Lily and Carina weren't planning on it, but they decide to spend the next couple of hours with the other three girls at Amanda's house, partially because Carina's leg was still bothering her and because things were finally good and well between all five of them. No more silence, no more tension, no more distance, no more anger or sadness. Things were great again, especially between Carina and Lily.
All five of the girls spent the time talking and joking around with each other with the main topic of discussion being Carina and Lily because obviously they live to tease them. It made Carina blush like mad, but Lily loved it. Instead of being mortifyingly embarrassed like the way she used to get, she was now enjoying it because their friends had good reason to tease them. After all, they are cute as hell as a couple and she was going to take pride in that.
Lily starts to rub her tired and itchy eyes after a while after letting out a sneeze. "Do you wanna go get your car now so you can head on home?" Naomi suggests as she notices Lily's symptoms acting up.
"That's probably a good idea," Lily answers, her nose stuffy and voice nasally.
All of the girls nod and get up from their seats (minus Crippled Carina) and begin to exchange hugs and goodbyes. Lily gives Amanda a warm hug, thanking her for helping Carina and letting them stay over even though they weren't technically invited. Desi heads over to Amanda and picks her up off of the ground in a bear hug, swaying her side-to-side while the smaller girl laughs loudly. She's probably laughing to hide the fact that she's suffocating underneath Desi's strong grip. Then Naomi and Amanda throw their arms around each other before Naomi gives her a quick kiss on her forehead.
Amanda's the little lady of the group, but she's loved so deeply by everybody.
Lily's about to lift and carry Carina back up to take her to Amanda's car so Amanda can drive her home while the other three girls go their separate way, but Desi offers instead. Lily wasn't going to say no to that because she really was starting to get tired and didn't want to risk Carina. Besides, she trusts Desi with her life. One time in gym class during their freshman year, Lily twisted her ankle while they were running and Desi immediately carried her down to the nurse's office without even being told to do so. Her protective and caring nature runs deep so she knows Carina is in perfectly good hands.
They all head outside and Desi sets Carina carefully in the backseat of Amanda's car. Lily waits patiently off to the side with a smile as she watches Desi ruffle Carina's hair, telling her to take it easy. Then Naomi heads up to her and gives her a friendly hug goodbye.
Lily walks up to the car next. She leans her body inside of the car and smiles at Carina. "Are you going to be okay with your leg tonight?" she asks.
Carina chuckles softly as she reaches up to pull the collar of Lily's sweater down towards her to rest their foreheads against each other. "Yes, Lily, for the billionth time I will be just fine," Carina reassures her lightly. "It's just a little sore right now but it doesn't hurt that much to not be able to walk or anything. I'll be up on my feet tomorrow for sure."
"Okay," Lily whispers, "sorry for worrying so much, love."
Carina tilts her head up and kisses her tenderly. "Don't be sorry. I love it," she grins, her brown eyes shining happily.
"YOU GUYS ARE GROSS!"
Lily and Carina look through the windshield of the car to see Desi with a disgusted look on her face as she stares at them. "Lily is sick and nasty as hell and y'all are still kissing?"
Lily laughs as she sticks her middle finger up at her friend. "Shut up, Desi!" she then turns her attention back to Carina and tucks a strand of her soft hair behind her ear. Lily's face suddenly gets serious as she looks deep into Carina's brown and gentle eyes. "I missed you and I'm sorry. I hope you know that it never was my intention to hurt you in any way."
"I know it wasn't your intention and I'm sorry that I was stupid enough to believe that it was," Carina says apologetically. "I know now that that wasn't the case so I am sorry too."
Lily gives her a reassuring smile. "Thank you. I appreciate that." She gives Carina a soft kiss on the temple before saying, "and I appreciate you. Take care of your leg tonight, okay?"
"Oh! Before I forget, the letter you should've picked up today for English is in the glove compartment in front of the passenger seat up there."
Lily follows her instructions and takes out a neatly folded piece of notebook paper. She places it safely in the back pocket of her jeans. "Thanks, Carina. I'll read it tonight."
Carina gives her a thumbs up and a dazzling smile in return. Lily internally groans. Why did she have to do that? Her cute little face and her cute little smile forces Lily to sneak in one last kiss before she leans back out of the car and shuts the door behind her. She then heads into Naomi's car in the backseat with Desi and Naomi already in the front.
