forum "Do you think I liked hurting you?" ((oxo//closed//Mature?))

Started December 29, 2023 by @padfoot_loves_his_moony group

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Lyra jumped a tiny bit when Alice nudged her with her foot. She smiled a little bit, "My favorite movie is the 'Dead Poets Society' I love the topic and message of it all." Lyra shook off the feeling of disgust that came with Jeremy's gaze.
It was hard to because she had seen that look before. But she pushed that out of her head, she didn't need to feel helpless.
She felt her heart rate speed up and she needed to get out of there. "Can we take our food to go?"

Alice only grew more worried as she watched Lyra. "That's a good one! I've never seen it in full from start to finish though." She admitted sheepishly, trying to bring back some of the lighthearted repore they had before entering the shop. "I've heard it makes everyone cry." she mused softly. She was never a crier, not necessarily because of her upbringing, oddly enough her family was okay with emotions but it never really was something she expressed much. A movie seemed like a nice and easy way for her to let some pent-up emotions. She blinked and glanced up at Lyra. "Yeah, of course, there's a park close by we can eat at." She suggested, standing from the chair. She wavered a bit in place, debating on whether she should reach out and comfort Lyra or change the order before Jeremy could come over. She steeled herself and gently rested a hand on Lyra's shoulder, leaning in slightly. "Just breathe, hon. We'll be out in a sec. Just let me change the order and we can go anywhere you'd like." She gave a reassuring squeeze before going back towards the counter and asking Jeremy to change the order to make it to-go. It didn't escape Alice his quick little side glance at Lyra again but she tried her best not to lash out. They wouldn't need to worry about him anymore since they wouldn't be coming back any time soon.

Lyra nodded and waited for Alice to come back. She was biting her nails with nervousness. But she was thankful that Alice was willing to leave with her. Lyra flinched when Alice leaned in but it was comforting. "Ok." She whispered.
Lyra watched as Jeremy gave her a side glance and she glared at him. He reminded her of the time she was 13 and helpless. When Alice came back she smiled, "Thanks."

Lyra stayed by the counter, wanting to keep an eye on Jeremy instead of turn her back on him for a moment. She bounced anxiously, her mind racing a mile a minute. Had she asked something wrong? Had she done something that over stepped their tentative friendship? If she could even call it that. Coming here was mistake, Alice knew that. But was meeting a mistake as well? Is this why workers never went out with customers? "Thanks" she muttered as jeremy passed her the bagged lunch and a tray of their drinks, heading back to Lyra before they could say more.
"Of course, let get going before all this gets cold." She encouraged, heading back towards the door while balancing their lunches. "You sure you're okay?" She asked, glancing over at Lyra once they were outside. "I'm sorry if he made you uncomfortable. He's usually not that weird but that's not an excuse."

Lyra smiled, "I had a bad experience when I was younger." She grabbed Alice's arm and squeezed it, "I hope you don't think I was being quiet because of you. You have been amazing so far. Most guys act different when they see pretty girls." She smiled and smells, "I can smell the food from here and it smells amazing?" Lyra looked at Alice and smirked, "You have good taste in food, drinks, and in girls."
As they walk to the park, Lyra studied their surroundings.

Alice's gaze turned concerned and her hand twitched at her side. As if she could do anything now but still, the urge to fight was still strong. "He's not that brave or stupid." She muttered, reassuringly. "I did," Alice admitted, glancing over when Lyra latched onto her arm, moving the drinks to her free hand. "But thank you. I'm glad to not be concerned as "most guys"" she was glad to see a smile back on Lyra's face. "It does, and after a shift I'm starving." She agreed, guiding them towards the entrance of the park. "Food and drinks, yes. Girls is still yet to be determined, I'm still skeptical about one." She teased, nudging Lyra's shoulder playfully.

Lyra laughed, which was rare, the last time she laughed was with her older brother. That was a month ago. She smiled at Alice and tilted her head, "And what can I do to turn that skeptic into a certainty?" Lyra flirted with Alice. She didn't have instructions to flirt with Alice but she couldn't help it. Alice was just so addicting with her smile and eyes.
Lyra had never met another person that had captured her attention like Alice.

