Pre-Entity Setting - Tumblr Posts
Commission for EroismPro.
The wind blew through Lilian's hair, acting as a cooling force against the light flush that had crawled along her skin. Clouds in the sky took turns blocking out the brisk, hot sun, filling her with gratitude for the shadowed relief. A friend had dropped her off near the entrance to the MacMillan gates, and she somewhat timidly fiddled with her basket before welcoming herself in. There was a house not too far from the long, crispy lawn in which was graced with a cracked rock path down the middle. She smiled in familiarity, heart fluttering in anticipation at the thought of how close she was to seeing one of her closest friends. Evan.
She wondered if he had spotted her yet, Lilian bowed her head and bit her lip while walking down the rock path. Internally she fought against the urge to smooth out her ruffled dress or pat the back of it to make certain everything was alright and as it should be. Would Evan like how she was dressed? Would he appreciate what she had brought with her for him to snack on? Lilian lifted her head and gazed at the fields, spotting the mines not too far away. Considering what day it was, she figured that there weren't too many people working today, but Evan had once said that his father was kind of a tyrant when it came to over exerting his own workers. While she would very much like to meet the primary owner of the Estate, she couldn't deny that it made her nervous.
The minutes passed somewhat quickly, and Lilian was once again biting her lip as she walked up the rickety steps to the small house. Hoisting the basket against her hip slightly, she peered up at the faded white door and took in a deep breath, her cheeks warming slightly despite her mental protests. With her free hand she quietly knocked on the door, politely stepping back a few feet in case Evan decided to come out. From the inside she could hear the distinct sound of what appeared to be a chair scooting across worn tile, and large footsteps following shortly after.
Seconds later and a figure appeared behind the tinted screen to the old door, and Lilian felt herself grin uncontrollably whenever the doorknob began to rattle. "Well," Came his deep, rich voice, blazing with casual welcome and enlightenment, "Look who finally 'cided to show up."
"Hi Evan," Lilian took in the man in front of her, eyes tracing along the sight of his tough work boots, sturdy jeans, tan button-up and striped suspenders. As always he was the center picture of being brilliantly attractive. His dark undercut was lightly tassled, his wood brown eyes were sunken, focused and outlined with small circles underneath and yet still they managed to shine with kindness. When she gazed down at the curve of his perfect smile, she looked away slightly and swayed, fingers fumbling with the basket she carried. "I-I'm sorry if I'm running late..."
Evan chuckled softly and pushed the door open further, his voice teasing and light-hearted, "Don't be, darlin', I'm jus' messin' with ya. I knew you'd make it. Probably take a damn tornado to stop ya."
"You really think a silly tornado would stop me?" Lilian giggled back, happily taking the polite entry and going to step into the small living room. Immediately the stiff, old wooden floor croaked beneath her feet, but it was a welcoming tune. When she first visited, it had been a hard pill to swallow seeing the vast arrangement of stuffed animals mounted on the wall, but eventually she learned to look past it all. Anything was worth it to spend time with him.
"Probably not," Evan lingered at the door, his head poking out so that he could look around.
She raised a brow at him, noting that it seemed as if he were searching for something. "Were you expecting more company?" She asked, curious about who else he would invite if anyone at all.
"Oh... Oh, no," Evan shrugged himself away from the outdoors and went to shut the door with a careful shove, "No, it ain't that, I was jus'... Jus'- nevermind. It ain't important."
As Evan turned around, he offered her a warm smile, his eyes tired and yet filled with joy. "Come on in here," He gestured in the direction of the kitchen.
"Are you sure everything's alright?" Lilian asked just in case he was stressed out about something she could possibly help with. Deep down she understood that he was always kind of exhausted physically and some times mentally. If there was any way that she could help, she would.
"Yeah, I'm sure," He led her into the kitchen a ways before turning around, his brows kinking upwards when he saw her proudly present the basket to him. "Thought I told ya not to bring nothin'," He gave her a parenting stare.
"But I wanted to make you something nice," Lilian protested, waving the basket around suggestively.
"I thought I told you not to bring nothin'," He repeated causing her to roll her eyes with a giggle, his hand reaching out to take the basket.
"Well I did so you might as well enjoy it... Killjoy," She muttered underneath her breath.
"I heard that," Evan mumbled while setting the basket on the kitchen table and going to lift up the small cloth covering it.
"oh-uh, I said 'oh boy'," Lilian quickly interjected with spry confidence, "Oh boy, look what I brought!"
"Mhm," Evan pointed to her a look of tight disbelief and non-amusement.
Lilian gazed around innocently, heat blooming in her cheeks in hopes that he would like what she had brought. He had eaten her cooking before, but this was a serving she had not yet graced him with, and she had her fingers crossed that he would enjoy it.
"Muffins, huh?" Evan gave her a shocked, jovial smile, his eyes quickly returning to the basket so that he could neatly pluck one out, wasting no time whatsoever bringing it to his lips to take a bite. "Mm."
"Yeah, I've never made them before, and I remember you saying how much you like them so... Tadah!" Lilian moved her hands together, cheeks rosy pink as she watched him messily devour the small treat. "Do... Do you like it?"
"Mm," Evan covered his mouth as he chewed, crumbs raining all over his shirt. He briskly lifted a hand to wipe himself clean only to spill more as he headed towards the window in front of the sink, "Mm...."
Lilian giggled at his inability to say anything as he seemed determined on finishing the serving before actively answering. "No worries, take your time," She shied towards the table and went to organize the innards of her basket, modestly pulling out a muffin for herself.
"They're incredible, darlin'," Evan said before stuffing the rest of his serving into his mouth, hands smacking together over the sink. "Best I've had in a long time." He reached out and grabbed a large plate by the stove, using both hands to carefully carry it to the counter.