Because they've never been to Lily's neck of the woods before, she has to give Naomi the directions the entire way. The circumstances that arose today are forcing Lily to show Naomi and Desi her safe haven and though she would have preferred that it stay private and just between her and Carina, she's not worried about it. Naomi's sense of direction is atrocious so it's not like she'll remember where it is anyways. And Desi's just there for the ride, but she's clueless most of the time too.
During the drive, Desi slowly and creepily turns around in her seat and grins at Lily like an idiot. "What?" Lily asks after a moment, looking at her oddly.
"You and Carina were getting very friendly today," Desi says suggestively, adding a wink for good measure. "I haven't seen you this happy lately."
Lily blushes. "She makes me happy. I know you guys aren't stupid and could tell that there was some beef going on between us the past few days, but things were resolved today."
"If you don't mind my asking," Naomi begins as she glances back at Lily through the rearview mirror, "but what did happen between the both of you? You don't have to answer that if you don't want to, of course."
Well, things are better between them no so it's not like there's any harm in telling them. Besides, they know all about the letters anyways and they're probably dying to hear about what happened. Lily and Carina let the air out today so it might be best to talk about it now and never have to mention it again.
"Well, I told her that it was me who has been writing to her."
"WHAT?" Naomi and Desi scream in surprise, making Lily jump in fear. Naomi even swerves the car in the other lane a bit as they snap their heads back to look at her. The car in the other lane honks and dodges them before speeding up past them and giving them the dirtiest look.
"NORMANI, IF YOU DON'T CALM DOWN WE ARE GOING TO DIE AND YOU'LL NEVER HEAR THE STORY!" Lily shouts, heart racing in fear. Naomi hasn't always been the most.... skilled driver in the world but never has Lily feared for her life more than right now. She makes a note never to get into a car with her again.
"Well pardon me for getting caught off guard! Lily, you can't just drop a bomb like that! Oh my god, do you know how monumental that news is?"
"You asked!"
"You told!"
Desi places one hand over Lily's mouth and the other over Naomi's mouth. "Shut up. Both of you. You can argue tomorrow but right now I want to hear what the hell happened with Lily."
Naomi grumbles something under her breath after Desi drops her hands. "Now, isn't that much better?" Desi says with a calming tone in her voice.
"No," Naomi immediately retorts.
"Proceed, Lily," Desi says, ignoring Naomi's comment.
Lily takes a breath, still trying to resuscitate her heart from the near-death experience that it just experienced. "Well, okay, so I was at her house the night of the storm this weekend because, like I mentioned a while ago, she's super afraid of them and I didn't want her to be alone. So I get there and blah blah blah we're hanging out-"
"-'hanging out', my ass," Desi scoffs.
Lily shoots her a quick glare with her cheeks warm. "Okay, fine. We were kissing but before that we were hanging out. Anyways, she pulled away all of a sudden and then she went into this like spontaneous little speech about how she wanted to make things official between us, even though she was the one who suggested we wait a bit more. I was very happy about that, obviously, but in the heat of the moment, I forgot that I've been holding the big secret for about a month now and it was like this war going back and forth in my head with the devil and angel on either one of my shoulders.
"I was nervous as hell contemplating whether or not to tell her but I realized that I care about her too much to let something like that just go unmentioned. I knew the risk that came along with telling her because she has every right to be mad at me for keeping it a secret and dragging it out for so long, but she just got really nasty with me as in she was saying things that were horribly offensive to me. Like she brought up the fact that I used to sleep with girls and never talk to them again and implying that she was just another girl to me too and it hurt me because she's so much more than that. Like I can say with complete confidence that I've never felt anything remotely close to the way I feel about her with anyone else so it hurt to think that she would question it, you know?"
After taking a moment to process everything, Desi is the first one to reply. "The both of you definitely have reasons to be upset. I think the reason she was so malicious in retaliation was because you did drag it out for so long. Feelings became involved and that always makes things messier. You both mean a lot to each other, so of course she was going to be offended considering you would be the last person she would expect to hurt her."
