The moment the kitchen door clicked shut, the house fell into an unusual silence.
Not the peaceful kind.
The heavy kind.
Lily wished Natalie would suddenly walk in because the entire situation felt strange. She stayed where she sat, fingers clasped tightly on her lap.
She could feel his presence now.
No distractions.
No interruptions.
Just him.
And for some reason… she liked it.
In the weirdest way possible.
Smith didn't move immediately. He leaned back slightly against the couch, studying her like she was something he couldn't quite figure out.
"So," he finally said, voice calm,almost too calm.
"You think I flirt around and can't stick to one woman?"
Lily exhaled deeply.
She had been avoiding that question.
'Straight to the point'
She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out, so she shut it again.
This wasn't the first time Smith had heard rumors like that about himself. And never,not once,had he bothered questioning anyone about it.
He was the type who simply didn't care.
Or at least, that was what he liked to believe.
But hearing it from Lily felt… disappointing.
And he didn't know why.
Maybe because she had lived with him long enough to tell whether he was truly that kind of person or not.
Not that he cared.
Lily lifted her chin slightly and met his gaze.
"Well… is it not true?"
Smith let out a quiet chuckle, though there was no humor in it.
"So you believe everything you hear, huh?"
"Not everything," Lily replied. "But when everyone keeps saying the same thing…"
She let the sentence hang.
Smith stared at her for a moment before scoffing softly. Then he stood and took a few slow steps toward her.
Not too close.
But close enough to catch every flicker of expression on her face.
"You should know," he said evenly, "that I really don't care what you hear or what you choose to believe, but seeing that..."
He stopped himself.
He was explaining too much.
That alone irritated him.
He slipped his hands into his pockets.
"Don't you think it's risky living with a man you clearly don't trust?"
Her breath hitched lightly.
Truthfully, she hadn't thought about that.
Noticing how close he was, Lily quickly stood up. A small distance settled between them again.
"I wasn't left with a choice."
"Well, now you do."
She looked at him carefully. His expression clearly showed he wasn't enjoying the conversation anymore.
"And what choice is that?"
"Divorce would be the best option," he answered calmly. "But I'm not a fan of that either."
Her mood shifted instantly at the mention of divorce.
'Can't we just make it work somehow?'
The fact that he also disliked divorce strangely comforted her.
Smith studied her face carefully.
The hurt in her eyes made his chest tighten slightly.
'Gosh. Women are complicated'.
"Then let's just live separately."
Lily scoffed immediately.
'Clearly'.
"So I wasn't wrong about you?"
Smith gave her a questioning look.
"Wanting us to live separately just so you can continue doing what you're good at?" she snapped. "Don't tell me I'm the reason you haven't brought your flings home."
She crossed her arms and turned toward the television.
"Well, do whatever you want. I don't care."
Smith stared at her with amusement.
'Why is she this worked up?'
An inward laugh threatened to escape him.
"You're starting to like me, aren't you?" he asked smugly.
Her eyes widened instantly.
She slowly uncrossed her arms and turned toward him.
That was the last thing she expected him to say.
"Where have you seen couples living separately, if not because....."
"Couples?" Smith repeated under his breath before laughing softly.
He stepped slightly away from her.
She really isn't thinking straight.
"That doesn't mean I like you," she muttered quickly.
"Hm."
A faint smirk tugged at his lips.
"Look, I'm only trying to be reasonable here. You don't want this any more than I do, so us living....."
"Who said I don't want it?"
Silence.
Lily froze.
The words had slipped out before she could stop them.
She mentally wished for the ground to open and swallow her whole.
Why was she so good at embarrassing herself?
Smith looked at her with clear amusement.
"I'll make sure to remember that," he said mockingly.
"You… you're really annoying."
For once, words failed her.
Smith smiled faintly and turned to leave.
"Are we not really going to talk?"
Lily's voice came out softer this time.
Calmer.
He halted but didn't turn around.
"You already seem to know a lot about me."
"That doesn't mean—"
"I'll be upstairs," he cut in smoothly. "In my room."
And then he left.
Lily watched until he disappeared from sight before sighing heavily.
'He really is impossible… and weirder than I thought'.
She was about to grab the remote when Natalie's voice suddenly rang out.
"You seriously didn't hear me come in?"
Lily turned sharply, shock covering her face.
"You've been here the whole time?!"
"Nah," Natalie laughed, walking closer. "I just came in. Why did u think he left?"
She pointed toward the stairs with her face.
"Oh."
"That's weird though," Natalie continued. "Why were both of you together,in the living room?"
"You came back early today," Lily said quickly, ignoring the question.
Sensing she didn't want to talk about it, Natalie smiled.
"Yeah. There wasn't much to do at school."
"His mum is around
"Whose mum?... Wait—Madam Wellington is here?"
Natalie gasped dramatically.
Lily nodded.
"Where is she?"
"In the kitchen."
Natalie froze.
"In the kitchen?" she repeated slowly, just to be sure.
The one place Smith's mother hated most was the kitchen.
"Yep," Lily answered, sitting back down. "With your mum."
"That's creepy," Natalie muttered before bursting into laughter.
Lily looked at her quietly, still wondering if Natalie had overheard any part of her conversation with Smith.
"I'll be back," Natalie said excitedly before rushing toward the kitchen.