Just Feel Better
"I'm
gonna try anything to just feel better
Tell me what to do
You
know I can't see through the haze around me
And I do anything to
just feel better"
She's so beautiful, Chase thought to himself. He had to take in a deep breath just to look at her. He didn't know whether or not the world could get any smaller. He was standing mere feet away from Lili Daniels after ten years.
"Hi, Lili," he breathed out. His eyes lingered from her head and down her body until his sight landed upon a little girl that was hugging softly to Lili's right leg.
"Hello, Chase," Lili pursed her lips. She did not like the sight of him so close to her, and she certainly did not like his eyes scanning her in awe.
"You don't seem so happy to see me," Chase chuckled. But this comment saddened him of all the things that he had done that had hurt her in the past. Those were the memories that he did not wish to relive and yet he knew that Lili still held that grudge against him.
"Is it that obvious?" she asked.
Finn DuBois was a regular man. He was a smart and handsome man. He was full of charm and had a great smile that melted your heart as you look at him. He could've had his pick of any girl, but instead of settling down, he decided to travel the world, looking for his 'great love'. In order to achieve his goal and produce a suitable income, he became a pilot. And so, began the story of the love affair between Lili Daniels and Finn DuBois.
He was flying to Paris one night. He didn't have to leave until three days later so he had time to relax. He had never been to Paris before this and he really wanted to see the famous Eiffel Tower.
In order to beat the traffic, he got up very early in the morning to slowly climb up the empty steps of the structure. Once he got to the top, the view took his breath away. It was better than all the pictures that he had ever seen.
He took a moment to look around. The top floor was completely empty except for one other person. He noticed that she was a very pretty and young girl. She was just standing still, staring out into the empty streets of Paris while Finn stood there, staring at her.
To his embarrassment, the girl turned to look at him. She had sensed someone looking at her. Finn's cheeks were flushed red. But he was relieved when the girl softly smiled at him and nodded a good morning in his direction.
After an hour of just staring at the peaceful city of Paris, the stranger walked towards the elevator. Finn felt the need to follow her down but there was one problem. He hated elevators. They make weird noises and give you odd butterflies in the pit of your stomach. It's like going down a hill in a roller coaster, only without the rush of ecstasy coursing through your body.
He stood there, watching the girl walk through the metal doors into the small cramp box hanging on wires. What was he going to do? He wanted to know more about this mysterious girl of whom he couldn't quite pull his eyes away from. The door was beginning to close. He needed to make his decisions quick.
"Wait, could you hold the door?" And to his surprise, she looked up, smiled, and held the door for him, relieved that he was going down too.
"You know that that car was a rental, right, Chase?" Lili asked as Chase offered her a chair. Somehow, Lili was roped into having dinner with Chase that night. It just happened.
"Of course. You never seemed to be the type of person to live in England. The car's getting fixed as we speak. It'll be good as new in no time," Chase smiled at her.
Damn him, thought Lili as she sat Emma down on the seat next to her. Emma, over her car scare, was just examining the restaurant.
The place where they were eating at was a posh place with a quartet playing in the background. It certainly reeked of money. Lili didn't like the restaurant one bit and she certainly didn't like who was sitting in front of her.
After they had ordered their food, Chase found it hard to make small talk. He wanted to just jump into asking her questions about her life, her family, and even about her little daughter.
Chase thought that Emma was an adorable little girl with her mother's eyes and smile. Only Lili Daniels could produce such a beautiful child.
"So what should I be calling you?" he asked suddenly after an awkward pause as Lili was finding something to do like taking a sip of her water as she looked everywhere else.
"I'm sorry?" Lili choked.
"Surely, you're no longer Lili Daniels, what should I be calling you instead?"
"Oh, umm…DuBois, Lili DuBois," Lili answered uncertainly. "Is there anybody in your life?"
"No, no one. I'm trying to play the field first. You know, after becoming a famous tennis star and all," Chase grinned. This made Lili laugh. It has been a long time since she had laughed that way.
The evening proceeded and ended with a much less intense and awkward air than when the night began. Lili was starting to ease herself around Chase. She found herself talking to him with much more enthusiasm than she had hoped to let on. But that was only because they were talking about nothing of significance. Politics, celebrities, and jobs weren't anything of importance. Lili didn't know what she would say if Chase were to ask her about her personal life.
Lili had just graduated out of college when she set her sights to explore Europe. The last four years in California had been the best and worst years of her life so far. She had so much fun but at the same time was very lonely. She was far away from home and worst of all, Jane was not there to comfort her when she was at her loneliest.
For the past four years, Lili spent her days in college studying. She didn't really party that much and she regretted not taking that leap to get drunk or to stay up all night laughing. She didn't date. After her first boyfriend, she was ready go a big break. Plus, there was no one that really interested her.
