Lovely Insignificance

Chapter Two - Reid

*This chapter is from the point of view of Reid McAdams

Chapter Two - Reid

Chase and I had been like brothers for three years. We hung out all the time, lived together, we were best friends, but in those three years there was nothing he talked more about than this woman he knew years back. Her name was Lily.

Apparently they had been in a young love and couldn't stand to be apart for ten minutes. They spent every waking moment together. Then, one day, he and his parents moved away. He was devastated. He complained to his parents to go back for a long, long time. Until a month, or so, later his parents agreed to go back, but by the time they got there Lily had moved away as well.

He did everything he could in search of her as a child, but nothing worked. Years later after dating a couple girls completely wrong for him he ran into a woman at the supermarket that reminded him of Lily. He began to long for her all over again.

Suddenly, Chase became determined to find her, never to give up hope. Apparently he stuck to that promise he made to himself and hasn't stopped searching for her since. Now it's been a good 10 years since he first moved away and he still hasn't given up hope. It's crazy how hard he's been searching.

To take time and make sure that the women he ran into that reminded him of her was absolutely not Lily. He'd ask them out, get to know them, spend some time with them; he's brought me to every "date" he's had with someone that either looked like her, or was named Lily. So far I had gone on one-hundred twenty-two dates with him. Remember, though, I had only known him for three years. That's a lot of dates for three years.

I hadn't even had any time to find a single date myself. Every time I had gotten close Chase called me with an emergency "date" with a girl who had Lily's hair. He'd gotten pretty-much out of control, so recently I made a limit. I demanded that I would stop going with him after date one-hundred fifty, after that he slowed down and only went out with girls named Lily that also looked like her.

You may be asking yourself, why bring me? I've asked myself that a time or two, I've even asked Chase once or twice, but he always said things like, "I can't do this myself." or "Just because." Nothing that made sense in my mind for why I had to go. I just knew it was important to him, so it became important to me.

***

I was in the middle of a conversation at work with a woman who had a 'brilliant idea' for the firm where I was working.

"Mam, I hate to tell you this, but 2D glasses have already been invented."

"What? No I'm telling you-"

"No, I'm telling you. Hank Green, brother of John Green and vlogbrothers star has already invented 2D glasses. I know because I own a pair. Now, I've got another call so I have to go. Call if you have another idea alright? I'd be happy to hear it."

"Okay then... bye."

"Bye," I hung up on Ms. Brown, and went to go answer my cell phone. It was an unknown number to me, never seen it before. I was used to this. Chase had come up with a plan, he would call using "Lily's" phone and I would come pick him up then call them the next day to make plans to meet up with Chase and whoever the girl was. Which ordinarily wouldn't work, but apparently Chase is charming so it works for him. I've gotten used to answering my phone, even if I don't know who's number it was. It was always Chase on the other line anyway.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Hey Reid, it's me. Chase."

"Oh, hey! What's up?" I always played along with his trick, even on the phone when it was just us two. Just in case someone, the girl, overheard.