The Challenge

"Alright! Your dad may have scarred me for life."

The rest of the dinner was simple, easy. The awkward silence that filled the room before was long gone and replaced with laughter and lengthy conversations. The sound of forks scratching against the plates faded into the background and for the first time in a long time, I actually felt like I was home.

I watched Lilly from the corner of my eyes. Watching as she threw her head back and laughed at something my mother said. The smile that was on her face wasn't the forced smile I saw earlier today. It was geniune and real. The kind of smile that made me forget how to breathe. I laughed along with her, although I did not hear a word my mother had said. Her laugh alone can make a smile tug at the corner of my lips.

At this point, I knew I was staring. But I couldn't turn away for the fear that I would miss out on anything. I'm even too afraid to blink because who knows what adorable action she could make in the time it takes me to blink. She turned her head to the side, noticing my stare. Her eyebrows knitted together and curiousity replaced the laughter. I already miss it. She quirked one eyebrow at me, silently asking me what my deal was. I shook my head, mentally noting that I needed to be more cautious with my creepy stares.

Somewhere during my mothers extremely detailed descriptions of my baby fat, Lilly had decided it was time for her to go. I led her to the door, eagerly pushing her away before my mom pulled out the photo albums.

"Thanks for what you did in there," I smiled.

She gave me a nonchalant shrug. "No problem. It was definitely more intresting than World War Z will ever be."

I gasped. "World War Z is an amazing movie!"

She rolled her eyes. She chuckled, shaking her head pityingly at me. "I'll see you tomorrow," she said, reaching for the doorknob.

I grabbed her arm, stopping it from reaching the door. She smiled knowingly up at me, already adjusting to my constant interruptions. I wrapped my arm around her waist, pulling her towards me, and pressing my lips against hers. I began to feel her pull away, but I only held on tighter, keeping her in my arms. She detached her lips from mine softly, but still keeping our bodies together.

"No," I whined, moving my head towards hers so our lips were lightly touching.

"I think we have an audience," Lilly mumbled against my lips.

I opened my eyes, seeing that hers were still closed. I sighed, feeling the presence of three nosy individuals looming by the kitchen door. I reluctantly pulled away from her, watching Lilly's eyes slowly open to look at me.

"Let me walk you home," I suggested with a smile.

"You don't have to," Lilly said, shaking her head.

"I want to. It'll give me an excuse to get out of this house and away from any eavesdropping family members," I said, nodding my head behind me where I knew they all stood, straining their ears hoping to catch pieces of our conversation.

Lilly smiled, nodding her head in agreement. She looked past my shoulder to wave goodbye to the threesome, who, at this point, scurried off in all directions, trying to hide their obvious snooping. I opened the front door, quickly ushering her out into the yard. Once the door was closed, I let out of deep breath of relief.

Lilly chuckled, holding out her hand for me to take. "Well you couldn't get out of there fast enough."

I rolled my eyes, taking her hand in mine. "I'm sorry. You shouldn't have been put in that position."

"It's fine. Your family is great," she smiled. I gave her an incredulous look with my eyebrows raised.

"Okay fine," she conceded. "Maybe some parts of the dinner were slightly...uncomfortable."