CHAPTER 16
LILY
I snuggled closer to the warm, heavy sheets draped over me. My body felt like it was floating on a soft feather.
Lazy but not in the tired sense.
I blinked my eyes open, and tiny streams of sun rays danced on my face.
It took me a moment to place myself and remember the events of last night.
Heart pounding, I shot off the bed.
Fuck, was it all real?
I was clearly in my bedroom, wearing the same hoodie and socks.
Did I end up falling asleep and imagining the whole thing?
Because I was pretty sure he stormed to his apartment last night. And we ended up doing things that I never imagined we’d do.
Then how the fuck did I end up back here?
Fuck, was my brain fried now too?
I trudged my feet to the bathroom, confused. It did feel so real. I wasn’t even drunk. Yes, I was high on meds, but they didn’ t make me drowsy.
As soon as my eyes landed on the bathroom mirror, I knew that last night was very, very real.
I made Michael come with my mouth and swallowed all of him. It felt lewd to even think about it. But damn, it happened. Oh, it happened, alright.
The flush of my skin, the mess of my hair, and the mark on my neck made it very obvious.
It was red, angry, and beautiful.
I couldn’t stop the embarrassing blush coating the tops of my cheeks.
The moment his lips touched mine, all the fury that boiled my blood washed away, and I got lost in him.
My breath hitched. Fuck, how the hell did I get so brave? Did the hormones screw up my sense? I’d never acted that way before. Even with all the boys I fooled around with in college, it was never like this.
But then it was him, right?
Michael Saint was the owner of my dying heart.
His kissing me at the height of the moment was one thing, but after all he did last night, it was very clear he wanted me too. So why was I here, alone?
Why had he discarded me like last night never happened?
Was he going to pretend that he didn’t want anything to do with me, even after all this?
Then I remembered the real reason I went to his place last night, an answer I never received.
Was this one of his cheap distraction techniques?
What did I do so wrong that I didn’t even deserve an answer after all these years?
It felt cruel and humiliating .
I clenched my teeth and went in search of my phone.
As soon as I opened it, I had a text waiting for me.
Over-the-top neighbor- I’ve set your breakfast on the counter.
I squeezed my phone so hard that I might as well have smashed it against the wall.
Breakfast? Who the fuck cared about that?
Was that all he was going to say?
I mentally told him to go to hell and got ready for my day, only to remember that I no longer had work.
Another wreck of betrayal chipped my heart.
This was probably the worst week ever.
My phone pinged once again.
Riana- Hey, Lily. Do you wanna grab coffee? I asked Jack to join us. He’ll pick you up in a few if you’re game xx
I found a smile sneaking its way up my lips, fading a bit of the previous frustration. Coffee did sound good, anything other than being holed up in this empty apartment.
After a quick shower and cakes of concealer on top of my hickey, I was out of the apartment and sliding inside Jack’s Mercedes.
“Lily, it’s so good to see you.” Jack pulled me into a half hug inside the car.
“You too,” I mumbled against his shoulder.
Minutes later, we were seated in a cozy café that overlooked a busy street and a quaint park.
“Thank you.” I smiled at the server who set my hot chocolate in front of me. I wanted something sweet and high-calorie that would soothe my heavy heart.
A minute didn’t even pass when Riana burst up to our table and gathered me into a tight hug .
“Lily, it’s only been a couple of hours, and I miss you already. Work is no longer fun without you,” she whined as she crashed into a seat next to Jack.
“I miss you too, Ri.”
“Now, tell me exactly what happened. It isn’t like you to quit when you’ve been working so hard for these couple of weeks, and you’ve told me a hundred times how it was your dream to get this internship.” Her soft eyes met mine along with Jack’s curious ones.
I sighed, reciting everything that had transpired the previous day, and with each passing moment, their understanding expression only turned into one of anger and disgust.
Riana shook her head, her face pinched in disdain. “Fuck, I can’t believe she did that. So Jenson has been protecting us all this time being his mean old self?”
I nodded.
“That’s fucked up. Now, I want to poke my glitter pen in her eye. So does that mean her art was never hers? Can’t believe she rose to the top stealing from younger artists.”
“Sadly, that’s the only thing she’s good at,” I added.
“Man, that’s fucked up. I can’t even imagine how you must feel, but you got out before it was too late, right? I’m sure you’ll have much greater opportunities than this,” Jack reassured with a smile.
Riana’s eyes narrowed into thin slits. “Wait till I tell Rio and Noah about this.”
I clasped my hand around her wrist. “Riana, I shouldn’t really be telling you all this. Makima threatened me she’d have their jobs if the word got out, and you know how important the job is to them.”
“But, Lily…” Her forehead creased with worry lines.
“It’s okay, Riana. There’s no use in telling them either. I’m perfectly fine,” I lied, smiling through my teeth. Being an animator at Grisha was my end goal, though.
“Okay,” she mumbled, ordering a coffee for herself.
“Jack, how’re things with Lola? Any luck?”
He ran a hand through his hair. “Not really, but we’re texting.”
“Wait.” Riana’s eyes widened. “You’re back with Lola? But what about you and Lily?”
Jack gave her a side-eye, and I held her in a stare.
