Cody: Well, hey there, everyone! Nice to have a new chapter up! Pretty happy today since I'm going home off the road for a few days! Can't wait to get home, mainly to see the woman I love so much that you already know is Lilly...My beautiful angel...Anyway, before I get sidetracked, enjoy the new chapter!
Cody was in the garage turning wrenches on his Jeep while Lilly and Siara were down in her room doing who knows what. He'd been out there for a half hour or so when Humphrey's car pulled up to the driveway and he got out, coming up to the garage. "Hey, it's about time! Siara said you were coming over..." Cody chuckled, wiping his hands off. Humphrey chuckled and said "Yeah, I figured it would be a good idea instead of being bored. Whatcha doing?"
"Taking the stock bumper off to put the one Lilly gave me on." Cody said, gesturing to the big bumper hanging on the engine lift in front of the Jeep. Humphrey slowly nodded and said "Well, count me in! I've got nothing better to do." Cody chuckled and handed him a ratchet, saying "You can hit the bolt on the other side while I finish this one." Humphrey smiled and got down under the front end, finding the bolt and working on it while Cody did his.
"Damn, this thing's in here tight as fuck!" Humphrey groaned, trying as hard as he could to get it to loosen until it finally did, causing him to almost fall over. "Never mind, got it!" He said with a smile, causing Cody to chuckle. "Just don't break it..." Cody said, getting his loose as well. After a few more minutes, they got them out and took the bumper off, setting it off to the side of the garage.
"Alright, cool! I got the brackets to put on there now...First, I need a drink. I'm thirsty." Cody said and Humphrey nodded, so they walked inside. "So, where's Siara? She here?" He asked and Cody smiled, saying "Knew it...I figured it wouldn't take long until you asked about her..." Humphrey smiled too and said "Well...Can you blame me?"
Right then, Siara's bedroom door opened and she came out to see him there, smiling as she said "Hey, you!" Humphrey chuckled and said "Speak of the devil! Hey, Siara!" She giggled and kissed his cheek, saying "Nice to see you again!" He glanced over at Cody, who simply chuckled and shook his head, saying "Not my business..."
He smiled and kissed her back, making her blush as he said "So, how's your day been?" She giggled a little and said "After last night, it couldn't be any better..." He chuckled and said "Same here! I'll be honest, I've been thinking so much about last night today...I can hardly believe how nice it was!"
"Aww, Humphrey...If you boys wanna join us, Lilly and I are gonna go to the old mall across town soon! They just reopened Macy's, so we're gonna check it out." She said as he held her hands. He nodded and said "That sounds good with me! Gonna go, Cody?" He chuckled and said "Yeah, I guess I will. Let me take a shower first, though."
In a half hour or so, they left for the mall, piling into Humphrey's car after they locked up the house. It was nearly an hour drive since it was clear across town, but they soon parked and went in. "So, you girls gonna head to the clothes store then?" Cody asked and Siara nodded, saying "Yep. What're you two gonna do?"
Humphrey chuckled and said "Probably something to get hurt..." The girls laughed and rolled their eyes and Lilly said "Well, try and keep the injuries to a minimum...We'll catch up soon." They nodded and Siara kissed Humphrey's cheek again, both of them blushing as they walked off to Macy's.
"Damn, whatever you two did sure got to her..." Cody chuckled, causing Humphrey to as well. "I wanna know what it was so I can do it more!" He said as the two of them headed off to find something to look at. They stopped at the directory board and after a moment, Humphrey said "Well, we've got Game Stop right above us, Spencer's down the walk from that and then the Big 5 across the mall." Cody nodded and said "How about we hit Big 5 first and work our way back to meet up with the girls?"
"Perfect!" Humphrey said as they walked off down the mall. "So, tell me...What did you two do for your date?" Cody asked. Humphrey smiled and said "Honestly, we just had dinner, but it was amazing! Not because of the restaurant or food, but because SHE'S amazing!" Cody chuckled and asked "Really now? How so?"
"To be honest...I have no clue! It's just...she's Siara. She's special in her own, perfect ways...I don't know what it is about her that...draws me in." Humphrey said and Cody smiled too, saying "I think I get it. She's got a hold of you..." Humphrey nodded as they kept walking, asking "How about you and Lilly?"
