Senior year, Lily and I had started down a road that was a dead end from the very beginning. I thought if we both got the other out of our system, the sexual tension would dissipate.
I was incredibly fucking wrong.
After the first time I kissed her, I only wanted to do it again and again.
She was an addiction, but addictions can’t last. Eventually, you have to quit cold turkey.
That’s exactly what I did. I quit her so suddenly it probably gave her whiplash. It did me.
It was a necessary precaution I had to take. It was becoming too easy to need her, so I bailed before she realized I needed her more than she needed me.
I moved on from her. I forced myself to.
But soon, I’ll be stuck with my best friend’s spitfire of a sister in a closed space—for an extended period of time.
The two of us have never been able to communicate effectively. The only way we know how to speak to each other is through arguments and insults.
Why did I think putting the two of us in a car together for days on end would be a good idea?
A flick to my bicep breaks me out of my thoughts. I look up to find Lily glaring at me.
“Are you going to tell me which car is yours?” Her heads tilts in the direction of the parking lot, and I follow it with my gaze. The sun has barely risen in Dallas, giving an orange hue to the parking lot. Because it’s early in the morning, there are still a lot of cars out there. I had to snag a parking spot in the back row.
I straighten from my crouching position, scooping up the only bag left before I head down. “This way,” I point, stepping down the stairs. I don’t bother to look to see if she’s following me. I trust that she is as I grab her bigger bags at the bottom of the stairs and head in the direction of my car.
“Did you have to park a mile away?” Lily complains from behind me.
All I do is shoot her a warning look over my shoulder before continuing the trek to my car. It’s not my fault she chose an apartment complex that has a whole lot of units and not nearly enough parking spots.
“I didn’t want you to answer me anyway,” she says, unable to see the smirk that crosses my face in response.
Sure you didn’t, Lily Bear. “Here we are.” I stop, slapping the hood of my pride and joy.
Lily lets out a gasp behind me, her elbow bumping against mine when she suddenly stops, her sandals scratching the pavement in the process. “We are not traveling across the United States in this.” She says the words slowly, a tone of panic in her voice.
I place her bags on the concrete by my truck as she continues to judgmentally look at my baby.
I reach for the tailgate, hearing the clicking sound as I pull it open. My eyes travel from the small bed of my truck to the two large suitcases placed on the concrete in front of it. When I told her we’d carpool, I didn’t expect her to be such a heavy packer.
I’m unsure of how long this little road trip will take, but I brought two bags to her four. One suitcase and one duffel bag. Lily, on the other hand, has two enormous suitcases, a duffle bag, and a purse that is basically the same size as her duffel bag.
“Aspen, are you listening to me? This thing is a death trap! We can’t travel in it.” Lily drops her bag with a thump before she reaches out to tentatively run her hand across the slope of the metal sitting directly above my tire.
I let out a groan as I try to stuff one of her suitcases into the bed of my truck. “Yes, I’m listening to you. I’m just choosing not to respond,” I reply with a grunt, somehow managing to stuff her second suitcase on top of the other. “I don’t think two suitcases was really necessary,” I add, while squeezing her duffle bag on top of my own suitcase. I’d offer to put her purse back there as well, but considering she wouldn’t let me touch any of the contents from it earlier, I’m going to assume she wants it in the front seat with her. Or at least easily accessible in the small back seat.
I step back, my hands finding my waist to assess the situation. Technically, I got all our bags to fit back there. But there’s not an inch to spare. Luckily, I have a cover for the bed, or I’d be nervous on what could happen to all the luggage in the back.
“Yes, completely necessary,” she clarifies. “I’m not getting in that truck. There’s no way you plan to drive that all the way to South Carolina.” The last words fall out of her mouth in disgust.
I finally pull my gaze from the truck and aim it directly at her. All I do is glare at her.
