Giving Up

Chapter 2

 When Lillie got home, she couldn't help but think about the day's events and how Jamie was there to help her. He was a pretty good friend to her although they have never interacted outside of work. She let her mind drift to school and her meeting with Seth in the hallway. He looked surprised when she didn't swoon over him. She knew he was probably just some player trying to make his way through school as easy for him as possible. He wouldn't be the first guy to flirt with a girl that was out of his league just to try to up his GPA. Lillie programmed Seth's number into her phone and decided to send him a text. "Lillie from A&P, you really want to study?" Within two minutes of sending the text she got a text back from him. She smiled when she read it. "With a beautiful redhead like you? Of course, but forgive me if I study you more than the materials. lol"

What a player, thought Lillie. She was not going to let this guy weasel his way into her heart. She knew there just had to be a catch. "Well Playboy, I am not for studying. Meet me on Thursday at 4pm in the student library... If you're late, the deal is off the table :)" For the next 12 weeks she met with Seth twice a week, and he was a really good study partner. For the first few weeks, they studied in the library but have since decided to move the sessions to Lillie's apartment for more comfort. Mondays and Thursdays every week, they had dinner and studied. Eventually Seth started bringing movies for them to watch afterwards. Lillie enjoyed hanging out with him, and she was beginning to love the way he flirted with her. He was never over the top and was never disrespectful.

Lillie and Seth climbed up on her bed to watch the movie he had brought with him. They had salads for dinner, studied for three hours, and were both exhausted. Miss Kitty jumped up on the bed with them and lay on Lillie's pillow like she always did at bedtime. Seth let out a giggle. "Lil, please tell me why the hell you named your cat Miss Kitty?" Lillie laughed at the sparkle in his eyes when he was teasing her. "Couldn't you be more original?"

"I adopted the little wench from my friend. Her kid was allergic to the damn cat, and it was either I take her or she go to the pound and get put down. I hate cats, but my friend's little girl cried and begged me to take her home. Maddy was so sad to lose her kitty; to be allergic to her kitty. She had named the damn thing already, and I didn't want to change it. Usually I don't call her anything except PITA, more commonly known as pain in the ass." Seth just giggled at her.

Lillie woke up for work in the morning, and realized that Seth was still next to her. They had fallen asleep watching a movie. He looked so cute and peaceful in his sleep, she hated to wake him. She kissed his cheek, and slowly shook him awake. "Seth honey, it is time to wake up. I have to go get in the shower and get ready for work." Seth just shrugged her off and rolled over. "Seth, wake your ass up. You need to get up; don't you have class this morning? Get up lazy bones!" He let out a big sigh and sat up. "Fine MOTHER." He growled at her, and then smiled. Lillie's heart pounded. "Lil, I know it's not a Monday or Thursday night, it's a stupid Tuesday, but can we have dinner tonight? I'd really like to talk to you about something."

Lillie's heart went crazy in her chest, she thought it was going to jump right out. They had been hanging out for a couple months now, and besides snuggling up to each other while they watched a movie, they had never had any real physical contact. She could see them being more than study buddies. She could see him ripping her wildly beating heart right out of her chest and running with it. Oh God, what did he want to talk to her about? She would just have to wait and see. She didn't want to get her hopes up or let her imagination run wild. There was no way that someone as attractive as Seth could like some as plain and as fat as Lillie... right?

After work that day, Lillie went home to feed the cat, change her clothes, and go for her walk. She increased it to five miles and she was pretty proud of the 25 pounds she had lost in three months. She knew she could do more, and eventually she would increase the amount of time she put into losing her weight, and eventually she would start losing bigger numbers. But she knew that first and foremost she had to get through school, and more importantly she had to get through her night with Seth. She threw her MP3 playing into her pocket after setting her playlist, stuck the ear buds into her ears, and set out on her walk. After pushing herself to go almost seven miles, she was home. She jumped in the shower and when she was done, dressed into a cute sun dress. She didn't really bother with makeup. She didn't want to scare Seth away before he told her what he had to say.

They sat across from each other in Lillie's living room, eating the subs that Seth had brought for dinner. He looked up at her, cleared his throat, and began to speak. "Lillie, I love hanging out with you and when our class ends, I don't want to stop. I am so glad I asked you to be my study partner. You're also turning into a pretty damn good friend. You are beautiful, intelligent, and a total smart ass. Every quality a best friend should possess." He paused and looked up at her. She was staring at him in disbelief. She's never really had a man tell her she was beautiful before. "Lillie, I know you've been played by guys and it kills me to see the pain in your eyes every damn time you walk past a guy at school and he even glances at you. You really are my best friend, and I would do anything for you, anything to keep you safe."

Lillie had tears in her eyes. Should couldn't help but ask herself if this guy was for real. She wished he would just spit out whatever it was that was rolling around in that pretty little head of his, before she exploded with anticipation. "What's going on Seth? You seem bothered by something. What is it?" She looked him in the eyes; he let out a huge sigh. "Lillie, I really need to tell you something. I.... I..." He stuttered and looked into her eyes again. He was strong, he could do this. He had never said these words to anyone before, but he was going to say them now.