FLASHBACK
A week after her reconciliation dinner with Brena, Lillian was leaving school after her classes ended when her phone started to ring. Her rule was,
If it's blocked or unknown I ain't gonna answer it.
When the numbers she didn't know call her, she puts herself on mute and listens to the voice on the other end. Which she did in this case and she was about to hang up until she heard,
"Hello, is this Lillian? This is Damien." He said, sheepishly.
She immediately came off mute feeling perplexed. How on earth did he get my number? She wondered. Then she remembered there was one person that she knew, who would pull a stunt like this.
Brena.
"Hello, yeah this is she." She began to smile and her cheeks became tinted with a light shade of pink. "My best friend gave you my number didn't she?" She shook her head in disapproval, taking a sip of her strawberry açaí drink from Starbucks.
Rubbing the back of his head, Damien chuckled quietly. "She definitely did but not directly. Shawty wrote it on a note and slipped it in the middle of the tips y'all left.. by the way, thank you but y'all ain't have to."
"I'm not surprised. I'm going to deal with her later. And ummm....you're welcome it was nothing. Your customer service was amazing. Anywho, how are you?" She said, placing her drink into the cup holder.
"I'm doing aigh queen, and yourself?"
"I'm doing good. Thank you." She smiled, connecting her phone to the car, pulling out of the parking lot.
"Aigh, that's wassup. I actually called you to ask if..." He paused when cars started honking loudly in the background causing Lillian to yell.
"Move Asshole, Damn!"
Damien laughed at her rage, snapping Lillian's attention back to the conversation.
"My bad." She sighed. "Some people don't deserve to drive let alone own a car. Moving like a damn snail." She huffed, angrily.
Lillian despised slow drivers. She's one of those drivers where you need to hold on to your dear life if you're riding in the same car as her.
"As if people don't have places to go." She said, rolling her eyes while putting her hair in a bun when she got held by the red light.
"It's all good. You got a lil road rage though but I was gonna ask if you would like to grab lunch with me sometime next week or whenever you're free.. your choice."
Lillian's eyes lit up amusedly with a bobby pin in between her lips. Through gritted teeth, she responded, "yes, I would love to..and you got a problem with road rage?" A smile crept on her face as she waited for him to answer.
She knew what she was doing.
"Aigh, well I'mma text you the info inna few." Just before she hung up, he added, "I like rage in women but not for the road."
Lillian blushed slightly at his statement knowing exactly what he was implying.
"Bet. Catch you later and try not to cuss anyone out."
Moving her lips to the right, she sucked her teeth.
"I'll try. Ain't making no promises and you too be safe, bye."
"Later, beautiful." He complimented, ending the call.
Later that day, Brena answered the phone to an angry Lillian. Her anger subsided when she started blushing at the thought of Damien as she discussed how the conversation went. Brena encouraged her to go and have a good time and not to think too much into it.
Lillian knew there was possibility for something to spark between her and Damien but there were secrets she was already keeping from Brena. If Damien came into the equation, things would get too complicated.
The thought made her sick to her stomach and drained her energy instantly.
~~***~~
PRESENT DAY
"Come over tonight when I get back." Lillian takes hold of the warm hands, lifting up the gorgeous face to her level.
"I promise we'll pick up from where we left off and tonight my attention will be all yours."
Lillian whispers seductively, sucking on the index finger which was still wet from going inside of her.
"And you," She kisses the neck
"Will," She sucks the bottom lip
"Be," She nibbles on the ear lobe
"Mine." She whispers, kissing the pouting lips in front of her.
Her body was telling her yes because it knew she wanted what was in front of her. For some reason, she couldn't get Damien out of her head.
"Okay." She exhales sharply, wanting to break the uncomfortable silence. "I really need to shower." She slowly got out of the bed and went inside the bathroom.
As she steps into the shower with a frosted rain glass design, she attempts to cheer up the person as the individual joins her in the bathroom.
"Can't be out here smelling like sex." She jokes, turning the chrome shower faucet on.
"Wanna join me?"
"I'll shower downstairs." Was all the unidentified person says, slamming Lillian's bedroom door.
Not again. She thought.
Following the incident, she comes out of the shower to an empty house. Trying not to stress over the minor quarrel, she shoots a quick text to the angry soul.
I don't like when you're upset. I'm sorry.
After cleaning up her home she got dressed and in a blink of an eye it was already 5:50 pm in the evening. The sun has slowly drifted away from the blue clouds and night time is now upon the quiet streets of Long Island. From Lillian's house to Brena's place of work was an hour and 30 minutes drive but with her driving skills, it was 45 minutes. Once she locks the door, she starts strolling to her car when a text comes in.
