Life One Summer [On Hold]

Chapter 10

A knock at my door a few hours later startled me and I rubbed my eyes so they looked slightly puffy.

"Yeah?" I called.

The door opened and Lily walked in smiling sympathetically, "Hey." She said quietly and sat down on the end of my bed.

"Hey."

"So I heard about what happened?" she seemed so caring and I thought back to the time I broke up with my actual boyfriend last year and my mother's response of 'I didn't even realise you had a boyfriend Aria.' This was so weird.

I nodded, avoiding eye contact so I wouldn't feel that small pit of guilt about lying to her.

"How do you feel about it?" she asked carefully.

I thought about the question before answering and realised it was such a good way to deal with a breakup, so often people ask 'Are you okay?' and it's such a crap question, of course you're not okay, you just broke up with someone. I brought myself up so I was sitting upright and gave a slight smile, "Not too bad actually." I shrugged, "He was kind of an ass."

This made us both giggle and Lily brought a hand to rest on my knee, she smiled, "Well then it's probably for the best, I know I'll sound like such a mom but there really are plenty of fish in the sea..."

"...you've just got to know where to fish." I finished smiling as I remembered that was what my mom had told me after she'd found out about the breakup, and right then I wanted to call her, I wanted to tell her about my day like I used to when I was little.

"I see your mom told you that one huh."

I grinned, "Yeah, after another breakup a while back."

She smiled nostalgically, "I suppose Veronica did have her fair share of experience."

"Somehow I just don't picture my mom growing up around here." I said looking out the window at the ranch.

Lily laughed, "Well neither did she. That's why she ended up in California. We both were always too city for this place," she paused, "If it weren't for James I may have been out there with her."

I thought about Lily, the loving and kind mom of the Emmons who seemed so at home here, I couldn't imagine her wanting to escape this place.

"Anyway," she said snapping out of her thoughts, "The main reason I came up here was to see if you wanted to come down for dinner, but it's completely fine if you don't."

I nodded, "I'll be down in a sec."

After she'd gone I untied my hair leaving it down and double checked that I didn't look too homeless in my breakup attire. I began walking off down towards the stairs when I heard Travis' voice coming from his room.

I stopped to listen, it seemed I hadn't learnt my lesson.

"Come on Casey, I told you earlier, you can't come to dinner tonight."

A wave relief ran through me, no patronising sympathy, thank god.

"I told you why, mom wants a family night."

I was intrigued, Lily hadn't said anything about that.

"Of course Aria's going to be there." He said seeming exhausted by the conversation, "Why? Because she's living with us!" he got louder, "What do you want her to eat in the barn or something?"

I frowned as I imagined the answer he got.

"You know what Casey, I'm done talking to you about this." A sigh and the sound of footsteps from the other side of the door kicked me into action and I walked away as quickly as possible hearing his door open just as I hit the stairs.