Hey There, Delilah

Only Human

Song: tired playlist by Rainy Girl

Thanksgiving was a time to be grateful for all that one had. Yet Lilah found herself feeling anything but that on the eve of the dreaded holiday.

The townhouse was alive with chatter as she snuck in through the back door. Her mom and Mrs. Lodovico were bustling around in the kitchen, unaware of her presence. Lilah never did get around to asking her mother if it bothered her that her ex husband was spotted with Judge Pedi. Stupid Simon Darcy had left her reeling so hard she couldn't think straight for days.

With her mother, Mrs. Lodovico, Caius, Lonnie, and Adrian hanging around, the house felt unbearably small. When she couldn't take it any longer she ran away back to her apartment. Solitude and work were her friends. She threw herself into both, disregarding her promise to Lonnie to stay until she was better.

The worst part was that she couldn't even tell a disappointed Lonnie why she'd left so suddenly.

Lonnie had always been the strong one. The enduring one. The one that took pride in the color of her skin and her Hawaiian heritage. Lonnie never felt ashamed to be the only person of color in the room. She never once felt like she was less than anyone else. Because she didn't allow anyone to demean her based on her gender or race.

It was for that reason alone why Lilah could never tell her about the bet and what followed.

Lilah's shame and internal hatred was overwhelming. She couldn't tell her big sister about what had happened without feeling like a complete failure. All she could do was keep her woes and self deprecating thoughts to herself. Maybe even hope that one day, eventually, things would somehow get better for her in that department.

Lilah slipped into an empty closet, barely avoiding her mother as she yelled in Italian. Her phone buzzed and she swiped to read the message. A small smile lifted her cheeks as she stared at the picture of a sleeping Kiki and smiling Vincent.

There were alarmingly dark circles underneath his closed eyes. No doubt from the extensive hours he'd been putting in at work after one of his projects hit a budgeting snag. In light of recent events, Lilah had been his shoulder to lean on whenever he needed to vent.

Kiki felt horrible for only having time to see Vincent at night. When he was too exhausted to do anything more than cuddle his boyfriend to a less than satisfying sleep. He carried guilt that Vincent took it upon himself to feed him dinner every single night. He even forced Kiki to take a shower then tucked him into bed before he collapsed.

Not once did Vincent ever complain.

There were too many days where he'd given Ambrose a rain check for their gym time. Only to be met with short and gruff messages of dismissal and motivation.

Kiki was also adamant that Ambrose or Jill were responsible for the amazing meals. Her brother loved his boyfriend more than life itself. But he also knew what Vincent was and wasn't capable of.

Could he fry an egg? Yes. Although, it was gonna be a little crispy.

Could he make homemade macaroni with brie and crab? What about perfectly cooked Scandinavian steak and potatoes? Or, could he make seared scallops and baby spinach with a spiced pomegranate glaze?!

Well...

Vincent could fry a pretty decently crispy egg.

Kiki was beyond grateful for Ambrose and Jill. If he wasn't bitching about work or lamenting his feelings, he was praising them.

Lilah found she didn't feel so amiss hearing praise about Ambrose now that she'd delivered her apology.

"Where did you put the presents?"