12. Under The Willow Tree
UNDER THE WILLOW TREE
“Lilly! Hurry up! I’ve got tickets to see Mama Mia in theaters! It’s going to be AMAZING. They never show it in theaters anymore!” Charlotte’s excitement bubbled from the phone.
“Alright but hurry up we are not missing this!” She half whined, half yelled into the phone.
“Deal! I love you Char.”
“I love you too Lilly, drive safe.”
I stared at the phone in my hand as the call ended. Looking over to the couch I saw Aunt Maysie on it. Drunk. I sighed, sliding the phone in the depths of my pocket and pulling my bag over my shoulder.
Leaning over to Aunt Maysie I plucked the lit cigarette from her lips and extinguished it in the tray on the nightstand. Pulled the bottle of beer from her grasps and covered her up.
Aunt Maysie wasn’t a bad aunt, she was a good person, just never recovered from the loss of Heath.
Shot in an accident about 3 years ago. Dad sends me up here to “give me a break,” but really it’s just an excuse to check on aunt Maysie.
I didn’t mind, apparently alcohol abuse just runs in the family.
Something flashing caught in the corner of my eye and I stood up straighter walking to the front door.
There perched on a tree and grinning like a kid on Christmas was Lee.
“Hey lil-bug, mind if I steal you away for a bit? My uncle owns a cabin not far, and before you say no, just hear me out.”
He paused, putting his finger up. Then shook his head, “yeah I’ve got nothing.”
I ran towards him, not even caring about the gravel pinching my bare feet just amazed he was standing there. Waiting for me, like he had nothing better to do.
“What are you doing here?” I asked touching his chest lightly to make sure he was real. That this wasn’t some very fucked up dream.
“Dad’s got business in the city and well I missed you Lilly,” Lee put his hand on the back of his neck, a slight coy smile on his lips.
I leaned up towards him, softly placing a kiss on that smile.
“I missed you too,” I whispered.
It was hard to admit, there wasn't much I looked forward to in life, but these stolen moments with Lee, those were mine.
He pulled me down on his bike and I wrapped my arms around him as he kissed me like we were starved. I felt so utterly loved by him. He pulled away and smiled before plopping his helmet on my head.
“Hold on Lilly,” he smirked.
The engine revved as he threw the gear into reverse and I squeaked clutching tight to his abdomen.
“Fuck,” I muttered as he sped away.
“What do you think of it?” He asked, keeping his hands to his back like some scolded boy.
“It’s beautiful, your uncle has great tastes. My favorite has to be the willow tree out back, I want to picnic in its branches and watch the sun set behind the horizon.”
“Funny you should say that” Lee looked at me sheepishly, as we walked into the kitchen, “I thought it would be nice…” he trailed off but I heard the word “date.”
“Shut up,” I beamed, grabbing the basket.
“Careful there’s wine in there!”
A fit of laughter erupted from my chest, bubbling up uncontrollably as I yanked off my backpack and bolted down the hallway toward the back door.
“Fuck, Lilly, wait!” he called after me, hurriedly chasing behind.
I didn’t stop running until I burst through the curtain of branches, and when I finally paused, laughter spilled from me unabated, impossible to contain.
But as the evening critters stirred and the night settled in, my laughter faded into a tense silence. I held my breath, eyes scanning the darkening woods, waiting.
Lee should have been here by now.
A cold wave of dread crept over me, and the smile slipped from my face.
A gentle breeze stirred the willow branches above, carrying the distant hum of insects and a faint smoky scent that tugged at my senses. For a long moment, I just sat there—waiting. The basket sat untouched beside me, a silent witness to my nerves.
Anxiety wrapped around my chest as I pushed myself to my feet as I reached out toward the tangled branches I’d burst through earlier. My hand trembled as I pushed them aside—then, suddenly, a scream tore from my throat as Lee yanked my body toward him, both of us laughing uncontrollably.
“You should have seen your face,” he teased, chuckling as I smacked him across the chest.
“That wasn’t funny, Leeroy!” I shouted, my heart racing wildly beneath my ribs, pounding with a wild, frantic energy.
“It totally was,” he grinned, softly lifting my hand to his lips and kissing it gently.
My heart shuddered from fear—then shifted, pounding with a nervous, girlish thrill I hadn’t felt in ages.
“Come on. Let’s eat,” Lee said softly, pulling me through the canopy of branches and unveiling a picnic blanket from the basket.
