Lily had never known this type of exhaustion existed, the kind where her legs felt numb—she had to look down multiple times to make sure they were still there, and yet she worried that she wouldn't be able to fall asleep when she laid down. She could feel the blood rushing through her veins faster than ever before, and her heart pounding hard against her chest, and despite all efforts, it was all she could do to remain in an upright position.
The sixteen-year-old looked up above her, and suddenly she missed the view from Tree Hill. There were stars in the black sky, but she really had to look to find them over the strong city lights—they were almost non-existent, she wasn't even sure if the moon was above her or not on this particular night.
"Here".
Lily looked over to see Andre unzipping his jacket as the two walked side by side, before wrapping it across her shoulders.
It was the kind gesture to make Lily realize her small jaw was chattering, as she held her arms tightly in her own hands, in an attempt to keep herself warm.
"Thanks," Lily said as she slid her arms through the oversized leather material. "I thought Texas was supposed to be hot"?
Andre chuckled. "It has really hot summers, but that doesn't mean it actually qualifies as 'hot state', they have mild to cold winters, actually—it snows more often in northern Texas than it does in the south, the largest snowfall recorded was in 1929, it was twenty-four inches—" Andre said, before looking down at Lily, whose eyes were nearly half the size of her face.
"It was a joke," she said looking at him. "Wow".
"Sorry, I read and study a lot," Andre told her.
"So, you're this computer wiz, you're really smart, you're this amazing friend—and you're hot, like Jesse Williams hot, how the hell are still single"? Lily asked.
Andre looked down at Lily as the two continued to walk down the sidewalk. "I don't know who that is, so I don't know if that was a compliment or not".
"He is an actor—he plays Dr. Avery on Grey's Anatomy, I would have all that man's babies".
"I've never watched it".
Lily turned to look at him, dumbstruck. "If you tell me you don't watch tv, you're gonna catch these hands".
Andre chuckled. "Does the history channel count"? He asked. "Or the animal planet"?
"Wow," Lily said shaking her head, smiling. "You might be the hottest nerd I have ever met".
"You Scott's and your subtlety".
"Oh, shut up".
"No wonder I had a crush on you when you first moved here".
Lily's smile dropped, and she looked up at Andre, attempting to keep up with him without looking where she was going. Which she knew was dangerous, so she stopped walking, and it didn't take long for him to realize she was no longer by his side.
Andre stopped and turned around to find Lily standing on the sidewalk, looking at him. "You had a crush on me"? She asked.
"Had" he repeated just for the sake of argument but nodded as he made his way back to her. "Of course I did, hell—who wouldn't"?
Lily looked around, there were few people out walking—not as bad as the streets were earlier in the day, but eventually, her eyes found his way back into his. "Why didn't you say anything? Or tell me—? Or, something"?
"I was going to," he said stuffing his hands in his pockets, shuffling from one leg to the other. "I wanted to make sure it was okay with Jamie first, you are his cousin—or whatever," he said chuckling. "I didn't want to sneak around his back or something, Jamie isn't my best friend, he is my brother—always has been and I wasn't going to disrespect him like that, but once he gave me the okay—".
"Wait, you actually talked to him"? Lily asked.
Andre looked around, before taking her hand and pulling them down on the nearest bench, just to keep the conversation as private as he could. "Yes," he said. "I talked to Jamie and Maddie, and I was going to talk to you the—the weekend of the camping trip".
Lily looked up at him. "The weekend I got with Chuck"?
Andre nodded. "It was just a crush, everyone gets them," he said. "Jamie used to say if he didn't marry Madison he was going to marry Shakira".
Lily smiled. "Then let's be thankful Madison said yes because that would have never happened".
Andre sat with his back against the bench, and Lily couldn't help but look at him, the city lights reflecting down on them perfectly—the smell of his cologne strong in her nostrils, though she blamed the fact that his jacket was wrapped around her small body.
"I can't believe they got married," Andre said and watched as she snapped her head up. "I mean it's crazy, right"?
Lily nodded. "Apparently, you exchange rings in that side of the family before you get all your pubic hair".
"Not an image I wanted in my head," Andre told her laughing, before standing up. "The hotel is still a few blocks away, we better get going".
Lily took his hand that he was offering her to stand up. "Remind me again why we decided to walk"?
"I think two reasons—we couldn't find a cab," Andre said as they began to walk. "And we could have ridden back to the hotel with the newlyweds—in your car might I add, but Jamie and Madison were becoming—what was the term you used? Oh, yeah—more nauseating than a fart fan".
Lily laughed. "They were"! She said. "I wonder what Chuck and Lucy will say when they find out they got married"?
"You're worried about that"? Andre asked. "I wonder if they even know where we are! We have been gone for twelve hours, did you even check in with them"?
Lily covered her mouth. "I knew I was forgetting something—don't give me that look, it's been a stressful day".
"Well, the day is officially over," he said glancing down at his watch. "Midnight".
Chuck laughed, before reaching over and hitting a particular button on the controller in Lucy's hand. "If you want to run you hit that," he told her.
"Oh," she said smiling. "I have just been hitting all the buttons".
"Well, that explains why you were running in circles," he said. "Now, we have to mobilize our squad before they attack us".
"Before who attacks us"? Lucy asked as she continued to try and keep up with Chuck on the screen, not sure which buttons to hit and which is to avoid.
"I'm not really sure," he said. "I never pay attention to the backstory, I skip it most of the time, and just start playing".
"Then how do you know if you're the bad guy or not"?
Chuck chuckled. "I don't," he said.
"How did you get so good at this"? She asked him, curiously.
Chuck shrugged. "I'm not that good, not as good as Andre—if you ask him he will say it's all about the mathematics or something, I tend to zone him out when he starts talking about classes that I skip," he said. "But, I guess I played a lot as a kid—it was an escape for me".
"An escape"? Lucy asked. "From what"?
Chuck pressed his thumb into the button on his controller, pausing the game, letting out a long sigh.
It had been a long time since any of the thoughts currently running through his head had made their way into his mind, but even after all these years, it made him flinch. Everyone who knew Chuck knew what happened, or most of it anyway, he couldn't remember the last time he had talked about it—at least not in the way his mind was forcing him to think about it.
"My mom—she drank, a lot," Chuck said looking ahead at the bright screen. "And by the way, that's the understatement of the year, and the only time she was sober enough to give a damn about me was when she was worried CPS was going to take me because my dad—if that's what you want to call him, gave me one too many shiners, and a child can only have so many 'accidents' in one month. The first one was the stairs—then the pantry door's doorknob, there was a football once and I fell out of a tree, they get less and less believable as time went on".
