Untitled Ch. 03

Pulling into the driveway of Lily's townhouse in Midtown, Dane sat in his onyx colored Dodge Charger tapping lightly at his steering wheel contemplating his next move. "Should I go in? Go home...stay. Maybe I should take a quick stroll through Piedmont Park or..." His thoughts interrupted by a light knocking against his driver's side window.

Snapping out of his thoughts, he reached to roll the window down, but soon remembering that he'd cut the car off in his haste. So taking one big breath, he moved to get out of his vehicle.

"What're you doing here?" Lily asked. Her face scrunched in frustration. Her eyes rolling in annoyance and her arms folded tightly across her ample bosom. "Who does he take me for?! He fucks me then leaves me again! But this time he did it after saying he loved me."

"Shit, she looks pissed."

"Lily, can we talk inside? This is a moderately semi-private conversation that I don't want to have outside especially with Mrs. Ramirez poking her head through the blinds." Sure enough, the neighborhood gossip was staring intently at the pair when Lily glanced over to her townhouse. Without another word, she turns and begrudgingly leads them into her home. Dane, unable to resist, watched her sweet swish of her full hips as she walked. Images of her writhing underneath him, moaning out his name, begging for more and more, louder and louder. "Oh shit." Dane could feel his pants begin to constrict as walking became a lot more difficult with certain areas becoming engorged.

Lily cleared her throat. Apparently, his face said it all. "Caught like a kid with their hand in the cookie jar." Lily frowned and sat with a huff onto her plush oversized couch; she lives for comfort and stability. After a few pregnant pauses, Lily decides to speak up in a surprisingly calm and even tone.

"So, you have yet to inform me as to why you decided to park your shit car in my driveway when you couldn't get out of here fast enough after last night."

The magnitude of an awkward silence that followed her statement left Dane a little speechless. He knew she was pissed, but he didn't expect her to be this mad. Lily was typically a boisterous and fun-loving individual, but you knew that she was livid when she did not raise her voice in a situation like this. He's only seen her get this upset at one student who thought that she wouldn't flip out as he grabbed her ass. Her scolding was swift and brutal to the poor boy and his parents, but who could blame him. "What a great ass it is..."

Lily could not believe he was sitting here with nothing to say. "That dumb smirk on his handsome face makes me want to slap him. But I could never, I love him. Always have."

"Get out!" Dane stared blankly at Lily.

"Lil, calm down. I'm getting to why I'm here."

"Make it quick."

Taking a deep breath, Dane started. "Lily, I told you that I love you because I do. I just thought it was the right thing to say."

"The right thing to say. Hmm."

"Don't take it like that. I mean, you know I've always loved you. You're like my kid sister, wait! I didn't mean it that way!"

"Like a kid sister?! Are you kidding me?! What freaked out incestuous relationship do you think this is? So I'm family now...get out my house!"

"Lil!"

"Now!"

"Lillian Marie Thomas, listen!" Lily put her hand up to stop him right there and motioned towards the door. "I wish you would listen to me because we need to talk about this." Closing the door in his face, Lily turned and sat back on her couch. "Like a kid sister...really?"

...

Lily could not believe what just happened. She knew having sex with Dane would ruin them, but she still let him do amazingly dirty things to her. She was in deep. They have been friends for about fifteen years and he is the only person besides Abby that knows her so thoroughly. She hasn't even told Abbs that they have been having sex for about six months now and she was a confidante when it came to Dane and his bullshit.

He was the first person to talk to her when her ten year old self moved in next door to the Moore family. Her parents had just gotten divorced, and her mother packed her and her older twin brothers, Darren and Roger, up and moved them from New York to Atlanta. "Getting away from her past" she called it. Lily mourned the loss of her friends and family, but was soon shocked by what she encountered in her new neighborhood: a shit ton of white people. In New York, the Thomas Family lived in what was considered to be a richly Puerto Rican and African American region. She hoped they were as friendly as the Santos family that shared a cul-de-sac with them. Mrs. Santos made the best arroz con leche she had ever tasted.

But she was not so lucky. The Moores, much like the other families in their neighborhood, weren't as welcoming to the loud Yankees that had decided to interrupt the flow in their upper middle class community. And even school was not much better. Considering Darren and Roger were sixteen at the time, they attended high school together, while Lily was in elementary school alone. She was a shy, wisp of a girl, with skin the color of melted chocolate and big puffy hair that was enrolled into school halfway through the first semester.

Lily attended Hamilton Elementary which was located in the heart of her new suburban district. After her first day, she was explicitly instructed to walk straight home, about three blocks away, and not talk to anyone. With this area being relatively unfamiliar, her mother refused to take any chances, even if she had to work during the day.

"Hey! Wait up!" Came from behind her. She turned to meet the darkest green eyes she had ever seen. They almost fascinated her because most people she has ever known had brown eyes. He was breathing heavily as he finally got her attention. He had seen her around and knew she had moved in next door to him. "You walk fast, girl."