From: Pops
"Hi Princess. Sorry I missed your call last week I've been in and out of meetings. We're currently in Portugal. Know that I and your mother love you so much. Make sure you check your bank account I sent you a little something."
Rolling her eyes inwardly at her father's pretense, she gets into her car as she closes the iMessage app. She then opened her Bank of America app to check her current account balance. Lillian's jaw drops when her eyes land on the amount of money Kevin sent. Though it was nothing new to her, it still took her by surprised and the fact that it wasn't Sunday. Kevin sent her money biweekly on Sundays. Her account was now multiplied by a whopping sum of 35 thousand dollars.
The money didn't take away the anger and curiosity his suspicious actions have ignited in her. Lillian was grateful regardless but it wasn't easy to accept his gifts now after what she has recently discovered. But when she remembers the business she has to handle, it involves large amount of money as the required payment. So instead of feeling downcast, she responds to him with joy.
I just saw it. Thanks daddy I love you. I miss you. Please be careful and my regards to mom.
At first she inserts a purple heart emoji at the end of her message but then erases it, sending the message plain. Once she starts the car engine, a face-time call from her mother comes in.
A huge smile spreads across her face when she looks at the call.
The relationship with her mother isn't as tight knit as the one she managed to establish with her father. Whenever she did hear from her, Lillian was ecstatic because it showed that her mother still cared for her.
"Hello." Linda says into the phone with the camera way to close to her face.
"Hi mom, how are you? How's Portugal?"
"Aww angel, you look beautiful." She compliments Lillian. "I miss you. We miss you. And it's a beautiful city. We'll come back here for a family vacation."
"That's nice. Good for you guys and thank you mom. I'm actually I'm on my way out, that's why I'm dressed up so I'll talk to you soon. Love you and tell dad thanks for the money. Make sure y'all enjoy your little baecation." Lillian teases, wanting to liven the conversation.
"Oh our baecation will be on our anniversary." Linda, Lillian's mother responds.
Lillian unexpectedly bursts out into laughter, eyeing her mother who is smiling too hard and it seems extremely forced.
"Who taught you the meaning of that word?" Lillian says disgustingly. "I don't even want to know." She waves her hand in the camera. "Gotta go mom. Love you."
"You're welcome. Bye my angel." Her mother says, blowing kisses at her before hanging up.
Lillian misses her mother dearly. If she was still oblivious to the facts surrounding her father, she would also miss him despite his very noticeable arrogant attitude. His attitude is so distasteful that it has always made it so difficult for her to understand who he truly was on the inside.
Until now.
Her mother rarely said the words, I love you to her. That was just one out of the many things she struggled with. When Victoria was alive, she admired the bond she and Brena shared. It gave her a broader insight that blood isn't always thicker than water. The passive aggressive behavior from her mother affected her more than her parents knew.
At time, she even felt unwanted.
To: Bren
I'm on my way.
Once she clicks send, Lillian drives down to Brena's place of work. Unfortunately, the highway is busier than usual but she manages to make it at at exactly 7:00 pm even though the search for a parking spot was difficult. She finds one on the next block away from the store. As she changes the radio to power 105.1, she increases the volume when she hears, Die Young by Roddy Ricch.
"Tell me why the legends always gotta die quick!" She sings aloud, opening the Snapchat app to record herself.
Her singing session is rudely interrupted when she a knock on the passenger side window catches her attention. Looking up to see it was Brena, she lowers her phone, unlocks the doors to allow her to get in.
"Here we go with this Roddy shit."Brena complains, peeling her bag off her shoulder.
Setting her bag down and tossing her jacket in the back, she fluffs her shirt because of the intense heat in the car.
"You know I love him." Lillian reminds her while posting her video.
"Sis, we know." Brena rolls her eyes. "Anyway, thank you for coming, and for being on time that's a first."
Brena put her seatbelt on while Lillian starts the car. She stares at her suspiciously. "You had sex before coming here didn't you?" She accuses, suspiciously.
Lillian starts blushing, looking out the window as she shakes her head regretfully. "Work with the FBI why don't you?" She mutters.
"So that's a yes?" Brena's brows pull together eagerly, hoping Lillian would confirm her suspicion.
"You're creepy..you know the answer but how the hell did you know? You're really weird."
"I'm far from weird baby girl. Maybe next time, you should wear a turtle-neck sweater. That makeup ain't do a good job covering up those marks." Brena advises, pointing to the love bite printed on the right side of Lillian's neck.
Lillian's eyes widen in shock, looking into the rear view mirror. She quickly uses her left hand to locate the spot, reaching for her handbag. She opens the black leather bag and takes out her small makeup pouch to reapply her Fenty foundation on the noticeable marks.
"Cat got your tongue?" Brena teases.
