The next morning, Lilly wakes up, but she doesn't get out of bed. She just lies there, wide awake. She's still thinking about that almost kiss with Caden. She can't get it off of her mind. About 10 minutes later, her alarm goes off, snapping her out of her thoughts. She immediately rolls over and turns the alarm off. She lies there a couple more minutes and finally hops out of bed. She walks over to her closet, pulls out a long, pretty, baby yellow dress, and slips it on along with some black flip flops with tiny rhinestones on the straps. After she dresses, she walks into her bathroom, combs her hair, and does her makeup. Once she finishes that, she walks downstairs and sits down in a wooden chair in front of the dining room table.
Her dad and brother greet her, "Morning."
Lilly hugs both of them. "Morning."
Her mom greets her, "Good morning, sweetheart."
Lilly hugs her mom and yawns, "Morning, mom." Then, her mom walks back into the kitchen, picks up a plate of cinnamon rolls, brings them over to the table, sets them down in the middle of the table, and walks back into the kitchen. She picks up 2 glasses of milk, brings them over to the table, sets them down on the table in front of Lilly and Mike, and walks back into the kitchen. A minute later, she comes back out with 2 large mugs of piping hot coffee. She sets them down on the table and places 2 cinnamon rolls on each plate. Mr. Andrews blesses the food and they dig in.
Lilly takes a bite of her cinnamon roll, which is so soft and warm, it melts in her mouth. She exclaims, "Wow, mom! These cinnamon rolls are amazing!"
Mrs. Andrews smiles. "Thanks, sweetheart. I'm glad you like them." They continue eating and once Lilly finishes, she stands up, takes her dishes to the sink, and runs upstairs to brush her teeth.
Once she finishes brushing her teeth, she runs back downstairs, hugs her parents and her brother, tells them goodbye, grabs her backpack, and runs out the door. She stands outside only for a couple of seconds and right around the corner comes Caden. He pulls up right in front of the house and hops out. He walks around to the passenger door and opens it for her with a big smile on his face, bows, and says in a British accent, "Morning, malady."
She giggles, curtsies, and says in a British accent as well, "Morning, kind sir." Her cheeks burn bright red and she hops in the car. He closes the door behind her and hops back in the car.
He fastens his seatbelt and smiles at her. "So, how are you doing this morning?"
Lilly smiles. "I'm ok. How are you? Are you feeling better than you were yesterday?"
He smiles and says, "Yeah, I'm fine, especially now that I've seen you today," as he pulls out into the road.
Lilly blushes. "Aww! Me too!"
Caden smiles. A minute later, he asks, "So...do you want to listen to some more of your playlist?"
Lilly smiles. "Sure," then he turns the playlist on and they jam out, singing at the top of their lungs the whole ride.
Once they arrive at school, Caden looks over at Lilly and asks, "So, are you ready?"
Lilly nods. "Well, I don't think Brittney, Lindsey, or Caleb will be bothering us today, so yeah, I think I'm ready."
Caden kinda laughs. "Well, then let's go," and they hop out of the car. Caden walks right beside Lilly and gently grabs her hand. Lilly's cheeks turn bright red and she smiles. Once inside, they walk over to their lockers, collect their books, meet back up, and continue to walk side by side, holding hands to Algebra class. They sit beside each other, ever once in a while throwing tiny glances and smiles back and forth at each other. Before they know it, class is over. The bell rings, so they stand up, collect their books, and walk over to their lockers to prepare for their next class.
A few more classes later, Lilly walks to her locker and puts her books away. Caden meets up with her at her locker then the school bell rings and everyone races to the cafeteria. Caden lets Lilly get her tray and get in the lunch line first then he follows right behind her. Once they get their food, they sit down at a table. Lilly prays and after, they begin to eat. Caden asks, "So, what do you want to do after school today?"
Lilly smiles. "Well, I kinda wanted to go to your grandpa's old cabin and talk, and skip rocks, and watch the sunset together, like we did the day before yesterday. Would you want to?"
Caden smiles. "Of course! Although, I was thinking...what if we got some ice cream and then went there? Would that be ok?"
Lilly exclaims, "Of course! That would be perfect! I would love that!"
Caden nods. "Well then, it's settled. I can't wait til school is over for the day."
"Yeah, me too. I wish it would hurry up and end so we could go," laughs Lilly.
They both laugh and wouldn't you know it, here comes Brittney and Lindsey to ruin their lunch. "Got you some glasses, blindy," laughs Brittney as she tosses some really thick-lensed glasses on the table in front of Lilly.
Lindsey laughs. "Yeah, Lilly, now maybe you can actually see."
