Once UpOn a Time with Alex 🌸

Part-12

The Next Day

Lilly asked Amanda to look after Katy until she returns. Amanda yawned over the phone and said "Okay" indifference dripping from her tone.
She came here around 4:30 and now it's been fifteen minutes. Katy is playing with her dolls and talking to them as if they are any real living things. Amanda(still yawning) is watching TV sitting on a mattress beside Katy. Lilly thinks Amanda got more piercings around her eyebrows and below her lower lip. Leaving Katy under someones observation like her really stresses Lilly out. Couple of months ago Katy even asked for the same kind of piercings to her. She declared it looks really cool on Amanda, so she would like to get them too. Lilly had to make her understand by describing how painful the process of having such things can be. And it worked pretty well on Katy.

As the minutes are passing by it's becoming harder for Lilly stay calm. She even tried the breathing in breathing out technique but nothing worked. It's almost 5.
Lilly is surprised by her own behaviour. Never in her life since she was 15 Lilly had ever felt the way she is feeling these days. I mean from the last one week.
Oh my gosh! Looking at the mirror Lilly groaned noticing a small stain of lipstick sticking with her front teeth. Thank goodness her eyes caught it before anyone(that guy) else could, she thought.

5:12. Here starts the quick vibration coming from the front door. Lilly was in her room. Checking her makeup for the one last time. Hearing the knock she ran toward the door almost in a speed of a rabbit. Amanda saw her running and for a moment she forgot about her yawns. She cocked an eyebrow to see who's behind the door.

"Good afternoon Miss Hazel Green."
"Good After noon." said Lilly, trying to calm herself easy.
"So, are you ready? Shall we leave?"
"Won't you come inside? Say hello to Katy?"

The guy stepped in. Katy looked up seeing him coming toward her she screamed in joy "Mr.Stranger!".
He hugged her and then held her up in the air and swung her around once then put her down. Katy giggled and kept holding his one leg kinda not wanting to let him move.
"She is very fond of you. " said Lilly.
"I'm very fond of her"
"Ha ha ha. Yes of course. By the way she is Amanda. Katy's sitter." Lilly pointed at Amanda, who was half lying on the couch. Amanda gave him a bored look. "Hi."
"Hi, Amanda." said the guy throwing the same bored expression as her.

"So, where are we heading?" said Lilly while putting on her seatbelt.
"You'll see."
The weather outside is pretty much windy today. Small strands of Lilly's blond silk hair is coming in front her face and Lilly have to place them back behind her ear often.
"What are you thinking?" said the guy holding the steer wheel with one of his hands.
"Umm, nothing." said Lilly looking out from the car window. "Lovely." she muttered. The leaf of the oak trees are costumed in bright green today. The dimming sunlight of the late afternoon is making the environment somewhat separable from the ordinary.

"So what do you prefer as music? Jazz, rock, classic? What?"
"Anything. It depends on my mood actually."
"Okay."
"So how far we are from the place we are heading to?"
"Almost there. Are you getting bored?" asked the guy. His ocean eyes flickered along his words.
"No no. Absolutely not. I'm fine. Great actually."
"Great?" a mischievous smile swept over his face.
Lilly blushed. Took her eyes off of him.

Minutes later, the car cracked stop before a three story building.
He got down from the car and held the car door open for Lilly.
"Thank you." said Lilly climbing out of the car.

"You live here alone?" said Lilly staring at a photograph hanging from the wall of the hall room.
"No. Me and my grandma. She went to visit one of her sisters today. May be she is going to stay there tonight."
"Oh." Pointing at the couple in the photograph Lilly asked "Are they your mom and dad?"
"Yes they are. And the baby they're holding is me."
"So cute."
"Am still cute. Ain't I?" said the guy looking at her,laughing.
Lilly smiled. "Where do your parents live?"
"Somewhere, in a better place than this. I hope."
"Hey I'm sorry."
"It's fine. I'm used to now. Chill."
Lilly is staring at him in a way of apology.
He placed a hand on her shoulder to assure her. Lilly flinched.
The guy looked at her in confusion then broke the silence and said, "Come this way. Let me show you my room."

They both entered a room, or a place one may like to call a mini gallery.
"You like painting? Wow! You created this all? Fantastic!"
The guy laughed looking at her surprised expression.
"You didn't tell me you are a painter. Fabulous." she exclaimed.
"If you want I can make a sketch of you."
"Will you?" said Lilly. Still wondering. Looking around herself.
"Yes miss. You wait here a minute, let me bring some coffee for us."
"Okay. Can I touch these paintings?"
"Just think you made these." said the guy winking at her way.

It's almost dark out there. Lilly is holding an abstract painting trying to figure out it's meaning.
"Your coffee."
Lilly took the coffee. "Thank you."

"So tell me about you. What it's like to be you."
"I'm an ordinary girl. Living with her only child. Living a simple, yet happy life. That's all."
"That's all?"
"Umm.. What about you?"
"Well..." before he could say anything else. The light went out.
"Hey don't worry. It's just because of the weather. It will be back soon. Let me bring a candle for now."
"I'm not worrying." said Lilly putting down her mug on a bedside table.

Lilly is sitting on a edge of his bed. He quickly came back with a candle. Watching him come Lilly got up from where she was before.
He placed the candle on the table.
"Strange. I haven't even told you my name yet. I'm.... "
"You're Lilly, miss Hazel green."
"How do you know? "
"I heard your mom calling you with that name."
"Oh how stupid i am. You must have heard it. Yeah.... So.."
"So???"
Lilly thought for a second, then asked

"Who are you?"

Pacing few steps ahead toward her he placed his hands over her shoulders. Suddenly pulling her toward his way he smiled bringing his mouth close to her ears. Lilly stood still. Breathing unusually fast.
His touch felt like electricity penetrating through her skin. She felt dizzy. Slowly knowing the appearance of a pair of lips coming so close to hers, she parted her own in unconscious.
He tightened his grip. Pulling her the closest his lips brushed her lower lip first. Then the upper one.
He whispered parting his lips "hey, I'm Alex. It's very nice to meet you miss hazel green."

The strong smell of his after shave lotion started devouring the room and the time stopped.