Alice's grin was uncontrollable, a stupidly, giddy, dopey uncontrollable grin. And it was all Lyra's fault. How dare she let herself be swayed by the first cute chic that came into the shop that day? and at the ungodly hours of the early morning…before breakfast! Gods above Alice didn't even know she could be anything more than conscious at that hour and yet, this girl came sauntering in and managed to make Alice have enough energy for weeks! And now they were strolling through the park, arm in arm like they'd known each other for years instead of just a few hours. If Alice wasn't so undeniably happy, she would have been pissed at such unabashed audacity.
Alice gently jabbed her elbow into Lyra's side but managed to keep them both linked at the arm. "You, my dear, don't get to know that secret yet. I'm skeptical of everyone for at least a few years. Or until my cat and sister approve, whichever comes first. You'll have to wait those out until then before I let my guard down." She said this all with a flourish, of her free hand tucked with Lyra's arm, making a dramatic show of things as she did with most things. She wasn't exactly lying though. It took a loit for her to trust anyone with the family and life she came from. She trusted her dumb brother and younger sister of course, their dad was trusted as far as she could throw him, which wasn't very far but that spoke for itself. As for outside of her family….she wouldn't consider many people even remotely close. Those she sometimes chose to let in didn't even know about her family much, other than her younger sister. Anything else was off-limits. It was easier like this, to start fresh. Just Alice, from the coffee shop down the street. Girl with a troubling family but who didn't these days? She couldn't complain much, she knew deep down her father loved them all, he never hurt them or put them in direct danger but it wasn't perfect either. Minus the underground dealings and her involvement, she was just a regular girl. Thats all the world needed to know. That's all Lyra needed to know if Alice wanted to keep her in her life.

Lyra cursed in her head, she needed Alice to open up. That way she would trust her. So she decided to make a plan. Of course she would work out the finishing details at home.
She then smiled at Alice, "Oh I think that they'll like me. I rarely disappoint." With that, she kissed Alice's cheek before running ahead to a clearing in the park. "Let's eat here." She called out.

""we'll see." Alice mused, her cheeky little smile suddenly dropping as she slowed to a stop. She blinked rapidly and stared as Lyra as she bounced off to find a place for the picnic. She had kissed her. Well, pecked her cheek, but it counted! At least to Alice. They had only knew each other for a few hours…was this even ok?
Alice touched her cheek with her now free hand, feeling the blush that had rose to face. It was a miracle she didn't drop their drinks or food in her panic.
Reminded of said drinks, Alice took a sip of hers and took a few deep breaths, reminding her self she had been through worse than a bit of gay panic.
She trailed after Lyra and settled on the patch of grass, passing over the food and coffee so they could eat. "You'll have to do better than that, dear. Alice muttered with a smirk as she dug into her lunch, momentarily forgetting her hunger in the past few moments.

Lyra flops down on the grass and stretches, "What was that?" She basks in the sun and smiles. Lyra looked up at Alice and smiles, "I think you are cute….and that I definitely wanna get to know you better. So maybe tomorrow do you wanna come over to my place? I live by the beach so you should bring your bathing suit."
Lyra lived by herself now even though it was close to the manor where she grew up, and she would've liked to move across the country if it was up to her, she guessed it was good enough.

Alice glanced down at Lyra as the girl stretched out beside her, contemplating for a moment as she finished her bite of food. "Not so bad yourself, supermodel." She replied, though her tone was less teasing and more serious. She did mean that Lyra was stunning. What she lacked in height she made up for in confidence and charisma. Alice couldn't help but be drawn to her. But she assumed she wasn't the first and that was okay. Who wouldn't want to be around Lyra? Surly this was nothing she hadn't experienced before with other people and it made sense. She took another bite of food and looked out onto the scenery, giving her mind a bit of a rest from taking Alice in. It was a typically peaceful day in the city, not many people were around them save for the occasional runner or family. It was cloudy but peeks of blue sky could be seen here and there, honestly, Alice almost wished it would rain. She didn't necessarily like getting wet but she liked it for all the same reasons everyone else did. It gave you a reason to stay inside, to curl up on the couch with as many blankets as possible, to nap with the wite-noise of rainfall outside your window, to make a warm drink and laze about because what else were you supposed to do while it rained? Nothing, and that was blissfully peaceful.
She refocused and gave a half smile, "That'd be nice, but I'm going to be with my sister tomorrow. Promised her a date and everything out on the town. And besides, I just met you. I want to get to know you too but going to each other's houses after one meeting isn't the best idea. Not that I don't completely 100% trust you," She winked and laughed, she didn't trust anyone and her chances of changing that wouldn't start with the girl she had a crush on, but eventually, she wanted to. The idea of trusting someone completely was odd to Alice. Someone close enough to give her heart to was even more foreign but it seemed like a nice concept. Trusting someone with your heart. Something so fragile yet so beautiful. Perhaps it wouldn't start with Lyra but eventually, she'd like someone to be able to trust with her heart and vice versa. "But I'll keep that in mind. Maybe a movie or another coffee later this week if you're free." She offered, genuinely wanting to get to know Lyra, even if it was just a friendship for now.

