Friendship

"It's obvious you and Lyla are fighting about something. What the hell is going on?" Becca shook her head, midway into her shift at The Brewberry the next day where AJ and Lyla still weren't speaking to one another. Shiv and Becca knew they were obviously in dispute about something, but they didn't think it was so serious for it to last several days.

"We're not fighting. We're just not talking." AJ shrugged, opening the register to get change for a customer who had just paid whilst Becca was behind prepping their coffee.

"That's the same thing." Becca scoffed, pouring some milk into the frother and turning it on.

"It's just a petty argument. It's fine." AJ said, not wanting to get into it with Becca.

"It's clearly not fine. You guys aren't saying a word to one another. It's weird. Me and Shiv feel like we're walking on eggshells around you both." Becca said, pouring the milk into the coffee cup, getting a lid to put on top before handing it over to the customer with a warm smile.

"Well, you don't have to walk on eggshells around us. You've not done anything wrong." AJ reminded her.

"I know but it's weird seeing you guys like this. It must have been a bad fight for you to stop talking for days." Becca said, "This is Shiv's last week here and it's all tense and awkward. And we're having to clean up that stupid place across the road, too."

"I'm not going to talk to her if she won't talk to me." AJ said stubbornly.

"Well, that's just stupid." Becca concluded, "I'm sure whatever it is, you guys will be able to work through it. We all say things we don't mean. Especially when we're angry at the people we love."

"More of The Shiv's coming through." Shiv announced, coming out from the kitchen in the back with a tray of her salted-caramel custard tarts, which had been going down a treat with the customers all day and morning, especially since Shiv knew most of the customers and guilt tripped them into buying her pastry treat since it was her last week as a full-time employee.

"Look at you, our little one hit wonder." Becca smiled, "Excited for your party on Saturday?" She asked whilst Shiv unloaded her tarts into the front display area with the other cakes and pastries.

"I was, until AJ and Lyla decided to stop talking." Shiv nodded as AJ rolled her eyes, "Really inconsiderate of you guys to have a big fight on my last week."

"We didn't plan it, Shiv." AJ assured her.

"Can't you just talk it out?" Shiv asked, "It's stupid." She said as AJ looked over at Lyla who was talking to a regular customer at a table.

"Why should I be the one to initiate the conversation?" AJ shook her head, "She said horrible things to me too, you know."

"Because she's more stubborn than you." Becca shook her head, "Go talk in the back and me and Shiv will cover the front. This is all just too awkward and I'm not having it. I need to work in peace and tranquillity. Not this hostile mess." She said as AJ turned to her with raised eyebrows.

"You love a hostile mess. Don't lie." AJ shook her head.

"Yeah, I like spectating it from afar. I don't like it in here. Our sacred place." Becca said.

"Oh, stop sounding responsible. It doesn't suit you." Shiv rolled her eyes as AJ laughed a little.

"It's like our mothers are fighting." Becca shook her head, "Go into the back. I'll send Lyla through."

"Becca…" AJ shook her head.

"No. Just go." Becca ordered as AJ rolled her eyes, nevertheless heading into the back of the coffee shop and into the kitchen.

She waited several minutes until Lyla eventually appeared, holding some dirty plates on a tray and taking them over to their larger dishwasher in the kitchen. She glanced at AJ for a second and then started loading the dishes into the washer.

"We've been ordered by Becca to speak to one another." AJ folded her arms.

"When do we ever listen to Becca?" Lyla questioned, closing the dishwasher and pressing start, eventually turning around to face AJ.

"We should talk." AJ nodded, "This is stupid."

"Talk and say what? That we didn't mean to say what we did even though we probably did?" Lyla said.

"I didn't mean what I said when I said I didn't need you anymore." AJ said, "I'll always need you. And you know that."

"Doesn't really feel like you do need me anymore, though." Lyla said, "You've got the business you've always wanted. You've got the man of your dreams."

"And I'll always need my best friend." AJ shook her head, "This is our business. Even though my name is on all the documents and official stuff… we built this place together. And I couldn't have done it without you. I still couldn't do it without you. You must know that." AJ said as Lyla just shrugged, "Just because I'm not an anxious mess any more doesn't mean I don't need you."

"But you're disgusted with me. For what I've done. With Lewis." Lyla nodded.

