Page 8 of For the Love of Lily

It was almost lunchtime by the time we found ourselves wandering back to the train station, showered, composed, and full of coffee and croissants. Zack wrapped his arms around me as we stood on the platform, placing a kiss on the top of my head, which was at a perfect height now I was back in my Converse. “So, is it going to be hard work to convince you to see me again? What would you say if I asked you on another date?”

“Yes,” I said. “It’s a definite yes. No hard work required.”

“Is it ridiculously soon to ask about tomorrow? Only it’s going to be tricky this week with work, and next weekend seems too far away.” He watched me cautiously, obviously worried about my answer, given how nervous I’d been. There seemed to be more behind his eyes, though.

“Tomorrow sounds perfect,” I pressed a quick kiss to his lips as the train arrived. “Call me later, we can make arrangements.”

I was floating on air as I strolled home, stopping at Starbucks along the way for more coffee. Cassie needed details, and a big thank you!

“So?” I opened the door a couple of hours later to see my best friend clutching a bottle of wine, a giant grin resplendent on her face.

“Cassie, don’t let this go to your head, but I think you may have been right.” She squeezed past me with a smile, spotting the wine glasses already laid out on the table in preparation for her visit.

“You messaged me about eleven to say you were safe and heading home and left all the detail out! Was there kissing in the end? Are you seeing him again?” She bombarded me with questions as she poured the wine. “Why didn’t you reply to me last night?”

“Seemed rude to text when I had a guest here,” I smirked, knowing she would be loving this.

She gawped at me. “What? You invited him back? I’m shocked! Don’t get me wrong, it’s well overdue. I’m just surprised. Hope you were careful?!”

“It wasn’t quite like you’re imagining,” I began to explain. “The train was cancelled, and an Uber was expensive. It made sense for him to stay. He left at lunchtime.” I blushed at the memory of him being here.

“Oh my God! You should’ve told me last night, though, not the safest thing to do. Luke would lose the plot if he knew. Zack slept on the couch, then, did he?” she asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Well, that was the plan, but it was cold, so he slept in the bed with me.” Cassie started bouncing up and down on the couch as she grinned from ear to ear with excitement. “Slept, Cassie. We went to sleep. There was no sex.”

“Was there other stuff?” She moved closer to me on the couch, I was trapped.

“Not really.” My cheeks burned. “And yes, you may have been right that I needed to meet someone. The whole night was lovely.”

She threw her arms around me, then filled our glasses up. “This is amazing. When are you seeing him again? I bet he looked good last night too?”

I passed her my phone, rolling my eyes, but actually loving this conversation. It was open on the selfie we’d taken together before we kissed. I’d been staring at that photo and smiling most of the afternoon.

“Aww! You two look so good together.” She pulled a soppy face.

“I still feel scared, though. Don’t get mad at me when I say this…” I took a deep breath. “When Zack kisses me, it’s crazy intense. I have a sort of reaction to him touching me. I feel like he’s really going to know what he’s doing in bed, does that make sense?” Cassie nodded. “So, what if… what if I’m absolutely crap in bed? What if that’s why he felt the need to sleep with all those other girls? What if I get all engrossed with Zack, and then he thinks I’m crap too and leaves?”

“Do not start this again! Him being unable to keep it in his pants had nothing to do with you being lacking in any way. Don’t let him affect another moment of your life. Judging by the smile on your face every time you mention Zack and the fact he spent the night in your bed, I’m guessing there’s pretty good chemistry going on?”

“Amazing chemistry.” My lips pressed themselves together, hoping there was still a taste of him left behind. “I get goosebumps just thinking about it.”

“Then go with it. Don’t overthink it, and make sure to give me all the details when it happens,” Cassie winked. “When are you seeing him again?”

“Tomorrow. We were on the phone before you arrived. I’m going to go over late morning. There’s an artisan market on. Weather forecast is gorgeous, so we can wander round and eat and drink and talk and-” Cassie cut me off.

“You’re completely smitten. I can tell. I should’ve charged commission.” She hugged me again. “I just want you to have what I have with Guy. Imagine the double dates, Lily!”

The train seemed entirely different to the previous journey. I somehow didn’t mind the grubby seats, the weird musty smell or the feral kids having an argument at the other end of the carriage. My nerves this time were positive and excitable, I was looking forward to the day. The image of Zack in my bed wouldn’t leave my mind.

He met me at the train station, swooping me into a hug with luscious kisses, and even though we were in public and I would expect to feel uncomfortable, I didn’t care. It felt good to be back with him. We chatted in his car like excited kids going on a school trip. In some ways, it seemed like the last twenty-four hours had gone painstakingly slow, but in other ways, it felt like he’d just left. Either way, we seemed as glad as each other to be reunited.

He turned to me as he parked the car outside a modern block of flats. “Do you want to come in or shall we go straight out?” he asked. “It’s really basic compared to your place, I have to warn you.”

“Don’t be silly,” I tapped him on the arm with a playful swipe. “Maybe we should go straight out, come back later? I’m starving.”

The market was a five-minute walk from Zack’s flat, and I realised we were in a much more affluent area than I was used to, this was not a standard market. There were a multitude of fancy coffee stands, artisan bakeries, eye wateringly expensive cupcakes, and it seemed like at least half the food was vegan, there was even vegan dog food. This wasn’t a market with old ladies carrying shopping bags and stalls of knock-off goods, it was full of well-dressed people who looked like they belonged. I loved it!

We wandered around as if we had all the time in the world. Holding hands as we talked, the different smells from the stalls luring us to them together. Whenever we stopped to look at the wares, we would exchange touches and looks. The sunshine was out, and I still had that feeling of floating on air. We ended up with aromatic coffee, an antipasti platter with freshly baked sourdough bread, and beautiful hand-baked Portuguese pastries.

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