Hey guys! So, I've really been looking forward to writing this chapter, and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it. As always, please vote/comment if you did like it! Every single one is appreciated. :)
Picture: JJ
Song used in this chapter for Lily: Great Escape, by Mike Dignam (My favourite, feel good summer tune right now)!
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Lily POV:
The sun was going down, disappearing beneath the clouds that were overtaking the darkening sky. Night was coming, but nature seemed to be coming alive. As Noah tapped me on the shoulder and pointed to a road hidden by old oak trees, I signalled and made the turn, despite there being no other cars around. We were truly on our own and I thought how quiet it was. How different it was from the city. I felt Noah tighten his arms around my waist and rest his chin on my shoulder.
"Home sweet home," he whispered in my ear, as a beautiful white house came in to view.
My mouth fell open as I turned off the engine and stared up at the house. It was huge, with arching windows either side of the cherry red door. A bicycle was tipped on its side near the winding pathway leading to the entrance. There were dog toys thrown around the drive and I smiled. It didn't just feel like another house, it felt like a home.
"This is beautiful," I murmured, taking it all in.
The house had a road to itself, making it feel like we were on our own. Hopping of the bike, I turned to Noah and stared at him. He was looking up at the house with a look that made me realise how long he had been waiting to come home. And I couldn't blame him. I hadn't even been inside the house and I knew already it was the type of home that every child should have.
A small pang of regret hit me, but Noah reached out and took my hand. "So, you ready to meet the family?" he asked, squeezing my hand gently. "Because I know they're dying to meet you."
"I've been ready for a long time," I nodded, trying not to sound as nervous as I felt.
But obviously it wasn't working because Noah tilted my chin up so I was looking in to his eyes. "Don't be nervous honey," he smiled. "They'll love you, like I do."
Standing on tiptoes, I kissed him lightly and stepped back. It still amazed me that this boy standing in front of me could make me feel calm so quickly. No one else before had been able to do that, except my mother. Taking a deep breath, I smiled and followed behind as Noah walked to the front door, the huge smile on his face betraying how truly happy he was to finally be home, where he belonged.
"What about the bags?" I asked, looking at the bike over my shoulder. "I'll go get them and - "
"Don't worry about them," Noah smiled, pulling me up the front steps. "We'll get them later. Hey, do you hear that?"
Frowning, I stepped beside him and put my ear to the door. There was loud music coming from the far side of the house. "It's music," I said, looking up at Noah.
A look of understanding flashed in his eyes and he laughed softly to himself. "Of course," he muttered, shaking his head. "Wouldn't have expected anything less."
"What?" I asked.
"Well it's around eight in the evening, right?" He smiled. "Ever since I can remember, my parents sit out on the dock and listen to the radio for a while. It's something that's always been a part of my childhood, and now they do it with it JJ."
"It sounds wonderful," I whispered, "It sounds like a childhood that deserves to be remembered."
I felt Noah kiss the top of my head gently and I smiled to myself. My childhood didn't deserve to be remembered and I had never been able to erase it from my memory, but with Noah, it was different. He helped me to see the good things, and I would never be able to thank him for that.
As he opened the door and stepped in to the spacious hall, I followed closely behind. There was a huge living room to the left, finished with old wooden beams and filled with childrens toys. A fireplace was at the far side of the room and family photos dotted the walls. My eyes caught one of Noah with his arm around Jackie as JJ stood next to him. This family was clearly as close as any family could be. Suddenly, a bark came from the top of the stairs on the right and I caught sight of a golden blur as it rushed down the stairs.
"Hey sammy!" Noah laughed, sinking down to one knee as the Labrador charged at him. "How's my boy?"
I grinned as Sammy stood on his hind legs and tried his hardest to lick Noah's face, despite him trying to wriggle away. He failed, and the dog whined as it licked him like crazy, slobbering all over him.
"Oh no," I chuckled, wincing as Noah looked up at me with a look of bewilderment. "Dude, you've got drool all over you."
The dog suddenly cocked his head and looked in my direction, as if only just realising that there was another person stood next to him. Smiling, I bent down and reached out my hand. Sammy took that as his cue and I grinned as he rolled over on to his back, his legs in the air. I reached out and scratched his belly, causing his tongue to fall out on to the floor in complete relaxation.
"Looks like you've made a new friend there," Noah smiled, looking down at Sammy affectionately. "Traitor."
The dog just barked and wagged his tail back and forth, too preoccupied with getting his belly rubbed. Laughing, I stood up and turned to Noah whose blue shirt was covered in slobber. I raised my eyebrow and just watched as he tried to wipe it off, a disgusted look on his face.
