Lillian
I pick up the groceries and call Liz and Mary and they are 45 minutes away from my home. Our maid Marybeth is finally back from vacation, and she is helping me set up my little dinner party.
'You don’t think it's too much?’
I ask her and she smiles at me watching me enjoy this.
“No sweetie, I think it's perfect. I also heard that you invited a boy, hmm?”
She asks me in her English accent, and I blush.
“His name is Adonis, and he is a dream, but I can’t help but feel like he is hiding something sometimes like he is so closed off.”
I tell her and she nods to me.
“It's understandable sweetie, but with time he will learn to open up to you I am sure of it.”
She tells me, we finish setting everything up and she leaves for the day. I walk around my kitchen letting everything simmer. I decided to take a moment and walk to the backyard.
I see the cherry blossoms my father planted and see the buds are getting ready to bloom again, I lift my hand up to one and smile. Next to the tree is the shrine of my father, I kneel in front of the shrine lighting incense.
“I miss you dad; I wish you could be here. I met a boy you see.”
I tell him about Adonis, and I imagine he is listening, patting my head and I want to cry, but knowing him he would tell me not to. I say a prayer when I hear Mary.
“Oh my gosh, Liz doesn’t it smell amazing!’
I smile and say bye to Dad, walk into the house, put my shoes back on, and greet them.
“Thanks, girls, I thought we could do a Korean BBQ-style meat buffet.”
Mary is practically salivating; Liz and I laugh at her. Suddenly we heard the doorbell ring, and I walk over to the door. I open it and see Adonis and the boys standing there.
“Well, hello pretty lady”
Noah says to me, and I laugh, Adonis stares at me before he says anything.
“You look beautiful.”
He tells me and I blush looking down at my feet.
“These are for you.”
He hands me a bouquet of Irises,
“Adonis, they are beautiful.”
I say through a gasp, and he smiles, Liam and Noah smirk.
“Yeah, took him forever to find a store that sold them, we basically dro-”
Suddenly Adonis elbowed him in the stomach, and we laughed. I gestured to them into the home, and they walked in thanking me. The boys greet my friends, and we all open a bottle of wine. I walk to the front to put the flowers in a vase when I hear something. I look up the stairs but don’t see anything, I shake my head thinking I am imagining it.
“This all looks amazing.”
I walk into the kitchen and see the boys are also salivating like hungry puppies. I couldn't help but burst out laughing. I have them help me set everything up and we eat the food. Laughing and talking about random things. I get up to clear the plates.
“Oh, we got that .”
Noah says.
“Call me Lilly, that's what all my friends call me.”
I say with a smile, and he grins even wider. Him and Liz take the plates, and Adonis comes over to me.
“Care for a walk?”
I nod and take him to the back.
“Whoa this is beautiful.”
He says as he looks at the cherry blossoms.
“My dad planted it here when he bought the house, my mother wanted to chop it down, but I refused and said she couldn't.”
I say as I run my hand along the trunk. Looking up at the blooms.
“Is that him?”
He asks me, as he walks over to where my father’s shrine is. I smile.
“Yea that's him.”
He looks at the shrine and looks back at me.
“You have his smile and eyes.”
He tells me and I blush. He turns back to the shrine and kneels in front of it. He then begins to say a prayer for my father. My heart flutters nearly out of my chest. When I see him there, I want to cry not of sadness, but fear, because now I think I know how I truly feel about Adonis. He opens his eyes and smiles.
“What?”
“Oh nothing, your father came to me and said something.”
I laugh.
“Oh, and what did he say?”
“That's a secret.”
“Ok well what did you say?”
He looks at me and smiles.
“That you're a handful and the most stubborn woman I’ve met.”
I laugh and push him; he catches my wrist and brings me closer. He looks into my eyes and brings his face closer, his lips hover over mine. I bit my bottom lip in response to waiting for him to kiss me. He caresses my face and brings it closer, erasing the space between us with a kiss.
This kiss is different, this kiss feels like a promise. But a promise for what? He pulls away first and smiles.
“Come on, let's go back inside.”
