I shrugged. “I certainly won’t hide it, but I feel like there are more important things that can be done right now,” I said suggestively and she smiled.
“For starters, we need to get you out of these wet clothes.”
She kissed me again, pushing my shirt off my shoulders and trailing her hand down to my buckle. Before she had a chance to undo it, I pulled her jacket off her and slid my hands up under her jumper.
“Your skin is freezing,” I said with a laugh.
“I’m not the only one. You’ll have to warm me up.” She winked and bit her lip.
I groaned. “Oh, I will.”
Chapter Fifty-Nine: Lily
My phone rang and I reached out of the bed for it, laughing when Austin kissed my hip.
“Hello?” I answered it and tried to keep my eyes from the physical perfection in front of me.
The lily he’d got merged in seamlessly with the spirals swirling around his rock-hard chest and abs. And, they occupied my mind enough. Let’s not even start on the rest of what I’d just seen.
Phew!
“Lil, where are you? I thought we were getting coffee?” Anne’s voice came through.
I looked at Austin, who was tracing lazy circles across my skin as he watched me.
“I…uh…” I chuckled.
“Oh, is that why Jax hasn’t been able to get hold of Austin?”
“Anne!”
“What?” she laughed. “It’s about bloody time, is all I can say.”
“Are they…?” I heard Jax ask and she made an affirmative noise. Jax cheered.
I put my face in the pillows.
“What have you two been… Oh! Was it amazing?”
“Annie!” I cried again, looking to Austin as though he might have heard. He just looked at me in humoured question. “That is not a conversation for now,” I hissed as though he couldn’t hear me. “Look, I got caught in the rain and need to change. I’ll meet you at the café in…” I stopped to think how long it would take, getting entirely distracted by Austin’s lips on my skin. I tried to bat him away, but only half-heartedly.
Anne chuckled. “How about I get coffee, meet in our room and we can talk?”
“Yay on the first two, we’ll see on the last,” I laughed.
“See you soon,” she said before hanging up.
I dropped my phone and rolled over to face him. “I should really go.”
Austin groaned and pulled me to him. “Do you have to?”
I nodded. “I have to meet Anne. Plus, I’m pretty sure Jax will be here any minute.”
Austin frowned. “I don’t like it, but I’ll accept it.”
I laughed. “You don’t have to like it.”
I got up and hunted around for my clothes.
“You know, I have never before had the inclination to stay in bed with a girl after and just…snuggle.”
I turned to him with a ‘really?’ look on my face as I tried not to laugh at the pure ineptitude he was showing. He was lying against the pillows, his hands behind his head and his wonderful abs on full display.
“Oz, I’ll give you a tip,” I said as I pulled my jeans on. “After you’ve just…been with a girl…you might not want to remind her how many other girls you’ve been with.”
His face lost the dreamy look and he sat up. “I…I’m sorry, Lil-”
I held up a hand. “We’re both new to this, yeah. Let’s just help each other through it.” I smiled and leant forward to kiss him.
He grabbed me and pulled me back onto the bed.
“Oz, I need to go,” I laughed.
“And, I need you to stay.”
“Tough titties,” I said, wriggling from his grasp. “I’ll see you for dinner?”
“I have to wait that long?” he asked.
I smiled. “It’s like an hour away at most.”
“We’ll come past and get you.”
“I’m sure you will,” I said, pulling my jumper on and folding my jacket over my arm.
When I looked back to him, he was up and wearing tracksuit pants.
He followed me to the door and stopped me before I closed it behind me.
In full view of whoever might have been passing, he leant down, kissed me and grinned as he said, “I’ll see you later then, baby.”
I wasn’t sure whether to be ecstatic that he’d made a very obvious show of our togetherness in front of people, or to punch him for flaunting it.
“I’ll see you later,” I said, hurrying off.
“I love you, Lily Brewer!” he called with a smile in his voice, a very cheeky grin by the sound of it – he knew exactly what he was doing.
I turned to face him, still walking away.
