"Baby, you're like lightening in a bottle, I can't let you go now that I got it"

"So you boys originally from New York?" Ken Murphy made conversation as the group sat around the dinner table.

Lia was sat at the other end across from her dad, Ozzie to her left and Ethan to her right. Alyssa sat next to Ozzie, with her father on the other side. The space next to Ethan between him and Ken was empty, but the Landry boy didn't mind.

"I'm from Maine," Ozzie answered quickly.

"Is it pretty nice there?" Ken asked, stabbing his fork into his seasoned green beans. "I've been there one time before for a case, but I didn't have any free time to actually sit and explore."

"It's okay. Rains a lot, attracts a lot of tourists." Ozzie responded.

"Why Maine?" Alyssa asked, sending the boy next to her a look.

"Probably because it's where Stephen King is from, and basically all of his works take place there." Ozzie shrugged, "I don't know. I prefer being here."

"How about you, Ethan?" Ken asked, moving his attention to the other boy.

"I'm from-" Ethan stopped for a second, glancing at Lia. His first option was to lie, to make up this stupid fake life about himself the way his father wanted to. "I currently live here." He finally decided.

He wasn't going to give in to Quinn and his dad, and he meant that. He wanted to be himself, not some fake person his father made up to get petty revenge. If he sat here and lied about it, he was going along with their plan and it was the opposite of what he wanted to do.

"I had no idea," Lia said softly, "How have we not met?"

"New York's big, bubs." Ken told his daughter, "He could have been born in the same hospital as you or Alyssa even and we wouldn't know because of how big it is."

"True," Lia agreed. She just smiled softly as she ate a forkful of potatoes. "This is really good, Dad."

"As always, Mr. Kenny." Alyssa sent a smile to the older man, who just nodded.

"Much better than the mess hall food," Ozzie cut in. "I mean the food there's pretty good but you can't beat a home-cooked meal."

"Well thank you, kids, I've been cooking the majority of my life." Ken smiled, wiping the edges of his mouth with a napkin. "Guess it paid off."

"Really?" Ozzie asked.

"If I weren't working where I am now, my next choice of career would be a chef," Ken answered truthfully. "Ozzie, Lia tells me you're into making clothes."

"Wait, really?" Alyssa asked, almost dropping her fork on her plate.

"Like you, Mr. Murphy, I've done it a majority of my life. My mother makes clothing, and so she just taught me to do it," He told Ken the same story he'd told Lia only weeks before.

Lia looked down at her almost empty plate, finding herself nervous. She'd planned on telling Ethan and Ozzie about why they were truly here but never got the chance since dinner got done. She wanted to tell them sooner rather than later, but she didn't know if she'd have a chance after this.

"Well, that's cool. Does it save money at all?" Ken asked.

"Sometimes, yeah. But sometimes the fabric we need to make certain things can be a little pricey." Ozzie told the man.

"That's creative, I'll tell ya that." He leaned back for a moment, taking a sip of water. "Mm! Lia's mother used to be so into fashion."

"Used to?" Ozzie asked, his brows pressed together.

Alyssa's eyes snapped straight to Lia, who had a look of a deer caught in the headlights. Ethan glanced between the two girls, noticing the interaction. Lia had never mentioned her mother to anyone, so they had no idea what had happened.

"Yeah, she had dreams of being a designer before she-"

Lia began to choke on her food, hitting her chest multiple times to get the food unstuck.

"You okay, bubs?" Ken asked, beginning to stand up in concern.

Ethan quickly grabbed his water, handing it to her. Lia looked at him in thanks before downing the entire cup, coughing once more in relief.

"Just choked on my potatoes." She answered in embarrassment.

"Were they cut too big?" Ken asked, "I tried a different recipe today."

"No, they're perfect, Dad." She shook her head, "Is there dessert?"

"Well, yes, but we haven't even-"

"Great!" Alyssa exclaimed, backing out of her chair quickly. "I'll help you get it, Kenny!"