Lucy watched Chuck as he talked, and she listened, she hadn't known the man next to her all that long. But, what she had known was jokes, most of which were completely ridiculous, and absurd, her list was long.
It was a much different side of Chuck than what she had been used to, his eyes were narrow and if she believed in hypnosis that would be what she assumed was happening to her friend. There was one spot on the television that he had been starring at, unblinking, for longer than she would have thought he would, as he relived the terrible memories within his own head.
"I—I didn't know," Lucy said turning to face him, tucking her feet beneath herself as they sat propped up on the bed. "I'm sorry".
"Everyone is," he said, shrugging. "It's in the past, it's no longer relevant".
"Yes, it is," Lucy told him. "It's completely relevant, just because it's in your past doesn't mean you can blink and forget it happened".
"Yeah"? He asked. "Why don't you tell that to my mom," he told her. "She woke up one morning and decided she was going to be mommy dearest, to her next kid and her new fiancé and I just have to like it".
"Can I ask you something"? Lucy questioned him. "Kind of personal".
Chuck shrugged. "Sure".
"Did she ever apologize"?
Chuck looked at Lucy, and he couldn't believe someone was genuinely asking him about this, truly concerned.
It felt nice, for the first time in his life that he could recall someone was actually interested not only in his life but what he had to say, what happened.
Chuck hated it, but her question stumped him. He closed his eyes, leaning his head back against the headboard, and he thought about it. He tried, and he tried—he could remember his mom apologizing for passing out for days at a time, and the time she nearly set the house on fire from the cigarette that was in her hand—but try as he might he couldn't remember a direct apology.
"I—I guess not," Chuck said as he opened his eyes, coming to the own realization of his relationship with his mother. "No," he said adjusting his answer. "She never did".
"I believe that all parents deserve respect," Lucy told him. "But, to get the respect you have to give it, she can't just wake up one day and decide things are going to be different, your parents put you through hell—it was their job to protect you, but instead they were the reason you felt the need to escape, and she bringing in a new man and having another baby is going to change things? What about her first baby? You? It doesn't change anything, not for you—at least not until she makes amends".
Chuck scoffed. "All she thinks about is herself, she will never apologize".
"Then you have to make her? You have to show her what she did—and why you deserve at the very least a few sincere words" Lucy told him. "What about your dad"?
Chuck shrugged. "I heard he was in jail—but I think he got out a few years ago, I'm pretty sure he remarried—he had two more kids, and a third on the way," he said chuckling. "They both hated each other, but their exactly the same—they can straighten their lives up for another kid, but they couldn't get it together for me".
Lucy felt her heartache for the man next to her, she wished she had some sort of words that would heal all his inner wounds, but they both knew she didn't.
"Okay," Lucy said pulling a small binder off the nightstand. "Let's watch a movie—what kind of movie's do you like"?
Chuck shrugged. "I usually just watch whatever everyone else picks".
"You don't ever pick"?
"No, not really," he said.
Lucy handed him the binder. "I will call and see if the hotel has any popcorn," she said. "You pick".
By the time Lucy had called and ordered some popcorn, and a few other treats that would be bad for them, he had a movie playing on, so she jumped back on the bed.
"Thanks," Chuck said without looking directly at her.
Lucy, however, turned to look at him. "For what"?
"You're nice—I'm not used that I guess".
Madison wasn't sure how she was laughing, after the consistent events over the course of the past forty-eight hours of her life, she could only count five hours of sleep she had received—if that, none of which were consecutive. It was all in small breaks here and there, in the car ride over, or when she tried to sleep the previous night—but nothing long enough for a dream to set inside her head.
But, even without sleep, all her dreams had come true, and they had taken her by complete and total surprise.
But, despite the little sleep Madison had, the new bride wore a wide smile. The beam across her face matched her dress so perfectly as she waited for her husband, oh her husband—she wasn't sure if she wasn't sure if she would ever get used to that word.
Madison leaned against the wall in the long hallway of the hotel, watching the door Jamie had disappeared behind, waiting.
Smiling.
She felt her smile grow wider when the door opened and Jamie stepped out, shutting the door quietly behind him, and he shrugged. "Chuck said they aren't back, yet," he told Madison.
"What"? She asked, arching an eyebrow. "They left before we did".
"They must have walked—you know how Andre likes to walk everywhere," he said, scoffing as he took his wife's hand. "I've never heard a sixteen-year-old who talks about their cholesterol".
"And Lily"? She asked. "You're going to tell me Lily likes to walk"?
"Oh, hell no," he said scoffing. "She doesn't even like to breath half the time, she probably either didn't know how to hail a cab and even if she did Andre probably said he was going to walk and she doesn't want to go alone".
"Or maybe they couldn't find a cab," Madison said.
Jamie nodded. "That's a good guess".
"Not a guess" Madison said holding Jamie's phone up. "She just texted".
Jamie chuckled as he took his phone and read the text that was flashing across the screen. "It says they should be here soon".
"Should we go back and get them"? Madison asked. "I mean we did kind of hijack her car".
"I'll text and ask, but they are less than a block away by the time I go back downstairs and get in the car they'll be here," he told her.
"Well," Madison said, wrapping her fingers tightly around Jamie's arm. "Then I guess it doesn't really make sense for you to go, does it"?
Jamie smiled. "I guess it doesn't".
Madison watched as he pulled out the key card and slid it into the door to his hotel room—their's now, before pushing the large door open.
As the new bride went to walk in, she was swept off her feet—literally, but because Jamie couldn't be like every other man in the world instead of cradling her as most men do, he threw his wife over his shoulder. Madison giggled and laughed, the whole way in, watching as Jamie kicked the door shut with his foot before walking across the room and tossing her down on to the bed.
Madison couldn't stop from laughing, which only made Jamie smile, the sound of her laugh was so infectious—and slightly intoxicating for him.
"It was nice of Brooke to go out and find you a dress," Jamie said as he ran his hand down her side, caressing the fabric, and his wife nodded—still smiling. "Now, how do I get you out of it"?
Madison looked up at Jamie and watched as he took his the jacket, to the most casual suite in the world, off and toss it over on the dresser.
God, he was so sexy—she knew it, every girl at Tree Hill High knew it—the tattoo's, the piercings, the hair, the ocean blue eyes, the abs—oh, god the abs. Everything about him was sexy right down to the way he walked and talked, Madison never said it out loud but she always found him the sexiest after he got done playing a game at the river court, or after practice—covered in sweat, most girls found it oddly unattractive but she could never take her eyes off of him, he was sexy—without even trying, which Madison knew she was going to live to regret the thoughts bouncing around inside her head.
