Inevitable

Chapter Three

Lilith never considered themselves to be indecisive until they stood in that damned ice cream parlor, staring blankly at the available choices. Mabel had already ordered strawberry, Riley cookie dough, they were the only one left.

"Is there any licorice?" Lilith asked Riley who grimaced, having chosen that to be the manner of which they voice their disagreement with their choice.

"Ew, no. Come on. Pick a good one" Rude. Lilith just so happened to love licorice. They eyed Mabel, she had already picked a seat and waited for them to join her. For some reason, Riley was the sole one to stick around to help them out. Lilith tried not to be offended by it, tried not to take it to heart. It was hard not to. They were definitely not the type to need coddling, yet they still wished the roles were reversed and Mabel was there instead.

"So look, I know it is literally none of my business. But I can tell there is something going on between the two of you. You are wasting time you know, pretending that you do not know what I mean." Riley explained as Lilith grimaced, keeping their eyes peeled at the colorful vision of different flavors before them. They hoped that avoiding eye contact would make the conversation a lot less painfully embarrassing to have.

They did not have feelings for Mabel, as hard as it was for them to say that, even if it was only inside of their mind. Did they admire her and possess a tiny crush? Yes but the better question was who didn't?

Mabel with her golden personality, so bubbly and sweet, the polar opposite to Lilith. It was difficult not to be attracted to something so exotic in comparison to yourself.

"You're right. It is truly, fundamentally, none of your business." Lilith responded, keeping their gaze locked until the cashier asked them if they were planning on making a purchase. They affirmed and picked chocolate on a whim. Licorice would have been better; they should have licorice.

"You know she is straight, right?" Riley asked, and Lilith froze. They knew that, of course they did. Who did Riley think they were? An idiot? A blind idiot with no awareness of the people around them? It sure seemed like that was who she thought Lilith to be. It is truly no wonder they broke contact not that long ago, even if it occurred by them drifting apart: Riley was obnoxious.

"..." Silence was gold, it served as a perfect response to everything even if many were to disagree. Riley's expression turned regretful and sympathetic, even going as far as to place a hand on Lilith's shoulder.

They shook it off immediately, touch coming from anyone other than their family and Mabel felt off-putting. Even if it was meant in a well-mannered way, even if its sole purpose was to be a comforting.

"I didn't mean it in a judgmental way, I know you cannot control who you fall for. Please don't be mad, Lilith." She pleaded.

"I'm not mad." It was a lie, but one that Riley couldn't see through. Lilith was truly lucky that they weren't close anymore otherwise Riley would've been just like Mabel. The single person who could see through their bullshit, let alone have the balls to confront them about it.

The cashier handed Lilith the ice cream and they quickly paid, their action faster than Riley's mind and mouth. Once they had gotten the cone, they practically speed walked over to where Mabel was, desperately hoping to get away from the conversation, away from having to confront their own feelings head on.

Who was to say that they even had any feelings to begin with? What one person thought doesn't dictate the truth. They didn't have feelings for Mabel Brown, Lilith Grimm didn't have feelings for Mabel Brown. They kept trying to rationalize why Riley could possibly think that, but everything sounded so deluded in their head.