"Exactly," Naomi chimes in, "she was upset because she spilled her heart and soul into those letters, or at least I'm assuming she did, so as soon as you told her, she was probably freaking out because she felt so exposed. It really hurts when the person holding the trigger is someone you least expect. But you guys are okay now right? You definitely seemed okay today."
"Take the next exit here, Naomi," Lily directs her, "but no, yeah, I completely understand what you guys are saying. I do regret not telling her sooner because we literally were together for like 2 minutes before I broke the news and it was just so messy afterwards and I don't want to go into detail about it but today we talked it out in private and we apologized and things are bueno now."
They get to where Lily parked her car a couple of minutes later and they all step out to say their goodbyes. Lily hugs Naomi first and thanks her for taking the time to drive her out here.
"You're very welcome," she says with a friendly squeeze around Lily's shoulders. "And I said this before but I'm so relieved you guys are okay again. I love Carina and I love you and I want you both to be happy."
"I love you, too," Lily smiles as she pulls away. "Thank you."
Lily turns on her heels and opens her arms out for Desi, but when she doesn't walk into them, Lily tilts her head a bit in confusion. "Where's my hug?"
"You aren't getting it, fam," Desi chuckles. "Not with your sick ass."
Lily wasn't leaving without a hug.
With arms still open, she slowly begins to walk towards Desi, who begins to back away in the process. Walking turns to jogging and jogging turns to sprinting and the next thing they know, it's Desi and Lily screaming at each other as they run around in circles in a dramatic version of Tag. Desi seems to actually be scared for her life while Naomi leans against her car and watches in amusement, clearly enjoying the rendition of The Hunger Games.
"Naomi, don't just stand there! Help me!" Desi shouts as she just barely dodges Lily's grasp, almost completely out of breath.
"Sorry, you're on your own," Naomi says nonchalantly as she looks at her nails. "You're the one who doesn't want to hug her."
Lily's fast, but so is Desi so it's basically stalemate between the two of them. Lily has to find a way to somehow get the upper hand and let her guard down. She stops for a moment and smirks, remembering that Desi has the excitability of a puppy.
Lily stops in her tracks and points at some random point in the sky. "Look! A balloon!" she shouts.
Immediately, Desi (and even Naomi) stops what she's doing and shoots her head up at the sky, frantically looking around in search of the non-existent balloon. Under normal circumstances, Lily would have doubled over and laughed so hard that her sides hurt at how stupid her friends are, but she had a mission and she was going to accomplish it.
Using this time with Desi still idiotically distracted, Lily sprints up to her and jumps on her back like a little monkey. She holds on tightly as Desi starts to freak out and flail for a bit before common sense kicks in and tells her that Lily was not going to let go. So she surrenders.
"Fine," Desi huffs, placing her hands under Lily's knees to support her. "You win. But if I get sick tomorrow, I will personally come to your house and kill you myself."
Lily grins proudly to herself as she hugs her friend around the shoulders tightly. "Love you!"
Desi lets out a long and dragged out sigh before mumbling under her breath in annoyance, "I love you, too." Lily can hear the eye roll in her voice.
After Lily climbs off of her back, she gets into her own car and proceeds to drive back. First, she drives by Desi and Naomi's house to show her friends the way back from the new area that they just came from. Luckily for Lily, neither of them seemed to be curious about why the hell Lily's car was parked in the middle of nowhere. Desi and Naomi know that sometimes Lily likes to be mysterious and under the radar at times so they didn't think twice about it and for that, she's grateful.
Lily gets back home just after the sun sets and she heads inside of the house to see her parents engaged in a lighthearted conversation, the smiles present on their faces even when they turn to greet her.
"Hey, Lily," her mom says kindly. "Where have you been? Are you feeling better?"
"I was hanging out with friends but I decided to head home cause my nose was starting to act up and I was getting really tired," she says with a sniffle for added emphasis. Her voice always sounded horribly unattractive whenever she was sick but Carina sure didn't seem to mind that at all today. In fact, she was practically all over her. If Lily didn't know any better, she would assume that Carina has some sort of fetish for snotty noses, nasally voices, watery and red eyes, and constant sneezing.
"Are you hungry?" Matt asks.
Lily shakes her head, declining politely. "No, I already ate not that long ago, but thank you anyways. I think I'll just take a shower and head on up to bed. I don't want to miss another day of school again."