"What about us? We're not a couple." Cody said. "True, but you can't tell me you don't want to be. I really think she might be waiting for you...But she probably won't wait very long." Humphrey chuckled. Cody shrugged and said "I want to give her some time. What she went through with Garth isn't easily forgotten...I don't want her to think that I've been hoping and praying she dumps him, even if I were."
Across the mall at Macy's, Lilly and Siara were having a similar conversation. Siara told her all about she and Humphrey's date, how perfect and romantic both it and he was. Of course, being girls, Lilly wanted more detail...Siara wasn't complaining about sharing, though.
"When he got me back home, I was DYING for him to kiss me! It felt like he didn't want to when he started going to his car, but I was unlocking the door when he turned around and did it. I am SO glad he did!" Siara dreamily said, remembering every little bit. Lilly giggled and said "Best kiss ever?" Siara nodded and said "Without a doubt. The entire time from dinner to that kiss was on my mind all night..."
"Oh, really? How do you mean?" Lilly asked as they browsed through some racks. Siara lightly blushed and moved closer so she could talk quieter, saying "It had me turned on!" Lilly giggled and asked "That good, huh?" Siara quickly nodded and said "When I changed clothes, my panties were a bit wet..."
Lilly began laughing like crazy and when she calmed down a little, she said "You're already getting turned on by him!" Siara blushed again and smiled, saying "Maybe a bit..." Lilly finally stopped laughing and said "Sorry about that...Just too funny! I'm glad you two had such a great time! Gonna be going out again?"
"Oh, yeah!" Siara giggled. Lilly nodded and went back to looking at clothes when Siara asked "How have you been since the breakup?" Lilly shrugged and said "Pretty good, actually. I'm happy it's finally over." Siara nodded and then asked "Gonna be dating again?" Lilly smiled and said "If the right guy asks, then yes!"
Siara looked around and whispered "He would hate me for telling, but...Cody wants to." Lilly's eyes went wide and she looked up at Siara, asking "What!? How do you know?" Siara smiled a little and said "He's told be...Besides, have you never noticed the way he gets around you?" Lilly shook her head and said "Not really..."
Siara smiled a little and turned to another rack, leaving Lilly thinking to herself. She suddenly dropped the shirt she was holding and quickly walked out of the store, Siara immediately following her and said "Lilly, wait, stop! Where are you going!?" She walked over a bench and sat down, putting her face in her hands as Siara caught up with her, asking "What's wrong!? Did I say something?"
"Nononono, it wasn't you, it was me! Something just...hit me..." She said, tears in her eyes. Siara sat down and put her arm around her back, asking "What do you mean? What happened?" Lilly sighed and wiped her eyes, saying "So many memories suddenly just blasted my mind...It was what you said about Cody." Siara shook her head in confusion and said "I still don't get it...What kind of memories?"
Six Years Ago
"Cody, Siara, dinner time!" Their father, Greg called to them from their campsite. "Same for you girls!" Lilly and Kate's mother, Eve called over with a giggle. The adults were all around the campfire and little kitchen-like setup making dinner, which was just about ready.
They all ran back over and Eve said "You know the rules, wash up first." They all groaned and grumbled as they went to the bucket of water, making their parents smile and chuckle. Every year, the two families got together for a camping trip the first week of July, mainly to celebrate Eve and Cody and Siara's mother, Jenny's birthdays since they were just two days apart.
After they had dinner and the sun went down, almost everyone was sitting around the campfire laughing and telling stories. Almost everyone, except for two; Cody and Lilly. He was sitting against a rock in the dirt peeling the bark of branches laying around and she was laying on another rock on top of a small hill surrounded by trees, staring up at the night sky.
Greg glanced over at him and smiled, seeing him looking up at her on the hill. He picked up a pebble from ground and tossed it over, bouncing it off his shoe. Cody looked over and he motioned up to the hill, telling him to go up there with her. Cody smiled a little and nodded, looking back up one last time before going up the hill. Greg chuckled and said "Winston, I think my son has a crush on your daughter..." Winston smiled and turned around to look at them, saying "I think the feeling might be mutual..."
Cody nervously walked up to where Lilly was laying on the rock, asking "M-Mind if I come up here, too?" She turned her head to see him there, smiling at her, which made her blush as she smiled back. "No, not at all! There's plenty of room. Although, if it were anyone else, I'd say no..." She said, sliding over a little.
