Lily Baby.

Mikey’s POV
My fists clenched and I bit my lip.

“I’m sorry I didn’t work it out earlier,” Alicia whispered but I quietened her straight away, wrapping my arms around her.

“It’s not your fault,” I said quickly, grabbing her shoulders and staring into her beautiful shining eyes. She grabbed the shoulders of my shirt.

“I’m sorry…” she repeated and I sighed, stroking her cheek gently.

“Stop saying that, okay?” I said, brushing my lips quickly against hers. She looked up at me with excitement: we hadn’t kissed yet. Granted that kiss wasn’t amazing but it was a start. She nodded, “Now, I want you to go inside, sit with Lily, and tell my mother that my Aunt Sarah called me-”

“Why?” she asked, her fingers were gripping my shirt, afraid to let go.

“We need to get rid of her for a couple of hours, don’t worry, Aunt Sarah is like the only cool aunt we have- she’ll cover for us if I call her. Anyway, tell her my aunt wants help with something and she’ll leave. Then take Lily to Frank’s house, if you don’t know the way surreptitiously ask her and she’ll tell you. When you get there tell her what you told me and… tell him why Lily broke up with him, okay?” I say, she nodded, taking it all in. Alicia was the only one I’d told about that. Gee didn’t even know that our mother had forced Lily to break up with the only boy who loved her and who’d probably ever love her.

She nodded, “What if he doesn’t believe me?”

“He’ll believe you,” I pressed my lips to her cheek, pushing her gently in the direction of the front door and ran over to where Gerard stood handling a rake. I explained what Alicia had just told me. He was furious.

“Mother fucker…” he whispered, “That… why would they do something like that?”

I shook my head, following him as we made our way down the path of our garden.

“Mikey!” I turned to see Alicia running to me.

“What is it?” I asked.

“Just… go easy on them… Jeph… I don’t thin he’s quite… right. And you know how easily led Quinn is,” she said, her eyes seemed hopeful.

I nodded slowly, but I still had every intention to beat him to a pulp, “Is that… all you wanted to say?”

“Um… no… it’s just…” she stood nervously and I could sense Gerard’s impatience, “Oh, fuck it.”

She grabbed my head and pulled my lips onto hers. It took a second for me to react but I quickly followed her movements and settled into the kiss, feeling her hands tangle in my hair. I placed my hands gently on her waist and pulled her body flush against mine as my tongue ran along her lip, asking for entrance.

“Hello?” I heard Gerard say, but I moaned against her lips and motioned for him to shut up, the vibrations of the sound only intensified the pleasure I was feeling with Alicia in my arms.

She smiled into the kiss, pulling away, and running back inside.

I stood in the garden, dazed.

“Mikey?” a hand waved in front of my eyes, “Mikey!”

“Yeah?”

“Let’s go, lover boy,” he giggled.

There was a noticeable skip in my step as we made our way down the street to Jeph’s house.

Frank’s POV
I heard a knock on the door. I half expected my mom to answer it but I realised it was a Sunday and she worked late on Sundays.

I got out of my warm, safe bed into the no man’s land that was the upstairs landing. I stepped downstairs carefully as I was prone to falling down them due to my weak ankles. Long story; think bike accident when I was twelve.

I opened the door to see Alicia.

“Hey,” I said, concerned, I didn’t know Alicia well and I assumed something was wrong, “Are you okay?”

But she seemed to be talking to someone else, “Stop hiding behind the bloody bush!” she hissed, pulling a familiar arm out from behind my mother’s favourite tree.

“Sorry about this…” she muttered, “Lily!”

“Lily’s here?” I gasped, craning my neck to see behind the tree as Alicia successfully pulled her into view.

Her hair was messy, her skin was still bruised, her eyes were red, her clothes didn’t match but… isn’t that what I fell in love with? Those imperfections make her… well… her.

“Hi Frankie,” she said, her bottom lip jutting out as she tried to avoid eye contact.

“Hey… so… we have news,” grinned Alicia, bustling past and settling into the living room. I blinked. Mikey’s got a little ball of fire there.

Lily fidgeted on the door step, “You wanna… come in?”

She looked up for the first time, nervously and nodded vigorously. She went inside quickly avoiding me completely and I sighed.

“This should be… fun…”