Lily Hates Me: A Love Story — Chapter 13

I took Lily to my favorite Burger spot. It was slightly out of the way so we drove for about 30 minutes. Lily was fidgeting in her seat wondering where we were going.

"Um...I thought we are going to get food?" she said.

"We are, we are going to a place where we can get the fattest, juiciest and the greasiest burger you've ever seen," I replied.

"That sounds kinda gross," Lily said and made a face.

"Gross! I think not Missy! It's the best. You'll see, "I reassured her. I had a feeling this girl has been sheltered by her parents and I was determined to get her out of her shell.

We finally reached our destination. I took her hand in mine and held it tight. I half expected her to snatch it out of my grasp but she just smiled.

I found a booth for us to sit in and ordered some burgers and fries. She did the same. The burger came and she looked at it like it was some type of Monster.

"I can't eat that!" she exclaimed. This is literally the size of a kitten. I can't fit that inside my stomach..."

"Bullshit! You got this. Let's get some meat in those bones," I laughed and poked her on the side. She laughed and pushed me playfully.

"Am I too skinny?" she asked, sounding a little insecure.

I gazed at her intensely for a minute. "No...you are perfect," I said and she blushed.

She took a bite of her burger and moaned. "Oh my God, this is so good."

I grinned. "What did I say? This is what you call a hidden gem."

She looked like she was struggling to eat that giant burger. There was something adorable about a petite girl eating sloppily. She looked like a little kid and it was tickling my ribs.

"You got um...something on your face," I told her pointing at the ketchup in the corner of her mouth.

"Where?" her eyes were wide and she frantically tried to wipe it off.

"You keep missing it. Here, I got you." I rubbed the ketchup off of her face with my thumb then instinctively put it in my mouth and licked it off, then watched her cheeks go bright pink. Why is she blushing so much today?

"You okay?" I asked.

She looked down. "Yeah. You've been acting a little differently lately. Not like how you did before."

"How do you mean?" I pressed.

"You were so rude and...mean...and just a big bully. But lately, you've been nice to me. You make me laugh." She said shyly.

My eyes went dark. If I was changing, it was all because of her. "I'm still a bully, princess, I'm only nice to you because..." I looked into her eyes, "because I like you. A lot. Being around you makes me feel calm, and I feel like I don't need to be so angry all the time."

She went quiet. I wonder what she was thinking about. She looked up and smiled.

"I saw a strip mall on the way here, can we go see it?" She asked, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Sure, let's go." We got back to the car and drove to the mall.

It was crowded outside so Lily stayed close to me while we walked. Suddenly, Lily reached out and held my hand, startling me. Her hand was soft but cold so I held it tightly to try and warm it up.

We went inside a store and looked around. I stopped in my tracks when I saw a dress on a mannequin.

It was a cute little white off the shoulder dress with tiny blue dotted design. I pictured Lily in that dress and thought she would look adorable in it. I had to get it.

I checked the price tag and almost choked. Eighty-nine dollars! I remember having exactly ninety-five dollars in my pocket which was all I had. If I spend this much money I won't have anything left to buy anything else, like food. But the dress... It was perfect for her. I made my decision.

"Hey, I need to go to the restroom. I'll be right back!" Lily said suddenly.

Great...now is the time. I quickly grabbed the dress and threw it on the counter, startling the cashier.

"Sorry, I'm not trying to be rude. I need to purchase this quickly before my girlfri... I mean my friend comes back. It's a surprise." I said hurriedly.

The lady laughed. "I understand. "She wrapped up the dress quickly.

I got the money out of my pocket and gave it to her. Watching it go hurt my soul but it was for Lily so it was worth it.

I grabbed the bag and walked away.

"Young love." I heard the lady mutter on my way out and I smiled. She had no idea.

Lily came back and waved at me. She saw the bag in my hand.

"Oh, what did you buy?" she asked.

"Um..nothing. Just something for my sister." I said and she didn't say anything else.

I dropped her off at her house to say goodbye.

"Thank you for taking me out to eat today," she said sweetly. "I'm so full I feel like I'm about to explode!"

"I have something for you," I said quietly.

Her eyes became wide. "For me? Why? It's not my birthday or anything..."

"Just because," I said quickly. "Let's call it a peace offering for being a jerk." I handed her the bag.

Her eyes lit up. She eagerly opened the bag to see what's inside. She took out the dress and held it in front of her. She didn't say anything for a minute and just stared at it.

"Do you like it? I know it's not fancy like what you are used to but that's all I could afford and I think you'd look really great in it. Jeez...I hope it's the right size, I can take it back if you don't want it...I can... "

she interrupted my rambling by throwing herself at me and wrapping me into a hug. I lifted her petite self by wrapping my arms around her waist while she held onto my shoulder. We stayed like this for a minute with my face buried in her hair. Her shampoo smelled like green apples. I felt like I was dreaming.

She broke free of our embrace and looked at me. Her eyes were full of tears.

"I love it," she whispered.

"Then why are you crying, weirdo?" I asked as I wiped a tear off her cheek.

"I just never expected something like this from you and it made me really happy," she said shyly.

"I'm just trying to call a truce as I said," I told her. "So...does this mean you like me now?" I grinned and winked at her.

She tiptoed towards me and planted a small kiss on my cheek, setting off a million butterflies in my stomach. I can die happy now.

"I.. I'll see you tomorrow." she ran off in a hurry like she was embarrassed by what she just did.

I touched my cheek where she kissed me. Guess I'm never washing my face again.