She squirms underneath my gaze. The loose T-shirt she has on falls off her shoulder with the slight movement, and I’m greeted with a glimpse of her smooth tan skin. She anxiously plays with the frayed threads of her jean shorts, rubbing the long strands between her thumb and index finger. I continue to watch her as her eyes bounce between me and my death trap, as she likes to keep calling it.
“So be it. I’ll unpack the back for you then.” I step closer to Gladys, reaching to lift the tailgate.
Before I can make my next move, her small hand finds my bicep. “Wait,” she begins, and I look at her from the corner of my eye, seeing the uncertainty written on her face. She cautiously inspects Gladys. “Is it even street legal?” she asks in a straightforward tone.
I chuckle at her ridiculous question and shake my head. “Did you really just ask that?”
Lily quickly pulls her hand off my arm. Even though her hand is no longer there, I immediately miss the feeling of her skin on mine.
She takes a few hesitant steps back, her back hitting the car I’m parked next to. “It was a legitimate question, Aspen.” The look on her face makes it clear that she was actually serious.
I want to continue to pester her about how dumb of a question it was, but I’d like to avoid an argument with her before I’ve even finished my morning coffee. “Then I’ll give you a legitimate answer. Yes, Gladys is completely street legal.” I go to open the passenger door for her, the door letting out a long groan in the process. I wipe my hands on the front of my jeans, taking a few steps closer to her.
Lily pulls her lip between her teeth, and my fingers itch to pull it out for her. It was something I used to do to piss her off. A simple excuse for me to touch her under the façade of trying to make her mad. If I were to do it now, I’d be afraid to see her reaction.
I used to love getting a rise out of her. I’m not sure I have that ability anymore.
It feels like an unfortunate punch to the gut. I would rather she be annoyed by me than feel indifferent. I’m too scared to see where the ball might drop now.
“Gladys?” she finally asks, her dark blue eyes assessing me.
“Lily, meet Gladys.” I extend my arm to point out my baby. “While she may not look the best on the outside, I can assure you she’s fit as a whistle on the inside.”
“You named it?” she mocks.
I feel a pang in my heart. I try to erase the memories that flood my brain with her question.
I speak through a frog in my throat when I say, “She, uh…came with the name. She was my grandfather’s. It was left to me when he passed away last summer. I still have my car from college, but I’d much rather drive this. It makes me feel, I don’t know, closer to him.” I give her a weary look, not really wanting to explain myself any further. “I promise it’s safe.”
Lily’s dark eyebrows pull together. The next few moments are silent as she quietly assesses every little detail of Gladys. I watch in fascination as her eyes travel over every slope and curve of the truck.
She’s still hesitantly evaluating the car when I speak again. “C’mon, Lily, do you really think I would jeopardize this beautiful body,” I start at my head and travel the expanse of my body with my hands, “and get in a car I thought was unsafe? To put myself in jeopardy would be a tragedy for so many ladies.”
Lily scoffs, giving me a dirty look while she does so. “Rule number one of this road trip: you aren’t to speak of the ladies you claim are attracted to you.”
“You didn’t mind it
when you were the object of my affection.” I peer at her from across the hood.
Her jaw drops, her tan cheeks getting a pink hue to them. Her mouth opens and closes a few times. There aren’t many times that Lily Morrison is speechless, but it appears this is one of them.
“And besides, I think that would be rule number four,” I declare, before pulling on the driver’s side door handle and swinging inside the car.
A few seconds later, she throws her purse in the backseat, and then plops down in the seat with a loud huff.
I put the keys in the ignition and start the truck. It comes to life with a loud rumble. Lily reaches to grab the seatbelt while I begin to reverse out of the parking spot. “Heads up, it sometimes—”
She shushes me as she tugs on the seatbelt, pulling hard until it abruptly stops. I watch the situation unfold from the corner of my eye. She yanks harder this time, but the belt doesn’t budge. The force of her final yank causes her head to bounce off the window.
“—gets stuck,” I finish, trying to keep my lips from curling into a smile as she rubs her temple.