"Oh, to hell with it," he shrugged, rubbing Sammy's ears as he walked down the hall. "Lets go through to the kitchen, there's a door that leads to the back garden."
I followed him and my eyes widened as I stepped in to the kitchen. It was painted a pale yellow, with wooden work tops. And it was huge, encompassing the whole back part of the house. More family photos were displayed. It seemed that no place was off limits for them, something which made me fall in love with the house even more.
"Hell yes!" I heard Noah say happily. "My mum baked cookies and they're still warm."
"They smell great," I said, smiling when Noah passed me one, after having shoved two whole ones in to his mouth at the same time.
Taking a bite, I waved the cookie at him. "These taste awesome."
"Don't let my mum hear you say that," he said, crumbs falling out of his mouth as he shoved in another cookie. "She'll get all smug about it and start baking cookies every hour."
"Well that wouldn't be such a bad thing," I laughed, my eyes drifting to the floor as Sammy sat in front of me, trying his damned hardest to look cute.
He was doing a pretty good job. "Can I give him the rest of the cookie?" I asked Noah, noticing him shaking his head at the Sammy.
"Sure," he nodded. "If you didn't, that dog would hold a grudge. He can be a grumpy old thing sometimes."
I handed over the last part of the cookie and wiped my hands on my shorts. Turning on the spot, my eyes drifted to the slightly open door to the right hand side of the kitchen. The music was still blaring from the garden, and I could see smoke appearing from around the side of the house.
"Noah, I think I can see smoke."
He stepped past me and stuck his head out the door. After a brief second, he looked over his shoulder and grinned, gesturing me over. Walking through the kitchen, I stepped up to his side and took hold of his hand as he led me out in to the garden. I had never seen anything like it, and it was definately the best part of the house. It was on a small decline, sloping towards the lake. When my eyes found the water, I gasped.
There was a dock leading off from the bottom of the garden, stretching out in to the water. I could see a small shadow of a boy sitting on the edge, with his feet dangling in the lake. Sammy darted past us and ran towards the boy who could only be Noah's little brother, JJ. The sun was low, but it's ray's were making the water glisten as a flock of birds floated on the top.
"Why would you ever leave this place?" I murmured, looking up at Noah as he slipped an arm around my waist.
"Now I'm back here, I don't actually know," he smiled. "Maybe it was so I could find you."
"And I'm glad you did," I said honestly, not even wanting to imagine a life that he wasn't a part of. "You've got me college boy. I'm all yours."
"Good," he grinned. "And it's going to stay that way."
I laughed as he led me along the side of the house, where the smoke appeared to be coming from. As we turned the corner, I caught sight of a large man standing with his back to us. He looked like he was about six foot five, with greying hair. The woman sitting opposite him was laughing at something he'd said and she had a beautiful smile, just like Noah's. She had black hair that fell over her shoulders, but there were hints of grey. But the one thing that struck me, was how happy they looked.
"Mum, dad!" Noah suddenly shouted beside me, happiness echoing through his words. "Where's my welcome home party?"
The man swivelled around, a surprised look on his face. He dropped the spatula he was holding and strolled over, Noah's mum overtaking him and running past. I smiled as she slammed in to Noah and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Honey!" She cried in delight. "You said you'd ring us when you were near."
"Well, I thought I'd surprise you," he laughed, grinning at me over his mum's shoulder.
I stood there and watched as his father strolled over and embraced him for a short moment before stepping back. The contact may have been brief but there was no mistaking it, Noah's parents loved him unconditionally like a parent should. Smiling nervously, I stepped up to Noah's side as he grabbed a hold of my shirt and pulled me over, before wrapping his arm around my waist once more.
"So Lily, these are my parents, Julie and Pierce," he said, squeezing me against his side.
"It's great to meet you," I said, knowing my voice betrayed how nervous I felt. "Noah talks about you a lot."
"We've been waiting a long time to meet you, Lily," Julie said, before stepping forward and wrapping her arms around me. "And we've heard a lot about you too, especially from Jackie. She's quite enamoured of you."
"Well I feel the same way about her," I smiled. "You have a wonderful family, and a beautiful home."
As Julie stepped back, Pierce nodded at me and pointed at Noah. "I can't believe you've put up with this little tyke for over three months," he grinned. "You're a fine young woman Lily, with more patience than I have."
