Lilly was packing ready to go back to the dorm house, which was a lot closer to the collage than her house. She was just packing the red dress that she wore when James told her, her worst nightmare. That's when her mum knocked on her door. "Hey, Lilly you ready to go?"

"Nearly mum." She closed the lid of her second suitcase and pushed herself up. She walked over to where her mum stood, outlined by the door frame, and wrapped her arms round her mum's neck. "I love you", she whispered.

"I love you too." Her mum wrapped her arms round her and hugged her tightly.

They were broken from their embrace by the doorbell. "That will be James," Lilly said as she pulled away from her mum and galloped down the stairs but jumped the last five.

"Slow down Lilly, you'll hurt yourself" her mum laughed down the stairs at her.

"Sorry mum" Lilly called back as she opened the door to a laughing James.

"Eager to see me?" he asked in a cocky tone.

"No, of course not" Lilly laughed, "it's just you're only over an hour late." She looked at her watch; he was nearly two hours late.

James rubbed the back of his neck, "yeah sorry about that."

"So what's your excuse this time," Lilly teased.

"Same as always, my mum would let me go."

"She's the same as me" Lilly's mum popped up behind Lilly, kissed her cheek quickly and walked into the living room, just right of the front door, "but I'll stay out the way till you say bye."

"Thanks mum."

"So, where's your suitcase?" James asked, peering round the door looking for it.

"Oh. Right. Yeah. They're upstairs."

"They?" James questioned

"Yeah. I have two."

"Whoa, what are they filled with? The kitchen sink?"

"I'm a girl. Do I need to explain more?" They both laughed as they made their way up to Lilly's room.

"Damn, this place hasn't changed since we were kids."

"Well I thought that my whole life will be changing and I don't want to change with it so I thought the space I spend the most time shouldn't change." Lilly said walking over to her bed and sitting down.

"You always did look forward to the future, but scared of losing the past." James said quietly as he joined her.

"Do you blame me?" Lilly looked at him trying not to cry, "I lost my dad when I was young and my granddad a couple years later. Do you blame me for not wanting to forget them?" she bit her lip to stop the tears so hard it bled.

"Of course I don't." He said as he pulled her up onto his lap and wiped away one of the tears that had escaped. "You're one of the happiest, smartest and prettiest girls I know, Lils. You deserve better than the life you've been given but you've fought through it and are still living life to the full and still remember them." He kissed the top of her head lightly, "but please don't cry," he wiped more tears away with his thumbs, "your smiles much prettier." Lilly couldn't help but smile. James always knew exactly what to say to make her smile and cheer her up.

"I'm sorry." She croaked.

"Don't be, it's fine." James smiled down at her.

Lilly looked up to see James' chocolate eyes sparkling down at her. "Thank you." She whispered.

"You're welcome. We better get your stuff in the car and get going before it gets too late and I have to crash here for the night." He laughed.

"Yeah I don't want that." She stuck out her tongue out at him like a kid and got up. She got to the cases and picked them up just as James went to get them.

"Hey, I can carry them myself."

"I know. I was goin' to be kind but I guess you don't want my kindness." James laughed.

"I didn't mean it like that. I just don't want to be seen as weak." Lilly looked down.

"Ha. You. Weak. Never."

"Ha. Me. Weak. All the time."

"Who told you that?"

"Like everyone."

"Well they're all idiots."

"Nope, they can't all be idiots, there's too many of them."

"Yep, they are."

"Nope, you're the idiot."

"How?" James gasped, faking hurt.

"'Cause you think differently to everyone."

"Yeah, 'cause I think the truth."

Lilly put the cases down and hugged James. Calm seas met melted chocolate. James moves a piece of hair out of Lilly's face as his arm snaked round her waist. The moment they shared was quickly broken.

"Hey, you two, you going to leave today?"

Lilly pulled out of James' arms and turned to pick up her cases again as she called back, "yeah, just coming."

James' arm wrapped round her waist from behind and he kissed the top of her head. "I'm gonna hate moving."