“Yeah, I saw her. What was wrong with her?”
“What was wrong with her? She looked like a Furby.”
Lily’s mouth drew up into a smile, but she quickly repressed it. “Oh, stop. She did not.”
“Now who’s smoking crack? And you hugged her. I’m surprised you didn’t get a rash from her five o’clock shadow.”
Then Lily turned serious. “Max, listen to me. Don’t ever do that again. I was panicking the whole way here. And you took advantage of the fact that I’d hurry down here to help you. I want to be here for you. I want to be your friend. Because despite my better judgment, I missed you over these last months. But if you pull some dumb shit like this again, I will be burying you in an unmarked grave in a pet cemetery. Got it?”
“Yes, Miss Hamilton,” I replied in a monotone. But when she started off toward the exit, I quickly followed her, grabbing her arm. “Wait, wait, I’m sorry. I was just kidding.” Pulling her back in front of me, I released her arm and blew out a breath. “I promise. I won’t do anything like that again. I apologize for making you worry.”
She thought for a moment, probably trying to figure out whether or not she believed me. In the end, she must have decided that she did. “Okay, apology accepted.”
“Thank God,” I sighed. “Now, you ready to hear some music?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” she replied with a wry smile.
We walked closer to the stage. The band was still setting up, so the crowd hadn’t followed us into this section of the bar yet. Standing there in a comfortable silence, I took in the sight of her. I hadn’t been lying. That green shirt highlighted the subtle sparkle in her eyes I’d noticed the first time they met mine in that airport. And those tight white pants fit her lean legs perfectly. I suddenly wondered if Lily knew how beautiful she was, if she’d appreciate hearing it. But I shook off the thought, figuring that she’d love to hear it. Just not from me.
“So, she talked your ear off for two hours, huh?” she said slyly as she cocked her head in my direction.
“Two horrendous hours. I was nice at first. That was my undoing. Once I realized that she was never going to leave me alone, I had to call in the cavalry.”
“Why didn’t you just excuse yourself and then find a new seat?”
“I did. Twice! She followed me both times. I made a valiant attempt at listening to her for about three minutes. But then she started talking about her porcelain doll collection and I panicked. That’s when I moved the first time. I lasted almost four minutes the second time. And then came the story about having her grandmother’s ashes sitting on her nightstand beside her bed. That’s when I knew it was time for escape number two. But she sniffed me out like a bloodhound and started jabbering again. That time I didn’t even try and listen. I just tried to keep calm and wait for you to get here and save me.”
Lily was no longer trying to hide her amusement. She smiled widely as she visualized the scene in her head. “It couldn’t have been that bad.”
“Listen, I’m not sure if you saw the white string of spit on the side of her mouth, but I saw it. I also had to keep dodging it as it flew out of her mouth randomly like a slingshot. So don’t tell me it wasn’t that bad. I lived it and I’m telling you that my life was in mortal danger back there.”
“Whatever you say,” she said smiling, flipping her chestnut hair over her shoulder as she turned her attention back to the band.
I gazed at her a moment, appreciating the simple beauty that encapsulated Lily Hamilton. I wasn't sure how many more times she'd forgive me after I screwed up, but I was glad that she hadn't given up on me yet. And as the smile spread across my face, I realized that her inner beauty may be even more alluring than the outer beauty.
As the rest of the night passed, I found myself wishing that I could freeze time. Being friends with Lily was easy. Natural. And for the first time in six months, I started to feel a little hope that my life wouldn't be shitty forever.
Chapter 10: Adam