“Lilah?”
“Hmm?” She hadn’t realized where her thoughts were when Simon woke her from them.
“Would you want to go to dinner Saturday?”
Lilah stopped dead in her tracks. Her mouth had instantly gone dry, but she was able to ask, “Like a date?”
Simon laughed, which only further lit up his perfect face full of model-like features. “That was the idea, but if you don’t want to call it that, we don’t have to.”
Lilah felt the blood drain from her body. It would be so humiliating if the first time a guy asked her on a date she passed out. “Umm…” she began, trying to buy some time as she thought. This was something that she had wanted for a long time. To be asked on an actual date. To have Simon be the guy. The moment felt right, but something inside her didn’t.
Simon was a little surprised that it was taking her so long for a one-word answer, regardless what that answer would be. “If you want to think about it–”
“What time,” Lilah found herself asking.
“Around six? You can pick the place.” His words were hesitant, and Lilah figured he must sense that she was still uncertain.
Despite all of that, when she got in the car to go home, it was with plans for a date that Saturday night. A date with Simon Campbell.
✽ ✽ ✽
Kyler sat in the school library that Thursday anxiously waiting for Lilah. It had been a couple days since he had last seen her, and something felt off. She had come across as colder and more distant, which he found strange, especially after they opened up to each other so much that one weekend.
He had been thinking a lot, especially about Lilah and their time together. He couldn’t pretend to need help forever, and why would Lilah want to spend her afternoons always studying? Though he never thought possible, some strange part of him liked being around her, and he needed more of that to figure out what was going on between them. He still couldn’t stop thinking about that kiss that seemed to be an eternity ago. Regardless what Lilah said in that note, there was a spark, that he was certain of.
“Sorry I’m late,” Lilah began sounding out of breath.
Kyler dug through his mess of a bag and found his notebook. “It’s okay, I just got here too,” he lied. He had been eager to leave after eighth period athletics. He didn’t have work that evening and he had hoped that Lilah would want to do something after homework, even if it was as simple as him taking her home.
Throughout their session, she still came across as cold and aloof, which only heightened his nervousness. He had never been rejected by a girl, in fact, most of the time he didn’t even have to do the asking. Given, he didn’t go on many dates, but somehow he always found a girl attached to his side when he and his friends went out after games.
Pride and Prejudice came easy to him, but his overthinking soon made the words before him a jumbled puzzle. His concentration was only further interrupted when Lilah groaned and slammed her pencil on the table. He was just about to ask what was wrong with her when a pair of dainty hands grabbed his shoulders.
“Boo,” Sarah giggled.
Kyler took a deep breath. Sarah was the last thing he needed right now. “Hey,” he acknowledged, but after thinking for a moment, “What are you doing here?” He didn’t mean for his words to sound as they did, but Sarah and libraries didn’t mix. She couldn’t even focus on documentaries in class; he had no idea why she’d be in a place where books were just longer versions of movies with lots of unnecessary words, as he remembered her saying in the past.
“I had to return a book for a project, and I saw you. I thought I’d come see what you were working on.”
Lilah felt invisible with the two of them there. It only reassured her that her answer to Simon the other day had been the right one.
She hated that she was forced to listen to Sarah giggle and chatter away. A piece of her was seconds away from calling the afternoon quits when the conversation took a sickening turn.
“I thought we could go out Saturday night. There’s this movie that I’ve been–”
Kyler quickly interrupted Sarah. Something about being in Lilah’s presence and the look on her face made him unable to tolerate Sarah’s flirtatiousness. “Actually, I think we have a paper to start on.” He motioned to Lilah in hopes that she’d help him out. He shouldn’t have.
“Actually, I have other plans Saturday,” she responded, glaring at Kyler and ignoring Sarah.
Kyler glared back. He wouldn’t tell Lilah now, in front of Sarah, but he fully had planned to ask her to do something on Saturday. He was mildly annoyed by her comment.