I burst out laughing as I looked up at Noah. "Dad!" he mumbled. "Why do you always say stuff like that? I'm not a kid anymore, you know."
"Oh honey, you'll always be our little boy," Julie smiled, wrapping an arm around her husband's waist.
Noah face-palmed, shaking his head as he glanced at me out of the corner of his eye. He was obviously a little embarassed, but it didn't matter. The love his parents felt for him was as obvious as it could ever be, and in truth, I envied him.
"Anyway, moving on..." Noah sighed, looking past me and down towards the dock. "How's JJ doing?"
"He's the same, son," Pierce said dejectedly. "He was sent home from school a week ago with a bruise on his arm. Apparently, some kid from his class thought it would be funny to throw him to the ground and see how hard he could step on his arm."
I felt Noah tense beside me, so I entwined my fingers with his, squeezing his hand gently. He took a deep breath and looked down at me. I sent him a look, letting him know that I was there and he smiled, knowing the same thing. Glancing up, I noticed his mother staring at me. She nodded gratefully, a small smile passing her lips so quickly I wasn't even sure if it had even been there at all.
"Is he okay now?" Noah asked, his rage barely in check. "Because if he's not, I'll go find that little punk that did it and see how he likes it."
"Your father had the same idea," Julie said dismissively, waving her hand. "Richard too. They were like two men on a mission."
"So what happened?" I asked, glancing towards the water where JJ still sat on the dock, not realising his brother was home yet.
"Ah, we couldn't do jack to the kid. They're only seven," Pierce mumbled angrily. "If you ask me, it's the parents fault. They ought to get their kids to show some respect, not beat each other up."
"I understand," I nodded. "I guess sometimes, things just don't turn out the way they should. And it's usually the kind, gentle souls that get punished for it, like your son."
I ran a hand through my hair and stared at the floor, the words that had just left my mouth hitting home. Seeing a young boy getting bullied for being different was something that hurt me, because my past had been similar. Although other kids weren't the ones that had bullied me when I was a child, that had been my father. Noah let go of my hand and put his hand on my hip, pulling me back against him. Plastering on a smile, I looked up to find them all staring at me.
To my surprise, Julie stepped forward and took my hand. "You're a good person Lily," she smiled kindly. "I could tell that from the moment I saw you. You'll fit in no problem. But somethings tells me, you're already part of this family."
Blinking, I tried to hold back the tears as my eyes watered. It was such a simple thing to say, but it meant so much more than she knew. Pierce nodded at me and smiled, putting a hand on his wife's shoulder.
"As I said before, anyone that can put up with my son and not end up killing him," he chuckled heartily. "Well, that makes you part of the family."
"Thank you," I whispered, my stomach fluttering with what could have only been happiness on an unadulterated scale.
"So, you ready to meet JJ?" Noah said, his voice filled with excitement.
"Sure," I nodded eagerly. "Are we going to go down?"
"Don't expect too much okay, Lily?" Julie said beside me, a hint of sadness in her voice. "He's very shy with strangers. You can try, but he probably won't be able to speak to you."
"It's okay," I smiled, to reassure her that I didn't mind. "I'm just happy that he gets to see his big brother."
"Well then," Noah smiled, stepping past and walking down the garden a few steps, leaving me, Julie and Pierce standing at the top by the fire that was still burning in to the night. I watched as Noah turned around briefly and winked at me, before cupping his hands around his mouth and shouting in to the distance.
"HEY JJ!" he yelled, "What's a guy got to do to get a hug around here?"
The young boy swivelled around and jumped up from the dock. I watched as JJ ran full speed towards Noah, his blonde hair bouncing as he ran. Noah laughed and ran down the garden, scooping up his brother as JJ launched himself in to his open arms.
"Noah!" He cried happily, wrapping his small arms around Noah's neck with his eyes squeezed shut. "You came."
"Of course I came buddy," Noah smiled, resting his chin on the top of JJ's head. "Can't go too long without seeing my favourite little man!"
"Me?" JJ asked, leaning back and looking up at him as he wrapped his legs around Noah's waist.
"Of course you," Noah laughed, ruffling his hair. "Dude, when did you get so big? What's mum been feeding you?"
"I get lots of sweets," JJ said. "And mum bakes me cookies."
I laughed to myself as Noah shook his head in mock disapproval. "That's no good for a growing boy like you," he smiled. "You need things like broccoli and -"
"Eww!" JJ cried, scrunching up his nose. "That stuff's gross!"
"Well you're right there," Noah agreed. "Come on buddy, there's someone I want you to meet."