Lilly simply picks up the glasses, looks at them, and sets them back down on the table. She says, "Thanks, but no thanks, Brittney. I told you, I don't need glasses. You can take them back."
"Well, I think you do need them," scoffs Brittney as she tries to force them on Lilly's face.
Caden jerks the glasses away. "That's enough, Brittney! Leave her alone!"
Brittney remembers what happened yesterday afternoon, and she doesn't want any trouble with Caden. So, she backs down. She rolls her eyes. "Ugh, whatever!" She gets in Lilly's face. "Your little boyfriend might have saved you this time, but next time you won't be so lucky!" scoffs Brittney. Then she backs away and gestures for Lindsey to follow her. "Ugh! Come on Lindsey! Let's get away from the loser's table."
They stomp off, Caden giving them a death glare the whole time. Once they're out of his sight, he looks at Lilly with a sympathetic look and asks, "Are you ok?"
Lilly nods. "Yeah, but they're so mean! I'll never understand why!"
Caden says, "I told you, Lil. People like that just love to hurt other people."
Lilly looks down. "Yeah."
Caden says, "Alright, we can't let those toxics ruin our day. We're still going to have a good day. We just have to wait a few more hours."
Lilly laughs. "Yeah, then we can go have fun. Come on school, hurry up and end." They both laugh and continue eating and talking until the end of lunch bell rings. Once the bell rings, Caden stands up, takes both of their trays, and puts them away. Once he comes back from doing that, both he and Lilly walk side by side out the door, only separating long enough to go to their lockers to collect their books for the next class. Once they get their books, they meet back up and walk side by side to their next class.
Finally, a few hours later, after their last class of the day, History, the school bell rings signaling the end of classes. Caden races to his locker, puts his things away, grabs what he needs to take home, and meets Lilly back up at her locker. He smiles at her. "So, are you ready to go?"
"Uh, yes! Come on, let's go!" exclaims Lilly as she pulls him to the school door.
They race outside to Caden's car and hop in. Caden starts the car and asks, "Ok, so ice cream shop first. Right?"
Lilly smiles. "Of course!"
Caden laughs at her excitement and pulls out of the school parking lot. A few minutes later, he pulls up to a cute diner, turns off the car, and says, "Ok, we're here, Good Ole Martha's Treats Diner."
Lilly exclaims, "Ok! Cool! I've never been here before!"
Caden looks at her with a puzzled look on his face. He shouts, "What!? You mean to tell me that you've lived here all your life and you've never been here?! How?!"
Lilly shrugs. "I don't know. I just never have. Wait a minute. You just moved here. How do you know about it?"
Caden starts, "Well, you remember that I told you my grandpa and I were best buddies?" Lilly nods and Caden continues, "Well, he lived around here and I used to come visit him. Whenever I did, he would always take me by here to get some ice cream then we would go to his cabin and fish all weekend long. This place has some of the best ice cream you'll ever eat! Now, let's go before it gets late."
Lilly laughs. "Ok, let's go." They hop out of the car and walk into the diner. Lilly looks at the menu. "Ahh, so much to choose from. I just don't know what to get. Any recommendations, Caden?" asks Lilly.
Caden thinks a minute and replies, "Hmm.... Well, do you like M&M's or Reese's pieces?"
Lilly nods her head. "Yes! I love M&M's and Reese's pieces!"
"Well then, I think you would like the Reese's/M&M's milkshake. It's really good!" exclaims Caden.
Lilly smiles. "Mmm...that does sound delicious! That's what I'll get!"
Caden says, "Ok," and begins to order their milkshakes, "Can I please get 2 of your Reese's/M&M's milkshakes to go?"
The lady at the register nods her head, types something into her register, and says, "That'll be $6.00, please."
Lilly starts to pull out some money but Caden stops her by gently pushing her hand down and saying, "No, Lilly. I'm paying for this. I told you, it's my treat."
Lilly tries to argue, "But...."
Caden interrupts, "No buts, Lilly. I got this." Lilly stops trying to argue and Caden gives the lady the money.
The lady puts the money in the register and says, "Your milkshakes will be ready in about 5 minutes. We'll call you."
Caden nods and says, "Ok, thank you, ma'am," and walks over to a table to sit down beside Lilly. They talk for a few minutes until the lady calls them to get their milkshakes.
Once she does, they stand up, walk over to the counter, and the lady gives them their milkshakes as she says, "Have a nice day."
They smile and say, "You too," then they walk out the door and back to the car.
