It was in the dead of night when Arvid Svartling unlocked the door of the terrace house he and his best friend Thomas used to share, and snuck inside, already half asleep. Halfway from the airport he had dozed off in the cab. Salma had informed him on the phone about Thomas's fathers's death and also mentioned that Liv had been staying with him. However, the latter had momentarily escaped his mind and thus he immediately flung himself onto the couch in the living room. Upon doing so he discovered that someone else was already lying on it. This someone was, naturally, his very own younger sister, suddenly very much awake and very much panicked.
"What the hell!?", they both shouted simultaneously and then engaged in a tamer fistfight.
First after around 7 seconds they both realized who the other one was and the fistfight melted into an aggressive hug.
"You're back! You're not supposed to be back!?", she hit him lightly on the shoulder and struggled out of her blanket.
"How's that for a welcome?"
Their conversation was interrupted by a semi decent Thomas bursting into the room, looking as if he was prepared to fight someone. His tense stance softened when he saw the two siblings crumpled up on the couch.
"Tommy!"
"I thought you were a murderer or burglar. Jesus."
"Forgot I still had the key, huh?"
Arvid and Thomas hugged each other, their faces beaming giddily and Liv smiled too. Then Rasmus's taunting words crept into her mind.
You ought to be worrying about convincing Arvid you're not hot for his best friend, like some desperate...
Upon that, she also remembered that if he had walked in a couple of hours earlier he would have witnessed her and Thomas kissing, moving their hands over one another. Suddenly her cheeks burned and her entire body felt weak and when she looked at Thomas she thought she saw the smallest trace of a shadow fallen over his face.
"I'm only here for a few days, then I go back and finish up the term. So I'm afraid you're gonna have to remain on baby sitting duty until then."
After a few seconds, Liv realized he was talking to her about Thomas and not the other way around.
"I'm all better. You can both go off duty", Thomas muttered, although smiling ever so slightly.
All three of them went to sit around the kitchen table, drank tea and ate sandwiches and, for just a short, short time, Liv thought things felt remarkably like they always had.
"All better, huh? I felt too much bone on you, Tommy, really, you know how I like those squishy hugs where I can melt into your fat", Arvid said and then turned completely serious, "You really don't look too well - and I know about your father despite you keeping it from me, we'll talk about that later. But I mean it, Liv, it's great that you've been here. Salma told me."
Another surge of guilt and she willed herself not to think about the burning hot angst she now associated with her stay and wow, she was failing miserably already.
"Sure", she looked down at the table.
The following days passed excruciatingly slowly. Naturally, Arvid and Thomas spent almost every waking moment together, either at his place or at her and Maria's house, because Maria demanded some family time with Arvid as well. If things still would have been like before she would have spent all time possible with Arvid, but the thought of torturing Thomas with her presence and the difficulty of masking her emotions kept her away.
One evening when she came to knock on the door of Arvid's old room, to call him and Thomas for dinner, she heard them muttering in low voices and stopped outside to eavesdrop.
"Should I talk to her about it?", Arvid half-whispered.
"If you feel like it's necessary."
"How do I know? Maybe she doesn't want to be reminded and it'll just be poking around in a healing wound or whatever."
"It's not healing if she can't talk to you about it though."
"Guess not. And, while we're on the subject, you are absolutely sure you've no idea where that old perv has run off to?"
"If I did we wouldn't be here, would we?", Thomas murmured in such a vengeful voice that Liv suppressed a shiver, realizing what they were talking about.
There was a grim silence.
"Do you... You've been around. Do you think she's happy? She's been more distant than usual. There's something going on with her. You have any clue?"
Exhaling shakily, she understood that she hadn't been as sneaky and smooth as she had thought, staying away from home as much as possible, pretending to be busy at most times.
"She has barely been around and when she's here she's hiding away in her room", Arvid went on, "Oh god!"
"Hm?", Thomas sounded uninterested.
"Is she seeing anyone!?", he said, sounding appalled at the thought.
"You can ask her that. She's right outside."
Liv startled and then marched inside, glaring at Thomas.
"How the hell'd'you know!?"
Arvid had gotten up from the chair he had been seated in and wiggled his eyebrows at her, looking triumphant.
"He's an abused man, remember! He has many fine gifts of the sort."
For a moment Liv glanced shocked at Thomas, who seemed completely unfazed by Arvid's words. Then she remembered that of course Arvid, and only Arvid, could make such comments about Thomas's traumatic childhood and get away with it.
"Heard you breathe", Thomas confirmed and gave her a mirthless smile.
"You eavesdropping sucker!", Arvid narrowed his eyes at her, "How much did you hear?"
Likely, he was hoping she had missed the part about Lars.
"Oh, just that you were discussing my love life like two old men in a Jane-Austen novel", she muttered.
"Pff, like you ever read any of those", Arvid said rolled his eyes.
"I'm not seeing anyone."
It wasn't a lie. In fact she wasn't seeing anyone. No, she was too busy not seeing the person sat next to her brother whose kisses were still burning on her lips, his fingerprints on her skin. Was she blushing again?
"Come on, let's eat."