Glancing at Julie and Pierce beside me, I smiled nervously. They both nodded at me encouragingly, making me feel slightly less nervous. As Noah made his way up the garden with JJ still sitting on his hip, I smoothed down my shorts and took a deep breath, taking a few steps forward. When they got closer and Noah stopped in front of me, I noticed JJ hiding his face against Noah's side.
"Hey there," I said quietly, looking at Noah who just shrugged at me dejectedly. "Well you must be JJ. You know, your brother talks about you all the time and how great you are."
My smile grew as JJ peeked out from the shirt, looking at me out of one eye. I waved at him with one hand and carried on. "I see you're wearing a Spider man t-shirt, he's great isn't he?" I said. "But my favourite has to be Batman. He has a really cool car, don't you think?"
Noah gaped at me as JJ lifted his head and nodded. It was barely noticeable but it was there. "Yeah, the bat mobile," I carried on, seeing an opening. "And he gets to wear a cool suit as well. I like Superman too, he's the strongest. Nothing can beat him."
"Spiderman can," JJ whispered, cocking his head at me.
I heard Julie gasp behind me, but I ignored her, keeping my focus on JJ. "Really?" I asked. "What powers does he have?"
I already knew the answer but I wanted JJ to tell me. Nodding encouragingly, I waited as he wriggled out of Noah's grasp and hopped to the floor. Noah was rooted to the spot, watching with shock as JJ walked over to me hesitantly.
"He can fly over buildings," JJ whispered, throwing his arms in the air. "And he makes webs from his hands. It's the coolest ever."
"Wow!" I exclaimed, feigning surprise. "That does sound great. But does he have a cool car like Batman does?"
"No," JJ said, shaking his head. "But he gets a cool mask with a spider on it."
"Well," I laughed, shrugging my shoulders at him. "Nothing beats that. I guess I'll have to take your word for it. I'm trusting you here, JJ."
"I can prove it," he whispered, taking another step forward, so he was standing right in front of me. "I have comics in my room and I can show you why Spiderman's the coolest."
"I'd love to see your comics," I smiled, holding out my hand.
JJ took a step back, staring at my hand with unease. I mentally slapped myself, wondering if I had gone to far. But to my surprise, after a brief moment of hesitancy, he took hold of my hand and smiled up at me nervously.
Relief washed over me as Noah stepped past and stood next to his parents. Glancing in their direction, I couldn't help but laugh as they all stood there looking shell shocked, their mouths wide open in amazement. As I caught Noah's eye, he smiled at me and I smiled back, knowing how much seeing JJ talk to someone new meant to them.
"Thank you," he mouthed, the orange hue of the fire casting shadows over his face.
I just smiled, squeezing JJ's hand as he tried to pull me back towards the house. Laughing softly, I glanced towards Julie and Pierce. "Is it alright if he shows me his comics?" I asked.
They both nodded, seemingly unable to find any words. "Yay. I've got all the spider man ones," JJ said happily as he pulled my hand and guided me towards the house. "And I've got spider man pyjamas."
As I followed him and Sammy through the house, who wouldn't leave JJ's side, I couldn't help but think how lucky Noah was to have such a wonderful family. It was obvious that his parents loved him unconditionally, and his little brother idolised him. And as I smiled to myself, I remembered Julie's words to me. Words that I would never forget.
'Something tells me you're already part of this family.'
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Noah POV:
Walking slowly up the stairs to JJ's bedroom, my mind drifted to Lily as it always did. The way she had talked and listened to JJ was something that nobody but the family ever did. I hadn't thought it possible that my love for her could have grown, but it had. As I walked through the upstairs hallway, I smiled as my eyes fell on the walls. The white paint underneath was barely visible, hidden beneath hundreds of drawings that JJ had done. Most of them were just scribbles, but my parents had hung up every single one.
Reaching the bedroom, I knocked and opened it, walking in to find JJ sitting in between Lily's outstretched legs as they both read a Spiderman comic. Their heads snapped up at the same time, wondering who was entering their private sanctuary. On seeing that it was me, JJ waved and then went straight back to his comic, but Lily met my eyes and smiled.
A thought hit me suddenly, watching Lily sitting there with my brother who had shied away from countless others. She would make a great mother some day. Where the hell did that thought come from? I wondered. Shaking the thought away, I stepped in to the room and bent down in front of JJ.
"Come on punk," I grinned, snatching the comic away as he frowned at me. "Barbeque's ready, you hungry?"
He nodded and reached out his arms. "Can you carry me?" He asked, wriggling his fingers.