Ken looked at the younger girl in confusion, before nodding. He stood up after the girl, following her into the kitchen and out of earshot.

"Everything okay, Li?" Ethan asked, his eyes on the girl in concern.

"My mom's dead." Lia blurted, catching both of the boys off guard. "You're both here because tomorrow is the anniversary of her killing herself and I lied to both of you and told you different reasons as to why you were here but it's really because we're going to her grave tomorrow and I didn't think I could emotionally do it without either of you."

Tears immediately filled Lia's eyes, and she looked down to avoid eye contact with either of them. "I'm sorry I didn't tell the truth, that I lied. I just didn't think you guys would come if I told you why I really needed you here."

Ozzie and Ethan shared a look of shock, glancing at each other before back at Lia. She wiped her tears quickly, knowing her father wouldn't leave her alone if he saw her crying.

"Lia," Ozzie said, reaching his hand across the table towards hers.

She snapped her hand away from him before their skin could touch. She felt upset and embarrassed, and it was her own fault as to why she felt this way. She should've just not invited them, knowing that would've avoided this situation altogether.

"Who is in the mood for apple pie?!" Alyssa exclaimed happily as she came back into the dining room with Ken. He carried in all the silverware, along with a tub of vanilla ice cream.

Ozzie pulled his hand back, clearing his throat as if nothing happened while they were gone.

Lia looked up, a fake smile plastered on her face as the smell of freshly cooked apple pie invaded her nostrils. "Smells great!"

Ethan stared at the girl in worry, not having a single care in the world for dessert. He could still see the heartbreak on her features, despite her hiding it well. He reached under the table and grabbed her hand, which had been bouncing aggressively on her thigh.

Her head snapped toward him, eyes wide. He just sent her a soft gaze, one that told her everything was going to be okay.

"I think Alyssa was a little ahead of herself, considering our plates aren't empty yet, but I guess it'll be nice to have it already out here for when we're ready," Ken explained, sitting back in his seat.

"Now where were we?" 

++

"You know, you owe me big time for what I did for you," Alyssa said as Lia pulled her toothbrush out of her suitcase.

"Do I?" Lia asked.

"Yes, I just saved you a shitload of embarrassment back there." The brunette pulled her thick hair into a messy bun.

"Still got embarrassed, you just saved it from being in front of three people instead of two." Lia shrugged, standing up straight.

"Would you have rather your dad found out too? Also, at least they know now and aren't being blindsided." Alyssa grabbed her phone off of the bed.

"No," Lia answered honestly. "Thanks."

"Of course," Alyssa said with a smile. "I'll be downstairs. Ozzie's starting a movie."

"I'll be down in a bit," Lia said, heading toward the bathroom.

Alyssa didn't say anything and instead made her way downstairs, leaving Lia with her thoughts. She brushed her teeth, the only sound being the running water and the sound of her toothbrush bristles hitting her teeth.

As much as she hadn't been ready to tell the boys what they were really there for, she did feel better. Alyssa was right, and Lia knew that, she just didn't like that it happened the way it had.

Ken had to head to work shortly after dessert, much to Lia's dismay. But this saved the uncomfortable conversation of the next day coming up, and so Ozzie had an idea to put a movie on.

Lia left the bathroom after she finished brushing her teeth, deciding to grab a blanket from her bed before going downstairs. She'd yet to notice the boy standing in the doorway of her bedroom, admiring how much more it seemed to fit the girl than her room back at the dorms.

After grabbing the purple fluffy comforter, she jumped in surprise as she saw Ethan patiently standing there. She held a hand to her heart, shutting her eyes in relief. "Jesus, Eth."

"Sorry," He spoke with a chuckle. "Can we talk?"

Lia's eyes opened quickly, knowing this was going to happen sooner or later. Whether it was here or at the dorms, whether it was with Ozzie or Ethan, she knew she couldn't avoid it forever.

And so she nodded, sitting on the side of her bed. Ethan walked into the room completely, shutting the door softly behind him. He rubbed his arm lightly as he made his way closer to her, suddenly nervous. They hadn't been alone in a long time, as it seemed lately they were always in a group.

