Your Secret's Safe With Me

“You ready to go, baby girl?” Tim asked, knocking on Lily’s bedroom door.

“Just a second!” she called, lacing up her boots before throwing on a little blush. Tim was waiting for her when she opened the door, leaning against the wall.

His eyes shot open when he saw her, taking in her appearance. “Uh, don’t you think that outfit is a little.. racy?”

“So what if my legs are showing, Tim? Big whoop. We’re going to a club, and I want to have fun,” she replied, grabbing her purse off the kitchen counter as they walked towards his car.

“You do realize that all of my friends are going to be trying to take you home, right?” he asked apprehensively. God, did she really have to dress like that? Now not only did he have to worry every second that she was out of his sight, but he had to worry every second she was in his sight.

“Well, they can try, but they’ll just be going home with some good old blue balls tonight, Timmy.”

He laughed as they got into his car, an old jeep he’d had for years. Ten minutes later, they were pulling into the parking lot of the boys’ favorite bar.

Lily could feel Tim’s eyes on her as she adjusted the hem of her little black dress. “If I walk in on your arm, will you chill out a little?”

Without saying anything, Tim held out his arm for Lily to hold and lead her into the building. Surprisingly, it was crowded; normally the place was nearly empty. The two ordered drinks before spotting the rest of their group sitting in a booth against the far wall.

There were a couple of whistles when they got to the table; John and Austin, naturally. As Lily scooted into the booth next to Tim, she was startled to see her sister sitting across from her, talking to Kennedy.

“Lynn? I didn’t know you were coming?” Lily asked, wrinkling her eyebrows.

“I didn’t know I was either, until Kenny came over and dragged me out of the house,” the other girl smiled, her eyes flickering towards the boy next to her.

“Was Luke okay by himself?”

“Lily, calm down. He’s seventeen; he can handle staying home alone for a few hours,” Lynn scoffed, sipping on her drink.

Lily shot her a glare and returned her attention to Tim, who was laughing loudly at something Jared had just said. She listened to the conversation, trying to find something to relate to, but all that everyone ever talked about was shit that Lily had no knowledge of. Something about a band, something about a record label, something about some party, something about some drunk guy. Blah, blah, blah.

She hadn’t been there fifteen minutes and she was already slipping sneakily out of her seat, heading for the bar again. She couldn’t handle sitting and doing nothing but drink martinis and chit-chat; she needed a big fat blunt in her hands if she were going to do something like that.

She took a seat on a barstool and ordered a drink, something heavier than what Tim had gotten her. She was just taking her first sip when another figure took a seat next to her, shooting her some sly pick-up line.

“Go take a hike,” she scowled, not bothering to look over at him.

“You wanna come with me? I know this gorgeous spot, ten minutes away from your house,” the guy said, causing her head to snap sideways in fear. This stranger knew where she lived?

But it was only John. Only John, smirking as he stared at her.

“I scared ya, didn’t I?”

“Of course not, dickface,” Lily scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Tim sent you after me, didn’t he?”

“You betcha. But with you looking like that, I had no complaints.”

“God, you a such a pig. Couldn’t Tim have sent someone a little nicer, like Garrett or Pat? Hell, even Austin is better than you.”

“Ouch,” he said, the hint of a smile on his lips. “Guess I’m coming on a little strong, eh?”

Lily didn’t reply, simply turning away and staring into her drink, like the bottom of the bottle held some kind of secret that would take her away.

Come to think of it.. it did.

And so she ordered another drink. A stronger one.

“Lily?” John pestered. “Vodka? Really?”

She closed her eyes, exhaled deeply, and then looked at him with fire in her eyes. “Who the fuck do you think you are, John? My dad? Because he’s dead, but I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t give a fuck about what kind of liquor I drink, or how drunk it gets me. So just shut up and do your job. Tim told you to watch me, not tell me what to do. Got it?”

He held his hands out -palms up- in defeat. “You’re right. Do whatever you want.”

***

Lily Langsley definitely did whatever she wanted.

It was two hours later and she was completely drunk, way past coherency. She was slurring her words and giggling and hanging on whoever came in contact with her.

Even if that meant John.

“Lily, come on. We’re leaving,” he said, tugging on her elbow as he pushed through the crowded club.

“I don’t wannaaaaa,” she whined, trying to pull away from him but his grip was firm.

No way in hell he was letting her go off on her own when she was this trashed. They weren’t close friends, not at all, but he still couldn’t stand the thought of something bad happening to her.

He spotted Tim standing near the door with the rest of their friends, probably waiting on him. “Lily, don’t make me carry you,” John replied, raising his eyebrows. He wasn’t nearly as intoxicated as she was.

Finally they reached the door and their friends and walked outside into the cool night air, all of them dispersing to find their own cars.

“JohnO, my man, could Lily and I crash at your place? Ain’t no way I can drive like this,” Tim asked, placing a hand on his friend’s shoulder.

“As long as you don’t puke in my car, sure,” John said, leading Tim towards his truck as Lily hung on his arm. She probably couldn’t even walk on her own.

Seconds before they loaded into the car, Lily spun away and bent over, throwing up the night’s contents inches away from John’s tire.