Sarah quickly recovered from the dismissal Kyler had tried giving her. “See, the two of you can work on your paper another time. Anyway, I was thinking that we could–”
Kyler attempted to call Lilah’s bluff. “What plans,” he asked as though Sarah wasn’t even there. She shouldn’t have been in the first place.
Lilah folded her arms and leaned into the table. “I have my honor society volunteer hours…”
“And then,” Kyler pressed. He could tell in her eyes that something was up.
“Then I have a date.” Her words were quick, and she had to break eye contact with Kyler after that.
Kyler thought for a moment that Lilah had gotten jealous with Sarah’s presence and a sick part of him liked that. If that were true, maybe it meant that she had some sort of feelings for him; however, if what she was saying now was true, he could forget about that.
“Well, isn’t that cute,” Sarah cooed.
Lilah glanced up to see the fake smile plastered across Sarah’s face. Deep inside Sarah was shooting her daggers, hating that she spent as much time with Kyler as she did.
“Sarah,” Kyler growled, rising from his chair and causing her to stumble backward. She batted her extended eyelashes at him as he pulled her aside, but it did nothing. “Look, I really need to finish this assignment. I’ll talk to you later.”
A smile spread across Sarah’s lips and Kyler realized that wasn’t the way to let her down, if anything he was giving her hope.
“Alright, then. I’ll be waiting,” she giggled, hopping away like a caffeinated bunny.
He rolled his eyes and sighed. He angrily turned back to Lilah and made his way back to his seat, glaring at her as she began to slowly pack up.
“What was that,” he hissed.
Only then did Lilah look up at him. He was mad. Good. She didn’t like her time to be wasted, and his little chitchat with Sarah did exactly that.
“Why couldn’t you pretend that we had plans rather than throw me under with some made up–”
Lilah’s brows furrowed. “With the truth?”
Kyler blew out a breath. “I’m actually really glad that you’re volunteering at the shelter. After seeing you with Max, I know you’ll love it,” he said sincerely before changing his tone. “But you didn’t have to go so far as to say–”
“That I have a date,” she interrupted him yet again.
Shaking his head, “Yeah.”
When their eyes met again, he saw something different. The truth. She was telling the truth.
Kyler narrowed his eyes, searching her face for anything, but all it held was a firm innocence.
“Wait…You have a date Saturday?” Though he had just taken his seat again, once Lilah rose, so did he.
“I know that might sound unbelievable to you, but yes, I do,” Lilah responded with a great deal of confidence, despite feeling anything but.
Kyler wasn’t sure how to react. Generally, that many emotions didn’t hit him at the same time. There was anger, disbelief, annoyance, and even a bit of jealousy. It felt like something inside him had broken and shattered; he had never felt so sick to his stomach.
Lilah felt a heat run down her spine. She needed to get out of the library. She couldn’t have this conversation with Kyler right now. She couldn’t imagine why he’d even care about her plans when seconds ago he and Sarah were making their ow
n.
When she reached for her favorite pen that had rolled under one of the straps of Kyler’s backpack on the table, there she saw their most recent English test sticking out. He must have seen that she noticed it and quickly reached for his backpack, but Lilah was a second faster.
97.
That was what the bright red numbers at the top of the page read. Not only had Kyler passed, he had only missed one question. Lilah immediately told herself that she shouldn’t have been surprised. She obviously didn’t know Kyler like she thought she did. Why should she have thought he’d ever tell her the truth?
Full of exasperation, “I can explain.”
Though angry, Lilah was hurt. “Why would you lie to me? What do you even have in Hughes’ class?”
Kyler sighed. It was almost painful to look into her eyes. Selfishly he wanted the conversation to go back to her date. “Right now, I have an A, but at the beginning–”
“I thought you were failing! I waste at least three afternoons a week helping you, and for what,” she screamed, now throwing the paper at him.
