Triangle. |Stray Kids

Four.

"So, who's the poor girl who decided to sacrifice her life and spend an eternity with a freak like yourself?" Lilly asked right after she gulped down all of her drink.

The three friends were sitting on the floor of Chris's living room. Right after they met Lino at the hospital, the three of them headed out, deciding to spend the day and maybe have a sleepover at Chris's to catch up with what they missed. They were sitting in a triangle, having the drinks, snacks, and crackers in the middle.

"Mia." Lino laughed dreamingly while holding the ring in his right hand fondly.

Lilly scrunched her face and leaned towards Chris. "What happened to him? Where's my friend who used to flirt with every and each female?"

"He's still there." Chris patted her shoulder. "He's just lovestruck."

"How did you meet your Mia?" Lilly asked her awed friend.

"It was love at first sight." The boy giggled cutely as he pulled one of the cushions from the sofa and hugged it. "The second my eyes fell on her, I felt a strange pull. She was so inviting that I couldn't stop my legs from walking towards her. She's.. She's my gravity."

"God! You're enchanted." Lilly gasped. "She's your soulmate?"

"I don't know and I don't care." Lino shrugged. "It's just her."

"You know what's funny about them?" Chris asked Lilly who shook her head. "They met in an arranged marriage."

"No way!" Lilly chuckled. She looked at Lino waiting for an explanation.

Lino rolled his eyes. "Yes! The old man was forcing me into marriage. Her family is involved in the pharmaceutical industry and grandpa needed their support for our hospitals. So, he pushed me into a blind date." Lino's features turned soft again as he smiled beamingly. "And I've never been that thankful for my grandpa before."

"Wow! Looks like fate was on your side." Lilly laughed. "For how long have you been engaged? When are you getting married?"

"We've been together for a year now. We're planning to get married by the end of this year." Lino pushed the cushion away and scooted closer to Lilly, pulling her in his arms and squishing her. "That's why I'm thankful you are back. I couldn't have made that wedding without you."

"I'm thankful that I'm back too." Lilly wrapped her arms around him. "I missed you. Both of you."

Lilly heard a scoff from behind her. She knew it came from Chris. The boy was still bitter about the decision she made nine years ago. Although he was the one who supported her, he didn't think she'll take that long to fulfill her promise. Lilly pulled away to look at Chris with an apologetic look.

"Don't look at me like that, Lil!" Chris scolded a little bit harshly. "You said you'll leave for our safety, but you never mentioned cutting connections completely!" He paused to breathe in, trying not to lash out at the girl. "Do you know how hard I looked for you? You were supposed to be staying with your aunt's in Germany, but you weren't there! You didn't even stay with her for a year."

"What?" Lino questioned. "You didn't stay with your aunt?"

Lilly looked down guiltily. "Yes. I left less than a year after I moved in with her. She couldn't bear me and my... condition." Lilly sighed then lifted her head to look at them with a broken smile. "She was scared of me and the woman had the right to be."

"Then, you should've come back!" Chris snapped.

"That was dangerous! It wasn't safe for us to be together again."

"Is it safe now?" Lino asked, knowing the answer before she spills it.

"No." She huffed. Her right hand moved to her hair, to push its strands to the side and out of her face.

She was nervous. That was what she used to do when she's nervous. Chris could never forget each habit of hers. She was nervous and he knew why. Looking at Lino, the boy nodded at him, assuring him that he too caught her nervousness.

"Where are you staying?" Lino asked, changing the subject.

"Home!" Lilly shrugged.

The two males widened their eyes in surprise. They looked at each other and then at her.

"Lilly! No. That's not a good idea." Lino objected.

"It's my house after all."

"You're not going there." Chris deadpanned. "You are staying with me."

"You can't order me, Chris. Your 'I'm a strict scary cop' tone is not working on me." She rolled her eyes.

"Lillian!" He yelled, startling the girl who was just next to him. "You can't stay there! Not after what happened in that house back then."

"Christopher!" She yelled back. "It's time to get over what happened back then. I was a coward and ran away when we had to face the consequences of the shit we created. Now, look at how messed up our lives are! Everyone's lives! I'm not running anymore. For nine years I've been looking for clues, answers, and hints but I found nothing! I followed all the signs but all ended with me being used. I sometimes had to comply with them against my will. And that was awful. Even made things worse. It's time to end this shit. It's time to pay back for what we did." Lilly gasped once she ended her outburst.

The two males were silenced. She was right and they knew it. They made a big mistake. A huge one that cost them a lot. Although Lilly was the only one who faced terrible consequences after what they did, she was the one who left to protect them and now she came back to fix things.

Guilt filled the chests of the two males. They were part of what happened that day, but she was the one who got hurt the most.

"We're just afraid that staying there will bring past on you." Lino mumbled while looking down, fiddling with his fingers.

"If you are that worried, one of you can stay with her." Said a voice that didn't belong to any of the three friends. That didn't belong to anyone inside the room as there was no one except them.

Upon hearing it, the two males' faces dropped, and Lilly smirked.