Ethan and Lily found themselves upstairs on the balcony, enjoying the fresh breeze and taking in the scenic view of the mansion's compound. Lily had agreed to stay, and there was no turning back now. Besides, school was just closing, so spending a bit of extra time at Ethan's mansion wouldn't hurt.
"So, what do you want to do?" Lily broke the tense silence.
“This is already quite relaxing,” Ethan replied casually, flashing a smile.
“I was planning on watching a movie at night with Maya and Audrey, but… Maybe we could watch it now.”
"I would really love to," Lily cooed. "But wouldn't that be betraying Maya and Audrey?"
"Don't worry about it; they never really wanted to watch it anyway," Ethan assured, running his fingers through his hair.
Lily chuckled. “Okay, then I would love to... Where are we watching it?”
“Movie room.”
Lily nodded before a flicker of fear
Ethan's car came to a halt in front of Lily's house. During the ride, he tried to bring up what happened, but Lily immediately cut him off. As she stepped out of his car and slammed the door shut, she flashed a sheepish grin through the window, raising her right hand to give a small goodbye wave. Lily held the painting and the new phone he had gifted her with her left hand. Ethan nodded. "Bye, see you tomorrow." "Y-yeah..." She replied, her voice low and brittle. As the car zoomed off, Lily felt a heavy weight lift from her chest. "Aaaahhhh!" She screamed loudly, finally releasing the pent-up frustration that had welled up since that very, very embarrassing moment. She glanced around her surroundings to see if anyone had witnessed her outburst. She noticed that neither of her parents’ cars were in the compound. "Thank God," she mumbled and headed inside. Now lying on her soft, sinking bed, Lily pressed the pillow against her head, her screams muffled by the cushion. "I should j
'Mark is….' Lily couldn't understand how fast he was, or absentminded she was not to notice he pulled her in ... For a kiss! The next moment, all she could feel was Mark’s soft lips, pressed against hers as he devoured and nibbled on her bottom lip. One of his hands ran through her hair, his other hand cradling the back of her neck. It was against her will, yet she didn't want him to stop ... But he did. He parted from the kiss and Lily's eyes were still squeezed shut, but a sudden action made them open wide. In quick and swift movements, Mark rashly pushed Lily against the door to the classroom that was just beside them. The door flew open and Lily almost tripped into the classroom, but Mark caught her with one hand. "Mark, what are you doing? " Lily managed to say through her weak and shaky breathing. Her eyes searched his, which were already filled with lust. He pushed her in, turned around, and locked the door behind him. With a smirk gracing his lips, he turned back to Lil
"What was that about?""I don't know. I literally don't know what came over me," Lily answered Mark, her eyes glued to the ground. "I saw him, and then I started running, and he started running too. I didn't want to talk to him, that's why... that's why I kissed you," Lily blabbered."Why don't you want to talk to him?" Mark said, placing his hands on Lily and clutching them tightly. "Did he do something to you?"Lily's eyes remained fixed on Mark's. "No, I tried to kiss him, and he pulled away... I know, very embarrassing." She muttered, "Damn it! Why am I even telling you this?" She jerked Mark's hands off her shoulder and facepalmed."Lily, you have to st—""Lily Davis to the principal's office," the principal's secretary's voice interrupted Mark over the speaker.'What did I do this time around?'"Lily Davis to the principal's office," the speaker called again."Mark, I have to go," Lily said and started running out of the room."Lily, wait," she heard him call, but ignored it and
Days had passed, and they were now done with the funeral and everything regarding the death of Loral's parents. Loral had no other family from her mom's side, so Lily's family would be taking care of her. When it came to the will, Loral inherited everything... everything meaning the debts her parents had left her to pay off on her own. Lily and her parents helped her pack her things from her apartment. They also cleaned the dusty room next to Lily's, which was just for Loral. Lily's house had four bedrooms, with only two being occupied—one used as a study room/office for her dad, while the other was just sitting empty. "And this is your room," Lily said, opening the door to the room next to hers. It had been beautifully arranged and decorated in Loral's favorite color—grey. "Aww, I like it... but it's smaller than yours," Loral whined. "Uh..."
"Don't get me wrong, Lily. I'm not so sure," Sarah explained. "Then why would you think they are dating?" Lily asked. "Because of your intense crush on Ethan and your failed kiss attempt, I've been keeping my eye on him,” Sarah started. "On the days you weren't around, I noticed he wasn't hanging around the MJs again. It's either he's alone or Madison is clinging to his body like a baby koala.” "And as much as I hate to say it…" Emily chimed in, "They look good together." Lily laughed hysterically, prompting confused gazes from her friends. "I should have known," Lily said. "That's why he pulled away, isn't it?" "But that doesn’t mean you should give up. I remem
'What was I thinking? Of course, it was Mark.' ‘He is zipping up his jeans while maintaining eye contact with me; does he not feel embarrassed or guilty? Doesn't he have conscience?’ They are both staring at her weirdly, or at least that is what she thinks. "Oh my gosh. I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have come in here," Lily said, She wanted to disappear, hide, and leave as fast as possible. It felt like she was the one doing the wrong thing, not them. She tried to stand up using her hands for support, but her injured hand pressed against the ground again. "Ahh ow," she cried, raising her arm to see more blood gushing out. Mark rushed towards Lily as he saw the blood, while Miss Tina hastily pulled down he
It was the weekend, and Lily and Loral were out shopping in the mall. Loral had gotten used to the school and had made a bunch of friends, but she was still close to Lily and her friends. Lily couldn't help but notice Ethan with Madison, and Mark was behaving like his normal self again - cold, rude, and distant. Luckily, he hadn't gone through another mood swing. It had been a calm school week for Lily, but she found herself missing all the drama. It was as if she had disappeared into thin air. "Let's take that!" Loral said, pointing at a very big, cute white fluffy animal that stood out on the display shelf. "No, it's too expensive," Lily argued. "We're on a budget, remember? Let's get Mom's things first and then buy something small for ourselves with the change." "But you already have something like this, Lily," Loral whined, rolling her
Ethan was in the training room, sparring with Audrey. He had been taking defense lessons with his personal trainer since he was 10, immediately after the day his elder sister was attacked and assaulted right before his eyes. After taking lessons with his unbeatable trainer, he would spar with his personal bodyguards, and this time it was Audrey. She had been trained and programmed since she was little to be a bodyguard. Audrey was his personal bodyguard, tasked with being by his side everywhere, all the time, which was why she was living in his mansion disguised as a maid. They regularly sparred, and the moment Ethan beat her in a fight, she would get swapped out immediately. Ethan's last bodyguard had been a man whom he had defeated in a fight when he was just 17. Audrey had been newly assigned as his new bodyguard, and she had been doing the job for one and a half years now.