"Who is Bennett Frazier?" 

404 error : Declan.exe has stopped working. Reply not found. 

"I'm not google, Delilah." 

"I don't want to google him. I want to know about him from you, who was his friend." 

Declan is considering to make silence his way of life. Do you have to go to Church and declare your lifelong silence or is there some other way it works? He doesn't know, but he's seriously thinking it. 

"Did you guys fight over a girl?" 

If he had a stayed long enough, Declan thinks as he recalls the night Jordan let his frustration out, maybe we would have. 

"Was he a criminal?"

We all were, he should say, but confessing your crimes to a sister who idolizes you isn't the best way to be a good example. 

"Was he your boyfriend?" 

Declan isn't even sure how he would reply to that, provided he wasn't practicing a policy of absolute, peaceful silence that in no way was meant to avoid his sister's questions. Of course not. 

"He was your boyfriend, wasn't he? Did you guys have a bad breakup?" 

The brunette slaps a hand to his forehead, sighing in  exasperation. He leans on the kitchen counter, biceps flexing through a black shirt as he balances them behind him and stretches his legs out in front. Delilah is hunched over the island in front of him, eyes full of determination. 

"He was not my boyfriend," He says by way of answering. 

"Then who was he?" 

They're both staring at each other now, trying to see who will give up first. 

Declan loses. 

"He was... an acquaintance." 

"Alright, what kind? 

"What do you mean?" 

He pushes himself off the counter before getting into a similar stance as his sister, eyes lowering once again to meet hers so she can hopefully see the unwillingness in his eyes. 

"What kind of an acquaintance? The close, almost friends type, or just hi-in-the-corridors type or smile in acknowledgment type?" 

"Uh... I don't know? I wasn't aware there was a type." 

"Yeah, because you're old."

Declan hopes his disapproval can be conveyed with his look. For heaven's sake, he is not even thirty. 

"He was an acquaintance. That's all your getting from me."   

"Well, I hope you know where that acquaintance lives, because that's his jacket." 

Declan straightens in surprise. "The Armani jacket?"

"The Armani jacket," Delilah reaffirms. 

His first thought is how. How did his sister meet Bennett at ungodly hours of the night at a convenience store when Bennett had left the city for good, or so he had hoped?

The second thought is when did Bennett start buying designer-label jackets, but its not as important as the first one. Declan answers it with a 'probably around the time he decided his friends weren't good enough.' 

His third though is confusing, conflicting him between viewing Bennett with suspicion or innocence. Did he know it was Delilah he gave the jacket to? Is he trying to reach out? (A little too late for that, Declan scoffs inwardly.)

Or did he just see a kid who felt cold and gave her his jacket without ulterior motives? Declan cannot decide. Some part of me him doesn't even want to picture Bennett as the guy who does that - the guy who's kind, and thoughtful, and selfless, because that would mean shining a positive light on a subject of negativity. 

"Give it to me, I'll return it." 

"But I want to meet him."

He gives Delilah a hard stare, but she doesn't back down. He's surprised as to why she's being difficult when she usually listens to him without putting up a fight, and questions her behavior. 

"Because you never tell my anything about your friends!" She exclaims in response, a frown slowly making its way to her face, "You get all these packages and have these pictures, but I don't even know their name." 

She stands straight, "I'm your sister and I haven't met the guy whose picture is right next to mine in your room. Hell, you told me that painting on the abandoned apartment's wall is for me but you won't even tell me who made it! I don't want to be cut off like that!"

 Declan's gaze softens at her words, feet quickly walking around the island to get to her side. She looks up at him through a scowl, eyes red with unshed tears. 

"You can cry, if you want," He offers.

"I'm not going to cry because my brother is an idiot who never tells me anything! I'm mad, not sad." 

Smad, Jordan would say. Jordan might even be better at being open with his sister. 

"You can be both, I'm sorry,"  Declan starts, hand reaching out to squeeze Delilah's shoulder, "I didn't know you felt that way." 

She shrugs his hand off, "Yeah, because you never asked." 

"I'm sorry I don't tell you much about my friends, and I'm sorry for not knowing how much you cared about that."

He tries to put his arm around her, hoping she wouldn't throw it off again. She doesn't.

"And I'm sorry it made you feel cutoff. I'll try harder, okay?" 

"Okay, but that means I'm coming with you to return the jacket." 

"You're coming with me to return the jacket," He sighs, "And the painting was done by the same guy whose picture is next to yours. His name's Jordan."

"Was he your boyfriend?" 

Declan gives up and settles on shaking his head. His sister might have never met Jordan, but she can certainly rival him in being annoying. 

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author's note

heyyyy and yes beclan will finally see each other in the next chapter.... i hope. I never actually plan chapters out so. 

as usual, let me know your thoughts and leave a comment/vote if you think the answer to delilah's last question is yes :)

also yep that painting on the wall is the reference to the one Jordan got arrested for getting caught doing. And the reply not found line isn't referencing the 404 error screen it's reference propular celebrity minecraft youtuber and content creator and light of my life georgenotfound. I'll be taking my leave now.
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