On the Run: The Texas Files ✔

Chapter 34.9: The New, Young Lovers

This is a reminder that this a short chapter about Andrew and Lily's Valentine's Day evening from a third-person omniscient perspective.  

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Andrew and Lily are sitting by a window in an ice cream shop in the heart of Austin. They just went to a movie at the local theater.

Usually, Lily would talk about the actions of the leads. Andrew would listen respectfully and chime in when he thought it was necessary. Lily could be quite brutal when it came to critiquing performances in movies, shows, plays, and so on.

But right now, it's absolutely silent. They eat their ice cream, trying to avoid eye contact.

They both know what the problem is. They have barely spoken about the elephant in the room: sleeping together right after Christmas. Both of them were happy that they did it, but neither of them is aware of the other person's feelings about the subject. No one wants to bring it up in fear that the other didn't enjoy it as much as they did.

"Andrew," Lily says.

His concentration is broken. He had been staring intently at vanilla ice cream, thinking about how to break the silence.

"Huh?" he asks.

"We have to talk about it," she says. It. It being the afternoon they slept together.

Lily had been with one other guy before Andrew. She had enjoyed herself with the other guy, but with Andrew, things were different. 

No one has said a word since that chilly January afternoon. 

Jackie and Ty had asked about their "prop," which was their excuse as to why they were getting together. 

Andrew knew he wanted to do this, so he asked Jackie to come with him to distract Tyler. Usually, he doesn't leave their sight and makes things really uncomfortable. For Andrew, anyway. He knows Tyler has gotten around, and he, up until last month, was a virgin. Somehow, Tyler always gives off this "I'm better than you vibe," and Andrew has never felt the need to compete, even with his more promiscuous brother, but Tyler just irks him.

Lily was quietly grateful that Andrew thought of asking Jackie to tag along on his own that day. Her own brother, though he's sweet on the rare occasion, is usually a nightmare. He's always staring at her with a creepy grin. His voice changes pitch and his eyes change color.

She always thought that it was a trick of the light or she blamed it on her imagination, but something was definitely wrong with Tyler. She can't prove it because she blanks after it happens and then she agrees to something or has done something she didn't want to do in the first place. She needs to find a way to prove it, and it will be harder than she'll ever know.

Even on their shopping trip before school started, Lily never mentioned sleeping with Andrew to the girls. She could see by Jackie's smirk that she knows, but she didn't say anything, which she is thankful for.

"I don't know what to say," Andrew says finally. "I didn't know what to expect. There are just some things you just can't read about, you have to experience them for yourself. It was, for lack of a better word, indescribable."

Lily bites her lip nervously. "In a good way or not-so-good way?"

Andrew sits his cup down on the table. "Good, definitely good."

She blushes deeply. 

He quickly adds, "I know it didn't last as long as we may have wanted it to, but it's just because I didn't know what to-"

Lily interrupts him. "Drew, stop. It was great for me too. You were blessed with good genes."

Andrew smiles to himself. He knows exactly what she means, and he's definitely above average in that regard. 

"I have one thing, though," Lily says nervously.

She really didn't want to tell him, but if they're going to continue having a physical relationship, he needs to know.

Andrew raises his eyebrows inquisitively. His mental pen and paper are ready to make this a note he's going to stick right in the front of his head.

"It was a little," she pauses to find the least offensive word in her vocabulary. "plain."

He raises his eyebrows again, in surprise this time. He didn't expect that at all. "But, it's the safest way to do it."

Lily smiles and chuckles a little. "I'm gonna let you in on a girl secret, Andrew.  We appreciate you being safe with us. Believe me, most guys don't even think that way, but we also want our worlds to be rocked. And, again, believe me, you could do just that with just a little shift in position."

He nods slowly. He's not exactly sure what to do about this, but he has a resource where he can ask what he needs to know: Noah. "Noted," he says with a smile.

He picks his cup back up.

Lily notices just know what he ordered. He got a single scoop of vanilla ice cream. She thinks back to everything he's said. He basically raised his twin brother and his little sister. He always plays it safe. He ordered a single scoop of vanilla ice cream.

"Hey," she says. "Why did you order vanilla?"

He shrugs. "It's a consistent flavor. I can always count on all vanillas tasting fairly similar. I got one scoop because I didn't want to worry about finishing it. It's just enough."

He does play it safe, in every aspect of his life.

He knows why too. He's always been safe. His life forces him to be. Sometimes, he's afraid to take a risk that he knows may do him or his family harm.

It started right before his mother died. When he, Noah, and Jackie were little, they saw this pediatrician. During his last wellness visit, the doctor told him that he was a man now, and he should always play it safe because that could be the thing that kept him alive.

Little did childhood Andrew know that it would actually keep him and his family alive.  It's almost like his doctor knew what would happen to his family... Andrew always thought Dr. Bill was suspicious, but he hasn't seen him since his mom died, so he let it go long ago. 

Andrew and Lily go back to finishing their ice cream, both knowing what's on the other mind... And what they'll be doing when they're finished here.

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I did my best with this chapter to make it as awkward as humanly possible to read. It was weird for me to write too, just a fun note.

Communication in any relationship is key, guys. It could make or break any future relationships you have.