Fake Smiles

#35: BBQ

"Can I ask you something?" He asked.

Lily looked at him with a smile. "Sure".

He paused. "How would you feel if you you met my family? Ya know... my mom, dad and Cameron? I don't want to put too much pressure on you. And I don't want you doing anything you're not comfortable with".

"Gray, I'd love to meet them". He smiled before kissing her. They spent the rest of the day watching Netflix or playing stupid games. It was 11pm when Lily realised how late it was. She was currently lying in bed with Grayson watching a movie on his laptop. "Gray, It's late. I gotta go" she said, beginning to crawl out of bed.

She felt arms wrap around her waist and gentle pull her back in bed. "Stay" he whispered in her ear, sending shivers down her spine. She felt his hot breath on her neck. "It's too dark for you to leave. I don't want you walking home so late. And It's dangerous outside at night. Stay?"

She smiled as she lay back down with him. He hovered over her as she stared into his gorgeous hazel eyes. He lowered himself so his lips were brushing against hers. "Have I told you how much I love you?" He asked in a gentle whisper.

"Every day" she replied with a smile. Slowly, he pushed his lips against hers. They moved together in sync. It was a slow and passionate kiss. His hands were cherishing her cheeks, and her hands were on the back of his neck. It was an intense, yet beautiful kiss. But then...

"Hey!" Ethan barged through the bedroom door. Grayson jumped off Lily and sat up in bed. Ethan looked at them shocked. "Oh my God! Did I interrupt?" Grayson's and Lily's face turned red in embarrassment. Ethan started to smile.

"N-no" Lily stuttered awkwardly. "You- you didn't interrupt anything. We were... we were just... um..." She couldn't think of an excuse. Her face turned more red the more she spoke. Eventually, Ethan saved her from her pain.

"I'm sure you weren't doing anything!" He exclaimed in a sarcastic tone. He laughed after he spoke. "Anyway, I wanted to know where you put the laptop. I need to edit my part of the video" he said to Grayson. Grayson stared at the laptop on the bed.

"We were watching movies" he said. He sighed before replying, "But you can use it to edit the video". Ethan took the laptop and left his room. Grayson turned his attention to Lily. "I'm sorry, he needs to edit. We can't watch movies now".

She held his hands in her as she gently pulled him down into bed. She cuddled up to him as she drifted off to sleep. "I don't care. I'm fine like this". He smiled as he pulled her closer. Soon, they were both asleep.

Lily woke up early. Today was the day of the BBQ. And Grayson is attending. Saying she wasn't nervous would be a lie. She was nervous! She was scared of what her parents would say, what her parents' friends would say, what everyone would say.

She looked up at Grayson. He was cuddled up to her as he snored in his sleep. She smiled as she tried to get out of his grip. Carefully, she removed his hands from her waist. She slowly made her way into the kitchen. As she was walking past Ethan's room, she noticed that the editing laptop was still on. His bedroom door was open because he was scared of the dark.

She walked inside and took the laptop. As she was saving and logging off, Ethan woke up. He stared at her confused. "Sorry" she apologised. "It was still on, you must have fallen asleep. I've saved everything you've done".

He nodded his head as he drifted back to sleep. "I'm glad he found someone like you" she heard him mumble as she left his room. She walked into the kitchen smiling as she began to cook breakfast. She was disrupted by a pair of hands on her waist.

"It smells good" she heard Grayson whisper in her ear. He kissed her cheek as he helped prepare breakfast. After about 20 minutes, breakfast was served. "Where's Ethan?" Grayson asked as they sat at the table.

"Still sleeping" Lily replied. "He must have stayed up late last night editing the video". They ate their breakfast and began to get ready for the day. Lily lay in Grayson's bed as she waited for him to get dressed. The BBQ starts at 12pm, giving them 2 hours. And she needs to get ready as well. Eventually, he was ready to leave.

They left the apartment, leaving Ethan something to eat for when he wakes up, and began to walk to Lily's house. When they arrived, they were greeted by her parents. "Where have you been?!" Her dad asked. "I was worried! You were out all night! And you didn't text or call!"

"I'm sorry" she apologised. "I was with Grayson. It was 11 when I was going to go home, but Grayson said it was too dangerous to walk around at night. So I slept at his". She saw the look on her dad's face. "No, we didn't do anything. I promise! His brother was in the next room!" Her dad calmed down after those words.

"Who cares?!" Her mom asked. "Get inside! Come on! They'll be here soon! And you need to get ready!" Her mom rushed her to her room and took Grayson into the kitchen. Lily got ready as quick as she could. She didn't want to leave Grayson with her parents for too long.

She walked downstairs and into the kitchen. She saw Grayson helping her parents with the food. He was placing the plates on the table with snacks. She smiled as she walked outside. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Her dad left to answer. Lily walked to Grayson and held his hand.

"Um..." she began. "My parents friends are a little over protective of me. So they will be asking you questions. They might tell you embarrassing stories of me. They are a little annoying. Their children are around our age. The girls are a little... what's the word? - slutty. They might flirt with you".

"Why?" He asked.

"Have you seen you?!" Lily exclaimed. "You're hot! Almost every girl that sees you swoons over you! You have the body of a 20 year old! But you act 5". Grayson laughed at her. She smiled and waited for the guests to arrive.

Finally, all the guests were in the backyard. Lily was with Grayson the whole time. She didn't want him surrounded by everyone. She could see the girls were staring at Grayson. A few of the guest came to them. "Lily!" Her dad's friend from college said as he hugged her. "It's so good to see you! And who's this?"

"Oh! This is Grayson Dolan, my boyfriend".

Grayson shook hands with the guy and smiled. "You better look after her. Or I will haunt you down and destroy you! If you hurt her, I will be in prison and you will be 6ft under. She deserves everything! After all she's been through, she doesn't deserve to be hurt".

"I wouldn't dream of hurting her!" Grayson reassured. The guest left while eying Grayson. "That was scary. I thought he was going to murder me. I think I peed myself" Grayson whispered.

Lily laughed at him. "Don't worry, he wouldn't hurt a fly".

The day went on and Grayson had been bombarded with questions. He tried to answer them all truthfully, but there were some really personal questions, like: are you a virgin; what's the ideal age to have sex; what's the ideal age for marriage? It was a bit uncomfortable. But Lily stopped them.

Eventually, everyone had left. It was just the Lovegoods and Grayson left in the house. It was really late at night, so Mrs Lovegood told Grayson to stay the night. He tried to decline, but she insisted. Lily took him to her room so they could watch movies on her laptop. They were lying in bed when the door opened.

Her dad stood in the doorway. "Goodnight. I don't want to hear anything from this room tonight. If I hear anything, it will be the last time anyone stays over. I want it to be silent throughout the night. Not a sound to be heard!"

Lily sighed. "Dad? We won't do anything, we promise. We had this conversation a few days ago. I thought you understood? We're too young for that. Nothing will happen tonight. Goodnight". Her dad left her room, closing the door after him. Lily turned to Grayson. "I'm sorry. That was embarrassing!"

"Don't worry about it" he replied. "Let's just watch a movie". He pressed play on the movie and pulled her closer to him.