People around us had stopped, absolute shock on their faces. I couldn’t help but smile at the look on his face.
“I love you too, you idiot,” I said, shaking my head and walking away.
****
I barely had twenty minutes with Anne before my phone was ringing again.
“Oh my God! You’ll be rich. You’ll live in comfort and ease and happiness, and it will all be wonderful! Such a charming young man, so handsome, so tall! Oh, Lily! Everything that is charming and wonderful will be yours.”
“Hi, Dad. I’m fine thanks, how are you?” I responded.
“Oh, Lily…” his voice got fainter and I heard Claire chastising him before she was on the phone.
“We’ve just heard the news from Gemma,” she said, sounding like she was fishing for information. But, when Claire did it, I knew it came from the right place.
“God, it only happened like five minutes ago, is there no privacy in this place?”
Claire laughed. “Not when he’s yelling he loves you down the halls.”
“No, all right, I suppose not. What a twat!”
“And, you’re sure about him, Lil? I heard he was only half dressed and I can imagine what that means. I want you to be sure about him if you’re doing…those things-”
“Oh, geez, Mum…stop,” I said, smiling, “I’m very sure about him, thank you.”
Anne gave me a funny look and I waved away her questions.
“I know you, Lil. You might not have hated him as much as you professed, but still…you professed some fairly damning things about him.”
“I know, Mum, and I promise you I was all in the wrong. I know it now and I’m happy. Whether it’s that forever kind of thing or not, I’m very, very happy and am pleased to report I’m not a cynic of love anymore.”
“Oh, thank God!” Claire sighed. “I had begun to worry your father had had an adverse effect on you.”
“Hey!” I heard his voice in the background.
“Shut up Daniel, you know it’s true. Anyway, Lil, if you’re sure, then we’re all behind you and very happy for you. Just don’t lose track of your schoolwork because the two of you are busy-”
“No!” I cried. “No more of that.”
I could hear the smile in her voice when she said, “just remember your dreams, Lil. It’s okay if they change, just don’t let anyone else change them for you.”
“I won’t, Mum. Thanks.”
“All right, I’ll let you go and we’ll see you soon, okay? Don’t forget to let me know what you want to do for your birthday.”
“I won’t. Love you, bye.”
“I love you, too. And, I wouldn’t have accepted for you, my sweet Lily, anyone less worthy.”
“Thank you.” I hung up, her words of encouragement meaning more than anyone else’s, and shook my head at Anne. “God, everyone knows already.”
“Of course they do.” She held up her phone. “Even Marie has sent me a message about it. Even Marie was gushing about how exciting it was.”
I sighed. “Trust me to pick the guy who’s never had a proper girlfriend before, now it’s probably going to make the ‘Netherfield News’!”
Anne laughed. “So what? You love him right
?”
I felt the blush creep up my cheeks. “Yes.”
“Yes. And he’s just told the whole school he loves you.” She shrugged. “Give it a few weeks, people will have stopped caring soon.”
“Will they?”
She nodded. “Trust me, I know this place. Hunter or Cassandra will do something bonkers and that will be all anyone can talk about.”
I laughed. “Or, Fleur will turn up in a hissy fit.”
“Or, Fleur will turn up in a hissy fit, exactly. So, stop worrying and enjoy your man!”
Chapter Sixty: Austin
It’s amazing how quickly time passes when you stop worrying about things.
And, it had been a good few months since I’d worried about anything. I hadn’t worried about what people thought of me. I hadn’t worried about Jax. I hadn’t worried about Fleur or Aunt Celia plotting my downfall. I hadn’t worried about Amanda. And, I hadn’t worried about whether Lily could ever return my feelings.
I hadn’t even worried if Lily was going to turn around and decide it was all a mistake; I was enjoying my time with her way too much for that.
The last few hours, though, I had started worrying a little about one thing. That night was Lily’s eighteenth birthday party. And, while nothing was going to stop me going, the idea of actually formally meeting her parents as the boyfriend was slightly terrifying.
