Page 1 of For the Love of Lily

One

“I changed my mind, I don’t want to go.” My reluctant whine filled the carriage of the lunchtime train to Manchester, alongside its musty smell and sticky floor. I didn’t want to even consider the state of the seats or what hotbed of germs might lurk in them. Cassie frowned and let out a frustrated sigh.

“You’re not getting out of this,” A smug little smile worked its way onto her mouth, she knew she had the winning card. “You promised.”

The train rattled into a dark tunnel, leaving me with my thoughts. Cassie had persuaded me to let her set up a blind date. I had agreed to meet one person for one coffee, and even that didn’t seem a great idea right now. In her opinion, four years of being single was way too much, but it suited me fine. My life was exactly what I wanted, working as a legal secretary at Draper & Hughes, with the best commute in the world as I rented the flat above the office. My social circle was small but perfect - me and my two best friends.

My stubborn features remained screwed up. “So, remind me, who am I meeting? Who am I being thrown into the lions’ den with?” My stomach was in knots. I knew she meant well, but I didn’t think she completely understood the anxiety it stirred up.

Cassie’s face lit up with delight as she thrust her phone towards me, his photograph on display once again. “Zack, who is also twenty-seven and lives in Cheshire. He’s a lawyer.”

“Why is that a good thing?” I asked. “It’s not like on Netflix. I keep telling you this. Most lawyers are boring as hell.”

She didn’t respond. To be fair to her, the guy looked lovely. The photo seemed to have been taken at a work function or something similar. He wore a well-cut suit, it looked designer, I had a soft spot for men who dressed well. He was holding a champagne glass, which always worked for me. His hair was great, I had to admit - sort of short at the sides and then a longer length and well styled on top - it suited him. It was a gorgeous shade of dark brown, almost matching a dark, chocolatey mocha that I would treat myself to at weekends. I looked up at Cassie, who still sported the excited grin.

“See, you like him! I told you I’d choose someone nice.”

I frowned at her. “How tall is he?”

“Five-eleven,” she replied, her eyes narrowing, as if daring me to object.

“I bet he lied, and he’s only five-nine really, so I’ll never be able to wear heels with him.” Five-nine was my height, and it had caused me paranoia for a long time as my ex-boyfriend had hated me looking taller than him, but I adored heels.

“Lily, why would he lie when he’s about to meet you? You’d obviously notice.”

I shrugged, aware I was a drama queen. “Seems short to me.”

“It’s virtually six-foot, stop looking for issues,” she scolded. Her mum voice was sneaking in, meaning it was time to suck it up and be quiet.

When the train arrived in the city center, we headed straight to the toilets for a last-minute outfit check. I must’ve tried on twelve outfits, not to mention the four hairstyles and ten pairs of shoes before we settled on today’s look. A flattering, dark blue, knee-length skater dress. We were meeting for coffee, just casual, so I’d teamed it with a fitted denim jacket. The outfit was then finished off with black ankle boots in soft leather.

The height difference between me and Cassie was obvious in the mirror, the top of her head scarcely reached my nose. She was polar opposite to me with her blue eyes and blonde, bobbed hair, always straightened immaculately. Whereas I tended to look too serious at times, Cassie always looked like she was about to burst into laughter. She had the friendliest visage I could imagine, not a glimmer of resting bitch face to be found.

“We can walk to the coffee shop, it’s five minutes from here. I’ll wait outside until I see you’re settled,” she instructed like a mother hen. “Then I’m going shopping. Text me when you’re ready, and I’ll come straight back and meet you.”

I nodded, mute with nerves.

“Your make-up looks great,” she commented, as she squinted at my favourite black-winged eyeliner, which emphasised my dark brown eyes. “Wish I ever had time.”

The early spring sunshine warmed my face, I’d missed it over the long winter. As we approached, I could see a man I thought might be Zack waiting outside. I begrudgingly admitted that he looked taller than on the photograph as he leaned against the wall and scrolled through his phone. He wore well-fitted, dark blue jeans and a black, round-neck jumper that looked, from here, as though it might be cashmere. His hair was perfect - that same mocha colour from the photograph. Good hair was another weakness of mine.

Zack absolutely had the tall, dark and handsome look going on, with a smattering of dark stubble that looked as though he was relaxed about his appearance, but I expected was styled. I snapped out of ogling him as Cassie gave my hand a squeeze and crossed over the road so she could keep an eye on me for a few minutes.

As I headed towards him, focused on not tripping over or otherwise making an idiot of myself, my mouth and throat felt painfully dry. I prayed this was in fact him, and I wasn’t about to approach a complete stranger waiting for his wife or friend. My chestnut brown hair was in a loose plait and I flicked it forwards over my shoulder as I approached, the ends tickling my collarbone. It was one of those plaits that looked effortless but had taken ages to get right. The man looked up with confident eyes. “Zack?”

His smile was warm as he nodded. “Lily?”

At least I’d got the right person and not approached a random stranger. Now I just needed to relax, my shoulders were so tense. I focused on dropping them down, taking breaths like I’d practiced so many times.

“Glad you made it. I figured this would be easier to find than a little independent place,” he explained.

“I can find a Starbucks from miles away,” I smiled, hoping to break the ice.

He gazed at me for a second that felt like it stretched to minutes before I saw a subtle patch of pink appear on his cheeks. “Sorry, let’s get coffee.”

My smile remained stuck on my mouth as if on autopilot and I was unsure how to respond as I followed, taking a seat at a table near the window while Zack joined the queue. How does he not look nervous? I tapped my foot against the table leg ten to the dozen, instant giveaway of my anxiety. Breathe Lily. Legs tucked under me to stop the tapping, I repeated to myself in my head, it’s just a coffee, it’s just a coffee.

This was the same chain of coffee shop that I frequented at home, but this branch was huge in comparison. The male baristas seemed to all share a style of shaggy beards and plug piercings. There was a corner set up for an open mic night later that evening, which was advertised on large posters. There was also a section selling coffee-related products and re-usable cups in all the colours imaginable. It seemed as though people from every walk of life were gathered here. Teenage girls giggled in noisy groups, parents tried to control toddlers, and middle-aged couples gazed wistfully out of the window. I wondered if anyone felt as anxious as me.

---