"I'm not disgusted, Lyla." AJ sighed, "I understand things can happen. Things can get out of control. I'm just sad for you that you're settling for a guy who you only see a handful of times a year, and who is married to someone else. You deserve better."

"Or I deserve what I get." Lyla shrugged, "It's my own hole I've dug. Saying I deserve better is stupid when I've been sleeping with a married man." She shook her head.

"You deserve to move on. Cut all ties from Lewis and try start over. If he wanted to be with you that much… he would." AJ said, "And I want to be there for you, as much as you've been there for me. That's always how this friendship has worked but… you've made me feel like I've just been your charity case this whole time. Like I've never reciprocated anything."

"I don't think you've been my charity case, April." Lyla rolled her eyes.

"But you're mad at me. Because you broke up with Lewis to come live here with me. Because you thought I couldn't take care of myself. And that's probably true." AJ nodded, "And I'm sorry if what I went through made you feel like you had some kind of obligation to me."

"That's not how I felt." Lyla said fiercely, "I was by your side because you went through something awful, and I couldn't let my best friend feel any more alone than she already did." She said, "I left with you to come here because you mattered more to me than any relationship. You always will. But now you're spending all your time with Phil and… I've just felt lonely." She shook her head with embarrassment, "And I've said things I didn't mean." She said.

"Me and Phil being together doesn't change our friendship. He's not replacing you." AJ assured her.

"I know that." Lyla said, "And I've wanted this for you for so long. To see you happy and… healing from what happened to you." She nodded.

"You were the one that got me through what happened to me." AJ reminded her, "You were there every day. Even when I didn't want anyone around, you stayed. And you'll never know how much that meant to me. And I don't think there's anything I can do to repay you-"

"You don't have to repay me, April. If that's what you think our fight was about… that's not what I meant. I don't know what I meant. I'm just… I'm embarrassed about the situation with Lewis. And telling you made it all so clear to me that I've been so stupid thinking that I was going to gain anything from it. Keeping it my own secret allowed me to just live in this fantasy that him and I were going to get together eventually but… that's not true." Lyla shook her head, "I'm not mad at you. I'm mad at myself." She assured her friend as AJ looked across at her, silence coming over them for a moment.

"I think you should cut all ties from him." AJ nodded, walking over to stand closer to Lyla, "You shouldn't have to feel like someone's second choice, regardless of how much you care about him. You're only going to get hurt."

"I know." Lyla said, "I know I need to end it."

"It'll be the best thing for you. I know it might not feel like it. I understand that you've got strong feelings for him but… in time, you'll thank yourself for ending it." AJ nodded.

"I hope so." Lyla said, "I'm sorry for getting mad with you. I wasn't actually mad with you. I was just feeling insecure and embarrassed. Felt like I had my back against the wall."

"I'm sorry for what I said too." AJ nodded, "Saying that I don't need you anymore when that's just a lie. I'll always need you in my life. And I want you to be happy, just as much as you've wanted me to be happy."

"I know that." Lyla said.

"So, we can put this behind us?" AJ asked, "It's actually pretty exhausting being in a fight." She admitted as Lyla smiled.

"It is. So many times, I wanted to say something to you and then I had to remind myself I was supposed to be mad." Lyla shook her head, "Exhausting."

"But we're good now?" AJ nodded.

"We'll always be good." Lyla said, opening up her arms as AJ opened hers, pulling each other into a tight embrace.

Deep down they had known the things they said wasn't a reflection of how they truly felt. It was a fight fuelled on high emotions and not truth. Lyla with her guilt ridden secret and AJ with her worry that she'd forced her friend into a life she didn't want, when that simply wasn't the case.

"Have you guys made up?" Shiv smiled happily, coming into the kitchen with Becca following behind.

"I knew the energy was starting to feel different." Becca nodded, clapping her hands happily as Lyla and AJ broke away from their hug, laughing a little at Becca and Shiv's excitement.

"Don't stop hugging on our account." Shiv shook her head, "In fact, we'll join in." She said, skipping over and squeezing AJ and Lyla, "Come on." She told Becca who waited.

"I'm not a big hugger." Becca waved her hand.

"Get over here." Lyla said, reaching over and grabbing Becca's arm, pulling her over into the quadruple hug between all four of them.