Y/N POV
The time has come to meet Lizzie in the park to head to lunch with her sisters and I'm insanely nervous. I don't want to mess up and I spent like two hours trying to decide what to wear. I breathe out a sigh of relief when I see Lizzie in jeans and a simple white shirt, sunglasses covering her light eyes. She smiles when she sees me and I return the smile easily.
"Hi Y/N." She greets sweetly as I pull her into a hug.
"Hi, Lizzie bear." I return and she giggles at the nickname.
"That's a new one." She comments and I shrug.
"You're cuddly like a teddy bear. You give the best hugs." I explain with a red tint on my cheeks.
"Well that's good because I like your hugs." She giggles and it makes my chest tighten in joy.
"So, where are we headed?" I prompt when the conversation halts for a few beats.
"Oh right, some spot in Soho apparently." She shrugs and takes out her phone to find directions.
"Cool, I haven't gotten to explore that area yet." I comment.
"Let's make a pact to explore every neighborhood in the City together." She suggests and I instantly agree.
"That is the best idea I've ever heard." I agree and she giggles in delight, her eyes scrunching adorably.
"Would you like to walk or take the subway?" She asks and I hum in thought.
"Do we have time for a walk?" I ask and she nods. "Then let's take our time." I suggest and she nods.
"Sounds good to me." She slips her phone into her purse and takes my hand with a. smile. My stomach erupts into butterflies as she begins our walk south like she isn't holding my hand right now. Maybe this is something she does with all of her friends. She seems like a cuddly touchy person from the experiences I've had with her so far.
I try not to think about how her hand fits in mind or look over to her to admire the way the sun makes her skin glow and hair shine. But it's really hard not to.
Out of nowhere she starts a conversation. "Do you like being by yourself or with other people?" She asks.
"Hm, I think by myself, because I feel like sometimes I can be boring or feel overwhelmed in groups of people." I share.
"Me too. I don't do well in crowds. I get really anxious." She shares and it makes me feel better about my own social issues. She gets it. She's this amazing confident person but still has social anxiety. It makes me like her even more.
"I like having a few friends that I'm comfortable with rather than knowing a lot of people. It's just a lot to think about. I always think I'm annoying or a burden in big groups. At least if I have a few friends that seem to like to be around me I can try to convince myself I'm not a waste of space." I share and cringe. "Uh, sorry that was a lot." I apologize.
"You aren't a waste of space. You're far from it Y/N. You make beautiful music and have something to say to the world. Never say that about yourself again okay?" She asks as I avoid her gaze.
"I'm sorry." I offer and look to the other side.
"Hey." She stops and tugs me to the side of the sidewalk. "I like being around you. You're funny, kind, and creative. So if you ever feel like that again, remember that okay?" She asks, her eyes searching mine once she takes off her sunglasses.
"Yes. Okay." I agree with a nod. "I uh. I like being around you too." I offer and it makes a smile break out onto her worried face.
"Good, now come on, dork." She prompts.
"Hey I'm not a dork!" I respond in slight offense.
"You are, but it's okay. You're a cute dork." She grins, scrunching her nose. I blush at the comment but follow her anyway.
We make it to this restaurant on Lafayette Street called Sant Ambroeus and I instantly notice that pretty people dine here. Like everyone here is so attractive. Lizzie tells the host a name that I don't catch in my distracted gaze then tugs me over to a table where her sisters are already sat. Whoa.
"Little Lizzie!" Ashley squeals as she stands and I smile at the slight eye roll my friend shoots my way as she gets pulled into a hug.
"Hi Ash, MK, this is my new friend Y/N." She introduces me before I also get pulled into two hugs. Are all the Olsen's really good huggers?
"It's nice to meet you both." I respond as I move to sit.
"You as well. Our little sis is antisocial so it's good to see her making friends." Mary-Kate teases and I smile.
"I am too." I offer and she nods.
"Well then I'm proud of both of you." She decides. My attention shifts to Lizzie as she leans over to whisper something to me.
"Get whatever you want, they are paying." She explains and I nod. How did she know I over-thought that for at least 3 hours?
"So Y/N, what are you studying in school?" Ashley asks and motions for our waiter to refill our waters.
"Music composition and performance." I share easily.
"Oh very cool. So how did you two meet?" Ashley asks, looking between us.