Matt and Cecelia nod and wish their daughter a good night before she slips away up the stairs and into her room. She first takes out Carina's letter out of her back pocket and throws it on the bed. She'll read it after she takes a much-needed shower. She spent most of her time outside today and as much as she loves it, it makes her feel gross.
Lily takes a long shower that does wonders for her sinuses, puts on warm and fresh clothes, brushes her teeth, and then hops into bed with her long, damp hair cascading down her shoulders. She leans her back against the headboard and pulls her blankets up, cozy and content. Her eyes were getting tired and it was only around 8 p.m. but curiosity over what could be inside of Carina's letter is forcing her to stay awake just long enough to read it.
She reaches over and takes the folded paper in her hands before opening it up, her eyes immediately scanning over the scrawled handwriting. This is the first letter Carina's written after Lily's confession so things were definitely going to be different from here on out.
Dear Lily,
Well that was weird. I was so used to referring to you as the nickname I gave you since day 1. Now I can actually picture your face on the other side, reading and writing back to me.
When you told me that it was you, it was easy to see that I was angry, hurt, and offended. But after having some time to think to myself, I realized that you were also angry, hurt, and offended. Im sorry for what I said. I hope you know that I didn't mean it at all. I think you're an absolutely amazing person and it was partially my insecurities speaking. I mean, why would you ever even go for someone like me? Lily, you could have anyone you wanted and in the back of my mind since you told me that you liked me, I couldn't help but sometimes wonder why? Why would you like someone so ordinary like myself?
So when you told me that it was your eyes that have been gazing over the letters I've written the past few months, secrets and feelings and all, it scared me. It scared me because in that moment, I felt like my doubts had some truth in them. I thought you were just pretending to like me because you knew I liked you back. And I am truly sorry that I ever doubted that. That was so wrong of me because it makes it sound like I didn't think that anything you said or did for me was genuine. But you are so genuine and so honest and I can't believe I ever said the things that I did. I know you're not like that. I'll spend forever regretting the disgusting words I ever said to you and for hurting you.
I wouldn't blame you if you hated me forever, but waking up to see you not here just about killed me. I don't want you to give up on me because I've never liked anyone as much as I like you and I get butterflies whenever I see your face. When I wake up, you're the first person I think of. But if you don't feel the same way anymore, I don't blame you. Besides, I don't deserve someone as beautiful and as wonderful as you.
Yours truly,
Carina
Lily frowns deeply as she finishes the letter. Carina was beating herself up so bad over what she said and she shouldn't be feeling as shitty as she was. She was practically criticizing and insulting herself, saying that she's unworthy of Lily when Lily herself feels like she's unworthy of Carina. God, if only she could see the way Lily sees her. She wouldn't be saying any of that.
Lily jumps up from bed, no longer feeling tired. She has to tell Carina the things that she needs to hear. She never wants to hear Carina say or think that way about herself again.
She sits at her desk and rips out a sheet of paper from her notebook. Then she picks a pen up from her little cup where she holds her writing utensils and begins to write, knowing exactly what she wants to say.
Dear Carina,
First off, I could never, ever hate you. You could never say anything that would make me feeling that strongly against you. Yes, I was hurt over what you told me, but that's because it came out of your mouth. I value your opinion of me so much. You make me want to be a better person and I can honestly say that I am a better person because of you. What you said to me wasn't that far from the truth. I'm not proud of the type of person I was last year, but I could never act that way towards you. Carina, I would never use you. I would never play with your feelings because I know just how guarded you can be. It means everything to me that you trust and rely on me and I don't ever want to jeopardize it.
Secondly, don't think that way about yourself. You're nowhere near ordinary, love. There is nothing ordinary about the smile you always put on my face, the sweaty palms that always seem to occur whenever you're near, the beating of my heart when I see your beautiful self, and the way you make me stumble over my words like an idiot sometimes. If you were ordinary, none of those things would happen. But they do. They happen all the time and I don't think I'll ever get used to it or to you. You're extraordinary.
Lastly, if anything, I don't deserve you. I mean, you're too damn good for this world. You must be protected at all costs and I will always be the one to protect you from anything and anyone, including yourself, which is why it's boggling my mind how you could ever think like you're nothing special. You're so special to me.