Lyra was disappointed but didn't show it. If anything, it gave her an excuse to keep Alice alive and around longer. Not that she would admit that made her happy though. She nodded and smiled, "Of course. I tend to rush into things. Part of how I was raised. See something you want, take it." Lyra winced, she didn't know why she shared that information with Alice.
Since was overheating, she reached into her bag and pulled out a white t-shirt that had the band Queen on it. She took off her turtleneck revealing her abs (thanks to all the conditioning and workout throughout her childhood, including diets) and then put on the shirt. "Say, I have to go pretty soon but what do you say we make plans this Friday to get coffee. Your choice on where we go. I'm guessing you know your way around the coffee biz."

Lyra gave a slight shrug. She knew that a bit all too well. Any opportunity that could be considered beneficial to the family business, Alice would be prompted to immediately jump at. Functions, that be dinners or galas usually were the best places to scope out the best potential partners and no one would dare turn down a pretty girl simply looking to get a leg up for her dear old dad. Worked every time. Even those who knew the Hollow family would gladly reinvest in the business after a few well-placed compliments and perhaps a bribe here and there from Alice. At this point it was second nature for Alice to search a room and in point exactly who'd be the best to reap benefits from, intentional or not. "Dad has a business." She offered after a bit of hesitation. It was only fair, to share something personal, even if vague. As much as she wanted to separate herself from her family's business, Alice could never give up entirely. They had too many secrets to hide, too many connections that would gladly take over if any of the Hollows were to fall. Too much riding on all of them for anyone to make a mistake and drag everyone else down. It would stop with her, she had vowed a long time ago. But how much would she be able to take before someone came for her throat. she had a sister to look after who needed her alive and well. She didn't want to know the answer to that but deep down, there was no way her brother would inherit the business from their dad. So that left her. And who was she to refuse? After all the work and effort she had put into making meticulous deals and networking the underground heads? Could that be something she could refuse so easily?
"Since he's getting older, I mostly take care of the paperwork and verbal communications. Nothing big but…" She glanced up into the sunset, a bit theatrical if she was being honest but it provided a nice distraction from looking at Lyra. "I feel like a different person when I work like that, I guess. Like I'm pretending to be someone else for a few hours." she shuddered slightly at her memories. She really did become the perfect daughter of underground crime lords when she took up jobs, all persuasive glances and a hand on the right shoulder, coercive and alluring. Nothing like she was now. Certainly not a frantic blushing mess. Inspired by the new shirt, and an excuse to again, not blankly stare, Alice pulled up a playlist of popular Queen songs to play in the background. "This was a nice change from that, so thanks." Getting over her nerves and her slight panic, Alice glanced over at Lyra, a frown tugging at her lips. She checked her watch and gave a soft sigh, "Yeah, me too. Gotta pick up Maevey soon. Friday sounds great though. I get out at 12 since it's the weekend." She laughed slightly as she gathered the empty to-go packages and her bag. "Yeah, I might know a few places here and there." She waved a hand in the air and grinned, excited about their plans.
She stood still for a few moments before gently taking Lyra's hand. "For the record, I want this, whatever this is." She said softly, almost too scared to admit it even to herself. What was she thinking even daring to breathe those words after only knowing this girl for less than a few hours? But Alice already knew that even if all this was the start of a friendship, Alice didn't want to let Lyra go so soon. "And I'm willing to take a chance. But just this once." She warned with a smile as she let go and took a step back, reading to head back home. "I'll see ya Friday then, yeah? you have my number. Text me if plans change or anything. I might respond." With one last wave, Alice gathered the rest of her belongings and started down the path of the park back toward the city.