Lillian tenses up at the statement, instantly feeling guilty. "Okay, yeah I got some so what?" She replies defensively. "Let's get you home so you can shower and we can head out so you could get some."
"Wow. That was low even for you." Brena gasps at her remark. "Alright, just tell me one thing though. Was it Damien?"
Lillian stops at the red light before responding. "No." She explains defensively, yet again.
"I can't believe you still haven't made a move on him yet? Stop playing games with him for real." Brena suggests, taking a bite of her leftover lunch.
"I'm not. I'm just not ready." Lillian pauses briefly before changing the topic. "How was work though?"
"Take your time LJ, I'm just saying don't let him slip away. I got a good feeling about him." Brena responds softly. "Work was fine another regular day at the UPS store." She shrugs.
Lillian is truly proud of Brena's determination because she didn't know how she was able to do it. Brena is such a hardworking young woman, that you wouldn't even know her financial background because of how she presented herself to the public.
She lived a life of mystery but exuded love to both the young and the old. One of the many things she strongly admired about her best friend was her humility. It was alluring and it even helped her stay grounded as well.
"That sandwich looks good as fuck." Lillian gazes at the bacon avocado grilled cheese sandwhich dreamily. "But, I'm proud of you. One more year there and you move on to your internship at the mayor's office right?"
Chewing the bits of her sandwich, Brena narrows her dark brown eyes at Lillian, scoffing at the absurdity of her greedy statement.
"You ain't getting a piece so I don't know why you're drooling." She takes another bite as she continues. "I appreciate it." She gulps. "I mean, yeah I can't wait to do something that I love but I'm not so sure but if I can finish this last final, I'll know I'm closer to my dreams. Retail deadass ain't for me." Brena says, putting her stuff together as she gets ready to get out the car.
"You can always quit and in the meantime wait on your acceptance into the internship." Lillian says assuringly, closing the car door.
They've arrived at Brena's house.
She swings over bag her shoulder and answers Lillian. "I know that but almost two years ago I had to distract myself because of all the shit going on but now," She closes the car door. "I'm regaining a new identity so its like do I go back to my old life or start something new? I'm about to be 23 years old and the way our generation is, they make it seem like we have to have everything in our life together. I knew what I wanted before but now I'm lost."
When they get inside, she places both her house and car keys on the key holder near the door and opens the closet to hang up her coat. Lillian locks the door behind her since she was the last person to enter.
"Okay that's true. Still, try to sleep on it. Things will workout like they're meant to. Whatever you choose I'm proud of you and one hundred percent behind you. Fuck what our generation's standards. You come from a wealthy family and have almost everything you could ever want. You will find your way." She pats Brena's shoulders encouragingly.
Brena's shoulders fall feeling the weight come off. She smiles at Lillian, pulling her into a hug.
"Now, go shower and get dressed. It's already 8:30 and I wanna stop by IHOP to grab something to eat." Lillian sits down, turning on the tv.
"Or you can go check the fridge. There's some hot pockets because I know later you'll be hungry again so eat something light." Brena says while Lillian flips through channels, blandly.
"Cool." Lillian stands up from the couch.
Stopping in her tracks, Brena turns around and asks, "which club are we going to anyway?"
As she walks to the fridge, Lillian looks up and answers her. "Atlantis strip club. My coursemate, Chyna, she's a bottle girl there and she told me your crush will be coming tonight."
Brena runs back down the stairs and strolls into the kitchen. Almost falling, she slams the fridge shut and questions a hungry Lillian with excitement swimming in her eyes.
"Hold the fuck up you mean Chris Grey?" She tilts her head. "Or D West?"
"If you move out my way maybe I'll tell yo' ass."
Brena steps to the side sheepishly, allowing Lillian to take the box of hot pockets out of the freezer.
"The one you like the most." Lillian simply says, unwrapping her food.
As she put them into the oven, Brena squeals like a kid unraveling their present on a Christmas morning.
"Ah!" She jumps up and down. "Why didn't you tell me?" She pouts. "Shit, I gotta look good." She says in realization, itching her head, thinking of what to wear for the evening.
Seated on the island, Lillian is on her phone searching up the address of the club. She looked up and kissed her teeth at her best friend's theatrical reaction.
"Because I knew your ass would do this." She points at a dancing Brena.
"Man, fuck that. I swear he could get it." Brena gushes, turning her heads to go up to her bedroom.
"You've never even had sex a day in your life but okay." Lillian mutters, thinking Brena wouldn't hear her but she did.
"I heard that. Fuck you!" Brena shouts when she gets upstairs.
Lillian snickers loudly, holding her stomach to catch her breath. "Love you too!" She replies.
Making her best friend laugh was the highlight of her day. She glanced back down at her phone and continued with the search for the club and monitoring the timer for her food.
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