You wrote this letter before you found me in the woods at our spot, but I still want to repeat it to you so it can be engraved in your precious little head. I like you, Carina. I like you a lot. Like, A LOT and I'll always be there to remind you how much you mean to me, especially when you need to hear it the most.
Words can't express how happy I am to have you back.
Sincerely,
Lily
P.S. You're cute.
P.S.S You're cute as hell.
Lily smiles to herself as she folds the piece of paper neatly and places it in her backpack, which rests by her feet. She then snuggles back in bed after turning her bedside lamp off just in time for her phone to start vibrating and Carina's name pops up.
With a raised eyebrow, Lily answers, wondering why she would be calling. Nevertheless, she was happy to answer.
"Hello?"
"Lily Joelle," Carina's bright voice greets on the other line. "What are you up to on this lovely evening?"
Lily giggles, letting herself get comfortable in her bed with her phone pressed against her ear. "I'm currently in bed." There's a tickle in her nose and she lets out a small sneeze. Then another. Then another. She's about 5 seconds from chopping her nose off.
Carina laughs. "Bless you. And you're already in bed?"
"Thanks, darling," Lily smiles. "And, uhm, yes, of course I am. I think you're forgetting I feel like shit."
"Well you definitely don't look like shit though."
Lily chuckles as she shakes her head. "Are you flirting with me?"
"Is it working?"
"Not your best, Cabero, but it's still very much appreciated," Lily grins to herself, pulling the blankets up over her head to block out the rest of the world, only focusing on the sound of Carina's voice. "You definitely don't look like shit either. But seriously, why'd you call? Do you need something?"
Carina scoffs, but Lily can hear the smile on her voice. "Is it so wrong of me to call my girlfriend when I miss her?"
Since when did Carina get so ballsy? This self-assured side of her is insanely attractive. And the fact that she just referred to herself as Lily's girlfriend is making her smile so much that her cheeks hurt. Lily kind of thought they broke up after their argument but hey, she's not complaining.
"Not at all, girlfriend. I'm flattered. But how's your leg? Is it better?"
"Eh, it's sore and whatnot and I can walk, but it's more of a limp. I'll be fine though. Looks like I won't be Crippled Carina anymore, as you guys dubbed me as today."
"Bummer," Lily chuckles, "I wouldn't mind carrying you around in my arms everywhere."
"I don't have to be hurt for you to carry me, you know." Lily hears the smirk in her voice. Then she's quiet for a moment; the only sound that's present is both of their slow and steady breathing. This happens sometimes. Neither of them says anything for a few minutes, but neither of them seems to mind at all. In fact, Lily finds it incredibly soothing. To know she's there, even though they're not together physically.
"Lily?" Carina says after a while.
"Yeah?"
There's a slight hesitation on Carina's side, but Lily just waits for her patiently. "Have you ever been in love before?"
Lily takes a moment to think about it. She's only ever had one girlfriend who she did like a little bit, but it wasn't strong enough to qualify as "love", per se. She's slept with a handful of other girls, but no feelings were involved. There were no strings attached. She's had a few crushes here and there, but they definitely were nowhere near close to stirring burning desire and passion inside of Lily.
"No," she answers after she ponders on the question. "I feel like I would know if I did, but that moment hasn't come yet. Have you?"
"Nope. It hasn't happened to me yet either, "Carina answers. "What does love even mean though? I mean there are so many different definitions of that word. Like, I love Amanda, I love dogs, I love my parents, and I love bananas, but I've never been in love before. I sometimes wonder how it feels, to be honest, and I also wonder what age constitutes as being able to fully understand the true meaning of it."
Lily adjusts herself so she's lying down on her side with her head on top of her phone. "Well," she begins, "I don't think there is a certain age that one can reach before they're able to fall in love with someone. Hell, we drive at 15 and 16 and vote, get tattoos, and piercings at 18, so who's there to state a specific age where we're fully mature enough to love someone? I think its bullshit when parents say 'you're too young to be in love!' Like, no, we're not. Who are they to tell us who we can and can't love and when we can and can't love them? The only people capable of understanding our emotions are ourselves."