Lyra was surprised by her openness and nodded, "I know how that feels. My family has a business. Certain standards to how things are done." She shut up then. Why would she tell Alice anything? Probably cause she was distracted by that pretty face.
Standing up, she smiled, "I'll pick you up from work. Can't wait." Before Alice could get too far, Lyra cried out, "Won't let you down." But of course she would have to.
The rest of the week she tried to avoid her family, she had enough to deal with. The whole Alice thing, not only her complicated feelings but how the plan was going to go. Staying cooped up in her apartment (that was way too big for one person and made her feel lonely) was preferable, unfortunately her family always had a family dinner at least once a week.

The butler opened the door to the mansion and Lyra stepped in wearing black slacks and a green blouse. Sighing, she went into the dining room where her mother and twin brother, Oliver, were sitting down and discussing something in hushed voices. "Where's Father?" Lyra asked in a bored manner. "No welcome for you mother?" Her mother stood up and frowned. Lyra just sighed, "Hello Mother and Oliver. Where is Father?"
After a painful discussion with her mother, Lyra found her father in his study. She gently knocked on the door, "Dad?" He was studying a blueprint before he turned around and smiled, "Ly….you look great! How's the mission going?"
Now lying to her father was something Lyra hated doing but this wasn't going to be something he would understand, "Great."

Lyra finally got home from her parents, she collapsed in her bed. At least tomorrow was Friday.

Alice's smile turned halfhearted as she walked down the small hill and back towards the city. Was it cynical of her to expect to already be let down? maybe but doubting even the best people that have come into her life has kept her alive this long, right? Besides, no one was perfect. It was natural to assume something about everyone was just a bit off, Lyra was no exception, no matter how much Alice wished that were untrue. No matter how much she wished Lyra to be the perfect girl, Lyra was taught from the very moment she took up a position in her father's company to assume everyone had secrets. Better know them now than later when you were caught in the crossfire.
Alice picked Maeve up around dinner time a few hours later and headed home. Maeve was the youngest Hollow sibling in the family, only having just turned 14 and recently taken a liking to Alice's old closet of alternative clothes. She was currently wearing one of Alie's old band shirts and a ripped denim jacket with a bunch of bottle cap pins stuck to it. It had been Alice's favorite jacket for years and probably should have gone to the thrift store by now but Maeve had insisted that she keep it.
"So how was class?" Alice asked, peeking over at the girl in her passenger seat. In typical teenage fashion, she merely shrugged and gave a meek "fine."
Alice glared at her sister and took a deep break. "Well, I had a great day. Work was great, had a nice long breakfast with Marcus. met a cute girl, and got outta work around 3. Went to the cafe down the street -"
"Whoa whoa whoa, you met someone?!" Maeve interjected, now her attention on her older sister "Who? when? did you hold hands???"
Alice chuckled lightly "Ah that got your attention. You first, then I'll tell you about my day." She reasoned as she pulled into their driveway. Maeve grumbled in protest. "I had a test today." He mumbled. Alice arched an eyebrow "Nice, how'd you do?"
Maeve shrugged "Not great. I studied! I promise but I still got a B."
Alice tilted her head in confusion. "That's great, Maevey. What's so bad about a B?" She asked, grabbing their things from the back of the car and following her sister inside.
She shrugged again. "nothing but you know how dad is. Anything but an A is failing. You clearly did something wrong if you couldn't get perfect marks." She explained, flopping onto the couch and curling up in her favorite corner.
Alice settled beside hr and pulled her into her embrace. "Screw dad. A B is perfectly fine." She defended, swaying them both back and forth comfortingly. Maeve melted into her arms. "I know. But still. What did you do when you didn't get As?" she asked, muffled against Alice's shoulder. "I cried, I tried arguing with dad I did my best, I tried better the next time, what else could I do?" Alice replied, squeezing her sister tighter as if to protect her from her father's outburst. "Show me the test." Alice prompted after a few moments of them hugging in silence. "We can work out the ones you got confused about so next time you can get them right."
Maeve pulled back and glared at Alice. "What about the girl you mentioned?" She pouted. "Is she your girlfriend?"
"what? no! We just met today! I barely know her." Alice said, getting up to organize the few groceries they had picked up on their way back home to distract herself and hide the blush that rapidly rose on her cheeks.
Maeve had a wicked grin on her face as she grabbed her school bag and pulled out the test to go over it with Alice. "But you like her, a lot, right?"
Alice whined from the kitchen. "Maybe. Just a little."