“It’ll be fine. I mean, it might not be fine. Dad will be an arse, I’m sure. But, overall, it will be fine. Won’t it be fine?” Lily was saying as we walked to the restaurant.
“Sure. Our parents will be overbearing and vulgar, but that’s them, everyone expects it, it’ll be fine,” Anne agreed, hanging onto Lily’s arm.
“I’m sure they’ll be lovely,” Amanda said, on Lily’s other arm.
Both girls comically looked to Amanda as though it was going to be the most terrible night ever. Mandy looked back to me, Jax and Williams with a quizzical eyebrow raised.
I shrugged and smiled. “It will be fine. It’s Lily’s night and we’ll all enjoy it.”
“Lily!” Kate came running towards us with Gemma, Brickwell, Lucas and Gerald following behind her.
Lily met her sister with a huge hug and I was glad their tentative truce after Anders had only strengthened.
“Right, let’s get inside. No doubt, we’re late and everyone will make sure we know.” Lily sighed, tugging her coat around her.
“You look fine,” I said. She looked up at me and the stress seemed to drain from her face.
“Ugh, thank God you’re here. Not that you’ll want to be in a few minutes, but there you are,” she said quickly with a self-deprecating laugh.
The others were heading inside already and I held her back a moment. “Lily, I love you no matter what and I shall stick by your side.” It felt all too solemn considering it was just her family, but I felt like she needed it.
She took a deep breath and nodded. “I love you too,” she muttered.
I wrapped my arm around her and steered her to the door. “Come on, it’s your birthday!”
“It’s my birthday,” she said like one of Coach’s pep talks. She shook herself. “Right, let’s do this!”
We walked in to a raucous cheer of “happy birthday, Lily!”
Lily beamed at everyone and I let her go to make the rounds and headed over to Nadine.
“Good to see you’re not wet this time.” She smiled.
“No, that’s strictly a when I’m at home sort of thing.” I grinned.
She smiled, then grew serious a moment. “You make our Lily very happy you know.”
“That’s all I want.”
“Good. I knew, the moment I met you, there was more to you than Lily said.”
I smiled. “And, here I thought she was the only one who saw the real me.”
Nadine laughed and kissed my cheek. “By all accounts, it seems she found him, wherever he was hiding.”
“I think you’re right.”
She smiled, then sighed and looked over to where Lily’s Dad and Anne’s Mum were talking animatedly and loudly. I didn’t catch all the words, but Lily, me, Jax, Anne, Pemberley, and Huntsford came up numerous times. It didn’t bother me like it used to, but I knew it would annoy Lily and that frustrated me more than it otherwise would.
“I apologise for them, they never know when to keep their mouths shut,” Nadine said with a grimace.
I shrugged, waving her apology away. “It could be worse. It’s honestly not that bad. Lily and Anne will be angrier than me, and Jax will just smile at everyone and be lovely like he usually is.”
Nadine looked sceptical for a moment, then nodded. “Well, all the same, I should go and put my brother in his place. For the birthday girl, if nothing else.”
“For the birthday girl.”
She hurried away but was soon replaced by Sebastian Chambers.
Oh joy.
“Mister Cooper, it’s lovely to see you again.”
“Call me Austin, Seb.”
“Austin,” he gushed and I’m sure he bowed.
Now, Daniel Brewer and Linda Macklin, I could deal with… Sebastian Chambers was a little more grating on the nerves. Brash cluelessness was nothing compared to simpering wank.
“How are you, Seb?” I asked, scanning the crowd for Lily. I found her hugging Charlie and chatting with him and Anne.
“Oh, wonderful. My work is going well. Charles is invaluable. My only complaint is that I have been unable to see Lady Celia as often as I’d like. But, when I last saw her, she was terribly unhappy with you.”
“I can imagine she still is.” I smiled.
“You do not seem fazed by her ladyship’s displeasure.”
