The Next Best Thing: Part II

Seventeen

We moved in the next day, aided by muscled high school seniors working for Marjorie to add work experience to their college applications.

Rae swooned over them as she always did over anything, fascinated by these younger handsome beings gracing her presence. She even offered them jobs as hers and Ty's personal assistants, jobs they wished to accept but were bound by some form of contract with Marjorie. Ty flirted unconsciously with one Zachary, who was mesmerised by her accent and her flawless beauty.

Min watched carefully over everything, oblivious to their unwarranted attention. She didn't care about the boys' hearts she was stealing - even if she was showing, they would still be falling over themselves.

I went to check on Lily when everything had been moved in, all the services rendered paid for and then some, courtesy of Rae Campbell-Davies. She was the youngest cougar I'd ever laid my eyes on, not that she was the least bit ashamed of that.

Lily had fallen asleep in the other room, extremely jetlagged. She also didn't hide her obvious embarrassment by us, something we had unfortunately gotten used to.

She was up now, plopped on the guest bed staring at her computer screen. "Hey, Zoe. I just woke up and of course I find articles about my night out," she said, sounding agitated. "Mother doesn't know I hang out with them too." Them being Aidan and his mates.

I sat next to her and read the gossip, amused at how much of the information had been distorted. "Did you cause a scene, Lil? Did you beg the bartenders to take you home? Because as far as I'm concerned, you're a composed virgin."

Nineteen year old Lily worshipped her body and wouldn't let anyone touch it until they respected and loved her enough to be allowed to pierce into her core.

I fully supported her stance because I had the same principles; allowing Mitchell to make love to me because of his love and respect for me was something sacred and special. Something blessed.

"They should come up with better headlines, ones that could actually bring my mom to the brink of insanity. I know I would enjoy watching," she said, tossing her laptop to the far end of the bed. "Enough about my mundane life. How are you, Miss Hot-topic-anonymous-trending-on-Twitter?"

"I know I wanted people to know about us before but now I regret pressuring him to. I saw a few of the comments, and most of them don't read the most positive things," I told her, clutching a pillow to my chest. "I thought us separating would mean any and all memories of us would remain between us like they always had been. I wanted us to be left to grieve and move on without any drama or pressure from the people invested in us."

"I admire him though, Zoe. He clearly can't bear the thought of being without you. He's not the biggest with romantic gestures but what he did was beautiful. He didn't divulge anything. He just talked about you with regret and sadness in his voice. He is in love with you and this is killing him," Lily retorted. She had a soft spot for Mitchell, to which he called her his kid sister, his only sibling.

"Lil, I love him too, more than you'll ever begin to understand. But I can't be with him anymore. We're not good for each other. I wish I could allow him back in but I don't think I ever will. I'm trying to move on now and I wish he could too."

Having to explain myself constantly was toying with my emotional stability, taking me back to that place of hurt, anger and distrust. That was the pit we'd fallen into, breaking each other with our reckless and callous actions with painful consequences. I hated him for making me go through that. I hated myself for making him go through that; that's why it couldn't happen again.

Lily nodded her head and held me close, assuring me everything would be fine with time. "Aid said I should tell you you're too amazing to be alone and miserable forever."
"What else did he tell you to pass down to me?"

"That Mitch is an idiot for letting you leave without any leverage that could be used to lure you back," she added. Of course he did. "Basically you should be knocked up like my Min."

"He should seriously consider finding somebody of his own to love and impregnate. You two would be perfect," I joked; Lily however thought I was being serious - her pretty brown eyes lit up and her pale skin blushed a faint red. She quickly turned away and protested, saying how he was too old for her and how they were polar opposites.

"He's only five years older than you, Lily. You really need to come up with better excuses," I teased. "I think he's enchanted by grown up you. You're no longer little Lily Pad, a sophomore in high school, and he's mesmerised."

"Zoe, he doesn't see me that way," she said, shutting me down. "He was so protective of me the other night. He was saying that I was dressed suggestively and he didn't like the way I was being looked at."

"Translation: you looked really hot and he didn't want any other guy next to you because it'd make him jealous," I said.

Lily was hardly naïve, always mature for her age. Aidan brought out a delicate and shy teenaged girl I'd never been privy too, a girl that couldn't believe that a guy would ever like her. She really didn't know what was happening to her, did she?

"He had gotten so used to little you so much so that seeing the beautiful young lady you've become, someone he's extremely attracted to because she's an amazing individual confuses him. What he doesn't realise is that he likes you."

She was silent for a while, listening carefully to my words and trying to piece it all together. "You really think so?" she asked finally, a small smile on her face.

"Yes, I really do. He addresses you different from me and probably everyone else. Plus I'm sure the way he looks at you has changed." I had been through the same thing, albeit blindly, but in the end I figured it out. "It's a good thing that you like him too," I added with a smirk.

"No, I don't," she blushed, throwing a pillow at me. Translation: don't tell my sister because she doesn't like him.

I took upon myself to clear the air and figure out exactly how he felt about Lily. I called him when she got into the shower and got straight to the point.

"What are your intentions, young man?"

I suppose he knew exactly what I meant, replying me in hushed tones. "I don't know how I feel about her. She's so young and so pure. I don't want to ruin her life," he answered.

"You mean you like her but you're afraid Min will castrate you if you make a move on her?"

"Precisely."

"You're so screwed," I laughed hysterically. Royally screwed.