They could feel the hardened gaze of the librarian. Kyler stuffed his belongings into his bag in a haphazardly fashion and before Lilah could storm out on him, he pulled her farther into the library down one of the dusty aisles. At least if she screamed at him, hopefully few people would hear.
Lilah swatted at Kyler’s grip on her wrist until he let go, but he had already gotten her to where he wanted.
“Is this some kind of joke,” she hissed.
“Will you just forget the stupid test!”
“No,” she screamed, shoving at his chest so that he was forced to take a few steps back from her.
He needed distance from her anyway. Ever since the word date had been mentioned, all he could think about was doing something to make her forget she ever said yes to some other jerk. In fairness, she most definitely could, he just never thought she would.
“Who do you have a date with?”
Lilah crossed her arms and glared at Kyler. Though he came across as cool and collected, his icy eyes gave him away. He looked annoyed and angry, and it appeared to be directed at her, which only further irritated Lilah. He had Sarah; he didn’t need to concern himself with who she dated. Unless Sarah was right. Maybe Kyler was stringing her along, using her as a plaything until he got bored, using her for a good grade. That couldn’t be right though. It looked like he didn’t even need her tutoring efforts.
Her head was a confused mess, and before she could remember what Kyler had last said, he was asking the question yet again.
“Lilah.” Her name on his lips sounded more like a growl, forcing her to direct her attention to him and only him. “Who with?”
“Simon,” she finally blurted out.
Somehow, Kyler knew it. Ever since he saw them volunteering that day, he knew they were perfect for each other. Despite that, he still felt angry. He felt she was making a bad decision, a wrong choice. Lilah was too unique once you got to know her, had too much fire, to be with someone as boring as Simon.
“I thought you said there was nothing going on between the two of you,” Kyler continued, now taking a step forward. As he did, he could see Lilah swallow heavily from the increasing closeness of their bodies.
“That was then.”
“So, the two of you? Dating?”
Lilah huffed, dropping her eyes to the floor. Uncertainty creeping up once again like it had when Simon first asked. “It’s a date. Singular.”
“But you obviously like him,” Kyler pressed on, now standing inches from Lilah.
She felt her back hit the case behind her and a couple books fell on one of the lower shelves. A rush of chills ran through her veins. It was a feeling that she encountered often in Kyler’s presence.
“I need to go,” she began, attempting to dismiss the conversation, until she remembered why she was angry. That realization caused her to make a rash decision. “I think we’re done here.”
“Done?”
“Your season is almost over. You have this Friday and next. You’re clearly doing well in your classes. You don’t need me,” Lilah said, as she pushed past Kyler and exited into a main row within the library.
Kyler panicked. He had never pictured the afternoon taking the turn that it had. He wanted to stop her, wanted to protest, wanted to tell her the truth, but he couldn’t gather the words in the time it took her to take just enough steps that would cause him to be unheard anyway.
He sank into the shelves of books behind him. He had to fix everything. While he knew that her reasoning for being upset was the fact that he lied to her, he figured that could be solved with just her talking to him. Simon, on the other hand, that required some thought.
The first person that came to mind was Dawson.
Kyler: Hey. Do you still have that AP class with Campbell?
Dawson: That AP class?
Kyler: Come on, man. The science one.
Dawson: The science one?
Kyler grumbled to himself. How was he supposed to keep up with all the advanced junk that Dawson was in? At times it seemed like Dawson took more classes than periods allowed. Soon another text came in.
Dawson: AP Physics. Yeah, Campbell is in there.
Kyler: Awesome! I need a small favor.
Chapter 30
“Well,” Kyler insisted as soon as Dawson sat down at the lunch table.
Dawson glanced to Miles and Gavin in disbelief. “Hello, Ky. How are you? Me? Oh, I’m great. Thanks for asking.”
“Ugh. You know what I mean. Besides, I saw you this morning,” Kyler groaned.
“You know,” Miles cut in. “Your life would be so much easier if you would do this age-old primal thing of talking to her.”