He spread it out, then reached in to grab a bottle of wine. I burst into laughter as he leaned over to uncork it with his pocket knife—a simple act filled with so much warmth.
“I can’t believe you did all this for me,” I laughed, plucking a grape from the plastic cups.
“Well, it took months of planning, and honestly, it was so worth it, right?” he said, scratching the back of his head as he finally freed the cork from the bottle.
“Oh my God, is the mighty Lee Callahan nervous?” I teased, eyes sparkling as he passed me the bottle.
“Yeah,” he admitted, cheeks flushing pink with honesty.
“I think it’s wonderful—especially this wine,” I said softly, giggles bubbling up as the warmth of the drink washed over me, stirring a gentle joy deep within.
He smiled shyly, tentative but genuine.
“Well, I figured you deserve to be treated right if we’re doing this,” he murmured.
“Doing what?” I asked with playful innocence, feeling my heart swell with anticipation and a strange, tender hope.
“Us. I mean, I haven’t been known to date a girl, and certainly not my sister’s best friend – wait, I don’t think I said that right. Hold on a second,” he raised his finger mid-air, and just then, a loud burp escaped from his mouth.
“Gross,” I teased, but inside, I couldn’t help but laugh. That laugh bubbling up was uncontrollable, full of surprise and warmth.
“Okay, I can do this,” he told himself with determination.
“Lillian Wyatt, will you be my girlfriend?”
My eyes widened in pure wonder, a rush of warmth flooding through my chest. Without thinking, I nodded eagerly, set the bottle down, and launched myself into his arms, feeling more alive than I’d ever felt before.
My lips confidently pressed against his in a rush of pure, overwhelming joy, as I fiercely pulled him into my embrace, kissing him with a devotion so intense I lost myself entirely—until I couldn’t breathe, consumed by the electricity of our connection.
He gently withdrew just enough to create space between us, and I dragged in a breath, my heart pounding in my chest. “Lilly,” he hesitated, his voice quivering with the weight of his own restraint, as if battling against the storm inside of him.
“I know,” I whispered, eyes blazing. “I want this. I want you—more than words can ever capture, more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life.”
Words I was so sure of, being with him just felt right. He cupped my cheek, pulling my lips back to his and I melted into his embrace.
His fingers clutched my hair savagely, wrenching my ponytail loose as our lips collided in a wild frenzy.
I sank back onto the blanket, completely consumed by the intensity of it all, feeling the electric rush of desire ignite between us.
Lee’s lips moved down my neck placing whispering kisses across my collarbone as his hands explored my body cautiously.
He glanced upward toward my hooded eyes and I nodded, biting my lip.
Gently he pulled my shirt upwards wrapping his firm hands around my bodice as his lips trailed across my abdomen and stomach.
My breath hitched as he gently unclasped my bra.
Our eyes intertwined in a powerful, unspoken plea—bursting with anticipation and an overwhelming, indescribable yearning that consumed us both, as if the very air around us was waiting with the fiery hope of what’s to come.
I barely took a breath as his calloused hand clenched around my shuddery, goosebumps-raising skin. A soft moan filtering from my lips as he massaged my breasts gently placing kisses across my stomach towards my pelvis.
His teeth wrapped around my waistband, anxiety sprang forward through the haze of emotions, “Wait,” I spoke breathlessly.
He stopped dropping his hands from my body and coming back toward my face, a look of worry framed on that perfectly beautiful chiseled face.
“What’s wrong?” his fingers cupping my chin trapping me in his gaze.
“I—I haven’t.” I squeaked embarrassment swarming my system, before I swallowed back and finished. “I’m a virgin.”
He smiled, placing a soft kiss across my nose, and my cheeks flushed, “I know, it’ll be a first for us both.” he admitted and my heart swelled.
“I thought you’d— I mean, you always seem so confident and the girls always like you, how—”
His lips closed around mine cutting off my rambling thoughts and I breathed a little easier when he withdrew.
“I had always believed I would wait, endure the lonely nights and the empty days, until I found the one girl I knew I deserved to call my wife,” his voice, soft and distant, carried the weight of countless hopes and unwavering dreams of a future filled with love and belonging.
My heart exploded with an overwhelming pride and a love I had never known the depths before. His words felt like a piercing echo of hope and yearning ringing through my soul, stirring emotions I never knew existed within me.
Without thinking, my fingers clutched his collar eager with anticipation, and I drew him closer, devouring him in a passionate, soul-shaking kiss that spoke volumes beyond words, igniting a fire that burned brighter than anything I’d ever known.