"You lost the use of your legs have you?" I laughed, ruffling his hair. "Boy, you've gotten lazy since I've been gone."
"Have not," he mumbled, still pleading at me with his big blue eyes.
"Go on Noah," Lily smiled beside him. "You have to carry him."
"And why's that?" I asked, cocking an eyebrow at her as she sat forward and wrapped her arms around JJ's stomach.
"Because if you don't," she chuckled. "JJ will have to stay here and I don't think I'll be able to resist tickling him."
"Noooo!" JJ laughed, as Lily moved her hands up and under his still outstretched arms.
I sat back and watched amusedly as JJ fought to wriggle away. But his face was red from laughing so much, and he couldn't quite manage to get away from Lily's grasp. He leant back in to Lily's chest and looked up at her, tears of laughter rolling down his cheeks. Grinning, I lunged forward and tickled the bottoms of his bare feet, dodging a kick as he tried to roll away.
"Pleaseeee!" He breathed.
"Okay little man. Well..." she said breathlessly. "Noah, now you see why you have to carry JJ. Unless you want me to tickle him some more."
"Alright bro," I said, laughing when he stood up and launched himself at me. "Lets go, otherwise our food's going to be charred to a crisp before we get down there."
As if on cue, my dad's voice boomed from downstairs. "Any time today guys," he shouted. "Hot dogs are ready so get your asses down here."
"Coming daddy!" JJ shouted back, patting me on the shoulder to get me moving.
As I walked down the stairs and out in to the garden with JJ in my arms and Lily trailing beside me, I smiled knowing that I was surrounded by people that I loved more than anything. The smell of burgers and hot dogs caught my nose, and I glanced over at Lily. I was momentarily taken aback by how beautiful she looked. The late night breeze was whipping her blonde hair past her shoulders, and the orange hue from the darkening fire illuminated her skin.
"Smells good, huh?" I smiled.
"It smells great," she nodded as we reached the wooden bench to the left hand side of the fire.
I took a seat next to her and put JJ down, noticing his eyelids drooping. "Are you tired little man?" I asked, tiliting his head up as it began to fall.
"If he's tired he can go to bed," my father said, walking around and swooping him in to his arms. "It's already 9pm, way past this boys bed time."
"No," JJ squirmed, trying to wriggle out of his arms. "I'm not tired. Honest. I can stay awake."
"Maybe just this once," my mum said, taking him from my father's arms and sitting down with him on her lap. "After all, it's a special night."
"I don't know," dad said unsurely. "He's going to be up late because of all this wedding stuff. And Jackie and Rich are coming over tomorrow. Maybe he should get some extra sleep tonight."
"No!" JJ said defiantly, folding his arms and shaking his head. "I don't wanna."
I laughed and lent back, putting my arm around Lily's shoulder as she snuggled in to me. "Looks like the man of the house has spoken."
"Fine," my father grumbled, taking a seat beside my mum and patting JJ's shoulder. "Ignore me as per usual."
"Do you two want some food?" My mum asked.
I looked down at Lily as she shook her head. "Maybe in a minute," she smiled. "I'd like to just sit here for a while, it's such a beautiful night."
"It is," I agreed, tilting my head back and looking at the sky.
There was something different about being in a city. Out here the stars seemed brighter, and the world beyond the lake seemed like a completely different place. The only thing I could hear was the crackle of the still burning fire and the whisper of the trees as they shook in the wind.
"So, Lily," my mum said suddenly. "Noah tells us that you play the guitar."
"He told you that," Lily smiled, looking up at me. "Well yeah I do. I've played for Noah a few times. It's just something that brings a brief escape, you know."
"Sounds wonderful," my mum nodded, inching forward with an interested look. "You know I miss the sound of a guitar around here."
"Oh, do either of you play?" Lily asked, looking at both of my parents.
"Not me sweetheart," my father said, shaking his head. "Could never get the hang of it. But if you need a car fixed or a bit of DIY, I'm your man."
"Neither of us play," my mum said, glancing at me. "But Noah, he's a great player. He used to - "
I waved my hand frantically behind Lily's head to signal for her to stop talking. She seemed to get the message as her sentence trailed off and she looked at me, wondering what I was doing. But it was too late. I felt Lily spin around and face me, a surprised look on her face.
"You play the guitar?" she asked, her eyes wide.
"Well, not really," I shrugged. "I attempted it when I was a kid, but I didn't get very far. I guess I was like my dad, just couldn't get the hang of it."