Lily stood there silently for a moment staring at the boy. She then continued on her way, walking a little bit faster than before.

"Hey, so you aren't gonna wait on me? I just ran after you. C'mon!"

"Okay. Fine." She squeaked. She stopped at the corner of Apple Blossom and Pine, she could see her house down the block.

"What's your name?"

"Lily."

Extending his hand to shake hers, he said his name was Dane. "So you're my new neighbor."

"Yeah."

"Wanna ride bikes?" With a gapped tooth smile, she nodded, her curly black hair falling into her face. She had just received a brand new bike for her birthday from her dad. It was perfect: bright orange, banana seat, shiny bell, and wicker basket. "Meet me in five?"

"Okay. I have to call my mom first."

After five minutes and a phone call to her mother, Lily was given the clearance needed to embark on this adventure with her new friend. Happy to have made a new friend, she ran to the garage to grab her bike and get him. Rolling her sparkling bicycle out onto the sidewalk, Lily walked it over to her new friend's house since he was not outside yet. Propping up the kickstand, Lily went to knock on the door to see what was taking him so long. She rang the doorbell once and it swung open. A tall man came to the door with a deep frown on his face.

"Um, hi mister. Can Dane ride bikes? He told me five minutes and it's been..."

"No." And with that, he slammed the door in her face. In a daze, Lily climbed on her bike and rode it back into her garage. Tears streaming down her young cheeks. She'd never had someone slam a door in her face and it didn't help that her older brothers walked in to see her upset.

"Lil, what happened?" Darren questioned lightly. He's always been the protector of the three; they blame it on the fact that he's technically the oldest, by about five minutes. His sixteen year old frame towered over most, with the exception of his identical copy, at six foot three already.

"Come over here and tell us what's wrong, little sis." Roger offered. Little Lily sat in front of her brothers and told them how there was a big man next door who was really mean and wouldn't let Dane ride bikes even though it was his idea.

"What an ass!"

"Dude, watch your mouth." Roger corrected.

"But he is. We've been in this neighborhood for like five days and these people definitely ain't cool. Man, I'm starting to miss Romeo and Mario. Mrs. Santos loved us like we were family."

Roger shrugged, moving sucked. He missed their two best friends too, but that was just the breaks about moving forever away. Darren always refused to let things go and that was his biggest pet peeve about his body double. "Okay Lil, how about we ride bikes? I saw a park near our school that's pretty close. We'll be back before mom gets here. What ya say?"

She grinned and ran to the garage. "I'll take that as a yeah." Darren chuckled.

What Lily didn't know was that there was a sad face of her future friend-with-benefits up in his bedroom window watching enviously as she and her brothers rode out to have fun.

The next day, Dane began a yearlong fight to make Lily his friend just to spite his father from that day. Eventually he relented some, but he told him he was never to allow her in the house. It wasn't until he got older that he understood why his father felt this way, other than his obvious prejudices against her race.

...

Dane was a complete loss at what to do. He knew that his father wanted him to propose to Taylor, but it had only been eight months of them dating consistently and he had been having relations with Lily for six of those. He knew that there was only one person that he could consult in a time like this and he hoped that they knew what to do.

Pulling up into the drive of the old house on Apple Blossom, he watched a familiar face planting flowers in the front yard. Parking on the street to avoid having to rotate cars when his father came home from the country club, he approached them as their head remained down.

"Mom, I need help." Dane said to Laura Moore. She looked up from her newly planted perennials and smiled. Embracing her only son, Laura sighed heavily. She was pleased that he had come to visit, but she just wished he made more of an effort when he was not in need of counseling.

"What's wrong, Daney? And it hurts my poor little heart that my only son comes home once in three months for consultation. Do you not love your dear old mom? Am I not important enough for at least a phone call once in a while?" She said feigning disappointment. "You know one day I won't be here and you will have to start making responsible decisions on your own." Dane rolled his eyes as she gave him the same speech that he receives at every visit.

"Mom, stop with the dramatics. This is really important. I have seriously ruined my life..."

She stopped to look at him quizzically. She could tell he was hurting and grabbed him by the hand to lead him into his childhood home. As the front door opened, the smell of apples and cinnamon wafted into Dane's nose. "Ahh, the sweet smell of home" he thought as he was led into the kitchen where his mother was preparing dinner.

"So how did you ruin your life?" She inquired as she washed her hands and began to pull various food items from the refrigerator and cabinets.

"You know that I love Taylor, right? And she's great and perfect and everything I could ever want..."

"But?"

"But she isn't Lily..." Laura nodded understandingly. She has known for fifteen years that her son was head-over-heels in love with Lily Thomas. She knew from the moment that he cried angry tears about not being allowed to ride bikes with the girl when she first moved into the neighborhood. She can clearly see him now, stomping around the house, huffing and puffing as he watched her and her brothers playing in the warm Georgia heat. "Oh, where has the time gone?"

