#(bash convos.)

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 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.”

The bill had been paid and, as much as Lily wanted to spend more time with him, she knew that James had an early day at work the next morning. A chaste kiss goodbye, with the promise of more to come the next time they saw each other. Delicately touching her lips as a smile crossed her features, Lily walked in the opposite direction of her date and enjoyed the way the crisp autumn air felt at this time. The pecan-crusted sea bass and martini that she’d enjoyed were definitely selling points of the evening, but things seemed to be going super well with James to the point where she was considering the near future with him. 

The smile faltered when she saw Bash in her path, in such a way where there was no way to get around him without acknowledging his presence. Perhaps it was awkward seeing her kissing James, but she and Bash didn’t owe each other anything. The worst part was that she knew he spotted her too, so there was no possibility of avoidance. “Hey...” was all that managed to come out of her mouth, keeping her distance from him somewhat while hoping he too would be willing to become ships passing in the night.

“And they all lived happily every after...” Lily finished, closing the children’s storybook and smiling at the children to whom she’d been reading a version of Sleeping Beauty. Of course Lily believed in the concept of a ‘happily ever after’, it’s why she adored fairytales. Saying goodbye to the children and signing out at the front desk from her volunteer shift, the brunette made a mental note about plans she had for the evening. 

Stepping out of the elevator and waving goodbye to the hospital guard, Lily began texting Sanem to see if she was home and stopped in her tracks when she saw a familiar face. One she could spot out of a sea of many. If she had noticed Bash a little earlier, she could’ve easily avoided him or rerouted her exit so that they wouldn’t run into each other. But now she was face-to-face with her ex-boyfriend, biting her lower lip as she looked down at her shoes. Although Lily maintained that she was merely setting boundaries, part of her did feel guilty for brushing Bash off when he tried to talk to her, and then missing his calls while he was in jail. She didn’t even know what the charges were, nor what the outcome of the trial had been. 

“I was out of town when you tried calling, I texted your dad to see what was going on and if you needed anything. He said you were fine, but that he’d let me know...” Lily explained, glancing away. She could have called him back while he was incarcerated, that was a fact - but also it would have done nothing to help with the process of moving on. “Anyway, it was good to see you. I hope things are going well.” 

While Sanem and Allison took their couple portraits, Lily had a moment to join the cocktail party and socialize with the guests before being pulled in the direction of getting the newly wedded brides ready for the reception. Of course, her eyes scanned the room for Bash, unsurprisingly nursing a drink by his lonesome in a corner. Having sampled many of the hors d’oeuvres herself with Quinn during the food tasting, Lily knew exactly which selection would appeal to her boyfriend. Their rocky relationship was something she was planning to keep from Sanem until at least after the newlyweds returned from their honeymoon, not wanting to put a damper on her best friend as she started this new chapter. 

“I heard the sliders are really good.” The mention of the mini burgers was made as she slid onto the seat next to Bash, placing the plate in front of him. “I got you mini tacos and skewers too. You should eat something, it’d be a while before dinner is served,” she encouraged, placing a hand on his thigh and trying to get a sense of where his head was at. “How are you feeling?”

“You wanna try it? It’s sweet, with raspberry and vanilla notes,” Lily offered, holding her glass of sparkling rosé out to her boyfriend. It was their first official event as a couple, and while many eyes were on them there was too much joy shared between the new couple to let it get to Lily. She knew that their relationship was still in the honeymoon stage, but that was also the part where they got to know more about each other and grow together. “I’ll probably have another glass and then wait it out a bit.” She wanted to avoid having too much alcohol in her system; a learned habit of having been an event planner was that she was cognizant of her alcohol intake even if she wasn’t on duty. Plus, in the event that she needed to step in, she’d be more capable of offering assistance in more sober state.

The red and pink desserts the adorned the table drew her attention, as the brunette excitedly took her boyfriend’s hand and led him to the cupcake display, the flowy skirt of her dress moving freely as she hastened. “Which one do you want to try?” she asked, picking one up after a decision was made. “We can share it.” The decision was stated matter-of-factly, and Lily committed to it by unwrapping one end and biting in, holding it out to Bash to take a bite. 

“Craft beer for you, red wine for me,” Lily chirped as she handed Bash a chilled bottle, joining him on the leather sofa as the embers of the fireplace crackled in front of them. With everything that had been going on with them in Crescent Harbor, Lily suggested that they go on a weekend trip to destress. She had a feeling that her idea of an impromptu getaway was a complete 180 from her companion’s, evident by the fact that they’d just had a salmon dinner in a luxury rental cabin after a day of exploring the Bavarian-inspired town in which they were staying. “So, I have something to ask you officially. Something I wished I asked you a while ago,” she started off, biting her lower lip. 

“I’d actually really love it if you accompanied me to Sanem and Alli’s wedding. As my date,” the brunette clarified, chuckling and pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. He was already invited, so it wouldn’t have changed anything about his attendance to the wedding aside from the fact that he’d be going with Lily. “You don’t have to give me an answer right away, and I know it’s quite a commitment in terms of time seeing as I’d need to be around for more than the wedding itself - the rehearsal dinner and the morning after. But if you’re down for it, nothing would make me happier,” she beamed, reaching for his free hand as she took a sip of her wine and realizing that she hadn’t stopped smiling for a while. “I’m just… I’m really happy we’re in a good place again. I love you, Bash.”

The defense would like to call Lilian Whittaker to the stand. 

Even though every fiber of her being was quaking, Lily kept her head held high as she looked forward, gracefully walking through the aisle of the courtroom and avoiding eye contact with her parents, the Landry family, and Bash himself. Let’s just get this over with, she thought as she made her way to the bench in order to go through the normal procedures. A perfectly manicured hand rested on a Bible, with the other one raised as she swore to be truthful in her testimony. The direct examination by the defense attorney was what Lily had expected, simply wanting to know the events that had transpired on the night that Bash had allegedly stolen the jewelry. What time he’d arrived by her, whether he wore the jacket the whole time, what they did, if she had left his side at all during his time there. Thanks to the security camera footage, the defense was able to prove that Lily’s details of the events corroborated the evidence as well as Bash’s own statements. She knew that the security camera footage showed her and Bash disappearing behind a closed door for an extended period of time, and it didn’t take a genius to know what they’d been up to. Blushing as it came up, Lily’s face remained otherwise cool and collected - she was ready to have her own reputation questioned in exchange for Bash’s case strengthening. She didn’t exactly know why people still cared about who women had sex with in 2020, yet that was simply how society was. 

The direct examination by the defense was a breeze, but Lily knew that it was the calm before the storm. She hardly had any time to breathe before the prosecutor approached the bench for a cross-examination, the brunette’s muscles tensing as the other woman’s eyes implored her. Focus on Sanem. That was what Lily reminded herself, brown eyes seeking out those of her best friend seated near to the back of the courtroom. The questions started off simple, simply asking Lily to recall the events of that day while Bash was on the property with her as well as what they had been up to in the three hours they’d vanished for. “We went to get coffee at Brews Brothers, stopped by my office for me to intercept a dress delivery for a bride-to-be, then got pizza.” It wasn’t a super thrilling day, but it was the truth as to what had occurred. “No, he did not have his jacket during that time. You can probably see from the camera footage that he wasn’t wearing it, he left it at my place,” she answered the follow up question, trying to maintain even breathing and eye contact with the jury even though her palms were sweating in her lap. 

At what she believed was the ending of her testimony, the prosecuting attorney’s questioning took a different turn - one that Lily had expected, but still wasn’t prepared for. She didn’t know if she would ever be.