"I'm sorry, about your mom." He started, sitting next to her on the bed.

"You shouldn't be sorry. I didn't even know her." Lia sadly told him, her lips pressed together.

"My mom's dead too," Ethan admitted. Lia looked at him, a look of sadness on her face. "Although she died recently."

"I'm sorry, E. I shouldn't have asked you to come here, especially knowing now that-"

"Lia, it's okay." He cut her off, his dark eyes meeting her light ones. "I just wanted to tell you. I know you might say you didn't know her, but I'm sure she loved you."

"Ophelia," Lia softly said, a look of confusion covering Ethan's face. "My real name is Ophelia."

"Ophelia," He repeated, his voice soft. "That's beautiful."

"I wish," She scoffed. "My mother named me. Crazy how a woman could name her daughter, never explaining why she chose the name, then choosing to off herself when her daughter's in elementary school."

"I'm sure she had a reason. It's a beautiful name." Ethan hesitated, before reaching out and touching her hand.

"Why would you name your daughter when you don't even like her?" Lia looked at Ethan, and it was then he saw the tears glistening. "I-I mean, she hated me so much she couldn't live with me."

"Did she leave a note stating that?" Ethan asked, "Or-or did she say that at all?"

"No, but-"

"No buts, Ophelia, she loved you. She probably had other things happening which explains why she did what she did." Ethan cut her off, looking at her with a stern look.

Lia froze, her eyes wide. Ethan, assuming he said something wrong, just looked at her. "What?"

"Y-you called me Ophelia." She mumbled, "Nobody calls me that."

"I'm sorry," He said.

"No, don't be. I just- I hate it when people call me that." She shook her head. "But not you, I like the way it sounds when you say it."

Ethan smiled at this, his cheeks turning a light shade of pink. "You should like it all the time."

"It's just a constant reminder," She told him. "I never knew her. Unless you count the few years of my life, but even then it's all foggy when I think about it. Alyssa nicknamed me, and it always stuck."

"Are you going to be okay tomorrow?" Ethan asked, stroking his thumb along the back of her hand.

"I don't think so, but I have to be. For my dad." She shrugged, "He's always so heartbroken when it comes to the anniversary. We do this every year."

"It's okay to be sad, honey, she was your mother." Ethan used his free hand to brush some hair out of her face.

Lia nodded but didn't say anything. She didn't know why she felt the way she did, maybe it was because of so many years of bottling it up inside. She always managed to hide the tears when it came to being in front of her dad, it felt like a chore more than anything.

"Ophelia," Ethan spoke with a smile. "I'm going to definitely start calling you that."

"Ethan," She said. "The others don't know my full name. Except for Ozzie."

"That's okay, they aren't going to care. They love you, they wouldn't care if your name was Mildred or Muriel." Ethan shook his head, "It's a beautiful name and it deserves to be heard."

Lia just looked at him, her eyes glossy and cheeks red and puffy. Ethan wiped her cheeks, resting his hand there as they just stared at each other. Her eyes landed on his lips before back up at his eyes, his heart beginning to flutter and his stomach swarming with butterflies as he began to feel himself leaning in.

"What the fuck is taking you- OH MY GOD NOT AGAIN!!!" Ozzie screamed out, covering his eyes almost instantly. "I need to learn to knock."

"Thanks, captain obvious." Lia let out a sigh, "We're coming."

Ethan just watched after the girl, his thumbs buzzing from where he'd touched her. He watched as she stood up, gathering the blanket she'd dropped when he scared her. She started to walk out of the bedroom before glancing back at the boy. "You coming?" She asked, her cheeks a dark pink.

He just nodded, standing up from the spot on her bed. The three of them walked downstairs, where Alyssa was eating popcorn.

The girl on the couch looked between the three, a look on her features.

"Don't,"

++

2254 words.

Ozzie's the king of cockblocking Ethan huh

Meant to post this earlier today, but fell asleep cause I ate too much food

* This chapter is not edited *