Chapter Twenty-Six

Lily and Connie were sat on the sofa, in the middle of watching Mary Poppins. Elle had phoned Connie, explaining the situation with Archie, and Lily had gone quiet since the conversation. She was so scared; Archie was in prison because of her and he was bound to get his revenge on her in court. Everything was her fault. She knew that she should have just kept her mouth shut.

Gem soon arrived home from work and expecting it to be Iain, Lily looked up and tried not to look disappointed upon seeing his sister.

"Can I talk to you?" Gem asked Lily, before turning to look at Connie. "In private, maybe?"

"You know what," Connie sighed. "I think I better go and sort out that washing up before Iain arrives home. Shout if you need something."

Lily nodded and Connie gently stroked her hair, before heading into the kitchen. Gem waited until she'd fully left the room before taking a seat beside Lily. She felt awkward, unsure of what to say, and she wondered if Lily had had another one of her meltdowns at all. Had she cut? Had she caused herself to throw up again? She knew better than to ask though.

"How was work?" Lily questioned her.

"It was okay." Gem shrugged. "It wasn't the same without you though. You usually help me with my maths and I...I had to ask someone else today, I felt kind of stupid."

"You're not stupid," Lily whispered.

"Thanks," Gem said, giving her a small smile. "Iain told me what happened by the way."

"He came to see you?" Lily asked. "Where is he at the moment?"

"I think he went to the pub with some of the guys," she said. "He was feeling really bad and he wanted to give you the space."

Lily just nodded, not breathing a word.

"He really likes you, Lily," Gem told her. "I'm not blaming you for anything here. Iain explained it all to me and he's right, anyone would have reacted the same way if they'd been through what you've been through. My brother is a good guy though; he has a temper on him, and he can tell really lame jokes, but he's a good guy and he likes you."

"He told you this?" Lily asked her.

"Maybe," Gem said. "But I've also seen the way he looks at you. We're brother and sister and we've spent years apart from each other. He's done his share of helping me, so now it's my turn to help him."

"I'm not good enough for him," Lily said. "And I probably never will be."

"Don't say that," Gem said. "Who knows what the future will bring. I know you may not see this right now but Iain isn't like Archie. Archie was an awful man and there was something seriously wrong with him. My brother will treat you right, he'll look after you."

"I just don't know if I'm ready," Lily said. "No, I...I know I'm not ready."

"That's understandable," Gem said. "But have a think about it. I just thought that you should know much my brother likes you, that's all."

"You sound different," Lily said.

Gem shrugged her shoulders and frowned at her in confusion. "How so?"

"Just..." Lily paused for a bit. "More grown up."

"Oh crap," Gem muttered her breath, smiling and rolling her eyes.

"Now you're starting to sound like your old self," Lily laughed at her.

Lily couldn't sleep. Again.

She tossed and turned in bed, unable to find the energy to even check the time on her phone. She held the ends of the duvet under her face and sniffed as she tried to close her eyes. Every time she did though, she'd start thinking, and they'd pop straight open again.

She rolled onto her back and wiped at her eyes, trying to count the amount of cracks that were in the ceiling. Gem hadn't come to bed yet, she was still watching TV in the living room, hence why Lily had chosen to sleep in her bed instead of the camped. It felt much more comfortable.

The door opened and she quickly turned her head, thinking that Gem had finally decided to go to sleep. It was just Iain though.

"Hey," he whispered, hands in his pockets. "Can I join you?"

"Sure," Lily whispered back, giving a small shrug of the shoulders.

She moved over and allowed Iain to climb in beside her.

"What are you doing in Gem's bed?" He asked her, but she didn't answer. "Um...Connie said that the two of you watched Mary Poppins earlier. You never struck me as the musical girl."

"You never struck me as the country boy," Lily said, and Iain's eyes widened. "That's right. I still remember that," she sighed.

"There's nothing wrong with liking a bit of country music," Iain chuckled, and Lily managed a weak smile. "Hey, are we okay? I really am sorry for earlier. And um...We can talk more about it when...Things have calmed down slightly."

"It's okay," Lily whispered. "I just hate myself for freaking out like that. I should have been able to let you kiss me."

"It isn't your fault, you know?" Iain said, Lily going silent again. "Anyone else would have had the exact same reaction." Still no reply. "What's on your mind, Lily?"

"I'm scared," Lily said, wiping a small tear away from her eye. "Archie's been arrested, and...I have to go up against him in court. He's going to hate me so much, Iain. What if he comes after me? What if they find that he's innocent?"

"Those are all just 'what if's'?" He said. "For now though, Archie is being kept in prison until court so you can finally try your best to move on with your life. I know it's hard but please try not to worry about court, you have plenty of time to prepare and Archie can't get to you whilst he's in prison."

Lily nodded faintly and shivered slightly, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Sorry," Iain said. "Would you like me to move?"

"No." Lily shook her head. "I like the company. It's nice, thank you. Look, I...I'm really sorry that I can't give you what you want but maybe...Maybe one day we could try again? Go to the cinema or something?"

"Really?" Iain asked, surprised at her words.

"You're the only guy who's ever really made me feel loved," Lily said. "For now though, just the thought of kissing a man panics me."

"What's brought all this on?" Iain asked. "Honestly, I didn't think you'd forgive me so soon."

"I was talking to Gem earlier," Lily said. "You have a good sister there, Iain. She told me how you felt. I...I like you Iain, however I don't want you to wait. There could be other women out there, who...Aren't so screwed up."

"You're not screwed up. Besides, that doesn't matter," Iain whispered, a smile on his face. "I'll wait for you."

I loved writing that last line. I know I got this chapter up super quick but I wanted to write it. The next chapter will move the story on a bit but not too much. Enjoy x