Finally Friday arrived and Lyra sighed as she heard her doorbell. Grabbing her favorite throwing knife from her dresser, she headed to the door. She got ready to throw it as she opened the door only to see her twin brother, Oliver, standing there with a smirk. "Imagine the headlines. 'Lyra Black Kills Twin After He Was Mistaken As a Intruder.' What would Mom say?"
Lyra rolled her eyes and opened the door further to let him in, "What do you want?" Oliver closed the door after him and put on a wounded expression, "What? A brother isn't allowed to see his darling twin sister?" He watched as Lyra started braiding her hair into two French braids. "How's the task coming along?" Lyra scoffed, "Fine."
Oliver smirked and sar down at the kitchen counter, "That's not what I heard…." He immediately flinched from a knife thrown by his head that landed in the wall behind him. "Lyra, damaging property isn't very becoming of a young lady."
Lyra scowled, "I see you bribed our older brother to tell you about me." Oliver smiled and shrugged, "He wanted to see me…and you know how he gets after a couple drinks."
The way Oliver acted like this wasn't a big deal irritated Lyra. She glared at him, "What is wrong with you? The way you casually mention that you manipulated our older brother to tell you information isn't as cool as you think! You act like Mom more every day." The silence between the two was tense before Oliver got up, "I came over to say that you can't let your feelings get in the middle of a job. You know I completed my test earlier this year but I didn't say how much it changes you. Just…don't feel anything or else it'll get in the way." With that, he left her apartment.
Lyra sighed and finished braiding her hair before she texted Alice if they wanted to meet up.

Alice was practically buzzing with energy at the register as she waited for her shift to be over. "Geez Hollow, go for a run or something, looks like you're going to bounce off the walls any minute." Magnus chided, feigning annoyance as he gently pulled her away from the register and put her on making drinks. "Whadya take this morning, an extra shot of espresso?" He asked once they managed to get through the morning rush. Alice shook her head, as she sipped at her regular latte. "Nah just excited to see Lyra again." She admitted. magnus leaned against the counter across from her and raised an eyebrow. "The chick you met last week?" Alice nodded again, "We're going out again today after work, just another coffee run and a bit of hitting up the local tourist traps. Nothing too fancy." She nibbled at her pastry, having forgotten to eat breakfast earlier in all her rush to get Maeve to class and get to work on time.
"So it's a date?" Magnus asked, eating his own sandwich while they had a lull in customers.
Alice shook her head fiercely "No! Have you been talking with Maeve? I don't know why you all think its a date." She grumbled.
Magnus actually had the gall to laugh, "I don't need Maeve to tell me two girls who just met who are completely head over heels for each other going out on a romantic outing on the town, is a date." He ruffled Alice's curls as he stepped back the register. "Just be careful, alright? There's something about her…nothing bad I think just…off."
Alice rolled her eyes but reluctantly nodded. "It not a date." He grumbled as she started on the next order.
"There's nothing like the sweet sound of a gay in denial in the morning." Magnus chimed, already taking an order by the time Alice had half the thought to smack him upside the head. As much as she wanted to take things slow and be mature about this whole situation, there was no denying the butterflies in her stomach whenever she thought back to the week before, the butterflies that remained as she quickly read over the text and relied with a cheesy thumbs up and fireworks…yes fireworks. What they meant Alice genuinely had no idea but that's how she felt at the moment so it seemed right.

When Lyra got her text, she actually smiled. The fireworks emojis were nothing special but it was the thought of Alice sending them that but a smile on her face. Oh no, she needed to snap out of this.
She texted back Alice telling her that she was on her way to pick her up.

Lyra headed to her car and drove to pick Alice up. Once she got there, she took a deep breath and entered.

(I had no inspiration and felt bad for how long it took me. Sorry.)