"Thank you," Lilian hid her face by turning around and pretending like a picture of the Hunt was the most interesting thing in the room, mouth nibbling shyly on the muffin.
"An' thank you for bringin' em. I needed somethin' a little sweet to brighten this day, well... Besides you," He cleared his throat after setting the plate down, fingers tapping bluntly against the table a few times before pinching the cloth covering the ceramic and pulling. He took in a deep breath and said, "Hope you're hungry. I know it ain't as good as muffins, but... Here."
Lilian scoffed, holding her muffin close while wandering closer to the plate. "I bet it's better than muffins," She grinned, gazing down at the plate and seeing a vast arrangement of sandwiches- many of which were made from different varieties of meat and bread. "Ooh!"
"Told ya not to bring nothin'," Evan huffed while grabbing another muffin and scooting a chair out, sighing as he plopped himself down. "I feel like I could sit for the rest'a my damn life, this shit hurts so bad."
"You shouldn't let him treat you like this, Evan," Lilian complained pointedly while taking a seat in the chair beside him, carefully setting down her muffin and going to pluck up one of the sandwiches. Lifting it outwards, she smiled and mumbled pleasantly, "Thank you."
"Not a problem, darlin'... Not a problem," Evan sagged back against the chair, happily enjoying her muffins without a care in the world. "What else ya plan on cookin' for me?"
"Are you suggesting that I'm your maid now?" She asked seconds before taking a bite out of one of the sandwiches, her eyes giving him a playful wink.
Evan pursed his lips and gazed around mindlessly, "Well... You did make these for me. If anyone suggested it, it'd be you..."
Lilian proceeded to give him a flat stare, her lips held thin and unamused. Evan peeked at her, covering his mouth to fight against laughing less he spit food all over the place. "Well, just so you know, what I decide to cook 'if' I decide to cook- I'm reconsidering it now- is a surprise, thank you," She stated rightfully and took a bite out of the sandwich. It was touching that he went out of his way to prepare this for her.
"Gotta leave a man hangin', huh?" Evan chuckled and stood up suddenly, swiping his crumb covered lips with his thumb while turning around and heading in the direction of the window again.
"A surprise is a surprise," Lilian smiled, her stomach rumbling pleasantly at the taste of the sandwich and the fact that Evan had specially prepared it for her. That and the poor thing hadn't eaten all day.
As Evan gazed outside, shoulders stiff and head turning in many directions, Lilian began wondering what it was that had her friend so on edge. "Is everything alright, Evan?" She asked, blinking as she watched him shuffle around in front of the sink.
"Everything's fine, darlin', jus' gettin' ya some water is all," Evan spoke smoothly, wiping his hands off on a cloth before reaching down to pour some fresh well water into a faded white, metal mug. "Hope ya don't mind well tang."
Lilian took another bite of her sandwich, clearing her throat, "You know I don't."
"Then why ya complain 'bout it so much?" Evan teased as he brought two mugs over, grinning whenever he received an irritated glare from the woman who was unfortunately too busy chewing to argue back. "Stay here. I'll be right back in a minute, m'k?"
Lilian wanted to ask him where he was going and if he was positive that everything was alright, but instead she felt her stomach warm with reassurance whenever Evan reached out and gently squeezed her shoulder, offering a soft smile. She smiled back, cheeks filling with light heat as flutters rapidly took place inside her heart. How could she deny that kind, handsome expression? Nodding her head, Lilian watched as Evan stepped away and headed towards the living room, the brisk sound of the door opening and closing thus leaving her in silence.
She sat patiently for a few minutes, curiously gazing around the room while eating her sandwich. There were a lot of classical yet scratched/worn paintings on the wall, along with stuffed animals and the occasional mine trinket. Floral cloths decorated the counters as well as the light wooden table. Lilian herself felt as though there should be a tad bit more color to the place, but she supposed that it was mostly men who lived here anyways.
As a few more minutes passed, Lilian finished her sandwich, drank some water and eventually got bored enough that she stood from her seat and made way for the window. Casually she peeked out, trying to see if she could spot Evan anywhere. To her misfortune, she saw no sight of the mine worker, only the dirt driveway and shaggy garden. Humming, she then decided to wander around the kitchen, stopping to flip over turned utensils or fold a messy rag.
By the end of the counter lay a set of boarded shelves covered in newspapers and old mail. Lilian hummed in curiosity and went to look over them, her eyes taking in the spare pencils, pens and frayed paintbrushes. With careful fingers she scooted some of the supplies aside and went to scoop up a torn newspaper, immediately reading over particularly boring headlines and business articles. This paper had to belong to Evan's father.
Upon gazing at the door, Lilian's eyes accidentally caught sight of something laying beneath the newspaper. Folding the torn parchment, she mindlessly sat it aside and bent over, a small breath of surprise passing through her lips at what she saw. Buried underneath all the various newspapers and supplies was what appeared to be lemon yellow canvas papers-all of which sported different kinds of pencil drafts and drawings. One of them, Lilian realized with widening eyes and frozen fingers, was a drawing of her wearing the same dress in which she wore the last time she visited. It was even painted a little, giving off the familiar color. Was this supposed to be her? Had Evan drawn these?
Lilian slowly grabbed the paper and lifted it up with the finest care, her fingertips tracing along the delicate pencil detailing and paint. It was so pretty. She blushed, genuinely questioning deep within her heart if this really was her and if Evan had created it. If so, then why? Why hadn't he told her about any of this before? Lilian looked down, gazing at all of the other paintings and noticing that they were all of different things; birds, the mines, stairs, and household objects. Clearly he enjoyed what he did.
Having felt a severe rush of anticipation attack her, Lilian about squealed in alarm whenever the loud clearing of a throat could be heard followed by brisk footsteps. "Thought I told ya to stay put."