“Holy shit,” Lily mumbles, after pulling down the visor to look at herself in the mirror.
“Can’t say I didn’t warn you,” I remind her as I flip my blinker to pull out of her apartment complex.
“Don’t fucking talk,” she snaps, still rubbing her head.
“What, am I just not allowed to talk for the entire trip?” I question. While we wait for the light to turn green and I wait for her answer, I pull out my phone to type in a final destination.
“That would be ideal,” she sputters, finally getting her seatbelt to click in place.
I stare ahead, holding back my eyeroll.
Lily
Past - Age Nineteen
I’m sitting awkwardly in the corner of the crowded party, my toes dangling in the water of the heated pool. Most of the people here are huddled on the makeshift dance floor or in the hot tub, but I risked the cold toes to get some personal space. It’s still nice weather outside for us to be on the cusp of spring, and the added bonus of a heated pool helps things.
I scan over the underage college kids that surround me. Only a few feet away from me, my friend, Traci, is busy dry humping the leg of a guy on the baseball team. My nose scrunches as I move on from being a peeping Tom to the two of them. I continue to look around the party, searching for somebody I know that doesn’t have their tongue down another person’s throat.
My eyes involuntarily narrow when they land on Aspen getting touchy-feely with two girls on the dingy lawn furniture. Earlier, when Selma was looking for her shoes and he said he would see me later, I didn’t quite register what he meant.
He probably hasn’t even noticed that I’m here. He’s been too busy entertaining the girls at the party.
“Can I join you?” a voice asks from my peripheral. It breaks me from the trance of watching Aspen and his two groupies. I pull my eyes away from that train wreck, happy to find the person they land on. Blaine.
Standing in front of me is the boy I’ve had a crush on since freshman year. His blond hair is shorter than it was when we first met a year ago, but his big brown eyes are still the same.
“Blaine?” I say in disbelief. “Uh, hi. I mean sure, yeah.” So smooth, Lily.
He smiles, showing off the one crooked tooth he has. I’ve been obsessed with it since I first noticed it at a party. It adds to his charm, to his good looks.
“I’ve been looking all over for you,” he states, the denim of his jeans briefly scratching against my thigh during his attempt to sit down.
“Excuse me, what?” I blurt.
“I said, I’ve been looking all over for you.” He enunciates every word clearly, as if I’m a toddler and I only understand half of what he’s saying.
Which might be the case here because, holy fuck, Batman.
Did I hear him correctly?
Did Blaine just admit to looking for me?
Does he love me? Are we getting married?
“I’m sorry, I’m trying to process this right now.” A shriek comes from the other side of the yard and my eyes follow the noise, landing on one of Aspen’s girls. He’s untied the straps of her cover-up, exposing her almost-naked back to the party.
“Well, if we’re being honest here, I’ve had a crush on you for a while. It’s just…I’ve only now gotten the nerve to tell you.” He looks over at me and gives me a sheepish smile.
That man’s smile may be the death of me and my hormones.
“Sorry, I’m trying to play catch-up in this conversation. You? Crush on me? Please elaborate.”
“I think everyone around us knows I have a thing for you. You never seemed super interested in me, so I just held my tongue. If we’re being completely honest, I always thought you had a thing for Aspen. I was trying to respect you, not ignore you.” He looks at me and I notice how awesome his brown eyes are—a rich caramel-chocolate brown.
“You know, you have kickass eyes.” Oh my god. Did I just say that out loud?
By the way he’s laughing, I definitely said that out loud. He’s seriously doubled over right now. I’m never going to live this down. Kill. Me. Now.
I’m sure my face is the color of a tomato right about now, and he’s still freaking laughing. The sound can be heard over the noise of the party—which is really saying something because this isn’t the tamest of college parties.
“Well, that was supposed to be said in my head, not out loud. Sometimes my filter doesn’t exactly work, especially when I’m nervous.” I try looking up from my feet to him, and I see tears running down his face. Why am I so awkward? Face, meet palm.
