward, so you know in the next one what to expect and what you want out of it.” 

Lily had her own complicated relationship with her parents, and since she and Bash had broken up she agreed to give her mother another chance. Her father was still on thin ice, but ever since losing Brendan he had never been the same. Maybe the entire Whittaker family needed group therapy. “You do what you think is best, I know that my parents could be a lot so I would’ve been hesitant letting my child hang around them too,” Lily agreed, knowing that Elise was merely misguided in her love for her children. “We just can try to be better for our kids than our parents were for us. And I think you’re doing a good job with Chloe.”