When they get back in the car, Caden smiles. "Ok, now try a sip of your milkshake. I want to see your reaction when you taste Heaven." Lilly giggles and sips a little bit of her milkshake through her straw.
As soon as she tastes it, her face lights up. "Wow, Caden! That's delicious! You were right!" exclaims Lilly as she continues sipping her delicious milkshake.
He laughs. "Told you so!" Then he asks, "Are you ready to go to the cabin now?"
Lilly nods. "Yeah, sure. Let's go." They both fasten their seatbelts and head out to the cabin. About twenty minutes later, they arrive at the cabin. Caden and Lilly hop out of the car and Caden grabs the blanket out of his trunk. After he grabs the blanket, he and Lilly walk up the hill, passed the old cabin, and Caden fans the blanket out onto the ground. They both sit down on the blanket and talk as they finish up their milkshakes.
Once they finish their milkshakes, Caden asks Lilly, "Hey, now that we're done with our milkshakes, do you want to go skip some rocks like we did last time?"
Lilly nods and exclaims, "Sure! Let's go!" then they race down the hill to the lake. Lilly picks up a stone and throws it at the water. Splash! Splash! Splash!
Caden smirks. "Nice, but I bet I can skip one further than that." He picks up a stone and throws it at the water. Splash! Splash! Splash! Splash! He smirks again. "Told you."
Lilly smiles. "Uh huh. Well, beat this." She picks up another stone and throws it at the water. Splash! Splash! Splash! Splash! Splash!
Caden smiles and picks up a stone. "Ok, cool. However...." He throws the stone at the water. Splash! Splash! Splash! Splash! Splash! Splash!
Lilly's jaw drops. "Wha- How?"
Caden smirks. "Impressed?"
Lilly stomps her foot and huffs, "Show-off!"
Caden laughs at her frustration. "You are way too competitive."
Lilly huffs, "You are too!"
Caden smirks. "Yeah, but clearly not as much as you."
Lilly huffs again, "Oh whatever, smarty pants! Just be quiet and let's skip some more rocks!"
Caden laughs. "Ok, but don't get so defensive. I'm only teasing you."
Lilly just glares at him, and continues skipping rocks. A little bit later, she asks, "Hey, do you want to go back up the hill so we can sit and watch the sunset together?"
Caden nods. "Yeah sure." He takes her by the hand and they run up the hill giggling the whole time, like two little kids at the playground. They get to the top and collapse onto the blanket, continuously giggling. They lie there a couple minutes then Caden props up on his elbow and turns over on his right side. Lilly does the same and her cheeks burn bright red as she meets his gaze. They lie there just smiling and staring into each other's eyes. Caden smiles. "Wow, Lil! You're eyes are beautiful!"
Lilly turns into a smiling red tomato. She says, "Thanks, Caden. Your eyes are pretty too." He smiles and begins to lean closer towards her face when all of a sudden...
"So tell me what you want to here...."
They both jump back, startled by the sudden noise and Lilly rushes to answer her phone. She looks at her phone which reads, Mom. She answers, "Hey, mom."
Her mom replies, "Hey, sweetie. Where are you?"
Lilly smiles. "At Caden's grandpa's old fishing cabin. Caden and I were just sitting up on the hill about to watch the sunset together. Why you ask?"
Her mom giggles. "Oh, I was just wondering so I would know when to start supper since your dad's already home.... You really like Caden, don't you?"
Lilly whines, "Mom, stop. No. We're just friends."
"Mhm, sure," teases Mrs. Andrews.
Lilly huffs, "Mom, seriously, stop. It's not funny. There is no romance going on between Caden and I."
Mrs. Andrews giggles. "Ok. Whatever you say, sweetie. Did you want to invite Caden for supper again?"
Lilly blushes. "I don't know. Maybe. I'll ask him." Lilly turns away from the phone a second and asks, "Hey, Caden, do you want to have supper at my house again?"
Caden smiles. "Sure! I just got to call my mom first and make sure it's ok," says Caden as he pulls out his phone.
Lilly smiles, "Ok. Sounds great!" Then she turns back to the phone to talk to her mom. "Ok, mom, he said yes. He just has to check with his mom first."
Caden smiles and exclaims, "Great! Thanks, mom!" and hangs up the phone. He looks over at Lilly, who is still on the phone and says, "Ok, she said yes, that would be fine. She said that she didn't feel like cooking supper anyway."
Lilly smiles. "Great!" She turns back to the phone and says, "Ok, mom, Caden just got off the phone with his mom. She said that he could and that she didn't feel like cooking supper anyway."
Her mom says, "Ok, sounds great, sweetie. I'll see you two in a little while."