Meanwhile, Jane was in Canada. There, she studied English and learned French in the process. Like Lili, she didn't really date anybody. Of course it wasn't that she needed to take a break. She just couldn't stand the thought of being with anybody other than Charlie James.
Though she met many new people there, she still missed Lili. The two girls made it a point to see each other every chance they got, which they did but it still wasn't enough. After college, Jane got an amazing internship at a well-known publisher in Maine which called for her that summer. So, Lili Daniels was forced to go on her trip to Europe alone. She went to a lot of places, trying all the good food and seeing the sights. But something special happened when she went to Paris.
She didn't believe what they say about Paris being the most romantic city in the world. She just wanted to see the Eiffel Tower. She went really early and was enjoying the view from up top when she noticed that she wasn't the only one on the floor. Someone was looking at her and she instinctively looked in turn. He was a handsome man, young with a strong build. It flattered her that he was looking at her but she was confused why he didn't say anything, so she greeted him.
After an hour or so, she needed to go back to the hotel in order to pack up since it was her last day in Europe. She proceeded towards the elevator, hoping that the cute guy would speak to her. But he did not. The door was closing now and Lili could sense that he was looking at her again. She was mentally encouraging him. She was surprised that it actually worked as he asked her to hold the door for him.
"So, dinner was great, right?" Chase asked, unsure of what to say as he, Lili, Emma, and Harold were waiting for the car. Lili's car was fixed but Chase would rather the mother and daughter ride back to the hotel in his car.
"Yeah, it was," Lili was genuine in her answer. She did enjoy it and she was almost feeling a little nostalgia.
"I think we should do it again," he proposed.
This caught Lili off guard. "How?" she asked. "I'm leaving tomorrow. It's not like you live in Maine, Chase."
"No, I don't. But that doesn't mean that we still can't meet."
"Then tell me your plan." Lili was truly amused.
"Well, the tennis season will end at some point and I'll need to go on vacation. I think Maine will be perfect."
"Don't celebrities vacation in the south like the Bahamas?" Lili said as the car arrived and everybody got into the car.
"I do have to admit…." Chase's joking manner turned serious as he looked intently into Lili's eyes. "Lili, I want us to actually talk."
"But we t—"
"—Lili, that wasn't talking and you know it. I want us to talk about the more personal things. Hell, I kind of want to argue with you again. I missed it." Chase gave her a smile, hoping that she would return the expression, but she didn't. Lili just looked down for a long time and whispered in agreement.
"Who is this Finn, anyway?" Jane asked as she plopped down on the bed with Lili. Lili was visiting her best friend for the week in Maine where Jane was sure to stay for the rest her life.
"Just a guy, Jane. Don't think too much into it." After that morning at the Eiffel Tower, Lili and Finn spent some more time together in Paris which caused her to not leave Europe until several more days. She got to know the mysterious guy of whom she was so instantaneously attracted to.
"With you, it's never 'just a guy'," Jane smiled.
"You're talking about yourself, right?" Lili huffed as she slapped Jane with her own pillow.
"Seriously, who is he?"
"Finn is a pilot. He's from a small town outside Chicago." Lili gave a quiet smile. Finn was flying over Russia right now. He once described to her how beautiful Russia was from up top with its sheet of ice texture with the occasional mesmerizing shade of blue from the water.
"They're always from small towns, aren't they?" Jane laughed. She was glad that Lili was actually dating. She didn't expect for the relationship to be serious or anything but at least it was a start for her best friend. "You know, I don't think it's very fair to me that you guys have been dating for six months now and I still haven't met the guy."
"No offense, Jane, but you're way too beautiful. I have to make sure that he's madly in love with me first before I let him meet you," Lili joked.
"I hate it when people say 'no offense'," Jane rolled her eyes.
But Jane was right, six months was a long time. The relationship could be timed in terms of years by then. Lili was sure that Finn loved her and felt that she was the one for him. The only thing was whether or not Lili loved Finn as much in return. For that, Lili did not know yet. She wanted to make sure that she really did love him before she said those three magic words.
A/N: FINALLY, I have an update!!!! I am SOOOOOOOOO sorry, I've just haven't had inspirational for this story. I know what I want to happen but I just don't have all the filler events and details to write down. This chapter, I do have to admit, sucked. But it's something and hopefully it'll be able to give me the inspiration that I need to keep on writing. Plus, I've been editing, adding and subtracting a few things from Untitled so stay tune for that. That story is so much more popular than this one and I can't figure out why because I like this one better. What do you guys think? And if you haven't read Untitled yet, you should because it's pretty good from what I hear.
Hopefully to update soon,
humor my lips!