Conversations like these aren't uncommon between Carina and Lily. One of them will bring up a certain topic that the other feels strongly enough about to go on a mini-rant and/or lecture about it. But they love it. They love hearing the intensity in each other's voices at night about certain things. None of that small talk shit.
"Do you think we'll meet that person that'll show us what it feels like to be in love soon?" Carina asks curiously, her voice calm and soothing now.
"Hm. It could be soon or could be later," Lily answers.
"Could be now?" Carina's small voice asks timidly.
Lily wasn't expecting that response. She never really thought about it, but her feelings for Carina are closer to love than anything she's ever felt before. She's definitely developed stronger feelings for her with every passing day because it's so damn easy to fall for her. She makes everything so much easier.
"It could be now," Lily reiterates with a smile. "I could love you."
She hears Carina's airy laugh on the other line. "I could love you too. It certainly wouldn't be hard to."
Lily blushes and she blushes hard. She throws an arm over her face to hide her wide grin, even though she's the only one in the room. Carina knows just what to say to make her melt and weak-kneed. She knows exactly what she's doing because Lily can just picture that little proud smile on her face right now.
"Ugh, you're so cute what the hell?" Lily groans. "Why did you have to call me tonight? Now I'm going to be anticipating seeing you at school tomorrow all night."
Carina laughs happily. God, Lily really wants to go see her right now but she's going to refrain from it. She has to maintain at least some sort of self-control. "I'm assuming you feel well enough to go tomorrow?"
"Nah, I still feel sick but I don't want to miss another day of school."
"Lily, you are literally the opposite of every normal teenage student. They would probably kill to miss school and here you are actually wanting to go."
Ever since she was young, she's always hated being late and missing school. It makes her feel like she's missing too many things and she'll get buried underneath a bunch of work and it would take her too long to catch back up. Besides, school comes easily to her. It's not like it really drains all that much out of her. And it's a plus knowing that Carina is the first person that she'll see when she gets there. Can't really blame her for wanting to go. She's an incentive.
"I should just get 'unique' tattooed on my forehead," Lily says before she lets out a tired yawn. Why does she have to be sick right now when things are finally better between the two of them right now? Sleep is the ultimate cockblock.
"Sleepy?"
"Just a tad."
A low chuckle rumbles in the back of Carina's throat. "You should go to sleep, but before you do, do you happen to know where my Spider-Man sweatshirt is?"
Lily looks down at her chest innocently and drags her fingers over the fabric of the material. "I'm wearing it," she mumbles shyly. It was the first thing she caught sight of when she was getting her clothes in the closet and as much as she makes fun of Carina for it, Lily couldn't find it any more charming than she already does.
"Ah ha! Now look who has a crush on Spider-Man!" Carina exclaims. "I knew you couldn't resist him. No one can."
"I have a crush on you, not him," Lily says with a roll of the eyes. "I'm only wearing it because it belongs to you."
Carina giggles softly. "Fun fact: I'm wearing your black and red hoodie right now."
Lily smiles to herself. Let's be real. The best part about having a girlfriend is having an endless supply of clothes with their scent lingering on them. It helps Lily sleep a little bit better at night because even though Carina isn't there in the flesh, her clothes are the second closest things to her.
"But anyways," Carina continues, "I'm going to let you go to sleep now, okay? I want you to feel better soon."
Though she doesn't want to stop talking to her, Lily knows that the battle against sleep was not going in her favor. So she succumbs to it. "Okay. Goodnight, Carina," Lily mumbles with a hint of reluctance.
"Goodnight, Lily," Carina smiles. "Oh, and I'll be expecting a hug and a kiss in the morning."
Lily shakes her head in adoration and lets out a happy, content sigh. "You got it."
--
"Lily Michelle Joelle, you said you would," Carina pouts as she crosses her arms in frustration, glaring her eyes at her girlfriend.
"Carina, I am not going to kiss you right now," Lily repeats for the thousandth time. "You have the sniffles and your throat is bothering you because I'm sick and you kissed me yesterday and you still want to kiss me again?"
"Uhm, yes," Carina says obviously before she places her hands on Lily's shoulders and stands on her tippy toes, trying with fail to connect their lips. Well, technically she's balancing on one leg. Her right one still isn't well enough for her to walk on it.