"Don't get mad—Kay"? Madison asked looking up at Jamie.
"You have a side dude"? Jamie asked, smiling down at her. "Just so you know—I'll kick his ass".
Madison laughed but shook her head. "It's just—Saturday night I only slept for thirty minutes, and then last night I couldn't sleep—that's when I came over here to see you, and now—I thought I had the energy but when you laid me on the bed, I'm not sure I have the energy to move".
"Oh, thank God," Jamie said tossing himself into the spot next to her.
"You, too"?
"I was tired last night—but I pushed through," Jamie said. "The whole way up I was trying to figure out how I was going to make it through—without passing out".
Madison laughed. "You make sex with me sound like leg day at the gym".
Jamie chuckled. "Sorry," he said looking up at the ceiling. "God, we are lame—we are sixteen, it's our wedding night, and we are both too exhausted to have sex—that's something to tell the grandkids one day".
"Technically—it's past midnight," she said as she looked up into the same spot he was. "So, even though we have only been married for a few hours—we got married yesterday".
"And yesterday we had a lot of sex," Jamie told her. "Five times before eight a.m is a lot of sex".
"Granted it was to keep my mind off of everything," Madison said. "But, it was good sex".
"Eh," Jamie said. "It wasn't my best—I don't do well after being woken up in the middle of the night," he told her rolling over and propping himself up on his arm—looking at his wife. "And I want you to remember our first time as husband and wife, and as tired as I am—you wouldn't".
"So, we sleep"?
Jamie nodded. "I love you—Mrs. Scott".
"At this rate, we should get there by dawn," Andre said folding his arms—though he was met with a death glare from the woman behind him.
"My feet are killing me" Lily moaned, before looking around, shaking her head. "Forget it".
Andre watched as she bent over, carefully and slowly she pulled one of her stilettos off—accompanied by a long and pleasurable moan. The mental image that crossed through the teenaged boy's mind was not one he should be having about his best friend's girlfriend, but yet here he was.
"Oh, my god" Lily said as she felt the soothing release from pain around the heels of her foot. "Oh, god—yes".
Andre pinched the bridge of his nose, in an attempt to erase her words—and the sound of her voice from his head. He felt as she grabbed a hold of his wrist, for balance he assumed, but the feel of her soft skin against his rough skin was enough to almost floor him.
"I'm going to hell," he said chuckling dropping his head.
"What"? Lily asked, standing up straight with both of her purple shoes in her hands.
"Nothing," Andre said, avoiding that particular rabbit hole at all costs. "Here," he said turning around. "Hop on".
Lily laughed as she squeezed his shoulders and took a jump, before wrapping her legs around his torso and her arms tightly around his neck. "I haven't had a piggyback ride since I was—Lucas, Italy—I was twelve I think," she said as he began to walk. "I assumed you're going to tell me why it's called a piggy ride"? She guessed, joking.
"It was originally called a pick back," he said as he continued to walk. "Pick was a medieval version of pitch, so it meant when you pitch something on to someone's back for carrying—".
"Oh, my god—I was kidding," Lily said, cutting him off, resting her chin on his shoulder. "Who actually knows that"?
Andre laughed. "You sound like Jamie".
"That's the worst insult I have ever received, and I share a locker room with Sasha and her gang of Sashettes," Lily said pinching him at the top of his ribs, earning a small smile.
The next fifteen minutes were filled with laughter and one random conversation after another. It was crazy that after all the time they spent together Lily never knew how smart, and hilarious Andre was—she hated the sound of her obnoxious laugh but it was the constant noise most of the time she was strapped across his back.
"I see the promised land"! Lily said pointing at the overly large hotel across the street. "This must be how David Bowie and that Clark fella felt at the end of their expedition".
Andre immediately quit walking and even though he couldn't turn around to face her, he cocked his head to the side just so he could look her in the eyes. "Who"?
"Those explorers—you know Pocahontas, the guy who drove—the big boat told them to discover new land or something, Christopher Columbus".
Andre's head hurt, in ways he didn't know was possible. "What in the hell are you talking about"? He asked sitting her down and turning around to look at her, honestly at the point very curious—but then two names crossed his mind. "There is no way possible you're talking about Lewis and Clark".
Lily snapped her fingers. "Yeah".
Andre looked at her, astounded. "And Christopher Columbus fits into this how"? He asked.
"He told them to go—do something, I can't remember what," she said crossing her arms.
"And the fact that he died almost three hundred years prior has nothing to do with this little tale"? Andre asked her. "There's a big part of my history book missing, explorers from the dead".
"Oh, yeah"? She asked. "Then who decided for them to—".
"Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States," Andre told her. "And while we are at it, he was never on the mayflower, and it's not Pocahontas it was Sacagawea".
Lily looked around, before looking up at him, awkwardly scratching her collar bone and asked: "what part of that story did I get right"?
Andre thought before he looked at her and said: "Clark, you got Clark right—just the name".
Lily looked up at Andre, who burst out laughing, and she couldn't help but smile.
"How are you a sophomore"? He asked.
"I'll have you know I have straight B's," she said putting her hands on her hips. "When I was being homeschooled I passed every test and—".
"Lily".
"Fine, I used to steal my mom's handbook with the answers—maybe I should have read up on it a little better".
"Yeah, maybe you should have," Andre said, still laughing. "From now on maybe I should check your homework before you turn it in".
The two laughed, and laughed, almost uncontrollably, it was funny—until it wasn't.
Andre didn't realize until his smile faded that his hand at some point found its way onto Lily's hip, he assumed he probably sat it there to sturdy himself from laughing so hard, except he wasn't laughing now.
When he went to remove it, Lily stopped him, placing her hand over his, holding his hand on her—she didn't have to say it out loud, he knew she liked the feel of his skin on hers, because he liked it, too. When she looked up, the first thing she saw was his almost dark chocolate eyes—staring into her own green ones, and despite everything running through their brains, the name Chuck seemed almost foreign.
"We should—get back," Andre said, as his thumb stroked the small amount of skin showing where her shirt had risen at some point. "It's getting late".
Lily nodded, but her feet weren't ready to move, so instead, she ran her hand up his torso, and on to the collar of his shirt. "Why did you tell me"? She asked.
Andre swallowed hard, he knew what she meant, and honestly, it was nothing if not harmless, but now it didn't feel harmless.