Kyler looked around to make sure no one was overhearing their conversation. Somehow things in high school had a way of always getting blown out of proportion. Sean had already made sure of that in a couple ways. Thankfully he was too consumed with something green that Louis was stirring into his milk.
“I would,” he hissed quietly. “If she wasn’t pissed off at me and would actually entertain the thought of a conversation.”
“Wait,” Gavin began, food rolling from his mouth. “Why is she mad at you?”
“Probably because he flew into a jealous rage when he found out that she had a date with Simon Campbell. Which, by the way, you have no reason to be jealous of,” Miles said calmly, allowing Dawson to get a few bites in before Kyler tackled him once again with questions.
“Thanks. That makes me feel–”
Miles nudged Kyler. “Shut up. That wasn’t a compliment. I think you’re an idiot.”
Kyler’s jaw dropped in shock.
“Look at how much time you’ve spent with her in the last two months. You had opportunity. Don’t get all cranky because you threw an interception, and the other team ran with it,” Miles shrugged.
Still with a great deal of food, which made his words barely understandable, Gavin threw in, “Whoa. I like that. That’s pretty deep.”
“No. She’s mad at me because she found out about my grades,” Kyler corrected.
All three chuckled a bit, but Kyler certainly didn’t find humor in it. If Lilah knew the truth, she’d be flattered, or at least that’s what he liked to believe. He honestly didn’t know with her anymore. She wasn’t at all like the girls he knew.
“So, she flipped out because you’ve been lying to her that you were an idiot,” Miles continued to laugh.
Dawson corrected him. “In fairness, at first he really was failing.”
“Again, totally immature. All you had to do was tell her the truth,” Miles insisted. “That you wanted to spend more time with her.”
“It’s not that easy. At least, not with her it isn’t…”
“Oh, boohoo. There’s one girl who isn’t a complete fangirl that falls all over you and bows down to your charms,” Miles continued to tease. Normally it wouldn’t bother Kyler, but this time i
t did. It bothered him because it was just another statement that only made him further realize how different Lilah was, and how much he liked that she challenged him.
Kyler eyed a quiet Dawson, who appeared calm as could be while twirling one of his fries in a puddle of ketchup. Dawson could feel Kyler not so patiently waiting for an answer and enjoyed dragging it out for a bit.
He took a deep breath and finally put Kyler at ease, if you could call it that. “6pm, Flip’s Grill.”
Red flashed across Kyler’s face. “Seriously?!”
Their table went quiet and several others stared, their eyes darting between Kyler and Dawson, wondering if a fight would ensue.
Miles kicked Kyler under the table and shook his head for him to calm down and not draw any more attention.
“Of all the places, he had to take her there,” Kyler grumbled under his breath.
Dawson didn’t know if it was the best time to correct Kyler, but he did so anyway. “Actually, from my understanding, it seemed like he wasn’t too happy with the choice,” he laughed. “He told Lilah to pick.”
Kyler was now even more annoyed and could feel the flames creeping across his face. Lilah didn’t eat that kind of food. She had never even had their food until that night in the park. Out of all the snotty places they could have gone instead, why in the world did she have to pick his place?!
✽ ✽ ✽
Lilah couldn’t help but eye the hoodie that hung on the corner of the mirror to her vanity. Even from several feet away, she could still smell the scent of Kyler’s cologne. She didn’t know what kind it was or how much he paid for it, but it didn’t smell like the grocery store aerosol junk that the silly freshmen were always spraying in the halls. It smelled like it belonged to one of the ads that appeared in magazines, the one with a scruffy guy on a motorcycle or one with some surfer, ripped and tattooed, on a beach.
She groaned at where her thoughts were going and threw yet another dress on her bed.
“Good. That one was horrendous anyway,” Rover pointed out from the doorway.
Fumbling Perfect (Raymere Grove Series Book 1) Page 21