Lily turns her head away and she has her hands on Carina's waist, fighting her off, extending her arms completely to hold her a couple of feet away.
"Ugh, Lily!" she groans in utter frustration as she drops her hands from her shoulders. "You're so annoying."
"I'm sorry but I am not going to make you sicker than you already are, princess," Lily says as she throws a hand over her mouth in case Carina plans to attack her when she least expects it. She's small and fragile, but quick. Those are the ones you have to look out for.
"Don't you 'princess' me," Carina rolls her eyes. "I'm well on my way to catching whatever it is that you have so I have nothing to lose right?" Then a weird and loud sneeze comes out of her, causing Lily to crack a smile.
"Bless you," Lily laughs as she reaches into her backpack and hands her a tissue from her little stash she's been carrying around. "You sound like that baby panda on YouTube that sneezed so loud it scared its mom and the video went viral."
A pout comes on Carina's face and Lily wants nothing more than to kiss it off of her, but she wasn't going to adhere to her and Carina's desires. This was really going to be a test of control today.
The morning bell rings and the girls pick up their backpacks from the ground near their lockers. "You're so mean," Carina grumbles as they walk towards English class. "How are you going to deny your girlfriend's desire for affection?"
"You're acting like I don't want to kiss you," Lily chuckles. "But believe me when I say that I do. I really do."
"Why do you have to be so selfless and caring?" Carina says exasperatedly before she lets out another abnormally loud sneeze that even causes a few heads to turn. Carina shyly shifts to stand closer to Lily as they walk. "People act like they've never heard a sneeze before," she says under her breath.
"Bless you," Lily smiles as she opens the door for Carina, "and it's just because you're so small but your sneeze could knock over trees and create tsunamis."
Carina's jaw drops, feigning offense. "Like I said before, you're so mean."
"Excuse you, I happen to think it's endearing."
The two girls walk to the back of the room where all of their folders are where they place their letters. Because Lily wasn't there on Monday or Tuesday, Carina obviously didn't have a letter waiting for her to reply to so it was explained by Ms. Ashworth that she simply doesn't have to do the assignment until she does have one.
"This is so weird," Lily mumbles as she drops in her letter in her folder as Carina watches her, knowing good and well that that letter is what she'll be reading tomorrow when she picks it up in the morning.
Lily then notices Carina staring at her from the corner of her eyes. Uh oh. Carina practically pounces after Lily but she was quicker in placing her hand over her mouth again, forcing Carina to kiss the back of her hand.
"Gotta be quicker than that," Lily says smugly, voice muffled.
"I hate you so much," Carina mutters as she stomps away towards her desk, leaving Lily laughing to herself in amusement. She's getting so frustrated and annoyed over the fact that Lily won't kiss her and she can't help but to find it so adorable.
Lily merrily follows her footsteps with a big smile on her face. She stands in front of her desk and rests her forearms on top of it, looking straight at Carina's glaring eyes. "I hate you, too," Lily says happily.
Carina tries as hard as she can to maintain her tough demeanor, but it cracks after a few seconds. She grins a toothy smile as she hides her face behind her hand and in that moment, Lily never wanted to kiss her more.
--
Throughout the course of the day, it was basically Lily needing to dodge all of Carina's attempts at trying to kiss her in between classes and during lunch. Then at the end of the school day while all five girls were hanging out at a picnic table outside, Carina was being too persistent and Lily forced herself to get up from her seat and sit on the opposite side of her, beside Amanda.
"Lily, why don't you just kiss her, please?" Naomi says as she gestures over at Carina with her hand. "Your girlfriend is practically dying."
"I'm not going to spread my germs around and make her worse," Lily replies defiantly but when she glances over to see Carina's puppy-dog face, she crumbles and has to cover her eyes. She knows that if she looked at her for even a second longer, they were going to be making out in front of everyone.
"Carina, you do know that Lily is doing this because she cares about you right?" Amanda says with a chuckle when she notices just how painful it is for Lily to stay away from her.
"Oh, yeah, of course I do! And I think it's ridiculously sweet of her, but I love watching her reactions," Carina says with a devilish little grin.
"Carina, Lily is nasty as hell right now," Desi says as she pops an M