He laid down on the rock beside her and said "Thanks! Sure is nice tonight..." She nodded and said "Yeah, it really is...Really beautiful..." He smiled again and said "Yeah...You are..." She blushed heavily and turned her head to face him, which was when he realised what he had said and blushed just as much. "Sorry! Kinda...slipped out..." He said, looking away from her.
She lightly giggled and said "It's alright. Thank you, by the way!" He smiled again and she looked back up at the sky, letting out a soft sigh and closing her eyes. She shifted around a little to get more comfortable and felt her hand land on his between them, making her heart race a little. She began to stammer an apology, but stopped when he curled his fingers around hers.
"I-I can move my hand...If you want m-me to..." She stammered, trying not to blush too much. He simply smiled and said "I'm alright with it if you are...I don't mind." She couldn't help but smile and nodded, relaxing again beside him. "You know, you always try and act sweet around me...What's that about?" She asked.
"Well...Dad always told me to be nice to girls." He said and she giggled, saying "I know, and I've seen that when it comes to Kate or Siara. Or any other girl...But, you seem different around me." He took a breath and said "That's because...I like you, Lilly. A lot..." She blushed again and smiled, saying "My Mom said that could be the reason...How come me, though? Why not Kate?"
He turned onto his side and held more of her hand, saying "You're different. You have your own way...A way I like!" She blushed again and asked "Would you feel different if I said I like you, too?" He smiled and said "Only better..." She giggled and right then, they heard their parents say "Bedtime, everyone!"
Later into the night, Greg was woken by the sound of stick cracking and sat up to see the faint glow of the fire lighting the side of he and Jenny's tent, along with the shadow of someone sitting on one the logs around the fire. He quietly unzipped the tent a little to see Lilly sitting by the fire and poking it with a stick, and then saw Cody walking over toward her.
"How come you're up again?" He asked, sitting beside her. She smiled a little and said "Never fell asleep...Dunno why..." He nodded and said "Yeah, pretty much the same here...I dozed off for a little bit..." They sat there in silence for a moment before she looked at him and asked "Were you serious when you said you really liked me?"
He blushed a little, but nodded, saying "A hundred and ten percent." She smiled more and moved closer so she was sitting against him, their sides touching as she said "I was, too..." Now he smiled and nervously put his arm around her, watching to see if she would object, but she leaned over and laid her head on his shoulder. Greg smiled to himself as he watched, silently closing the tent and laying back down as he quietly said "Don't let her go..."
Lilly wiped her eyes again as Siara rubbed her back, taken by surprise to hear her talking about what went on six years ago that she never had any idea happened. "I guess as we got older, I started to think is it was just a silly crush and we kinda faded apart. I lost that feeling I had back then and tried to replace it later on, most recently with Garth, but I never felt as if I were whole, you know?" Lilly asked between wiping her eyes and nose.
The memory of that night and a short amount of time afterwards was suddenly triggered by Siara telling her Cody had a crush on her. The memories threw her through an emotional loop, but as she finished telling Siara about that night, she started to realise why it made her so sad.
"We were in love, and I let it go away! I threw away the best guy I had ever known and made him just my friend because I was naive! Now I know why we didn't even speak to each other through middle school!" Lilly said, starting to cry again, but forced herself not to. Siara embraced her in a hug and said "It's not your fault, don't blame yourself...You were young...You didn't know."
Lilly sniffed and said "But, everything was there! At the time, I couldn't believe how much it felt like he liked me!" Siara smiled a little and said "Don't blame yourself...The past is the past. Just look at what's going on now; You two have gotten pretty close again. He's done a lot for you because he wanted to make you happy. The thing with Garth? He was protecting you...He would've risked his life to save you if it came to that. I swear, sometimes when we're all together, it feels like you two are a couple..."
Lilly couldn't help but giggle and said "Thanks, Siara...I guess all that was just kinda bundled up inside..." She smiled and hugged her again, saying "Just what I'm here for. Whaddya say we go find the boys? I'm willing to bet they're at Big 5..."
Sure enough, Cody and Humphrey were inside checking out the gun section, just browsing at what they could see. They had been there for almost a half hour now and while they were walking around, the door opened and Lilly and Siara walked in. "Hey, you two!" Siara said as they walked over.
Humphrey kissed her cheek and said "Hey, yourselves! Find anything interesting?" They smiled and Lilly said "Not as much as we hoped...How about you two?" They shrugged and Cody said "Nah, nothing to write home about...Wait...Lilly, were you crying recently?"
