Page 50 of I Love You in French

“Lily,” I plead. I look about the sidewalk and motion for her to lean in. She cautiously does as I ask, and I move to whisper in her ear. I tell her the secret I’ve been holding since I arrived in this town and watch as Lily stills.

She looks at me with her jaw open before letting out a cross between a yell and a shriek. “WHAT?!”

Lily grasps my jacket and pulls me toward the sidewalk and out into the open. A couple in the distance turns to look at us, and I feel my face redden. A few lights turn on above some of the quiet shops. I won’t be surprised if we are brought in for questioning. Lily doesn’t care in the least, her eyes bright. She locates a snack-sized candy bar freakishly quick and starts smacking me with it.

“Ow! Lily!”

“Why.” Smack. “Didn’t.” Smack. “You.” Smack. Smack. “Say.” Smack. “Something?” Smack.

“Ow!” I step away from the madwoman with the violent chocolate. She motions for me to come closer again. SMACK. I’m an idiot for falling for it. “Lily, please stop hitting me.”

Despite the fact that the chocolate has melted considerably from her body heat, Lily takes a bite, the evidence sticking to her fingers. It seems to do the trick in dissolving the tension in her system. “That was for my best friend. At ease.”

I rub my arm where she zapped me. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell her right away.”

She scrunches her nose.

“Or you . . . before now.”

Lily gives me a nod of approval. “People have ... you know, only gotten close to you because of this?”

I nod.

“Well, this really puts a wrench in things, doesn’t it?” She pulls out another candy bar and leans against the brick wall, her eyes tracking a car that slowly moves past the nearly empty two-lane road that runs through the middle of town. “But ... I kind of get it,” she concedes. It’s my turn to be surprised. “Kind of,” she concludes.

“I can work with kind of,” I admit.

Lily looks me over and nods as if I passed some unknown test. She looks out at another passing car and speaks into the night. “Sparrow keeps people out, especially men. She’s had lots of disappointments with dating in the past. Her way of coping has been to build walls and create unrealistic scenarios ... to ward off her suitors. Kind of puts you in a sticky situation right now ...”

We look at each other, and I see the moment that tears fill her eyes. Hope fills my own. I didn’t realize how gentle Lily’s heart could be until now.

“I don’t want to give her a reason to keep me out. Not anymore,” I say.

Lily wipes the moisture from her eyes and nods. “I’m sorry I got the mean reds for a second,” she mutters.

“Breakfast at Tiffany’s.” I grin.

She pauses and arches her brow. I see the laugh trying to escape from her mouth. She’s at war with whether to be really annoyed at me or really impressed. And I’m just waiting to find out which one it will be. She reaches into her jacket pocket and pulls out another candy bar, throwing it toward my chest. I catch it in one hand, aware that she’s debating, and decide to throw down my last wish.

“Help me get her for real, Lily? Please? I want her more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life.”

Lily’s eyes glisten again, and she gives me a full smile. “Oh, the drama.” She sighs. “I’m too young for this.” She uses a napkin to attempt to clean the long-gone chocolate milkshake that somehow also got on her phone. It does nothing but smear further, but I appreciate the effort. She winces.

“I really don’t get why chocolate hates you so much ...” I begin.

She sighs, but I see the amusement in her eyes. “Listen. You’re only going to hear this from me once. Once. Got it? I never thought I’d find someone worthy of her, but here we are.”

I feel my eyes widen. That’s more than I ever thought I would hear from her. Emotion starts to stick in my throat. Oh, stars, am I going to cry too? This can’t be happening. Lily won’t let it.

“Get it together, man. I hate to break it to you, but she’s not afraid because you’re some big scary man.” I nod, a bit of relief coming to my spine. “She’s afraid because she loves you—you ridiculous, always French, mostly American-acting, and sometimes funny man.”

“She really loves me?”

A bit of a growl escapes her throat. She’s taking us farther down the street and back to another set of shops, leading the charge into the night.

“Why are we still back here?”

“So she doesn’t see us!” Right. Because this isn’t suspicious at all. Two people near the dumpsters along the town river late at night.

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