Page 62 of Four Times Taken

With awareness comes memory, and with that memory comes guilt. It crashed down on me when I opened my eyes to find that this isn't one of my dreams that I've had night after night since the guys re-entered my life. No, I'm kissing Eric's best friend.

Pulling myself away from an error I can't reverse, I covered my mouth with my hands, in an effort to hide my trembling lips, and because I'm afraid if I don't cover them, I'll lean right back into his embrace.

"I'm sorry," I muttered, in a distant sort of voice.

He reached for my face, his attempt to soothe me, but I scooted to the end of the carriage, leaving no more than six inches between us. "Hey, you don't have to apologize," he said.

But his voice was an echo as I searched for my phone with trembling hands. Grateful I hadn't dropped it, I called Eric.

Chapter 41

Eric

Lily was spooked by something on her phone call. She only asked where we were and hung up. Trying to call her back was unsuccessful. When she showed up, breathless and sweating, my heart was in my mouth.

"What's going on? Is everything okay?" I rushed over to her.

"Yeah, yeah." She waved me off before placing her hands on her hips. "Damn, you guys walked far!" she panted.

"Yeah, we figured she'd prefer more grown-up stuff over rambunctious young folks losing their minds over exuberant rides. You had me panicking for a moment there." My eyes followed her beeline to her mother, and I paid attention to the way she's checking the coolness of her skin with the back of her hand and avoiding eye contact with both me and Ethan.

"Yeah. I just felt like it was time to take my turn with my mother while you guys get to have some fun, too." She took the bags from Ethan and moved to take the chair from me.

"Well, hold on a minute. Let Matt or Ryan help you out. Where are they anyway?" I looked around for them.

She shrugged. "I'm fine. You guys should hang out together. Bond. It'd be nice to be on my own with Mom."

"We hang out all the time." I frowned.

"Are you okay?" Ethan asked.

"Yes!" she replied, exasperated. "Yes," she repeated, softening her tone. "You don't have to keep asking me that. I'm fine. I'm just all 'ridden out.'"

"Well, I hope not." I chuckled. She'd grin along with me, usually. I thought that was a solid joke. Instead, she reddened, as if embarrassed.

Moments later, Ryan and Matt showed up, phones out. I made eye contact with Matt, asking him without words 'What's up with Lily?'

He shrugged before returning to his vlogging. Ryan avoided eye contact with me. Ethan shared my concern, exchanging glances with me.

He tried to break the tension. "Eric got you a rose," Ethan said.

"I sure did." I smiled, moving over to the bag over her shoulder and pulling it out. It's a bit crumpled, so I tried to smooth it out without making it worse. "It was perfect when I got it," I explained.

She sighed and smiled into my eyes, placing her hand over mine. There she was. "It's perfect. Thank you." She sniffed it, and her eyes watered.

"What's going on with you, Lily?" I asked, brushing the back of my fingers over her flushed cheek.

She leaned into my touch. "It's nothing. I've just never gotten a rose before."

"Awww." I smiled. "Well, there's plenty more where that came from. In fact..." I rummaged around in another of the bags. "Ethan also got you a rose." I grinned, handing the crooked flower to her.

Her eyes widened, and she looked between me and Ethan, whose jaw had gone slack. "Really?" she asked.

"What? No." He narrowed his eyes at me. "I got it for Mrs. Thornbread."

Lily sighed her relief. Damn, I was hoping it'd spark some interest in her. I still had my eyes on Matt and Ryan, though. Someone knew something about why Lily's acting all weird. I trusted the guys wouldn't do anything to hurt her, so there must have been something else happening. Matt was just as confused as I was, and Ryan was acting just as shifty as Lily was.

"Well, that was really thoughtful of you, Ethan." Lily smiled. "I'm sure she loves it. I'll save it for her."

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