She realised her eyes were probably a little red and she quickly said "No, we were in the perfume area...Something didn't like me...They still kinda burn..." He smiled a little and asked "Sure you're okay?" She giggled a little and said "I'm fine, thank you, Cody...Just a bit of an allergy." He nodded and said "Okay...What do you say we head home? Getting kinda bored now..."
"Yeah, same here. Besides, I've gotta head to work in a couple hours." Humphrey said. The girls nodded and they all walked out, Siara and Humphrey holding hands on the way out to his car. They drove the hour back home and when they got there, they went inside to the living room.
"So, what should we do now?" Lilly asked as she sat down on the couch. Siara smiled a little and said "Well, if you two will excuse us, I need to talk to Humphrey...Kinda private..." Humphrey immediately began to worry and looked over at Cody, who chuckled and said "Yeah, sure, sure...Just remember we're out here and try not to make a lot of noise."
Siara blushed and hit him with a pillow, saying "I said talk...Jackass..." He chuckled again and sat down on the couch as well as Siara turned to Humphrey and said "It's nothing bad, don't worry." He smiled a little and took her hand, making her smile too as they went down to her bedroom.
"What's up?" He asked as she closed the door. She giggled and said "Nothing, really. I just wanted them to have a bit of time alone." He slowly nodded and said "Gotcha...So..." He glanced around her room and scratched his chin, unsure what to do or say. She giggled and said "What? Never been alone with a girl in her room before?"
He chuckled and said "Well, yeah...But, never such a beautiful one!" She quite visibly blushed and smiled, saying "Aww...Are you trying to flirt with me?" He smiled too and asked "What would you do if I were?" She got closer and whispered "Why don't you find out?" He kissed her cheek and said "That sounds fun, but I'm not sure we should...Yet. Not to mention they're just right out there..."
She giggled and said "I know, I was only teasing you. There is something you could help me with, though...I got some new clothes recently and I'd really like an honest opinion on how they look!" He smiled again and said "I think I can try!" She giggled more and pushed him to sit down on her bed, going to her closet, grabbing a big handful of hangers with new looking clothes hanging from them and going into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.
Out in the living room, Lilly and Cody were watching TV and talking, just having a nice time. She couldn't stop thinking about earlier at the mall and wanted to know where he stood on their relationship, but was scared to ask. "I'll be right back, I need some water." She said with a smile, getting up and going into the kitchen to get a glass of water. She quickly drank it and went back over to the couch, sitting down right beside him now. He curiously glanced over at her being closer, but didn't say anything.
"So, anything good come on after this?" She asked, leaning over toward him some. He smiled and said "Maybe a couple shows...And if you're trying to get close, I'm not gonna bite, you know..." She giggled and nodded, getting against his side and laying her head on his shoulder, saying "Thanks...I just feel a lot better being like this. Just feels safe..."
He put his arm around her and asked "Any better?" She nodded and closed her eyes, saying "Much...Don't be mad at me if I fall asleep..." He chuckled and said "I won't, trust me." She smiled and said "I do..." He flipped through the channels to try and find something and she was going over in her head how to ask him about them. Finally, she had an idea that sounded like it would work, so she took a nervous breath and said "Cody, I need to ask you something...It's important."
Without hesitating, he turned off the TV and asked "What's up? Everything okay?" She nodded and lifted her head up, saying "Everything's fine, just something I need to know..." He nodded and said "Well, you can ask me anything." She smiled a little and nervously asked "Do you...Do you remember the last camping trip our families went on?"
He chuckled and said "Yeah, of course! We all had such a great time!" She giggled a little and said "Yeah, we did! Remember how we got really close?" He nodded and said "Mhm...I remember..." She could hear the sudden sadness in his voice remembering that and she knew it had hurt it when it went away.
"When Siara and I were together earlier, she said something that triggered that memory all the sudden. Something inside me felt like it became cleared up..." She said with a small smile. "What was it?" He asked, unsure what to think. Without a word, she leaned closer and gave his cheek a slow kiss, surprising him and she said "What I wanted then and I still do..."
"Wh-What do you mean?" He stammered, a bit shocked she kissed him. She giggled a little and said "The happiness and whole feeling I felt...I realized it was you that made me feel that way..." He couldn't help but smile as he asked "Are you saying you-" She nodded and said "I want to make it work again. I miss how I felt back then..."