I nod and we walk inside and see everyone around the table laughing and drinking wine. We join them and before we know it, it’s midnight.
“Alright we better get going.”
Adonis says and I nod, I walk them all out and before he leaves, he turns around.
“I have a surprise for you Lillypad, I’ll be back tomorrow to pick you up, ok?”
I smile and nod, he kisses me then leaves. I close the door, and I can feel myself getting all giddy. But I am so exhausted. I head upstairs and walk into my bedroom but that's when I notice my window is open, I hesitate to walk into my room, I flip the light switch and there sitting on my bed is Maxwell.
“Hey darlin, where have you been,” he asks me.
My heart is beating a thousand miles a minute and I cannot think clearly.
“Why are you in my room?” I asked him. He can see I’m scared even though I am trying my best not to show it. I will not let him break me again.
“Tch come here darlin, like old times sit next to me” he pats the space next to him on my bed,
“Thanks, but I’m fine standing right here.” I tell him and walk over to my desk.
“So, I will ask you again, why are you here Maxwell?” I say putting as much venom into my words as I possibly can. He looks up at the ceiling not saying anything for a while and then he says to me,
“Baby I’m in trouble; big trouble this time and I really need your help.”
He says to me. Of course, there it is, whenever he found himself in a tight situation, he would always run to me, not this time I won’t let him use me this way anymore.
“Well tough shit, I won’t ever help you again. Don’t ever come here again, and don’t you ever call me baby again coming from you it sounds like it’s coming from a dirty uncle.”
I tell him and he winces at my words. Good I hope I hurt him, I want him to know pain, loss, regret, and so so much more. He sighs, getting up from the bed and walking over to me. I can’t help but back up, and he keeps coming closer and closer until my back is against the wall.
“Now , I need your help, you don’t want to make me angry now do you?”
He says as he touches my face, and I feel a cold chill go down my spine.
“You know how I am when I get angry now don’t you remember, or do I have to fucking remind you who you belong to, you stupid bitch.”
He says as he pulls my hair. I cry out in pain, and he smirks, pulling harder,
“Now are you going to fucking listen?”
He says and I don’t reply and that only makes him even angrier, suddenly I feel a sting on my cheek as he hit me, I cry out again and he hits me again making me cry out even more.
“When I say I need help you fucking say, Yes Maxwell and you do as I fucking say.”
He says with each word his hand hits me on my face until finally I taste copper and iron. He lets me go and throws me on the floor.
“Stupid bitch never put out, the least you can do is do this last thing.”
He says to me I sit up and look at him, feeling the room get smaller and smaller and he gets bigger and bigger.
“Wh-what do you want from me?”
I ask him through gritted teeth as the pain increases with every word I say.
“I owe a lot of money to someone, and I need you to pay it off for me, I’ll pay you back.”
I scoff because knowing him I will never see the money I lend to him. I get up feeling dizzy from the impact of each hit.
“No Maxwell, I won’t help you this time or the next time I will never help you again so stop!” I yell at him wiping my mouth and seeing the blood left on my hand. I look back at him and tell him,
“You need to leave and never come back.” He smirks.
“Well Baby, that's what I’ll do but first you will give me that money. Better yet you’ll come with me to pay off the sharks I owe. Just so I know you’ll pay every single cent.”
He says and pats my cheek.
“I’ll see you soon .”
he says and just like that he was gone. I fall to the floor, and I couldn’t see clearly, I reach for my phone and hit the call button, the phone rings and finally an answer,
“Lillypad?” Adonis says.
But I can’t answer him. I just groan, I can feel my head swirling, and I feel the cut on my lip.
“Lilly! What happened!”
I hear him say but my words won’t come out, why won’t they come out? I want to scream, I want to cry, I want to say something and tell him what happened, but I can’t, no words leave my mouth. No, I can’t tell him, I can’t get him Involved I just can't, I don’t want anything to happen to Adonis, he’s the only one who’s seen me for me and not just some piece of meat. He sees me.
“Please save me.”
Is all I can think, and before I know it the darkness overtakes me.