"Why did you tell me you had a crush on me"?
"Would you believe me if I said I lied"? Andre asked her.
"Did you"?
He nodded. "I said had—apparently it's still in progress".
Lily didn't know what come over her, all she knew was that it did, she pulled him down by the collar of his shirt and pressed her lips to his.
Andre heard the sound of Lily's shoes hitting the pavement before she wrapped her arms around his neck, and he tucked his free arm underneath his large jacket that she was still wearing—and they kissed. It was perfect, and soft, and slow, and when she leaned into him—his head nearly exploded.
"Whoa," Andre said, breaking the kiss apart using every ounce of strength he had. "We have to—stop, we can't".
"I'm sorry," Lily said pushing her hands into her back pockets. "I don't know where that came from".
"We can't do something we will regret".
Lily nodded, she knew that was true, and so did he, despite the hunger of want and need the two were fighting.
Andre picked Lily's shoes up that she had dropped and handed them to her, the two walked in silence across the road and into the hotel, they didn't speak the whole ride on the elevator, and when they exited the two-part ways—finding their way to their own rooms.
Lily shut the door behind her and walked inside her hotel room running her finger across her lips—unable to erase his taste from her lips. She looked in the mirror and to see herself—sitting in a bed, wearing his jacket, and despite all the trouble, the kiss could cause she couldn't stop smiling.
One thing was for certain, she never had felt this way after Chuck kissed her.
Knock, Knock.
Lily looked up—half curious due to the time of night it was, before making her way to the door, tossing Andre's jacket onto the chair on her way, before opening the door.
"Andre"?
He pushed his hand into the side of the door frame, looking down at her. "Lucy is asleep in my bed," he said. "I think you forgot to leave her, the key to get in".
"I will go get her," Lily told him, but he didn't move when she tried to go past him. "Is something wrong"?
"Yeah," he told her. "I said let's not do anything we will regret," Andre said. "But, we already have—I already have".
"Oh".
"So, if I'm going to regret something, it's going to be worth it".
Lily felt him press his lips to hers and lift her up above him, she wrapped her legs around his torso—tightly as he walked them into her hotel room, shutting the door with his one free hand.
Seconds passed before the two hit the bed, and Andre tugged his shirt over his head, before Lily rolled on top of him, pulling her own up over her head.
Andre ran his hand up her bare side, admiring the red lace against her skin that had been hidden beneath her shirt.
Andre rolled the two so that she was on her back, clinging to him in every way possible. The more they kissed, and the further they got—the more his mind began to panic.
"Damn it," Andre said, sitting upon his knees, dressed in only his boxers at this point in the night. "I don't have a condom".
"Hand me the blue bag over there," she said pointing.
Andre got up, and walked across the room before handing it to her, and watched as she fished around in it before pulling a wrapper out. "Here," she said smiling.
"You're giving me Chuck's condom's"? He asked looking down at it.
"No, Lucas—I stole it from him a month ago, I think Nathan gave it to him, I'm not sure," Lily said pulling him back down to her. "He isn't using them".
"I guess that's a little better than Chuck".
At some point he thought he would want to stop, he was the good friend, but he couldn't. He prayed and prayed that it would become worse than anything he had ever felt, but it didn't, it only got better with every kiss and every touch.
Despite the circumstances, neither of them wanted to ever let go.
Knock, Knock.
"Go away".
Knock, Knock.
Chuck groaned at the sound of the consistent, and overly persistent pecking on the door—and despite all efforts of ignoring it, it just didn't seem to go away. And he assumed that it wouldn't.
The moody sixteen-year-old kicked off the blankets he was buried beneath before getting up and slowly, making his way to the door, before opening it.
"Rise and Shine muffin," Madison said, grinning ear to ear as she pushed past him and into the room.
"God, she's a morning person—I hate morning people," Chuck said looking at Jamie who stood in the doorway.
"Relax," Jamie said, pushing past him in pursuit of his wife. "We got less sleep than you did".
"Coffee," Madison said, in a sing-song voice holding the tray full of to-go mugs out as Lucy sat up in the bed.
"I don't drink caffeine," she said.
"Oh, this one is hot chocolate," Madison said pulling one out and handing it to her, before grabbing another and stretching her arm out for Chuck. "Here this one is for Mr. Grumpy pants," she said in a dreadful voice that reminded him way too much of an episode of Sesame Street.
"It wasn't cute when we were eleven, and it's not cute now," Chuck said but did take the coffee as he sat back down on his bed gulping down as much of the hot beverage as he could without ultimately scorching the inside of his throat.
"What time is it anyway"? Chuck asked looking outside.
"Almost seven-thirty," Madison said as she sipped on her coffee. "We have been up since six".
"Why on gods earth would you do something like that"? Lucy asked.
"Because she is a diabolical little hellhound," Chuck said as he continued to drink his beverage. "Speaking of—where's Lily"?
Jamie chuckled as he sat down next to Chuck on the bed. "Probably still in bed".
"But, where is Andre"? Madison asked pointing at Lucy who was still curled up in his bed.
"Probably slept in Lily's room or with Skills," Chuck said. "Last night we were watching a movie and she got tired, we couldn't get a hold of you or Lily, and Lily had the room key—so I told her to crash there".
"You can't get a hold of anyone and you don't freak out"? Madison asked. "I hope our lives are never hanging in the balance and you're our last hope".
"Funny" Chuck said, sarcastically. "Your girlfriend is hysterical," he told Jamie. "I went to get ice and ran into Nathan, he said you all should be back soon-you went out to eat, which by the way thanks for inviting me".
"All of our phones went dead—it was sort of spur of the moment—after," Jamie said, smiling as he looked at Madison. "Do you want to tell him—or should I"?
"Tell me what"? Chuck asked, looking back and do forth between the two. "I swear to God if you say something like you got your penis pierced, I won't speak to you anymore".
"What's wrong with you"? Jamie asked smacking him over the head. "Why would I invite my entire family to see that"?
"And I say this with as much loves as I can," Madison said looking at Jamie. "No one would want to see that".
"Get your boyfriend to quit hitting me," Chuck told Madison, as he continued to dodge Jamie's palm.
"Okay, that's what we wanted to tell you," Madison said pushing Jamie back on the bed, who only laughed. "He isn't my boyfriend anymore".
Chuck looked up at Madison. "You two broke up again"?
"Why would she be in such a good mood if we did"? Jamie asked, arching an eyebrow.
"Maybe you're really lousy in bed," he said shrugging.