He smiled more and asked "Are you busy tonight?" She giggled and said "No, not that I know of..." He chuckled and picked her keys up off the coffee table, saying "I'll pick you up at eight, okay?" She giggled again and nodded, saying "Sounds good to me! Are we gonna try a fresh start?" He nodded and said "Yeah, if that's good with you!"
She leaned over and kissed his cheek, saying "Sounds perfect! See you at eight!" He smiled and she got up, heading out to her car and driving off home. He could barely contain his happiness, but was able to and soon, Siara and Humphrey came out of her room. "Did Lilly just leave?" Siara asked, looking around. Cody nodded and said "Yep, she went home to get ready."
"For what?" Humphrey asked and Cody smiled, saying "Our date!" Siara smiled too and giggled, saying "Oh! Well, that was quick...I take it she told you about what happened at the mall?" He chuckled and said "Sorta, she was kinda vague about it...But, for the most part, yeah. She brought up our family camping trip last time and what happened. She said felt a lot happier with me!"
Humphrey chuckled and said "Well, hey, you got what you wanted! Sounds like she did, too!" Cody nodded and said "I hope so...What were you two doing?" They both blushed a little and Siara said "Just uh...just talking. Something just between us." She wasn't going to tell him she was showing off her new clothes for Humphrey!
Lilly was just parking in the garage at home, shutting off her car and quickly going inside. Eve was standing in the kitchen wearing her robe, which she normally only wears after getting up in the morning. "Hi, Mom! What're you all dressed up for?" Lilly sarcastically asked, making Eve blush and giggle. "Oh, you know, just getting up and all...Fell asleep for a bit. Pretty sleepy..." Eve giggled.
"After what I saw this morning, I don't doubt it! You and Dad had a good time, I presume?" Lilly asked, getting a soda from the fridge. Eve smiled and said "Unless you want to hear the juicy details, I suggest taking yes as my answer..." Lilly giggled and said "I'm good, trust me! So, I got some great news!" Eve sat down across from her at the table and asked "What is it? I can see it's got you pretty antsy."
Lilly smiled and lightly blushed, saying "Well, when I was over and Siara and Cody's house, he and I had...kinda a talk. Long story short, unless you wanna know it all, we have a date tonight!" Eve looked surprised, but smiled too, asking "Oh, really!? Well, now I definitely do wanna know!" Lilly went on to tell her about at the mall, and then later back at their house, which she listened to intently.
"...And yeah, we have a date tonight! We're gonna see how it works out and not really think much about before. Like a fresh start." Lilly said and Eve slowly nodded, putting her hand on Lilly's and saying "Take it from me, honey...You're making a good choice trying to see if it works! Your father and I both know Cody is a very sweet and even more protective man...Even more so when it comes to you. He absolutely adores you..."
Lilly blushed a little again and smiled, saying "It feels so good knowing that, too!" Eve giggled and said "Oh, you don't need to try and tell me, I know! I really hope you both make it work...Cause, you know...I'd like to be a grandma someday." She winked at Lilly, who blushed much more and said "Mom, really!? We're just going on a date tonight..."
"I know, I know, I'm only saying. Remember that little talk we had a few years ago..." Eve said and Lilly thought back, knowing exactly what she meant. About three years ago when Lilly turned fourteen, they had the typical "mother-daughter" talk. Naturally, Lilly didn't want to, but wasn't going to say no to her mother.
"When you finally find that boy you just absolutely without question fall in love with and get to the point when you're ready to have sex with him, you'll know. Trust me, it'll be pretty much all you can think of...And when that time comes, I EXPECT you to be safe!" Eve said, making sure she understood.
"I will, Mom...Did you and Kate already have this talk, too?" Lilly asked and Eve nodded, saying "On her birthday, too. Now, I have a special gift for you...Kate has one as well as myself, so don't feel weird about having it. Don't open it until tonight when you go to bed. You'll know what it is and what it's for, trust me." With that, Eve handed her a medium sized box wrapped in purple paper and a frilly bow.
And later that night, Lilly discovered what her mother gave her, but after thinking about what she had said about it, she didn't take long to use it! That was three years ago and since then, Eve regularly checks up with them to be sure they have a healthy drive and so far, they definitely have.