Lilly smiles. "Ok, mom. Bye! Love you!"
Her mom replies, "Bye! Love you too, sweetie!" and hangs up the phone.
Lilly turns off the phone and slides it into her pocket. She points at the sky and gasps, "Oh, look, Caden! The sun's starting to set! Isn't it so pretty?"
He doesn't look at the sky, but instead continues looking at her. He smiles. "Yep, absolutely gorgeous!"
Lilly smiles and looks at Caden. "Caden aren't you going to look? You're going to miss it."
Caden smiles at her and begins to watch the sunset. He says, "Yeah, I'm looking. It's beautiful." He mumbles, "And so are you."
Lilly blushes, pretending she didn't just hear that last part; but she did. She smiles and leans her head on Caden's shoulder. In turn, he leans his head on hers and wraps his arm around her. They sit up on the hill, smiling and watching the stupendous sunset for a little while until the sun has just about gone down. Once it has, they stand up and walk hand in hand back to the car. They both hop in and Caden cranks the car. He looks over at Lilly and smiles. "So, to your house now?" Lilly nods her head and they head out down the road to go to Lilly's. Caden asks, "So you like One Republic too?"
Lilly smiles. "Yeah, how did you know?"
Caden smirks. "I don't know...lucky guess."
Lilly giggles. "Mhm. How did you really know?"
Caden laughs. "Well, um...Lilly, your ringtone kinda gave it away."
Lilly face palms. "Oh, yeah, duh."
They both laugh. "Well, I guess now I know what else I can add to your playlist later. What other songs or bands do you like. Well, never mind. Don't tell me now because knowing me I'll forget. You can tell me later," says Caden with a slight grin across his face.
A few minutes later, Caden pulls into a driveway. He announces, "Well, we're here, the princess's castle."
Lilly blushes and laughs. "Caden, I told you, I'm not a princess. I'm the furthest thing from a princess."
Caden argues, "Yes, I know you told me that, but you're wrong. You are a princess. You're just not the rich kind. You're the nice, kind, sweet, beautiful, and caring kind. So stop saying that you're not one, because you are. And I'm going to keep calling you a princess until you believe it and then I'll still keep calling you one. Now..." Caden unfastens his seat belt and hops out of the car. He walks around to the side of the car and opens Lilly's door. He bows, extends his hand out to her hand, and continues, "Malady."
Lilly smiles at him, takes his hand, and steps out of the car. "Ok, Caden, you win. I'm a princess. Now, let's go eat some supper; they're going to be wondering what's taking so long." Caden smiles, shuts the door behind Lilly, and they walk hand in hand up to the front door. Lilly opens the door. "Mom, we're home."
Mrs. Andrews turns the corner and says, "Hey, you two. Supper will be ready soon. Lilly can you please come set the table."
Lilly nods. "Yes, ma'am. I'm coming."
Before Mrs. Andrews walks away, Caden asks, "Oh. Uhm...Mrs. Andrews, what can I do to help?"
Mrs. Andrews smiles. "Oh, nothing, dear. Lilly and I can handle it. You go ahead in there and sit down with the boys," says Mrs. Andrews as she points to the dining room.
Caden asks, "Are you sure? I don't mind helping."
Mrs. Andrews smiles. "I'm sure. Like I said, Lilly and I can handle it. Go ahead; we'll bring the food in just a minute." Caden nods, walks into the dining room, and sits down at the table. Then Lilly follows her mom into the kitchen, collects plates and silverware, and carries them into the dining room, where she sets them down on the table, placing one in front of each chair. As she places the last plate on the table, her mom walks in carrying a massive bowl full of shrimp alfredo pasta. She sets the bowl down in the center of the table and says to Lilly, "Sweetie, can you please go get the tea and garlic bread? I had my hands full."
Lilly smiles. "Sure, mom." Then she strolls into the kitchen and picks up the plate full of garlic bread along with the pitcher of sweet tea. She carries them into the dining room, sets the garlic bread on the table, and begins to fill up the glasses.
Before she pours Caden some tea, he asks, "Lilly, is that sweet tea?"
Lilly doesn't answer immediately but she just stands there, looking at him like he's got smoke coming out of his ears or something. Finally she says, "Yeah, Caden, it's sweet tea. We don't drink poison." Everyone laughs at Lilly's comment, especially Caden. She smirks at Caden and continues filling up the glasses. Once she's finished, she sits down beside Caden, her dad blesses the food, and after, everyone fixes their plates. Lilly says, "Mom, this is amazing. I'm glad you made extra because that means we can have it again tomorrow and I can bring some for lunch tomorrow."
