"Can I use your bathroom, Neala Girl?" I asked, smiling wide.
Neala slid her green frosty eyes to me and growled, "No, piss yourself for all I care."
I blinked.
Well... that made things difficult.
"Neala, don't be like that. We're here to squash childish drama, remember?" Sean said as he leaned his shoulder against her doorframe.
I hid my smirk by rubbing my hand over my mouth. Neala was eating up every word Sean said because she had no reason to doubt him, he was her big brother after all. I felt a tiny bit guilty that she trusted him when he was on my side. That was Sean's problem though and his own fault if he was found out and received backlash from Neala for it. I appreciated his help of course, but he was a big boy and made the decision to help me all on his own. It was actually his idea to come here in the first place.
"Please, for me?" Sean asked, his tone soft.
I watched as Neala gave in to him before she spoke the words.
"Fine," she sighed and stepped aside as she gestured us into her apartment.
I let Sean go first because I needed a moment to gather myself. I wasn't a bitch, but I was about to enter her lair, and I was both excited and terrified for reasons I couldn't explain. I stepped forward when Neala cleared her throat. I glanced to her and grinned as I passed her by. I lightly chuckled to myself because if looks could kill, I would be dead and buried with the glare she shot my way.
"The bathroom is down the hall and to the left, Darcy."
I smirked.
I always liked the way she said my name... even if she did spit it out of her delectable mouth each time she said it.
I blinked at my word choice.
Delectable mouth?
Since when did I think any part of Neala was delectable?
"Thanks," I said to Neala after a long period of silence.
I didn't look at her or Sean as I turned and walked down the hallway in search of the bathroom. It wasn't hard, Neala's place was tiny and apart from the bathroom on the left side of the hall there was only one other room that I guessed to be her bedroom. Perverted things entered my mind the longer I looked at her bedroom door so I quickly entered the bathroom. I went to the sink and turned the taps then waited a few moments for the water to run cold before I cupped my hands together, gathered some water and splashed it over my face. I rubbed my eyes and took a few deep breaths to relax myself.
I could do this.
I could find the doll and take it from Neala.
It wasn't stealing when it belonged to me... right?
"Get it together," I grumbled, and splashed some more water over my face.
I dried my face and hands with a small towel before I exited the bathroom and re-joined Sean and Neala in her sitting room. They were both seated, Sean on the couch next to the Christmas tree and Neala on the lounge chair facing us. I took the spot next to Sean and cleared my throat.
"Nice place," I said as politely as I could.
Neala's lip quirked. "Thank you."
She said 'Thank you', but what I heard was fuck you, and it made me grin.
"I bet you're both crying on the inside right now for being nice to one another," Sean said as he looked between Neala and myself.
I snorted, but didn't deny the obvious truth.
It was easier to be horrible to Neala than to be nice to her.
Did that make me a dickhead?
Probably.
"Is that why you're both really here? You want us to... get along?"
Sean looked to me so I took the lead with the well-rehearsed lie I practiced in my head on the drive over here.
"Yep, I want us to get along, and God knows so does everyone else so I'm taking the first step here. Literally. I came here to try and come to some sort of truce between us."
Neala huffed and folded her arms across her ample chest.
"We aren't two countries at war, Darcy."
"No," Sean cut in, "but you are two people at war, and to be honest, when you both get together it's the equivalent of two counties fighting. Two highly weaponised and equipped countries."
I swallowed.
Were we really that bad?
Shite.
I knew we acted somewhat - okay, a lot - immature with our feud, but damn, I didn't think we were that far gone into fighting with one another. And the chances were when I took the doll back from Neala, and she realised I had it, it would spark a war like no one has ever seen before.
Why was I so excited about that?
I was sick in the head, that's why.
"What are you smiling at?" Neala's voice snapped.
I flicked my eyes to her and shrugged my shoulders. "Just thought of something funny."
Well, funny in a twisted and demented kind of way.
Neala obviously didn't believe me, I could tell by the look on her face, but I didn't give her the reaction she wanted because I didn't want to fuel her speculation of me, I wanted her to be at ease. Or at as much ease as she could be with me in her home.
"So... how are we supposed to do this? We hate each other, Darcy."
I stared at her for a long moment unblinking.
She was actually considering mending things between us?
I wasn't expecting that.
"Um... I'm not sure," I said then swallowed. "I know how we feel about one another, but I guess we could start by not attacking one another or cursing when the other person's name is mentioned... That could be a start to... tolerance?"
Neala was silent as she mulled things over in her constantly on-the-go mind. I knew her like the back of my hand so I knew she would over think this until she made up some flaw that I was out to get her. I wasn't giving her the chance to do that.
"Stop trying to think that I'm playing you," I said.
I inwardly winced as I said that.
I was playing her, not about the mending of our 'relationship' because that would actually be kind of cool, but with playing the peace card so I could get the doll back from her.
Damn, she was really going to hate me more than ever when she eventually found out what I was doing to her.
"I don't trust you, Darcy."
A wise decision.
"But I trust me brother, and me family, and if they think we can get to a point were we can tolerate one another then okay - I'll give it a shot. But know I'm doing this for our families, not for us."
Seemed fair.
"Noted." I nodded.
Neala nodded her head back to me then cleared her throat as she stood up.