Chapter 41
Eric
L ily was spooked by something on her phone call. She only asked where we were and hung up. Trying to call her back was unsuccessful. When she showed up, breathless and sweating, my heart was in my mouth.
"What's going on? Is everything okay?" I rushed over to her.
"Yeah, yeah." She waved me off before placing her hands on her hips. "Damn, you guys walked far!" she panted.
"Yeah, we figured she'd prefer more grown-up stuff over rambunctious young folks losing their minds over exuberant rides. You had me panicking for a moment there." My eyes followed her beeline to her mother, and I paid attention to the way she's checking the coolness of her skin with the back of her hand and avoiding eye contact with both me and Ethan.
"Yeah. I just felt like it was time to take my turn with my mother while you guys get to have some fun, too." She took the bags from Ethan and moved to take the chair from me.
"Well, hold on a minute. Let Matt or Ryan help you out. Where are they anyway?" I looked around for them.
She shrugged. "I'm fine. You guys should hang out together. Bond. It'd be nice to be on my own with Mom."
"We hang out all the time." I frowned.
"Are you okay?" Ethan asked.
"Yes!" she replied, exasperated. "Yes," she repeated, softening her tone. "You don't have to keep asking me that. I'm fine. I'm just all 'ridden out.'"
"Well, I hope not." I chuckled. She'd grin along with me, usually. I thought that was a solid joke. Instead, she reddened, as if embarrassed.
Moments later, Ryan and Matt showed up, phones out. I made eye contact with Matt, asking him without words 'What's up with Lily?'
He shrugged before returning to his vlogging. Ryan avoided eye contact with me. Ethan shared my concern, exchanging glances with me.
He tried to break the tension. "Eric got you a rose," Ethan said.
"I sure did." I smiled, moving over to the bag over her shoulder and pulling it out. It's a bit crumpled, so I tried to smooth it out without making it worse. "It was perfect when I got it," I explained.
She sighed and smiled into my eyes, placing her hand over mine. There she was. "It's perfect. Thank you." She sniffed it, and her eyes watered.
"What's going on with you, Lily?" I asked, brushing the back of my fingers over her flushed cheek.
She leaned into my touch. "It's nothing. I've just never gotten a rose before."
"Awww." I smiled. "Well, there's plenty more where that came from. In fact..." I rummaged around in another of the bags. "Ethan also got you a rose." I grinned, handing the crooked flower to her.
Her eyes widened, and she looked between me and Ethan, whose jaw had gone slack. "Really?" she asked.
"What? No." He narrowed his eyes at me. "I got it for Mrs. Thornbread."
Lily sighed her relief. Damn, I was hoping it'd spark some interest in her. I still had my eyes on Matt and Ryan, though. Someone knew something about why Lily's acting all weird. I trusted the guys wouldn't do anything to hurt her, so there must have been something else happening. Matt was just as confused as I was, and Ryan was acting just as shifty as Lily was.
"Well, that was really thoughtful of you, Ethan." Lily smiled. "I'm sure she loves it. I'll save it for her."
"There's no need. It'll be withered and dried by then. You might as well have it." Ethan shrugged.
She laughed at that. Finally. "Well, thanks. I guess. So..." She perked up. "Whose idea was it to come here?" She looked at the garden displays, sprouting verdant grass and colorful flowers taken right out of somebody's front yard.
"It was Ethan's," I confessed.
"Yeah. I figured since she had that gardening book, and you mentioned it was something she'd want to get around to when she recovers, she'd appreciate it." He cleared his throat, pretending he's not all of a sudden shy by the attention. Whenever Mr. Serious and Level Headed turned into a nervous little puppy, it's fun to watch, I mused, still keeping my eyes on Ryan, hoping my plan was successful.
"You remembered that?" Lily asked, her eyes big with admiration... and hope? Hold on. Was something happening here too?
"Yeah." Ethan folded his arms over his chest. "Of course."
She smiled as Ethan took the bags back from her.
"You don't need to carry all this, and I'm not really fussed about the rides anyway." He shrugged.
"Okay," she agreed, the most docile and agreeable I'd seen her. All right, Ethan. I didn't know what's happening here, but it's interesting. "So, what else have you guys been up to?" she asked, insisting that I give her the wheelchair. I lifted my hands in the air, obliging her.
As he caught her up, I walked over to Ryan, taking pictures with his phone. "Did something happen between you and Lily?" I asked.
He jumped and almost dropped his phone, catching it just in time. "What?" he grunted, tucking it back in his pocket. "No." He scowled.
"Then what the hell is the matter with both of you?" I asked. "Why are you so jumpy?"
"It's nothing. I'm probably just hungry or tired or something." He shrugged.
"Oh," I grunted. "So, nothing happened at all between you?" I repeated, hoping for a different answer this time.
"No. Bro." He shook his head before walking away from me.
Well, great. There went my genius plan, out the window. He'd have no reason to lie to me if something happened between them, would he? He knew where I stood. Inside, I groaned. The awkward dance of hidden truths continued. As for Lily, she had been awkward with me earlier as well, so maybe her menses were on the way? It looked like sex was off the table for us tonight.