"Babe, am I bad in bed"? Jamie asked, smiling looking up at her.
"If you two didn't break up—then she has to lie you," Chuck said, shrugging. "How do you know if she is telling the truth"?
"I normally go by the amount of—oh, god yes," Jamie said mimicking the most feminine voice he could push out of his throat. "Or the number of times she calls me James".
"James"? Chuck asked.
"Weird right"? Jamie asked. "When we have sex she always calls me James".
"Are they always like this"? Lucy asked pointing at the two boys.
"If you mean annoying yes," Madison said, irritated. "And this is exactly why I didn't want anyone, IE him finding out we had sex".
"Now, wait just one second—" Chuck began.
"Shut up," Madison said pointing at him, and then swung her finger at Jamie. "And not a word from you either—you should have just married him"!
"Wait—what"? Lucy asked looking up at Madison, then looked to her finger. "Oh, my god—you're married".
Chuck scoffed. "No their not" but when he looked from Jamie to Madison—both sharing the same facial expression he realized he was very wrong. "You're married"?
"We were going to tell you last night but we wanted to wait until this morning—until it was official, and we knew it was legal" Madison said as she sat down next to Lucy. "We talked to his lawyer, we are married".
"It's a long story, and I'm sorry we didn't involve you in any of this—but we wanted you to know, first thing this morning," Jamie said. "You're our best friend, and yesterday was so hectic we didn't mean to leave you out—".
"You two are really married"? Chuck asked and watched as they both nodded, slowly. "Damn—congratulations".
"Really"? Madison asked before reaching over and hugging Chuck tightly. "I swore you were going to be so mad at us".
"Oh, for leaving me out—I'm pissed, but I can't be too pissed, my best friends are married—I'm happy for you, both of you," Chuck said as he hugged her back.
"Thanks," Jamie said, patting his friend on the back. "We have to be at the missing person's office in thirty minutes, so we are—".
"Missing persons"? Lucy asked.
"I'll catch you up when we get back, we should be back before you leave—the jet goes up ten sharp, mom wanted to make it back before the kids get out of school," Jamie told them.
Chuck nodded as he watched his two friends—his two married friends make their way to the door.
Madison and Jamie walked out of the door, hand in hand, smiling.
"He took that better than I thought he would," Madison said. "I was sure he would be angrier than that, that we didn't invite him".
"It's Chuck—he knows it wasn't intentional," Jamie told her. "Yesterday was—so long".
"And it's still going," Madison said as they approached the elevator.
Jamie squeezes her hand. "Are you ready for all of this—finding your dad"?
"If," she said. "We don't know for sure—".
"Maddie, it's you—the little missing girl is you, I recognize those little brown eyes if you were sixteen, twenty, eighty, or two—this is just a formality before they call him," Jamie told her. "You deserve this happiness".
"But, even if it's not," Madison said turning him around to face her, wrapping her arms around him. "I will be upset, but I came here looking for my family, and I found it—you, you're my family".
Jamie smiled and kissed his wife, gently as the elevator doors opened. "Are you ready"?
"I hate having my blood drawn".
"I hate when Lydia sings frozen songs in my face until I wake up," Jamie said as they walked into the elevator. "But, we learn to accept it and move on".
Andre didn't have to open his eyes to know that it wasn't a dream, or it hadn't been—though as the night faded and the morning sky set in it felt more like a nightmare. H could feel the warmth of Lily's body—her naked body, pressed against his side, and he could her soft, long relaxed breathes in his ear.
He wanted to be happy, at the moment, he wanted to be overjoyed, there was no way that the beauty laying in his arms wasn't his dream girl, she was. But, all he could feel at this moment was pain—gut-wrenching regret.
The night he spent with his coaches baby sister was unforgettable, in every way perfectly possible, there was no way when asked about the greatest sex he ever had that Andre wouldn't think of Lily, and the night he spent with her. But, despite her resting asleep against his chest he didn't think of her, he only thought of his friend—of Chuck.
How could he have done this? To him—to Chuck?
Knock, Knock.
"Lily"?
The sound of Chuck's voice on the opposite side of the door—waking Lily, instantaneously, the two-shot up in the bed—both shared a short glance before jumping out of the bed.
"Lils, you in there baby"? They heard his voice once again.
Lily slid into the hotel robe she found hanging on the bathroom door and she pressed her hand roughly against her chest. "Jus—just a minute" she called, her voice shaky, praying he didn't hear the nerves in her throat from the other side. "Oh, my god" she whispered looking in the mirror as tied the robe snuggly around her body.
Andre jumped into his jeans—pulling the zipper up swiftly before scanning the room for his shirt.
Lily watched from the other side of the room and she bust into action—running across the room, picking his shirt up and throwing it to him, before running over to the other bed—pulling the sheets apart and spreading the pillows. She dug into her suitcase and pulled out a pair of shorts and a tank top—putting them both on, before tossing the robe to the side.
"You better do something with that," she said pointing to the condom and it's wrapper on the floor. "I don't care what—just get rid of it, and not in the trash".
Lily didn't look back as to see what he did with it, but when she glanced back as she arrived at the door and it was gone—Andre was sitting on the edge of the opposite bed the two had slept in. She scanned the room one last time before opening the door, to reveal Chuck—and Lucy.
"Good morning, beautiful" Chuck said, leaning down and planting a small kiss on her lips.
Lucy gagged as she walked past the two making her way into the room, finding her own bag, and digging through it. "I need a shower," she said.
"Hey, man," Chuck said walking to Andre who simply nodded at his friend, or he hoped he was still his friend.
"Lucy was asleep in my bed last night so I crashed here," Andre said looking down at his feet, unable to look Chuck in the eye.
"That's what I thought," Chuck said as he looked back to see Lily shutting the door. "The Mr and Mrs woke us up at five this morning".
"Oh, he is being dramatic," Lucy said as she found the last pair of clean underwear in her bag. "It was seven thirty—ish".
"So, they told you"? Lily asked, awkwardly sitting on her bed, crossing one leg beneath her.
Chuck nodded. "I assume that's what took up all your time yesterday"?
Lily nodded. "After we all went out to eat, then when Jamie's parents and Brooke and Lucas left we stayed a little longer but I got tired, so Andre and I headed back—it was around eleven".
"I was still awake then," Chuck said looking at her.
"We headed back at that time we didn't get back for hours—we left my car with them, and we walked," she told him. "We couldn't find a cab".
"Well, thanks," Chuck said, looking at Andre. "You know—for taking care of my girl".