“Don’t be embarrassed, even though you’re cute when you are.” He winks at me and then wipes his face with his shirt.
I get a glimpse of the body underneath the shirt, and oh my god, those abs.
He scoots even closer to me, making a splashing sound as his feet travel through the water. He gets so close that our feet touch in the water.
Is pool footsie a thing? Because we’re totally playing pool footsie.
“So tell me, what are you doing sitting all alone over here?”
I’m still processing his words from a minute ago when finally, my brain catches up. “Wait, you thought I had a thing for Aspen?!” My gaze absentmindedly finds the object of our conversation across the party. He’s currently kissing the neck of some blonde, oblivious to the world around him.
I look back to Blaine once again, finding an adorable smile on his face.
He shrugs. “I think a lot of people thought it for a while. Y’all have that whole argumentative sexual tension thing going on.”
More like argumentative I-might-murder-him-and-end-up-on-a-murder-podcast tension.
His foot lazily slides against mine. “You look beautiful today by the way.” He takes a piece of my hair that has fallen forward and tucks it behind my ear.
I can feel the blush beginning on my chest. I’m sure he can see it.
When I look up, I realize he’s even closer to me, and looking right at my lips. My breathing picks up.
The party fades to black around us. All I can think of is the pair of lips in front of me. I’ve been pining for him for an entire year. I’ve envisioned our first kiss more times than I’d care to admit. I just didn’t expect it to ever occur.
What do I do with my head? I’ve suddenly forgotten how to kiss. I internally panic, hoping he doesn’t think I’m a bad kisser.
He starts leaning closer and I mimic his action. He lifts his arm, his hand brushing my hair away before it rests on my neck. I can smell his scent and it smells so good, like pine and lemongrass. His breath hits my lips, which are just about to brush his, when a throat clears.
I look up to see Aspen standing a few feet away from us.
Typical Aspen, being a cockblock. I swear his main mission in life is to make sure to annoy the hell out of me and piss me off simultaneously.
I widen my eyes at him
, motioning to the opposite side of the party in a hint.
Much to my dismay, Aspen steps a little closer before firmly planting his feet.
Aspen
Past - Age Twenty
“Aspen, my man, it’s been awhile.” From the corner of my eye, Blaine pulls his feet from the pool and walks toward me.
I don’t even bother to look at the guy. I’m too busy watching Lily try to get rid of me with a simple facial expression. She doesn’t move from her perch in the pool, still dangling her feet in the water haphazardly.
I can tell she’s annoyed by me when she notices my firm stance. There’s no fucking way I’m leaving her alone with Blaine.
“Aspen,” she seethes, “Blaine and I are in the middle of a very important conversation if you could maybe see yourself inside.” She points to the party going on parallel to us. It’s obvious she’s hoping I’ll take the hint.
Blaine smiles down at her, oblivious to the war brewing between me and her. He briefly glances to the two of us, an unreadable look on his face. “I actually have to go make sure no one is going upstairs into any of the guys’ rooms. Find me inside, Lily?” He aims a quick smile her way that has my blood boiling.
I forgot when I accepted the invite tonight that this was his place. I make a mental note to make sure Lily doesn’t make it up into one of those bedrooms upstairs tonight. I’d freak the fuck out if I found out she was sleeping in his room. I don’t bother to dissect why that is.
I’m still staring daggers at the side of his head as he slowly backs away from us with a shit-eating grin on his face. Before he disappears, he looks right at Lily and says, “By the way, you have kickass lips.”
“Lips?” I ask tightly, as I watch him disappear inside. Once I’m satisfied that he’s gone and not coming back, I look at her.
“Aspen, I owe you no explanation.” Lily doesn’t even spare me a second glance. She leans back on her hands, water splashing around as her feet kick around in the water.
The Road to Finding Us: A Standalone Second Chance Romance (Aftershock Series Book 2) Page 4