Caden kinda smiles at what Lilly said and agrees, "Mrs. Andrews, Lilly's right. This is delicious."
Mrs. Andrews smiles and says, "Well, thank you both and yes, Lilly, I'll be sure to put some in a bowl for you both tomorrow."
Caden says, "Mrs. Andrews, you don't have to fix me any. I want y'all to be able to have enough for supper tomorrow."
Mrs. Andrews replies, "Oh, don't worry about that. You see this big bowl right here? We'll have plenty." Caden smiles and everyone continues eating.
A little while later, now that everyone has finished eating, Lilly stands up to take the dishes to the sink and Caden begins to help her, but Mrs. Andrews stops both of them. "Ohh, no. You two are not going to wash those dishes. You're not even going to take them to the sink."
Lilly questions, "Why not, mom?"
Mrs. Andrews huffs, "After last night, no, you're not fooling with those dishes."
Lilly giggles. "Mom, that won't happen again."
Mrs. Andrews replies, "You're darn tootin' it won't happen again because I'm not letting you two back in my kitchen."
Caden and Lilly try their hardest not to laugh at Mrs. Andrews comment. Lilly says, "Ok, mom. So, what do you want us to do then?"
Mrs. Andrews replies, "Well, if you want, you two can go watch TV or you can go outside. Do whatever you want. Just stay out of the kitchen."
Lilly laughs. "Ok, mom. We will." Lilly and Caden set the dishes back down on the table and walk into the living room. Lilly smiles up at Caden. "Hey, Caden, do you like baseball?"
Caden nods. "Yeah, I love baseball. I used to watch it all the time with my dad...before he passed away." Caden felt a wave of sadness flood over him as he said that.
Lilly notices, so she tries to comfort him by grasping his hand in hers. She says, "Aww, Caden, I'm so sorry. I didn't know. Sorry if I made you sad. Would it make you feel better if we watched the game with my dad?"
Caden says, "Aw, it's ok, Lilly. You didn't make me sad. I was just thinking about him and well...that just happens sometimes. And yes, I would be honored to watch the game with you and your dad. Although, I have to ask one question first."
Lilly nods. "Mhm, what is your question?"
Caden asks, "What team are y'all on? Please don't tell me it's the Dodgers."
Lilly scoffs, "Ugh, no, not in a million years. We wouldn't cheer for the Dodgers if they were the last team on the planet. No, our team is the Atlanta Braves."
Caden laughs. "Oh, thank goodness. I was fixing to say if you were a Dodger's fan that I might would just have to leave. Also, seriously you're an Atlanta Braves fan? That's so cool because I am too. My dad and I used to watch them all the time."
Lilly smiles. "Cool! It's nice to know you have a good taste in teams. Now let's go watch the game. I think it just started." Caden can't help but smile as Lilly yanks him over to the couch. They both sit down and start cheering for the Braves, mostly Lilly. She is really into the game; Caden notices that and it just makes him smile even more.
A few hours later, the game is almost over. Lilly, who is now sitting on the edge of her seat (literally), cheers, "Come on, one more out." The pitch is thrown. Lilly shouts, "Yes, he struck him out! Braves win! Woohoo! Yay!"
Caden smiles and says, "Awesome." Then he looks at the time on his phone and says, "Well, I guess I better go home now." He stands up, shakes Mr. Andrews hand, and says, "I enjoyed watching the game with you and Lilly, Sir. Thanks for letting me come over. Have a good night."
Mr. Andrews shakes Caden's hand and replies, "Of course, Caden, you're welcome anytime. You have a good night too and drive safe."
Caden says, "I will, Sir." Then Lilly walks Caden outside. Caden says, "Well, I had a great time this evening and tonight."
Lilly smiles. "So did I, especially when you took me to the ice cream shop. That milkshake was amazing."
Caden laughs. "I told you so. I'm glad you enjoyed it...." Caden sighs. "Well, I guess I'll see you in the morning, 7:45 sharp," says Caden as he winks at Lilly, causing her to smile and blush. Then he hugs her and says, "Good night. Sweet dreams. Sleep well."
She hugs him back and says, "Ok. See you in the morning. Good night. Sweet dreams. Get home safe."
He smiles and says, "I will," and hops in his car. Lilly waves goodbye to him as he drives off.
Once Caden is out of sight, Lilly walks back inside, hugs her parents and her brother and tells all of them goodnight. Then she walks upstairs, brushes her teeth, turns her TV on the 80's music channel, and hops into bed. She lies there a second thinking about her day with Caden. Then she says her night prayer and slowly drifts off to sleep.