"Y/N saw me being a loner and invited me to this dance thing." Lizzie explains.
"But we found out we actually have some classes together." I add on.
"Oh that's really nice. It's good to have friends while in school, Lizzie." MK lightly scolds and I tilt my head in confusion.
"Our dear sister came here thinking she was going to live in her little bubble all by herself. She's so focused. She needs to have more fun." Ashley explains and I nod in understanding.
"Yeah, my siblings get on me about that too. I admire that Lizzie knows exactly what she wants though. Nothing is going to stop her from it." I conclude with a nod.
"You know what you want too, Y/N." Lizzie reminds me and I shrug.
"What do you want to do Y/N?" MK asks.
"Uh, well. I want to produce music. For other artists. But I think it would be cool to compose for movies too. So...I have options I guess." I explain.
"Oh, I didn't know that." Lizzie shares. "I thought you were set on producing stuff. She showed me a few songs and they are really good." Lizzie tells her sister and I blush when they both turn to me with interest.
"Well well, looks like someone is going places. Lizzie is picky with her music so if she likes it you're set." MK picks at her sister and it actually makes me feel better. The sisters are so...normal. I don't know what I was expecting but it's really refreshing. We eventually order our food and continue to chat about random things.
They tell me about running a fashion empire and how Lizzie steals clothing from them all the time. "Yeah but you said you'd design my red carpet outfits if I ever get big!" She reminds them and I laugh at how they were obviously trying to get a rise out of their little sister.
"Chill, Lizzie." Ash giggles and I smile over to my friend who realizes they were successful in getting her riled up.
"You are going to get big, so they better keep their promise." I assure Lizzie and she smiles sweetly over to me.
"Get you a friend that supports you." MK teases lightly and I smile over to her. The rest of the lunch is pretty chill. They make me promise to show them some music someday which means they intend to see me again which is pretty cool. I wait on the sidewalk after hugging them and watch the sisters exchange a few comments that leave Lizzie blushing, an annoyed look on her face.
"Ready to go?" I ask, sensing she doesn't want to talk about whatever happened.
"Yes, ugh they are so annoying." She complains.
"But you love them." I observe and she smiles softly, nodding.
"I do. And they really like you." She informs me.
"Oh, that's cool. That's one of my best accomplishments now." I state seriously but it makes her laugh. Our walk back is pretty quiet, only giggling when we observe silly city people. Her hand is held in mine the entire way and I try to not overthink it again. It's nice and if I think too much about it or point it out I'm afraid it will stop.
We end up back in Washington Square Park just as the sun starts to set, so Lizzie pulls me over to sit on a bench near the Arch. We can see the Empire State Building clearly framed by the arch and it makes me happy. I've always wanted to end up here and now I am. I have a great friend and I'm studying exactly what I want to. It couldn't get better than this.
"Are you ready for our second week?" She asks and rests her head down onto my shoulder.
"I am. I'm ready for the rest of our time here. Everything is...amazing." I decide and she hums in agreement.
"Promise we will always be friends?" She whispers.
"I promise. You're stuck with me now, Lizzie bear." I tease.
"I can live with that." She decides and I scoff in light offense. "Seriously Y/N. I'm glad we met. I can tell we're going to be great friends." She shares quietly.
"Me too." I whisper, ignoring the dull ache in my heart. Once the sun sets we both naturally stand from our comfortable spot to get ready for the next day.
"See you later Y/N." She states as she waves.
"Get home safe, Lizzie." I reply with a wave. We share a smile then turn to walk in opposite directions. I flip onto my bed once I get into my room and wait for the text that she's home safe, something we've started to do without asking for it. It feels nice to know we care about each other's safety.
I stare up at my ceiling as lyrics come to mind, thinking about the blonde that seems to never leave my thoughts. I reach over to my journal and scribble random things down until my phone buzzes.
Lizzie: I'm home, thanks for coming with me today.
Me: Good, and of course. It was fun. Get some good rest, I'll see you tomorrow.
Lizzie: You too, see you then
I smile as I set the phone down and get ready for bed quickly so I can get to sleep. The quicker I sleep the quicker I get to see her again.
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A/N Last one of the night...maybe? Who knows. I'm so excited for where this story is going to go so I don't want to stop writing. However the weekend is almost over so updates probably won't be coming in so hot until next weekend. I hope you are enjoying the story so far! Let me know what you think!