What a great night.

***

Lily woke up the next morning to a pounding headache. But that was no surprise, really. It was more surprising to wake up without a headache.

She blinked and wiped her eyes, finally realizing that she wasn’t in her room.

Where the hell was she? Whose house was this?

She hadn’t gone home with a stranger.. right?

No. She still had her clothes on. It was the same dress from last night, but still.

And then she saw the picture frames around the room, the posters on the walls, the acoustic guitar in the corner.

John.

She slipped out of bed, clutching the doorframe when her head began to spin. She slowed her pace and walked down the hallway, not knowing where she was going. She peeked inside the first door and saw an empty bathroom, and continued until she reached what she was looking for: the living room. The kitchen. She could already hear the coffee pot brewing, and smiled.

“Well well well, sleeping beauty’s awake,” the husky voice said, making her jump. There, standing just a few feet away was John.

“What happened last night?” Lily grumbled, walking her way into the kitchen and grabbing a mug to fill without even asking.

“You got totally wasted. The usual.”

“Huh,” she whispered, rolling her eyes. She was about to ask why she was here instead of at her house, when she suddenly realized she was missing someone. “Where’s Tim?”

“Don’t worry, he just had to run into the office to take care of some business shit,” John said, waltzing into the kitchen, shirtless, to pour himself a cup of coffee. “He didn’t want to wake you up, so he said he’d come back later and get you.”

Lily couldn’t help her eyes from roaming his tattooed chest, the smooth skin around his bellybutton, the way his sweatpants hung loosely off his hips..

“Sorry, am I giving you deja vu of when you saw me naked?” John teased, catching her staring at him. He couldn’t help but feel satisfied with himself; now he wasn’t the only one staring.

Lily scowled and looked away, sipping at her coffee. She quickly chugged the hot liquid, feeling it burn her throat, and placed it in the sink. “Can I use your bathroom?”

“Please, be my guest,” John said, the cheeky smile still on his face.

She walked back down the hallway and into the door she’d seen earlier, closing it behind her before turning on the light.

She looked like a mess. Her outfit was wrinkled, her makeup was smeared, and her breath was awful.

She dug in the cabinets until she found what she was looking for: a toothbrush. It was John’s and she probably shouldn’t have used it, but did anyways. Lily then wiped away all of the makeup and black smudges on her face, knowing she’d have to settle for her natural, doe-eyed look. There was nothing she could really do about her clothes, but hopefully that wouldn’t matter.

Lily looked at herself in the mirror when she was finished, thinking about what she was about to do.

She’d been thinking about it for a while actually. Especially last night, as John watched over her as she drank. And then a few minutes ago, as he stood next to her, half-naked with a wicked grin on his face.

And then she padded out of the bathroom and back into the living room, where John was lounging on the couch, watching a baseball game.

Without saying anything, she took a seat a few inches away from him, letting her dress ride up. She could feel him glancing at her out of the corner of her eye.

“Do you really get enjoyment out of watching this?” Lily sighed.

“Sure I do. Not my favorite thing, but still.”

“I know something better we could do,” she said softly, her words nonchalant.

“Oh yeah? And what’s that?” John asked, looking at her and raising his eyebrows, challenging her. Curiosity was laced in his voice, and she allowed a small smile to grace her lips.

Instead of answering his question, she said, “Do you think I’m attractive, John?”

It caught him off guard. “W-what, uh? No - I mean, y-yes. Yes, I do.”

Lily tried not to laugh; it was adorable. “Have you ever thought about me naked?” she asked slyly, knowing her plan was working.

John’s eyes bulged out of his head. “Oh my god, Lily, what-”

“It’s a yes or no question, John,” she giggled.

“Fine. Yes. You’re a beautiful girl, Lily,” he sighed, not looking her in the eyes.

“Do you wanna have sex?”

“What the fuck-”

She took his shyness as her cue to make a move. Sitting up on her knees and leaning closer to him, she let one hand run lightly over his stomach, while the other hand turned his face towards hers.

“Look, John,” she said, her lips ghosting on his. “You’re handsome boy, you know? And I’m a girl who has needs..”

“Are you sure this is a good idea, Lily?” he asked apprehensively.

She nodded her head, her black hair tickling her shoulders. “It’s a splendid idea. Let’s cynchu.”

“God, I love it when you do that.” And then connected their lips roughly.

He sure changed his mind easily. It was almost as if there was no stopping what they were about to do.

They kissed fiercely before moving to his bedroom, where John throw Lily down on the bed and crawled on top of her, his mouth nipping at the sensitive skin on her neck.

Good god, he knows how to kiss, she thought absentmindedly as her hands traveled down his toned stomach until they reached the elastic of his sweatpants.

John’s callused hands were already slipping her dress over her head, leaving her in her underwear. Shortly after, John’s pants were discarded, thrown across the room.

Lily didn’t know why she’d had this idea in the first place, or even why she decided to pursue that idea. Doing this defied majority of the rules she’d made for herself.

And then, being naked next to a boy she’d just met a couple months ago should have scared the hell out of her. She should have been locking herself in the bathroom.

Yet as John kissed her, over and over and over, all she felt was the desire to get closer.