Andre's head snapped in his friend's direction, and it took a minute for the phrase to take meaning in his head. Because, he did take care of his friends girl, he took care of every inch of her body—but he knew that wasn't what Chuck was talking about, it just took a second for everything around him to register for what it was.
"It wouldn't have taken us so long if we didn't have to stop at every bench we came across so she could rest her feet," Andre said, shaking the bad vibe off of his back.
"He hates my stilettos," she told Chuck.
"Really"? Chuck asked looking at her, grinning devilishly. "I love them—especially when it's all she's wearing".
"You're disgusting," Lucy said pointing at him.
"All men like that" Chuck told her. "Andre tells her—if you had a girlfriend and she looked like this," he said pointing at Lily. "And she wore nothing but heels—a total turn on right"?
Andre looked at Lily, fighting the visual in his head but knew that even at this moment he would have to say something normal, something he would say regardless of last night's events. "Sure," he said. "Yeah, I would".
"See"? Chuck said at Lucy.
Lucy rolled her eyes as she made her way to the bathroom, closing the door behind her.
Chuck laughed, before looking at Lily "you should have had Andre woke me last night" he whispered. "I could have stayed in here with you".
Lily looked up and he was smiling, he was—happy, which why wouldn't he be?
"I guess we didn't think about it—we were tired," she said. "It had been a really long day".
Andre kept his head down, and picked at the dry skin in the palm of his hand—as he fought the urge to listen to the two, they kept their voices low but the room wasn't large. He couldn't help but feel the hot sensation pulsing through his skin, the anger—the jealously, it was something he was unfamiliar with—it was something that didn't make sense.
Lily wasn't his girlfriend, but here he was—jealous.
Jamie pushed the neatly folded clothes into his suitcase, and heard a light tap at the door—he wasn't even sure it was a knock, at first, until he heard it again. He looked at Madison, who had glanced up as she continued to pick up the small mess they had made from their brunch just moments ago.
The new groom made his way across the room, and opened the door—
"Lily," he said. "Just who I wanted to see right after I ate—now I won't be able to hold down solids for a good week, congratulations—you just ruined my honeymoon".
Lily half chuckled. "Please, you'd do that all on your own tiger," she said smacking him the stomach as she walked past him. "Damn Scott—your wife is fine".
Madison rolled her eyes as Jamie shut the door "you two are just as annoying he is with Chuck" she said clearing off the rest of the table.
"He's just jealous that I could give you better orgasms than he can".
Jamie scoffed. "Oh, here we go".
"What Jamie—you scared your wife is secretly hot for me"? Lily teased.
Jamie rolled his eyes and scoffed. "Please".
Lily, never could let things go—even jokes, even the ones she started—and she was the queen of taking it to far, but she lived for ruffling Jamie's feathers.
Madison looked up and saw Lily walking over to her, and she knew she was up to something—but how could she not play along?
Lily laid both her hands on Madison's hips and pushed her body directly into her best friends, and shockingly Madison did the same. The two both fought laughter as they let their lips get close—less than a centimeter apart—and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jamie, his arm resting against the wall, unimpressed.
Madison let Lily back her across the room, and the two collapsed on to the bed, giggling—and Lily straddled the new wife on to the bed.
"You know—if I wasn't related to the Courtney Love wannabe, that would have been totally arousing," Jamie said shaking his head.
Lily laughed as Madison pushed her. "Get off of me".
"Well, I'm going to leave you two love birds alone," Jamie said walking over, planting a kiss on Madison's lips. "Dad text and said mom wasn't feeling great, so I am going to go check on her, I'll be back".
"Knock before you come back in" Lily called as he walked out, the door closing behind him, before turning to look at Madison. "That was fun".
Madison sat up on the bed and nodded.
"How did it go this morning"? She asked.
Madison shrugged. "I'll know in twenty-four to forty-eight hours—maybe a day or two longer if the lab takes forever".
"What all did they do"?
"Took my blood, asked questions about recognizable scars and birthmarks, they even took pictures of my teeth for dental records comparison," Madison said. "They swabbed the inside of my mouth and nose—and Jamie was there to witness it all".
"Sexy start to the honeymoon," Lily said.
Madison chuckled. "Yeah, it was long, I never thought they would be done, but then they were—my mom's death—of Nina's never was tied to the people who took me so the man at the office called a detective, and was looking into it if they could reopen it, and tie it Santiago".
"That's good, right"? Lily asked. "I mean your mom's family, her parents need that closure—your dad, you".
Madison nodded. "I guess, I mean yeah—they needed it, it's just hard, Lils. I have spent my whole life missing criminals that weren't really my parents, I educated myself on everything about France and Spain, Jamie and I saved up for this trip to Barcelona so that I could go see them. I learned about their customs and language and cuisine, now everything I thought I knew about myself was a lie" she said. "I never knew I was even a missing person, and last night I cried because my mom is dead—do I even have that right? I didn't know her—"?
"You have every right, now I don't know anything about a lot of things you have been through, but I do know about losing a mom," Lily said. "There is so much I need my mom for, just to talk to her—but I have these wonderful and crazy memories—but those people robbed you of that, the simplest thing, a memory of your mom and then that man took her life, he stole her from you—do you have a right? Are you kidding? You have every right to be upset and pissed, if you want to kick and scream and curse the world I'm here for you, babe"
"Thanks," Madison said, taking her best friend's hand.
"And okay, you spent all this time learning about two beautiful—romantic places, that's not time wasted," Lily said. "One day maybe you and Jamie can actually go there, but now you get to learn about these other cultures—and places, and learn about their customs and religion and—about your family, about who you are, who you truly are".
Madison wrapped her arms tightly around Lily because that's what she needed to hear—just what she needed to her.
And she didn't let her go until she heard a small almost undetectable sniffle, and when she leaned away she looked at Lily—who was biting down on her lip and fighting the small tears that had dwelled in the corner of her eyes.
"What's wrong"? Madison asked, immediately.
"Nothing—just all this talk of moms, and that's the one person in the world I need right now" Lily admitted. "I need my mom, and I know her, I know she would be so mad at me right now. I can hear her in my ear—how could you let this happen? How could you do this? But, then she would tell me it was going to be okay, and I would get through this, and she would tell me what to do—but I don't hear that. I don't hear what she wants me to do".
Madison grabbed a tissue and handed it to Lily, who had reached the far point of sobbing. "What's wrong"? She asked. "What happened"?
"I—I had sex last night, really great sex," she said.
"I'm sure your mom wouldn't have wanted to hear that—I don't want to hear about you and Chuck," Madison said, making a squeamish face. "I don't understand why you're upset".
