CHAPTER 80: GOING BACK TO ATLANTA

Awkward was the only words Lillian could describe the atmosphere in the car as they drove back to the airport.

Or maybe it was just her, since Ethan was calmly tapping away on his phone, and Aria?

She had spent the entire day glaring at Ethan even when Lillian had signalled her to stop multiple times over.

She didn’t hate Ethan per say, Aria was just mad that he had made her friend sad, especially considering the fact that as an introvert, Lillian rarely if ever took the first step and the first time she did, ended up in rejection.

Luckily, Ethan didn’t seem to notice the glare or rather, he chose not to since Aria’s glare was clear for anyone to see, even the driver.

Every so often, she’d make a noise—a scoff, a sharp exhale—just loud enough for him to hear.

Lillian wanted to melt into the seat.

Finally, unable to take it anymore, she nudged Aria lightly with her elbow. "Please," she whispered, barely audible, "stop glaring."

Ethan’s voice suddenly came, though he never looked up from his screen. "I’m aware of your opinion of me, Aria. You don’t need to be so... theatrical about it."

"Great," Aria fired back, "then you know exactly how much of a jerk I think you are."

Ethan raised his head up, looking at the fuming Aria and gave her a small smile. As Lillian’s friend, he had expected this reaction maybe even a bit worse, so he couldn’t fault her for being a good friend.

Aria on the other hand, did not take kindly to the smile as she interpreted it as Ethan being smug.

She was about to snap when Lillian immediately reached for her hand, squeezing it. "Aria, we talked about this" she pleaded softly, shaking her head.

Aria exhaled sharply through her nose and leaned back, muttering something under her breath about men and their egos.

For the rest of the drive, no one spoke again, which worked well for the three, not so much for the drive who, although seemingly focused on the road, was very much interested in the, conversation.

But he wouldn’t make it obvious enough to risk losing his job on the first day... But he definitely was interested in whatever tea was being spilled.

The drive took a while, mostly due to early morning traffic, but the three soon reached the airport.

The driver pulled up to the drop-off point, and the moment the car stopped, Aria was the first to unbuckle her seatbelt. She practically shoved the door open, muttering something about "fresh air" as she stepped out.

Lillian followed more carefully, tugging her suitcase from the trunk while Ethan handled his own with practiced ease.

Aria on the other hand just glared at his back. At this point, she was doing everything to make his life harder but at the same time didn’t want to overdo it to avoid making Lillian mad at her or Ethan, since at this point they were also friends... Plus she learnt that the ice cream tub was also from him.

Ethan glanced back then, and for the briefest moment, their eyes met—his steady, unreadable gaze locking with Lillian’s flustered one.

He didn’t say anything, just gave the faintest smile and nodded before turning back toward the terminal doors.

Somehow, that small gesture unsettled her more than if he had spoken.

Beside her, Aria scoffed again. "See? He’s being smug."

Lillian chuckled and looked at her, "I told you he’s not, besides, it’s clear enough to even me that you’re just doing this to to defend me." Lillian finished softly, tugging her suitcase handle upright.

Aria gave her a side-eye but didn’t argue. Her silence said enough.

Ethan had already moved ahead a few steps, giving them space, his phone in one hand and his own luggage rolling effortlessly in the other.

He wasn’t rushing, but he wasn’t slowing down either—it was the perfect pace that made one feel as though they were the one who had to decide whether to follow or lag behind.

And of course, she followed.

Aria trailed too, grumbling under her breath until Lillian finally nudged her again with a smile. "You don’t have to worry so much, Aria. I’m... okay."

"Yeah?" Aria’s expression softened for the first time that morning. "Because you don’t look okay."

Lillian paused, lips parting slightly, then let out a breathy laugh. "Maybe I’m not. But... I don’t regret it either."

That answer seemed to silence Aria more than anything else could.

They sat in waiting as Ethan completed the check-in for them. When he came back, he was balancing three cups in his hands—condensation clinging to the plastic lids, the faint smell of vanilla and chocolate wafted upward.

Aria blinked. "Is that... milkshakes?"

"Mm." Ethan set one in front of her, then one in front of Lillian, before sitting down with his own. "Airport coffee is terrible. These were the better choice."

Aria looked down at her own cup suspiciously before muttering, "Strawberry?"

"You looked like the strawberry type," Ethan said, already sipping his own chocolate shake. "If I was wrong, you can trade with me."

Aria opened her mouth, ready to argue, but paused when she actually tasted it. Her brows knit together, annoyed at herself for liking it. "...Hmph fine,I shall accept this gesture for now, but don’t think you’re off the hook just yet."

Lillian nearly laughed at the sight of her friend being silenced by a milkshake.

"Thank you," she muttered to Ethan who gave her a small smile in response.

No words were exchanged after that but the atmosphere had become a lot more comfortable and Aria seemed to have been appeased.....for now.

Boarding time came a bit later than planned since their flight was a bit delayed, but they were soon soaring above the clouds, headed back to Atlanta.

______

Their flight arrived from California to Atlanta sometime in the afternoon and the three were greeted by the Atlantan wind.

Aria’s expression immediately darkened. She felt as though they had moved from California’s lighthearted breeze straight into Atlanta’s suffocating humidity. "Ugh. I hate it here already," she muttered, tugging at her sweater as though it were choking her.

Lillian chuckled softly, adjusting her bag on her shoulder. "You’ve lived here your whole life."

"Doesn’t mean I like it," Aria shot back, squinting at the too-bright sun. "Every time I leave, I hope I’ll come back and it’ll be magically different. And every time, it’s still this." She gestured vaguely at the bustling terminal, the sweltering air outside, the impatient drivers honking at the pickup lanes.

The two were silently waiting for Ethan to go pick his car up from the long term parking where he left it.

They stood in waiting for ten minutes which was just long enough for Aria to start complaining again before Ethan finally reappeared, his black Audi pulling up through the endless stream of cars.

The shine on it made it obvious that the parking company had taken the liberty of washing it, probably on his command.

Ethan stepped out, popping the trunk with a click. "Ladies," he said smoothly, as if he hadn’t kept them waiting at all.

Aria rolled her eyes. "About time."

Lillian just smiled, and handed her luggage to Ethan who simply put it in his trunk alongside Aria’s and his before walking back to the driver’s seat as they all got in the car.

With that, he pulled out of the airport’s driveway, and towards Lillian’s and Aria’s apartment.

The drive, again, was a quiet one... Until Lillian’s ringing phone broke the silence.

Looking at the screen, she realized it was an unknown number which was strange since she believed no one would call her and even if someone did, it’d only either be Ethan, Aria, both of which were with her at the moment, and her parents but definitely not with an unknown number.

Ethan looked at her through the rear view mirror and their eyes met through it.

With a sigh, she answered the phone and put it on her ear before saying, "hello?"

There was silence for a couple of minutes causing her to check if the call had actually connected and it was.

Again, she put the phone on her ear before asking, "who’s this?"

Again, the person refused to answer but Lillian could tell there was someone on the other end from the sound of their breathing.

Thinking it was just a spam call, she was about to drop it when the voice suddenly came, "Hello Lillian."

The sound of the voice immediately caused her to freeze. This was a voice she clearly recognized and one she didn’t wish or ever wanted to hear again.

"It’s been a while Lillian," the person spoke again, "do you remember me?"

Lillian’s grip on the phone tightened, her knuckles turning white.

That voice.

It was as if the air in the car had been sucked out, her chest tightening with each syllable that crawled into her ear. The familiarity of it made her stomach twist.

Her throat went dry, but she forced words out anyway. "...Why are you calling me?"