Disclaimer: I don't own Ray, Lily or RFR. Too bad.
I'm a huge Rily fan ((even though I find the words Rily and Trily to be extremely disturbing ...)), and there just aren't enough R/L stories out there!!! This story takes place after the Mr. Roscoe Pageant episode. Hope you like this one, reviews are ((very)) welcome!!
"You wanted to talk?" Lily asked cooly as she let Ray into the house late that Friday night. Her parents were out for the evening, and Ray had called, seeming desperate to come over. She had been hesitant, at first, to agree. Ever since the Mr. Roscoe pageant, he hadn't had time for anyone but himself and his girlfriends. But she had agreed in the end, seeing as he sounded so pathetic on the phone.
"Yeah," he said, never looking away from his feet. "Thanks for letting me come over ... I know you're not exactly happy with me right now."
"Ya think?" Lily replied angrily, trying hard not to raise her voice any higher. Ray flinched, knowing she had every right to be angry with him, but knowing the reason he was here was more important. He needed forgiveness, needed clarity.
"Lily ..." he began slowly, not really sure of what to say.
"Ray," she said, tears beginning to form in her eyes, "don't start this. Don't come over here with your fake apologies, pretending to be so sorry, then just leave here to go out with another girl. Do you even know the names of half the girls you've been out with?" she cried. Every word hit him hard, but she felt no remorse at the pain building up in his eyes.
"You're right," he whispered sadly. "You're so, so right, Lily."
"What?" she asked, slightly stunned.
"You're right. I don't know half of their names. But you're wrong on one thing ... I'm not faking this. I'm really, really sorry I haven't been around for you ... but you hurt me, Lil. You hurt me really, really badly. So ... when you ... rejected me, to put it nicely, I went looking for you. I looked for you in all these girls, for your replacement. But I finally got my answer; there isn't one. When you shut me down like that, I was really hurt, ya know? But I couldn't let you see that. I still had my pride. So I hid from you, from my feelings, behind dates and plans. I figured that if I didn't have time for you, I wouldn't remember you, wouldn't remember my feelings." He smiled sheepishly. "I was very, very wrong. This feeling ... it's not going away Lily, so I've got to act on it now, before it drives me insane."
She sniffed, wiping a tear from her eyes. They were tears of regret now, not of anger. She saw what she had done to Ray ... and how his feelings were slowly changing her outlook on things, too.
"Lily," he went on, wiping an uninvited tear from his cheek, "I love you." He waited, worried, for her response. He was afraid that he was taking things too fast again, that he was going to upset her even further. But he also knew it had to be done.
"I love you, too," she whispered, smiling. Then, taking him totally by surprise, she did something he would have never expected; she softly, slowly, leaned down and kissed him. "I love you, too."
So, that's it. I know the characters may have seemed a little, well, out of character, but it's hard to show remorse and love at the same time! ))Giggles(( Like I said, reviews welcome!!