Lily took a long and deep breath, taking a minute to gather the courage up in the depths of her body. "It wasn't with Chuck" she admitted. "I had sex—it was Andre, I had sex with Andre".
Madison felt her hand raise to her mouth, almost involuntarily.
"Yeah, that's not helping".
Madison looked at her, hoping it was a sick joke because this was Lily, but even she didn't make it this far. "I don't understand—how did this happen? When did this happen? Where—why"?
Lily shrugged. "Does it matter—it did happen?" she said. "Four times".
"Four—you had sex four times"? Madison asked. "Did you sleep at all—no, that's not the point! What did he say—what are you going to do"?
"I don't know," Lily said. "I thought about asking Jamie for his advice—".
"That's an even worse idea than sleeping with your boyfriend's best friend," Madison told her. "Jamie would tell Chuck, and he needs to hear that from you".
"You want me to tell him"? Lily asked.
Madison looked at her, and she knew her jaw was on the floor. "You didn't plan to"?
"I don't know".
"Wait—you can't tell him," Madison said. "It would destroy him, Chuck has never had anyone in his life that loved him—really loved him, and he thinks you love him".
"I do"!
"I don't know if he would recover from that—oh, and I just know he and Andre would come to blows—it would ruin their friendship".
"Then what do I do"?
"Well, not having sex with Andre would have been a good start"!
"There's not a lot I can do about that now".
"First, talk to Andre, and then—I don't know, I don't know, I wish I did but they're my friends—my family, I won't say anything but you need to figure this out".
Lily nodded. "And you won't tell Jamie"?
Madison hesitated, but she knew her answer before she even gave it. "I won't tell him," she said. "Great, I'm building a marriage on lies and deceit".
"Sorry".
"I want to say it's okay, it's not your fault—but it really is".
"How did you convince Lily to let you borrow her car"? Madison asked as the walked out of the hotel. "I mean—it's her car, what is she going to drive"?
"Mine" Jamie moaned.
"What"?
"I'd prefer not to talk about it—it's already making me queasy," he said shaking his head as he popped the trunk and tossed their bags in. "I threatened her life if there is a scratch on it—and I would ruin what designer clothes she has".
"Evil, you're evil," Madison said tossing her small bag into the trunk smiling.
Jamie closed the back of the car before swinging his wife around pushing her up against the car, lifting her left leg up over his waist. Madison leaned back into the car—running her fingers down his chest.
"I'm really regretting not having sex last night," Jamie told her, pressing his lips to her neck.
"I hope you don't plan on anything happening right here—in front of all these people," she said. "I'm all for a little PDA—but this might be pushing it".
Jamie cupped the side of her face and he pushed his lips into hers, he felt both of her hands against the back of his neck—digging her nails into his skin. He let his hand glide from her upper thigh around her body, and just beneath her lower back, squeezing just a little.
"Okay," Madison said, breaking the two apart. "We need to get on the road".
"Or I could go get us another room," Jamie said. "And we could leave tomorrow morning".
"Tempting—but San Antonio is not that far of a drive, just a couple hours, and we can get a hotel down there—and lock the door until morning," Madison said, backing out of his embrace.
"Tease," Jamie said, though he was smiling.
"By the way," Madison said, pulling her husband in for one last kiss. "While you drive just remember—I'm not wearing any underwear".
Jamie watched as his wife turned and walked away, to the passenger side of the car—swinging her hips just a little extra for him, knowing the precise location he was looking at. He groaned as he backed away and got on the other side of the car.
Madison was smiling, strapping her seatbelt on when her husband shut the door after getting in the driver's seat.
"This is going to be a long trip," Jamie said before starting the Engine.
And the two took off, with a certain destination in mind, listening to the words of an automated GPS. The couple laughed and thoroughly enjoyed each other's company, because despite all the current issues surrounding them they were married, just married, and they couldn't have been happier—and nothing was going to ruin that.
Or at least they didn't think so.
"What the hell"? Jamie asked leaning back into his seat as the car began to decelerate.
"Oh, my god—Jamie, there's smoke," Madison said and her husband looked up to see smoke rolling out from under the hood of the car.
Jamie cursed as he turned the car off on the side of the road, and the two jumped out. For the next twenty minutes, Jamie found himself tucked beneath the hood of the car, before hopelessly giving up and slamming it shut.
"Well"? Madison asked as she sat on a nearby tree stump, waiting.
"Well—we aren't getting to Sant Antonio, or anywhere for that matter, until we fix this" Jamie told his wife, wiping the oil and grease from his hand with whatever Madison had fished out of the car. "Does she ever take this thing in for a tune-up"?
"What are you—the doctor"?
Jamie rolled his eyes. "If I was—I'd tell you that she isn't going to make it until we get a new radiator and engine".
"What"? Madison asked jumping up. "And how much is that going cost"?
"It's not the cost that concerns me".
"Then what is"?
"Look around Maddie—we are standing in the middle of the desert, the last rest stop was over an hour ago—and I have no cell phone service, we are stranded".
Maddie looked around, and despite having been there as long as they had it was the first time she really noticed her surroundings.
"It's not a Desert," she told him. "Desert's don't have roads".
"That information isn't helping us right now," he said leaning against the car.
"So, what do we do"?
"We walk," Jamie told his wife as she leaned against the hood of the car next to him.
"We—walk, as in walk"?
"I have another idea".
"Yeah"?
"We could—climb in the back and have sex".
Madison turned to look at him, just to make sure he saw the death glare he was receiving from his wife. "We are not consummating our marriage on a stranded highway in the middle of Texas in the back seat of Lily's car".
"Then we walk," Jamie said. "I'll get the keys—in my bag in the back is my portable charger, you get that".
Madison groaned but reached in the back seat as her husband fished for certain items he knew they could carry, or he knew they couldn't leave behind.
"So, how long do we walk"? Madison asked as he locked the car behind them.
"Until we hit a town—or pick up phone service," he said. "Whichever comes first".
"And how long will that take"?
"Do I look like Jamie the great, right now"? He asked.
Madison huffed as she walked side by side with her boyfriend—into the unknown, okay, now she was being dramatic.
Lily opened her eyes, and looked around—she saw the sky out the small window next to her and felt the small shutter that came with flying, but it could be worse. She could have been flying coach—but she was a private jet, which she would freak out about later.
When she sat up in the small bed she looked down at Chuck who was asleep next to her, and Lucy curled up soundly in the small chair—who she didn't see was Andre, at first.
