Chapter 9

9

18 years old - Nick

" W here are we going?" she asks me the second time, this time tilting her head to the side. Lily groans when I just offer her another shrug as an answer. I use one hand to shove the fries we got at the drive-thru into my mouth, while the other one is on the steering wheel. I have been planning this day since we slept with each other and got back together. A real date.

The last time we were a couple, I was a scrawny tween who didn't know any better. We mostly just hung out together and my mom drove us everywhere. Plus, I really meant what I said to Lily that night; I didn't want our first time together to be in the back seat of some car. So today is the day I make it up to her for that. I even managed to shoo my parents out of the house for the day with a promise to help my dad mow the lawn so that we could have the place all to ourselves later once the date is over.

I grab what's left of the fries with my oily fingers and gulp it down with some soda. Lily is still nibbling on her cheeseburger as the car goes in reverse and into the empty parking space. "We're here," I tell her while scrolling through my phone, showing her we're in no rush so she can continue finishing her meal.

She looks up to see where we are, and her eyes widen. I let out a breath of relief. She remembers . "I can't believe you still remember this!" she squeals. She has the same stupid grin that is probably also on my face right now.

"I can't believe you still remember this," I return the sentence to her. She gives me a peck on the cheek with her greasy lips and I watch her finish her burger in a matter of seconds before jumping out of the car.

We both close the car doors simultaneously and start walking toward the playground nestled deep inside the park. I put my arm around her shoulder and kiss the top of her head, catching a whiff of her cherry perfume.

Once we arrive at our destination, Lily sits on the bench next to the swings; the same spot our dads did the first time we met. She begged our dads for a playdate with me the very next day, and we became inseparable after that.

"It must have been, what, thirteen, fourteen years ago?" Lily reminisces while cuddling me on the bench, her palms freezing thanks to the surprisingly crisp day. "I was obsessed with you. My poor dad couldn't soothe my temper tantrum until your dad agreed to meet us again."

I run my hand through her dark brown hair. "Well, what can I say?" I answer. "Even back then, you were in love with me, you creep."

Lily snorts. "What do you think we would be like thirteen years from now? We'd be thirty-one. That's crazy. We'd have jobs and shit."

"Doesn't matter. You'd probably still be obsessed with me."

She gives me a sneer and looks at the two toddlers hanging from the monkey bars. "I'm going to be a chemist," she answers her own question confidently, as if she holds a crystal ball and can see thirteen years into the future. "Working on some groundbreaking projects in a place far away from here."

I feel a pang at the mention of "far away from here." I know she also wants to apply for college abroad. Will she really go through with it? Until now, I have blocked out the thought of us being separated again. We're both applying to Bryce's school, though, the Radinger Institute of Technology. If we both get in, Lily might reconsider staying here.

Even though Radinger is only a thirty-minute drive from Elsham Cove, the university is highly ranked. I know she cares about things like this. She might hate her mother, but she is also hungry for her approval. If Astrid Simmons cares, Lillian Lee will care as well. If Astrid Simmons wants something, Lillian Lee will do everything she can to give it to her, whether she likes it or not. I'm just crossing my fingers that Astrid Simmons wants her daughter to stay here.

"What about you?" she asks, breaking my spiraling thoughts.

I roll my neck and blurt out the standard answer I've given my parents every time they've pestered me with this question. "Probably a video game developer. Would be cool to get paid to do what I love. Don't really care. Once you're a fancy chemist, I'm going to be a househusband, anyway." We both smile at each other as I continue teasing her. "Staying at home, taking care of the kids, day drinking, and cheating on you with the nanny."

"Ugh, you wouldn't." She elbows me and I let out a chuckle.

"You're right. I wouldn't. You got me whipped." And it's the truth. She really does. Since I was five. "Where would we live?" I ask jokingly.

"Somewhere nice, somewhere big. A European city. Maybe Paris?"

"Sounds good to me, babe," I tell her. I kiss her, feeling her smile on my lips.

We stay there and people-watch for a few more hours before I stand up and tell her we should head back to my place. The sun sets by the time we arrive at my house and orange hues decorate the clear sky. True to their word, my parents are nowhere to be seen. I park the car and look at Lily next to me, who passed out the moment we were stuck in traffic. I close my door silently, letting her sleep for a few more minutes.