Out of the corner my eye, I could see my father with a confused look on his face. In truth, I had been playing the guitar since I was a kid, and I was good at it. But there was a reason I hadn't told Lily. I wanted to surprise her when I played the first time, something that was going to happen very soon.
"You still have the guitar, right Noah?" My mum asked, playing along despite not knowing what for.
"Yeah," I nodded. "It's in my room."
"Lily, you think you could play something for us?" she asked, smiling over at her.
"Yeah," JJ mumbled sleepily, trying his hardest to stay awake. "I wanna hear."
Looking down at Lily, I could see the unsure look on her face. I understood. Playing guitar was something of Lily's that was hers, and nobody else's which was why she played when she was on her own, or with me. So I was surprised when she nodded and turned to me.
"Will you go and get it?" she asked, her hair fluttering in the wind.
"Of course," I nodded, getting up from the bench and jogging over to the door.
Stepping over Sammy who was fast asleep in the hall, I ran to my room and picked up the guitar before going back outside. Handing it over, I watched as Lily ran her hands along the wood pattern and tested the strings. Seeing her with a guitar was one of the things that I could watch all day long. And hearing her play, was something I could listen to all day long too. After a minute, she placed the guitar on her lap and stared in to the fire that was in the middle of the five of us.
"The songs I usually sing remind me of someone," she smiled, winking at JJ who had sat up and was watching intently. "But this song is just one that makes me smile, just like being here does."
I watched as my father reached over and pulled JJ on to his lap. He snuggled in to him and rested his head on my father's jacket, still fighting the sleep that was coming. My mother shuffled up to their sides and put a hand on JJ's leg.
"Thank you for playing for us, Lily," my father said.
"Of course," she nodded, as I stood up and went to sit with my family on the other side of the fire, so I could watch as she sang.
My eyes never left hers as she strummed the guitar, and her voice echoed through the darkened night as she began to sing the lyrics that made me smile like nothing else could.
"I want to climb up mountains,
Drink from nature's fountains,
Who knows what I'll do on my way,
I want to be lost in transit,
Find love in a different language,
Who knows who I'll meet on my way
Now I'm sure this is what I needed,
Space to roam, be completely free."
As Lily's voice faded, she caught my eye and I smiled at her. Whenever I heard her sing, I knew in that moment she was doing something she loved, and that was all I wanted for her. My mind drifted back to the songs I had heard her sing when I first met her. They were sad, just like she had been. But now, her songs were wonderful and heaven to my ears. When she sang now, she was happy.
"Lily, that was wonderful," my mother smiled, sounding amazed. "You play beautifully. Have you ever thought of playing professionally?"
Lily placed the guitar down on the floor beside her and nodded. "I have thought about it, now and then. But playing guitar, it's just for me; to help me through things. That's what it's always been about."
"This girl's a special one," my dad chuckled, nudging me with his elbow. "Don't you let her go, son."
"Believe me," I whispered, staring at Lily. "I'll never let her go."
"Did you enjoy that sweetie?" mum said to JJ, but I laughed when I looked down at him.
He was snoring lightly, and had started to dribble on my fathers jacket. "He's drooling on me," dad said, stating the obvious.
"We're going to put him to bed," my mum said, following as my father lifted a sleeping JJ in to his arms and carried him towards the house.
As my mother walked past Lily, she squeezed her shoulder gently and whispered something in to her ear, causing Lily to break out in to a huge grin. Wondering what she'd said, I got up and walked over to Lily, collapsing beside her before throwing my arm around her shoulders and pulling her in close.
"What was that?" I asked, as she leant her head on my shoulder and closed her eyes. "What did my mum say?"
"Just something that made me smile," Lily said, looking up at me. I widened my eyes and nodded for her to continue. She just laughed and put a hand on my chest. "Your mum said thank you, and she said she was glad that we found each other."
"I'm thankful for that too, Lily," I whispered, puling her closer as she yawned again. "I hadn't even noticed, but I think I was waiting to find you for a long time."
"That's good," she laughed softly, "Because you're stuck with me now."
Resting my head on hers, I smiled as I gazed in to the fire. The breeze caused the flames to dance, and the crackling of the wood echoed through the otherwise quiet night. After a minute, Lily's breathing evened out. She was falling asleep. Kissing the top of her head, I pulled her closer.
"I love you Lily," I whispered, despite knowing she couldn't hear me. But to my surprise, she mumbled something in to my shirt. And I didn't have to hear it to know what she'd said.
"I love you too, college boy."