Down the small hall, he was making himself a drink, so she carefully climbed out of the bed and quietly made her way to him. She shut the small door separating the two small rooms, before approaching him.
"Hey," he said, coldly, as he poured a small amount of alcohol into his clear beverage.
"Hi," she said, awkwardly, rubbing her bare arms as she watched him. "What's that"?
"Vodka and soda," he said taking a small sip.
"I didn't even know you drank".
"I don't—only when I screw my best friends girl," he said scoffing. "When I realize I'm going to hell, I'm a horrible person".
"Stop—you're not, you're not—you're not a bad person, you're one of the best people that I know".
Andre scoffed. "That's not saying a hell a lot about the people you surround yourself with".
"Stop," Lily said turning him around to face her. "Please, stop—we have to figure out how to—handle this".
"Handle"? Andre asked. "There is no handling this, he can never find out".
"I thought I could keep this from him but I don't know if I can".
"Lily, I lost my dad when I was little and then my brother, and then my mom got Alzheimer's—half the time when I go see her she thinks I'm either Tom Cruise or some guy she dated in college neither of which bode to well for me, but she doesn't remember me—Maddie, Jamie, and Chuck—they're my family, my only family and this would tear my family apart, you and Lucy, you're new but the four of us go back—I'm not saying that to hurt your feelings but it's true, we have gone through hell and high water together. I was there when Chuck's dad pummeled the hell out of him, I was there when Maddie's pretend parents left her, and I was there for Jamie when Nathan was kidnapped and his grandfather died, they are my people. Chuck and Jamie are like fire and ice, they fight as much as they get along and then I step in and break it up, I'm the good friend—but this? This was the most un-good thing I could have done, listen to me I have an IQ of 140, and I am using words like un-good instead of awful because my mind can't even wrap my own head around what I did".
Lily looked at him, and carefully laid her hands on his chest, feeling his heart race beneath her palm. "It's okay".
"If you don't want to be with Chuck, that can't be on me," he said taking a shallow breath. "But, he can't find out—so if you want to break up with him then do that, but don't make me lose my family".
"I never said I didn't want to be with Chuck, I love Chuck—he is a pain in the ass, but I love him," Lily said. "I don't want to hurt him either".
"Then this stays between us"?
Lily nodded. "No one finds out".
Andre looked down at her and into her soft eyes. "Then—maybe just one more thing can stay between us".
Andre took Lily by surprise when he captured her lips into his, lifted her up and carried her into the small bathroom—just for one more time.
Six Hours later
Madison stood outside the small town, no that wasn't the right word for it—she came from a small town, she wasn't even sure this was considered a town. It looked like a town would look, after an apocalypse, which reminded her she hadn't caught up on the walking dead.
"Maddie".
She turned at the sound of her husband's voice and saw him walking out of the gas station, towards her—with a bag of food, thank the gods in all the heavens.
"A tow truck will pick the car up first thing in the morning and will bring it here," he told her walking up to his wife. "The mechanic already ordered the parts—so that should be here before the car gets here in the morning".
"And in the meantime"? Maddie asked as she dove into the bag, pulling a hand full of fries out. "Where are we going to sleep"?
"They said there is a small bed and breakfast right around the corner—supposed to be really romantic".
Madison smiled at him. "Where did you get the fries"?
Jamie pointed behind him.
"What kind of gas station sells fries"? She asked.
"It's also a dinner and it's owned by the mechanic," he told her. "He is also the mayor".
"I miss Carolina" Madison pouted, dropping her head.
Jamie laughed wrapping his arm around his wife as they begin to walk. "His wife owns the bed and breakfast".
"Shut up".
Jamie laughed again as the two began making their way towards the bed and breakfast, and it was small, but he had been right—it was romantic. Or maybe it was, the newlyweds didn't pay too close attention after they checked in, Jamie tore through the door with his wife in his arms—kissing her with every ounce of energy he had, shutting the door behind him.
Madison felt her back crash into the bed, the semi-comfortable bed—and that was being generous. But, that didn't matter—it didn't even cross her mind, at least for more than three seconds before she helped Jamie jerk his shirt off over his head and threw it across the room—before he pressed his lips to hers.
A moan echoed through the room, which would have been completely normal, except it didn't come from either one of them. Jamie leaned away looking at his bride, confused.
"Oh, god—yes".
The two jumped at the sound of the wall-shaking next to them and a woman screeching.
Jamie let out a long breath before throwing himself onto the bed next to Madison, and she laid herself back down—crossing her arms.
"Well" Jamie said. "At least someone is having sex on our honeymoon".
Author's note: & that was the second chapter of my new set up. Dividing the teens/Adults into two separate chapters!
What did you think? Do you like it better? Or worse?
I like it because I get to dive in deeper into storylines I have just hovered over. I had a lot planned for Jeyton & a lot for leading up to the Andre/Lily, but there was so much going on, these huge storylines that those didn't get enough attention. & neither did Keith's. I wasn't keen on the idea, but I got so many DM's, so I finally said okay, I'll give it a try, and I love it because I get to dive in deeper.
& my goal, what I'm trying to accomplish in my writing is one chapter gets the early Tree Hill feel with the teenagers, and the next gets the later season feel, at least I hope that's how it comes off.
I read a comment talking about Lucas, how he was much more relaxed in this story, and makes jokes, etc. thank you for noticing! That has been my goal, being with Brooke (even though he isn't with her yet, or not yet—still in limbo) she brings out this side of him. I rewatched bits and pieces of the first season and she brought out this fun, wild side of him, but because they are so much older, and have kids I had to tone it down to their age, but I still wanted her to set the fire inside of him.
And despite all constant drama, I like to keep my story a little lighthearted, jokes & such. When you read one depressing chapter after another, some people tend to loose interest.
But, I try to keep the jokes & such age appropriate for whichever group, such as Lily and Madison pretending to flirt in this chapter.
I know, I know... I'm rambling.
I will say, about dividing the chapters, just so there is no confusion and if there is let me know. This chapter & last took the course over one specific day, the adults was the entire day and this one was mostly in the morning besides one section in the later afternoon. Now, sometimes the adults might be one day, and they might be the next, to keep the time passing but generally they will be on the same time line.
Do you like this dividing or did you like it the old way? I wanted you to read both chapters before I got your final input!
Thanks everyone for reading, and continue to read, & review it means so much to me, and for as long as I'm socially isolating you can expect these chapters more frequently! A few times a week!
So, everyone stay safe & healthy!
So, what did you think of this chapter!
Until next time!
Xoxo!