She's hoped he wouldn't come - that he'd run away like she had but vanishing had never been Noki's style. He was on time, looking only a little nervous which somehow made Lillia's sweaty palms even clammier. She gestured at the next sun lounger, slightly further away than would make for a comfortable conversation. A calculated move to try and keep things short. Impersonal.
"Hi," he said. It didn't feel impersonal.
"You wanted to see me?" Despite everything Rose had said, everything Lillia knew to be true in her cousin's outburst the night before, she still didn't know how to have this talk. She didn't know what she wanted so she figured it was best to let Noki take the lead while she tried to work things out.
"So far I've understood you have something to say about me and/or Lucky Palms in various configurations", she kept her tone light, and he looked at her, something of the old dynamic snapping between them.
"Right." Noki gathered himself. "So I've had an offer. Two actually. One of a job, here in Lucky Palms and another from the University to buy Yellow Cottage for more than it's really worth. It's a chance for me to have a real fresh start, one that I could never afford otherwise... but I know that this is your hometown. "Your family is here, Rose is here, and I've made things hard enough for you. So - I wanted to give you the chance to tell me to stay away. And I will. I can look for another job".
He tailed off. Lillia stood and walked towards the water. She knew without looking that he had followed. She paused.
"You know, I really liked that Yellow Cottage" she mused, "I got the impression you did too?"
Noki agreed. "I did. I do. But I can't really afford to keep it. Nobody's hiring anything close to what I'd have to pay to keep it up.
"Your parents still haven't reconsidered?" Lillia was surprised. Was it really so terrible to not go through with an arranged marriage in the 21st Century. On look at Anoki's face told her that apparently it was. He looked sad, angry and resolute all in the fraction of a second.
"No," was his only response.
"Well Lucky Palms is a pretty big town, and I assume you're not planning to work for any of my family's businesses? Lillia asked.
"The job is just out of town, New Business Junior Associate at Rowson Hydroelectrics. It sounds boring as hell. It is boring as hell but it pays, and they didn't make my dad's list of companies to call and tell not to hire me so..."He sounded matter of fact, resigned to his limited options and Lillia almost envied him the simplicity of his choice. She still had no idea what to pursue.
"You should take the job" she said. "What happened between us was a mess and a mistake but we don't have to keep paying for it forever." Lillia couldn't quite believe how simple it sounded in clear air.
"Really?" Noki sounded doubtful, but pleased.
"What?" Lillia joked, "Surely I wasn't that big of a controlling bitch at college that you expected me to ban you from an entire town for my convenience?"
"Weeeellllll-oof", he started, before Lillia punched him in the arm.
"And there I was about to take you up on your long ago offer of friendship Anoki Moon. Such a shame your sense of humor is still that of a grade schooler". He grinned at her and she suddenly remembered why he'd been so dangerous, what his smile - the real one rather than the knowing smirk - could do to her.
"You really wanna be friends with me?" Noki sounded so hopeful that Lillia didn't have the heart to say no, even as all her cautious braincells screamed to run, maintain distance, guard against the man who was somehow standing much closer than she'd thought he was.
Lillia's sentence trailed into silence. Had she given away the flip her stomach still did for Noki in the pause when she desperately racked her brain for platonic activities they might do together. Had he caught the faint blush that chased the definitely not platonic activities that had briefly flirted on the edge of her mind. Had he-
He stepped forward and took her hands.
"Thank you Lillia. You've made all this sound easy but I know it might not have been. I appreciate the second chance. I owe you a beer."
"Third chance." She lightly stepped out of his reach, keeping her tone light and even. "So I think you owe me three beers!" She walked away before he could see that her hands were shaking.
"You look like shit". Rose stomped in to the bar with a waft of smoke clinging to her uniform. Lillia grimaced.
"Remind me why I missed you so much" she quipped, tapping the bar for another drink and tossing Rose the list.
"Because I am the most fun to gossip with and I'm not a sociopath like most of the people we used to hang out with." Rose was right. Lillia didn't really miss any of the others from their circle. Except-
"So Noki's moving to Lucky Palms?" Rose's voice and expression didn't give the impression this was either news or a concern to her.
"It doesn't bother you?" Taking a deep swig of her offensively pink drink Lillia swivelled to her cousin who was regarding her with the same 'you're an idiot' expression as at their last meeting.
"I'm surprised it took this long cuz. I honestly expected he'd follow you as soon as college was over."
Lillia choked on her drink. Rose rolled her eyes and gestured to the bartender.
"Two of whatever that is for me, and another one for her please. Lil. Can we please stop pretending that you and Noki don't have the biggest, most high school, unnecessarily tortured crushes on each other? I don't care how many of these drinks I have to pour into you to make you cop to it. However it started, however mad I was at you for not telling me, the way he looked at you? The way you almost got over your ego enough to do the right thing and come clean to me? Yeah that's some rom-com starcrossed lovers bullshit and you should just try it out."
The arrival of the drink distracted Rose long enough for Lillia to compose herself and recover her jaw from under her seat.
"Rose", she said calmly. "Noki and I are just going to be friends".
Her cousin narrowed her eyes. "How much you wanna bet? Remember that time in Cabo you wanted that one cabana and you went on three dates with the guy who gave it up for us because you felt bad?"
Lillia tried to follow Rose's logic. "Yeees?"
A sly smile slipped across Rose's face. "Well a little bird told me that Anoki Moon only went and got himself disinherited for you. By my calculation if a cabana goes for three dates then a multi-million dollar inheritance-"
"OHMYGOD ROSE IT'S OUR SONG" Lillia threw herself out of her chair, effectively derailing Rose mid-sentence.
Rose chuckled. "You always did know how to make an exit"
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