Wendy had just run out through the trees, with Peter following close behind, leaving Rick and Lily by themselves. It would have been wiser to leave Batman and The Joker alone, really.
"What was that all about, hey Cher?" Rick asked, confused, "They just ran out on us, with no explanation."
"That's Peter and Wendy, for you. They just do what they do and you have to go along with it. I know you're used to everyone following you around and making you the centre of attention, but it's not like that with us. Get used to it," Lily said with a tired voice.
"It's seems as though I'm going to have to get used to a lot of things," Rick smirked, referring to Lily. "And another thing, why do you keep looking at me funny when I call you by your name?"
Lily couldn't help but laugh, but she didn't answer him. He looked discontented when she changed the subject from her name. She wanted to drag on the joke as long as possible and she was afraid that talking about it might give something away.
"Did you hear about Peter and Wendy?" Lily asked, meaningfully.
"What about them?" Rick countered, not sure if they were talking about the same thing.
"The bet they made..." Lily said, raising her eyebrows.
"Yeah, Peter told me."
"And Wendy told me. Although it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, really. People in France kiss each other on the cheek just to say hello. The only reason it’s a bit of a big deal, is because Peter barely knew girls existed a week ago and now he’s kissed one on the cheek,” Lily stated. She was very sure of her opinions; Rick found it entertaining compared to the mindless followers he used to hang around.
Rick went quiet for a second.
"It's weird," he said, "I feel like we're their side kicks. Like in those TV shows where the main characters have best friends that are only there for laughs."
"Or we're the main characters and they're our sidekicks. You could look at it either way," Lily suggested.
"Nah," Rick dismissed, shaking his head.
"So do you think they'll make a good couple?" Lily asked after a small pause.
"Peter and Wendy? Psshht, yeah. I mean, come on, it's obvious they were made for each other," he began, "Which will make it all the more satisfying when I charm her into falling madly in love with me." He was grinning wickedly at his little joke and Lily couldn't stop a small smile creeping onto her face as well.
"You're awfully sure of yourself, aren't you?" she asked. Rick nodded raising one eyebrow and stroking his chin playfully.
"Seriously, who can resist this face," he said before doing that deep squinty face that all the male actors do when they pose for a photo. Lily pretended to swoon and put her hand over her heart, making Rick chuckle. He had a very confident laugh, like he knew exactly what he was laughing about. Really, most people do but with Rick it was like you could almost hear the cockiness in his laugh. It was almost like he was saying, 'This joke is funny because I say so.'
"Well you know what? I bet that when you grow up, you'll be such a horrible boyfriend that even your 'irresistible good looks' won't be enough to keep a girl with you for longer than a week," Lily teased.
"Really now? What would make me such a terrible guy to be with?" Rick asked, trying to look offended but really he was enjoying every minute of arguing with Lily. It was so much more exciting than the usual one-sided conversation he had with all those kids at school.
"You would be self-centered, forgetful, a terrible kisser, bad with-"
"A terrible 'what'?" Rick asked, shocked.
YOU ARE READING
The Pretenders (ON HOLD)
Romance"This wasn't some story book tale. There were no happy endings. People would get hurt. People would cry. The bad guys would probably win. But for the sake of living up to the reputation children had of being blissfully ignorant, he would pretend tha...
