Midnight Lily(11)

She studied me, her expression suddenly perplexed. "Me? Why?"

I ran my hand through my wet hair, feeling more off balance than I ever had in my life. Why did I suddenly feel like an eighth grade boy at the middle school dance, trying to make conversation with a girl? "I . . . well I saw you, um, the other day . . ."

"At the edge of the forest? Yes, I know. I thought you were going to drown in that hot tub." She cocked her head to the side.

"Oh, uh . . . yeah, it probably looked that way. I just fell asleep. Thank you, though."

"For what?"

I shrugged and rubbed at the back of my neck. "For caring about me." I cleared my throat. "The thing is, Lily, I thought I saw you a few times, and I was curious about you. I wanted to . . . introduce myself." Introduce myself? Really? What the f*ck is wrong with you, Holden?

Lily swiped her tongue along her bottom lip, her brow creased, staring at somewhere just behind me. Finally her eyes met mine again. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Holden Scott, God Among Men."

I stared at her blankly for a moment, memory finally dawning. "Oh, shit," I muttered under my breath. "Uh, about that . . . I uh—"

She laughed suddenly, her white teeth flashing at me in the light of the moon, and then she turned. "I should apologize for spying on you." But she didn't sound sorry. "Goodbye, Holden Scott."

I stepped after her. "Wait! Please don't go. I live right over there . . . temporarily, I mean. For now. I live there. Do you want to come in for a drink? A beverage or . . . or a meal or something?" A meal? Like she was homeless? "Not that you look hungry. Just that I'd like—" Jesus. I grimaced.

Lily laughed softly again and I couldn't help but join her, feeling embarrassed, glancing at my feet before looking back into her eyes. "That god among men thing was obviously a gross overstatement."

She raised one brow. "Obviously." But the smile turned her full, berry-pink lips up again, and there wasn't anything mean in her expression.

"Do you know who I am?" I asked.

Lily looked at me in confusion. "I just told you I know your name. Holden Scott."

"No, I mean, not my name, but do you know who I am?"

The look on her face was utterly confused and I let out a long exhale. "Never mind."

"You should go warm up and get some sleep." When she began to turn again, I stepped after her once more.

"Will you come back tomorrow?" Even I could hear the desperate note in my voice.

Lily paused and regarded me for so long, my heart began to thrum faster with nervous hope. "Yes. Meet me right here tomorrow at sunset. She looked up at the moon and then back at me. Victory coursed through my veins. She was going to meet me again tomorrow. "I have to go."

"Okay, Lily of the Night. Thank you."

She turned around, walking backward as she went. "Okay, Holden, God Among Men. You're welcome." And then with a small laugh she turned and ran into the woods, disappearing into the darkness.

I looked down, smiling at my own feet, noting the mud caking my shoes and the deep footprints of where I'd stepped in the soggy ground. My eyes kept roaming, looking for Lily's footprints next to mine, but once again, it was as if she'd never been there at all. Not a trace of her was left.





CHAPTER SIX


Holden



I stood over the toilet, holding the bag of pills in my clammy, shaking hands. I hadn't taken any when I'd returned home the night before, though my body had been demanding them, and it was now daybreak. Letting out a deep groan, I threw the bag on the counter and slammed the lid of the toilet. I wasn't ready. I opened the bag hungrily and threw back two pills, cupping my hand under the faucet and swallowing big gulps of water.

For a moment, I stood looking at myself disgustedly in the mirror. God among men. It made me laugh at myself.

Lily. Her name is Lily. And she's beautiful.

I needed the pills if I was going to spend any time with Lily. If I went cold turkey today, I'd need at least three or four days to detox and recover. At least. There was no way I could meet her tonight if I was in the midst of withdrawal. And I wanted so badly to meet with her again. It was the first thing I’d actually wanted in a very long time. God, I had a million questions about her. Who was she? Where did she come from? Where did she live? Why had she watched me?

After taking a long shower and drinking half a pot of coffee, I went down and checked out Brandon's home gym. Switching on the light, I glanced around and let out a low whistle. Mirrors covered the entirety of the far wall. Top-of-the-line workout machines and weight benches were spread throughout the impressive room. There was a large-screen TV mounted in the opposite corner with a sound system set up beneath, its speakers fastened to the walls.

I spent half an hour on the treadmill, winded after fifteen minutes, but pushing myself to finish the full thirty. Then I spent a few minutes lifting, breaking a sweat after two reps. Fuck, I was out of shape. I'd been out for a season and a half, and I'd done nothing but party and pollute my body. And now I knew I was not only emotionally depressed, but my body was broken down, too. Feeling defeated, I flipped the lights off and left the gym.

I was antsy for the rest of the day, checking the time over and over. I'd looked it up online and the sun was supposed to set at seven twenty-one. At six thirty, I was walking toward the woods, telling myself I didn't want her to wait for me in case she got there early. My heart was thumping steadily and anticipation filled my chest.