"Okay, so we've established that she isn't Lily. I guess I don't see how your life is ruined as of yet."

"I have been cheating on Taylor with Lily for six months now." Dane held his head low, eyes averted from his mother's heated gaze.

Laura immediately stopped chopping up the onions for her main course and looked at her boy...her very silly boy. "For six months, Daney? You've only been with Taylor for about eight months total. Oy vey."

"I know, but that's not all. I told Lily that Taylor and I are friends that nothing has been going on between us, and Taylor believes Lily is just my platonic childhood friend. I'm screwed!"

Taking a deep breath, Laura asked "Do you love Lily?"

With no hesitation, Dane replied with a strong yes. He knew that his mother has never held the same prejudices that his father insists on maintaining in this day and age, but she knew that her husband loved Taylor for Dane. He had begun discussing how he wishes for grandchildren from their coupling to her in private.

"Well if you love her, you have to tell her the truth and be a man about it. She will be mad, she may even hate you a little, but you cannot lead her on forever. She is a bright young woman and if I know anything about Lily, it's that she is a special girl. You cannot keep something this important from her."

Dane sighed heavily. He figured that his mother would say that. "But what about dad? He has come to accept Lily being in my life, but he would never go for that."

"Dane Arthur Moore, there are few moments in life where true love can be acquired. You cannot let other people keep you from happiness. If I had, your father and I would have never have dated nor married. My father did not approve of an unemployed veteran attempting to woo his littlest princess fresh out of college, but I fought for Patrick. I loved him more than anything else and if Lily makes you feel like breathing without her in your life is not possible, you have to do everything to get her. Understand? We'll deal with your father when we cross that bridge."

Scooping his mom into a big hug, Dane kissed her on the cheek. "This is why I love you, Mom. You're amazing...even if you are a midget." He teased as she pinched him. It was not Laura's fault that she was only 4'11 compared to his giant 6'4 stature. He retained all of his height from his father's side of the family.

"Hey son, leave my wife alone." His father bellowed from the foyer. Patrick Moore dropped his golf clubs by the front door and headed into the kitchen to greet his wife and boy. Patrick Moore is a giant man with salt and peppered russet hair. His dark cerulean eyes twinkled as he walked into the kitchen to see a familiar scene: his wife being teased by one of their children.

"Hey, Dad. Well, I guess I'll be on my way. I should really get back home. Thanks again, Mom." Tousling her curly blond locks, Dane released her to give his old man a quick hug before departing.

"You're leaving so soon, son. Why not stay for dinner?" Patrick offered as he embraced his only son. "We never see that much of you or your sisters anymore. I get it, Abigail has my little Bella-Bug, but Rachel just completely forgets that we exist."

"Dad, Rach is in Morocco right now. She'll be back before you know it. Research is her life and with your anniversary on the horizon, she will definitely return. It'll be okay." Dane tried to reassure his folks. His oldest sister, Rachel, was a professor at Emory University and spent her summers doing research in random foreign countries. She was incredibly talented and he was proud of her despite rarely talking to her. He missed her fairly often.

"But what about you? You live in Buckhead for fucks sake. Why do we never see you or Taylor?" Patrick inquired.

"Dad, I have to go. I'll be over for Sunday dinner." Dane stated as he walked out of the kitchen.

Patrick looked to his wife with a touch of sadness in his eyes. "Well, good thing I have all that I need right here." He said as he kissed his wife. "What's going on with that kid?"

Laura looked away and opted to answer with "Dinner will be ready around six o'clock. Go get cleaned up, love." Patrick did as instructed, not once thinking about his wife's indifference to his thoughts.

...

Dane felt that he accomplished his goal. He knew what he had to do, but how to go about it. As he was thinking of a way, his phone rang.

"Hey man! What's going on?"

"Come shoot some hoops with Roger, the gang, and I. We're meeting up in about an hour and need another man."

"Alright, cool. I'll be there. Where at?"

"I finally finished refurbishing the old park in my neighborhood. The court is everything, man."

"Okay, see you in a bit D. Prepare to get spanked." Dane joked with Darren before hanging up. In the last fifteen years, he and Darren had grown close. "How can I be around her brothers without thinking about her? Fuck. I need to clear my mind for a little while..." He hoped that he could keep it together around her folks. The last people who needed to know how he was treating their little sister was Roger and Darren, especially Darren. It took him forever to trust him as it was, he could not ruin that. "This situation just sucks..."

Looking back down at his phone, he realized that Taylor had texted him: It's Saturday. You're not working. What are you really doing? I'm worried about you, baby.

"Oh shit, now what?" Dane banged his head against his steering wheel and sighed. He had to do something and quick. He can't keep lying. He had to fix this...and quick!