Leaning on the car, the sky above me slowly turns dark and calm washes over me. The moment I moved five years ago, I held on to a lot of resentment—toward my dad for forcing me to move, toward my mom for liking it in Japan more than I did, and toward Lily for not replying to my emails and messages when she was processing her grief. But looking at the clouds right now, feeling the cool air, having my girlfriend here with me, life doesn't seem so bad. I don't care where I go to college, and I don't care which city I end up living in. As long as I can keep on enjoying quiet moments like these with Lily, I'll be just fine. I know it in my heart.

Lily is startled awake as soon as I open the car door again. She rubs her sleepy eyes looking around, trying to figure out where she is now. "Hey, Lil, my parents won't come home for a couple of hours still," I whisper, not wanting to startle her even more. "Do you want to come up? The date isn't over yet." My left eye squints and forms a wink.

Once inside my room, Lily checks her phone and immediately starts unbuttoning my flannel shirt. I cock my eyebrow, not expecting things to escalate this quickly. I wanted to fucking woo her tonight, not give her the friends-with-benefits treatment. "I didn't realize it was already six," she explains. "I have to be home by 8:30 tonight."

"Well then, we better get to it," I say while lifting her thighs and carrying her to the bed.

With her sweater and bra off, her bare chest is exposed as I pin her down to my bed. I start trailing kisses on her neck, moving my lips down to her left nipple. Lily makes a sound and I take that as my cue to start sucking on it while my hand plays with the other one. "Nick," she calls me, her voice quavering.

"Mhm," I mumble, not really able to answer her with my tongue still circling around her nipple. I pull down her jeans and smile when I see her wet.

"Fuck, babe, you're soaked. What I would give to come inside you."

Lily's eyes grow wide, but before she gets a chance to reply, I yank her panties to the side, so that she is accessible to me, and I bury my head between her thighs. I suck on her clit and flick my tongue over it, enjoying the taste that drips out of her opening. Lily tastes salty and sweet, like things that are bad for your health but good for your soul. My eyes look up to find her head tilted back on my pillow as she touches her breasts, squeezing them with the palms of her hands. She's fucking amazing . She's the one who is panting, but I am the one who is out of breath.

It doesn't take long before one of her hands pulls on my hair. "Don't stop, Nick. Keep doing that." Alright, boss. Your wish is my command. After a few minutes, Lily moans my name into the pillow, the orgasm causing her body to stiffen momentarily.

As her body relaxes into mine, I look down at my crotch and feel the throbbing dick inside my pants. I already know it. I'm not going to fucking last long. I'll just have to woo her with tender lovemaking the next time we have sex. The VIP seat to her touching her own tits while I licked her out was enough to make me want to come without my dick even being inside of her.

"Lil, can you get a condom?" I ask her. "Just open the drawer of the nightstand."

She doesn't move. "I'm not ovulating," she says in a low tone, her cheeks flushing as she announces this information. "Did you mean what you said before?" I stare at her, unsure what to say, and close my mouth the moment I realize it's hanging open.

"Has Kevin ever been inside you bare?" I ask, feeling heat flushing through my body.

"No." She looks offended. "And I want it to be you," she says, her voice softer now. "I want you to be the first one completely inside me."

"Lily, you don't have to do this if you don't want to."

"I do. I mean, if you want it, too."

I nod before planting my lips on hers and closing the distance between our bodies. Sliding my bare dick inside of her, I let out a groan at how wet she already is. Lily's sighs are followed by pants once she adjusts to the thrusts.

"Fuck, this feels so good, babe," I tell her with my eyes closed, already knowing I will climax soon.

I flip her over and hold on to her hips, pushing myself in and out of her while she grips onto my sheets. "Just this once, okay, Lil?" I say, breathing heavily. "We're going to be careful after this, but can I come inside you tonight?" Lily nods and I push into her faster, making us both moan, only stopping once I feel the release and see my cum dripping out of her pussy and all over my bed. Fuck, that was good. Too fucking good. We have to play it safe from now on.

"I would have waited, you know," Lily says as she breathes heavily next to me.

"Huh?"

"Had I known that you would move back to Elsham Cove, I would have waited for you to have sex. I really thought I wouldn't see you again." Her gaze is filled with regret.

I cup her cheeks with my hands and tilt her head up to me. I give her a soft kiss. "I don't care, okay?" I reassure her. "I don't care. I'm here now."