"He probably wants you to like him," Lawrence said. His tone was all matter of fact, business. He seemed a little stiff, as though all his joints needed to be well-oiled in order to work. He ran one of his large hands through his hair in a very Lochlann-gesture.
"Pry," Lillianna said. "He folds under pressure, especially from cute girls, and if you're his best friend he'll crumble like poundcake in your hands."
Lochlann, meanwhile, had finished his cigarette. He had no more excuses. He thought about telling Adelene what he was, and maybe that would explain things, but he knew he was grasping at straws.
Hi, Addy, I've been lying to you for the past several months. I'm a water horse bred to fuck, kill, and eat women, and why yes, I've had dreams about doing all three to you. Don't take it personally, though. I've dreamt about doing the same thing to Guinevere Haze, but I hate her, and I really don't hate you--just the opposite, actually. Would you like to come back to my apartment and be alone with me while we watch movies tonight?
He sighed.
He picked himself up off the sidewalk, dusted off his pants, and headed back inside. The bartender congratulated him on his graduation and Lochlann thanked him, but it was half-hearted.
This was supposed to be a new beginning, but instead, it felt like the beginning of the end.
Lillianna, meanwhile, was telling Addy quite animatedly about their first American Halloween.
"Dad was against it at first, because we didn't do Halloween that way in the old countries. But, Mom talked him into it, and she thought it would help us fit in, so Lochlann decided he wanted to be the headless horseman. He made this big coat fit over a cardboard head and neck to make it look as though he had no head...but he didn't cut the eyeholes big enough!"
Lillianna was giggling as she tried to tell the story. It was clearly an instance of something that was probably funnier if you were there, but her laughter was thick and contagious. The corner of stoic Lawrence's lips twitched up into something of a smile.
"He'd carved this pumpkin with a big scary face on it, too, and he was going to trick or treat on the back of one of our ponies, because it was a really rural area. I really, really wanted to go with him, but Lochlann didn't want his little sister as a tag-a-long, but....okay he couldn't see out of that headless horse thing, so I told him I'd help him get ready. He was all mounted up on the pony and I told him I'd bring his pumpkin but--"
Lillianna had the gall to look a little ashamed here.
"I brought him a goose neck goard instead. Since it felt like the pumpkin, Lochlann didn't both to check, but you should have seen how ridiculous he looked, trying to be scary racing down the roads on the back of a pony, holding a big green gourd with his accent saying, 'I am ye headless horseman! Bewarrrrr!"
Lilianna was giggling like a fiend.
The waitress came with her food and Lochlann was standing in the doorway, looking at the group, although really, he was looking only at Addy.
He closed the distance between them.
He didn't care what would happen next.
He didn't care that his siblings were sitting there, that thy were in a restaurant, that she was going to kill him, probably, or that she probably hated him. He didn't care about any of that because he only cared about Addy.
He tilted his head down and Lochlann kissed her.
"I need to know, Addy," Lochlann said. "I need to know if you even want to look at me. Because I can't stop pretending that I don't love you. You don't have to love me, but I need to know."
His voice was shaking.
"Pry," Lillianna said. "He folds under pressure, especially from cute girls, and if you're his best friend he'll crumble like poundcake in your hands."
Lochlann, meanwhile, had finished his cigarette. He had no more excuses. He thought about telling Adelene what he was, and maybe that would explain things, but he knew he was grasping at straws.
Hi, Addy, I've been lying to you for the past several months. I'm a water horse bred to fuck, kill, and eat women, and why yes, I've had dreams about doing all three to you. Don't take it personally, though. I've dreamt about doing the same thing to Guinevere Haze, but I hate her, and I really don't hate you--just the opposite, actually. Would you like to come back to my apartment and be alone with me while we watch movies tonight?
He sighed.
He picked himself up off the sidewalk, dusted off his pants, and headed back inside. The bartender congratulated him on his graduation and Lochlann thanked him, but it was half-hearted.
This was supposed to be a new beginning, but instead, it felt like the beginning of the end.
Lillianna, meanwhile, was telling Addy quite animatedly about their first American Halloween.
"Dad was against it at first, because we didn't do Halloween that way in the old countries. But, Mom talked him into it, and she thought it would help us fit in, so Lochlann decided he wanted to be the headless horseman. He made this big coat fit over a cardboard head and neck to make it look as though he had no head...but he didn't cut the eyeholes big enough!"
Lillianna was giggling as she tried to tell the story. It was clearly an instance of something that was probably funnier if you were there, but her laughter was thick and contagious. The corner of stoic Lawrence's lips twitched up into something of a smile.
"He'd carved this pumpkin with a big scary face on it, too, and he was going to trick or treat on the back of one of our ponies, because it was a really rural area. I really, really wanted to go with him, but Lochlann didn't want his little sister as a tag-a-long, but....okay he couldn't see out of that headless horse thing, so I told him I'd help him get ready. He was all mounted up on the pony and I told him I'd bring his pumpkin but--"
Lillianna had the gall to look a little ashamed here.
"I brought him a goose neck goard instead. Since it felt like the pumpkin, Lochlann didn't both to check, but you should have seen how ridiculous he looked, trying to be scary racing down the roads on the back of a pony, holding a big green gourd with his accent saying, 'I am ye headless horseman! Bewarrrrr!"
Lilianna was giggling like a fiend.
The waitress came with her food and Lochlann was standing in the doorway, looking at the group, although really, he was looking only at Addy.
He closed the distance between them.
He didn't care what would happen next.
He didn't care that his siblings were sitting there, that thy were in a restaurant, that she was going to kill him, probably, or that she probably hated him. He didn't care about any of that because he only cared about Addy.
He tilted his head down and Lochlann kissed her.
"I need to know, Addy," Lochlann said. "I need to know if you even want to look at me. Because I can't stop pretending that I don't love you. You don't have to love me, but I need to know."
His voice was shaking.