“I’m not fazed one bit, Seb. See, I got my girl and, for all her threats, her ladyship has done nothing to disown me. So, really, if her displeasure means I don’t have to speak to the old bat for a while, then all the better, I say.”
“Oh, I, uh…yes, of course,” Seb stuttered, bowed his odd little bow again and scampered away.
I was just about to head towards Lily, when someone else appeared at my side.
“Missus Macklin, isn’t it?” I asked politely.
She gushed, “Anne’s mum, yes. Please call me Linda, though, we’re practically family.” She leant much too close to me and batted her eyes at me.
“Linda, lovely to meet you.”
“You and Jackson look so much alike. It’s uncanny.”
“I hear it’s the way with identical twins.”
“Is that why you have the tattoos and longer hair? So people can tell you apart?”
“Actually, it’s so I can tell us apart, sometimes it’s hard to remember.”
She looked confused for a moment. “Really?”
Oh, lord save me. “No, sorry, Linda, just a joke.”
“You are a very handsome young man. You and Lily are quite serious, then?”
“Uh… Yes, yes we are…” I said, taking a step back and looking frantically for some help.
Thankfully, Anne came to my rescue. “Mum, go and sit with Daniel and leave the young men alone,” she said, throwing me an apologetic look.
“That Hunter seems nice.”
“Also a young man, also off-limits. Sit down, have some water, and keep off the bubbles for a bit, yeah?”
“Annie, don’t you think…” Anne steered her mum away, shooting me another look.
I smiled at her reassuringly.
“How you holding up?” I jumped as Manda appeared by my side. “Geez, jumpy much?”
“Sorry, you surprised me.” I couldn’t help but grin at her.
“Is it quite as terrible as Lil thought it would be?”
“No. Although, I suspect she’d think so. I’m not all that fussed by it at all.”
Manda laughed. “Oh, no? So, that’s why you look like you’re about to baulk after being accosted by Linda Macklin?”
I nudged her. “It’s fine. People have always been like that. And children should not be judged by their parents.”
“Says you,” she scoffed.
“Says me,” I replied, hugging her.
“Probably a good thing; you’d be judged a saint.”
“We all know Jax got all that.”
She chuckled. “Yes. Yes, he did.”
And if it was ever more obvious, it was now, as Jax flitted from person to person, talking and laughing amiably. He was instantly likable to every person he came across, and was immediately comfortable with them. Still, I wouldn’t have him any other way.
That was who Jax was, and I was who I was.
Though, now I got to be the Austin I wanted to be, not the perfect heir to Aunt Celia who had no fun and watched love walk out of his life.
Instead, I got to watch the harpy walk out of my life and had as much fun as I wanted.
“She’s good for you,” Amanda said softly.
“She is.”
“I like her.”
“Me too.”
“Good.”
Chapter Sixty-One: Lily
Kate, Gemma and even Marie chatted among themselves as they scoped out all the hotties. Jax and Anne whispered demurely over their text books, Hunter frowned as he worked on God knew what and drummed on the table with his pencil. I saw Cassandra with her friend Bea at another table. She kept throwing furtive glances our way, but had been pleasant enough. Brickwell, Lucas and Gerald were unusually absent. And, Austin and I were idly playing with each other’s hands while we worked on our own things.
Final exams for us were in a matter of weeks. Uni applications were in. As was a thinly veiled panic. Still, we’d all risen to the challenge and could be found here in the library most times we weren’t asleep or in class. Or, asleep in class.
Gemma, Kate and Marie had taken to keeping us company, though they distracted us more times than not. By rights, they could all graduate this year if they wanted. Unsurprisingly, Marie was going through to Year 13. Most surprisingly, so were Kate and Gemma.
I’d convinced Mum to let them stay at Netherfield, at least until I left, and she was happy with that. Likewise, Kate and Gemma had actually started behaving themselves…better. They were still awful flirts, but they wanted more than just rich husbands. When they felt compelled to remind me, they usually followed up with ‘we want husbands as rich and handsome as Anne’s getting!’
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