“What?” she asked innocently, almost as if she didn’t set us up.
“You know what?” Jack replied. “Took us five minutes to figure out you set us up.”
She turned red, groaning. “Don’t blame me for wanting my best friend with my cousin. Sorry,” she muttered.
“It’s okay.” I laughed. “Just don’t do that anymore.”
Riana poked out her tongue before dragging her eyes to her phone. “Fuck, I gotta go back to work. My break is almost over. But don’t be a stranger, Lily. You’re still coming to our team dinner.” She wiggled her pointer finger.
“Okay, see you, Ri.” We chuckled as we watched her dash out of the café in a hurry with her go-to coffee cup, trudging her heavy bag on her shoulder. Even if she stepped out for five minutes, she needed all her things with her.
“So I’ve been meaning to ask. Is it him, the best friend, who got you into art?” Jack lifted a shoulder before a cheeky grin spread across his lips. “Things were tense between you two at the party.”
“Who?” A shaky laugh spurted out of my lips as I darted my gaze around. I knew exactly who he was talking about.
“Michael DeClere.” He gave me a look that said I was so full of shit.
“Shush,” I whispered, sighing. “It isn’t like that between us.” Then a blush crept its way up the tops of my chest at the flashes of last night. “I mean, he’s been my brother’s best friend forever. Well, I used to be his friend before that, but we kinda grew apart. Trust me, the last person Michael wants to be with is me.” It was obvious after last night.
“But I don’t think that’s the case.”
I frowned. “What do you mean?”
“I saw the way he looked at you, Lily. Trust me, I know that look, especially when you fainted. He looked like he was ready to murder someone.”
I heaved out a heavy breath. “He’s been looking after me these past couple of weeks. But I will say it’s all very confusing. He made it very apparent that he wanted nothing to do with me for years, and now he’s being all nice.”
“Maybe he’s always cared for you, secretly. I mean, trust me, if I liked my best friend’s sister, I would keep it a secret too.”
“No,” I muttered. “The one thing I know is that Mikey is not fazed by my brother. It was something else, something he’s been hiding from me. Well, now it’s too late anyway. It’s not like I’ll be around for long to worry about it.”
“What do you mean you won’t be around for long?” Jack’s eyes glinted with seriousness .
My eyes widened, noticing my slip.
“Lily, what is it? Are you okay?” His eyes scanned me. “You’re not actually sick or something, are you? I mean, I know that you are anemic, but it’s not like that’s life-threatening or something.”
I swallowed the sudden burn down my throat. “I am,” I said quietly. “I am sick, like actually sick, like life-threatening sick.” I watched as his eyes turned into saucers, and the hammering of my heart steadied. I didn’t want anyone to know, but it did kind of feel good to confess that heavy load to someone.
Jack’s eyes panicked. “Lily, fuck, what does that mean?”
“I…” My tongue darted out to my dry lips. “I won’t be around for long, Jack. And it’s okay. I’m okay with that.” I gave him a shaky smile
“Lily, that’s not something to be okay about. Does your family not know?”
“No,” I blurted. “They can’t know Jack, ever. It’s best if they don’t.”
Jack’s face softened. “Lily, this is not something you should hide from your family. If it’s as serious as you say, you need their support. Shouldn’t you be undergoing some treatment or something?”
“I’m taking the meds, but it won’t help for long. Mere months.”
“The fuck,” he mumbled, leaning back. “I don’t know what to say.”
The vibration of my phone interrupted us. I frowned, seeing the caller ID .
Why the fuck was he calling me when he all but abandoned me this morning?
“Excuse me, I have to take this,” I mumbled to Jack, who still looked shocked.
“What?” I snapped to the man on the other side of the phone. The man who made me so fucking crazy.
“Where are you? You’re not in your apartment,” Mikey’s stern voice spilled through the line.
It only made my blood boil. “I’m out.”
“Out where?”
“Why do I have to tell you?”
“I told you not to drive around. Don’t test my patience, Lily,” he steeled.
“Don’t worry. I didn’t. Jack drove me here.”
Beep.
I retrieved my phone, flabbergasted as my eyes landed on the screen. That fucker cut the call. I couldn’t believe him.
“Is everything okay?” Jack asked, frowning.
“Yeah,” I mumbled, sliding my phone back to the table.
“That was him, wasn’t it?”
“Yes.”
He shook his head. “You’re not going to tell him about you, are you?”
“No,” I whispered. “I can’t. I know I’m stupid to keep this to myself. But they’d be destroyed if they knew. I just want my last days to be normal.”
He inhaled sharply. “Well, I can’t say I understand. I mean… I can’t imagine what you must be going through.” His hand closed over mine on the table. “This is all just te rrible, but if you need anything at all, please let me know. I’ll always be here for you.”
“I’m sure she won’t need anything from you, Jack,” said a cool voice. I stiffened as I felt a warm presence beside me, draping a long arm over my shoulder and pulling me closer to him.
I knew who it was from the smell of fresh citrus that invaded my senses.
What the fuck was he doing here?
I internally panicked. How much had he heard? And how the hell did he get here so fast? I was only a few blocks from the apartment, but how did he know I was here?
“What are you doing here, Michael?”