Page 24 of Her Dragons

We found the cafe in Dewsbury, and sitting there in a comfy chair in the front was a young woman of a similar type to Lily — pretty and curvy — reading something on her phone.When we walked in, she looked up and the biggest smiles in the world broke out on both her face and Lily’s.They ran into each other’s arms and jumped around, hugging, laughing, crying, and pretty much making a spectacle of themselves, while the baristas and other customers looked on.No one said anything, but everyone could tell this was a happy reunion and everyone seemed very touched.People smiled and my heart melted.Alex stuck his hands in his pockets and grinned slightly, touched and a little embarrassed by the display of emotion.We’ve done a good thing, I thought.

Lily introduced us, and Elyse thanked us through tears and shook our hands warmly.It seemed to be all she could do to throw her arms around Alex and me and squeeze us with gratitude.We told her that Lily had told us all about her and we knew how important it was to get the two of them back together.Elyse said Lily had told her a few things about us, mainly that we’d given her friend a safe place to be.She thanked us again, and this time she did hug us.We didn’t know if Lily had told Elyse the full extent of our relationship with her, and of course neither Alex nor I brought it up.It wasn’t the time or the place to discuss the fact that the two of us together were boinking her best friend day and night.If Lily brought it up to Elyse, that was between the two of them.

But we excused ourselves and gave the two girlfriends some time to be alone together and catch up in person, and reminded Lily of what time we’d come and get her for the train ride back to Haventon.With that, Lily and Elyse foundthemselves a table at the back of the cafe, and Alex and I set out to find something to do for the rest of the day in Dewsbury.

As we walked away from the cafe, Alex kept his hands in his pockets and looked at the sidewalk more than anything else — a sure sign that something was on his mind.

“What?” I asked him.

“I’m just thinking,” he said.“This is the first step.In taking back her life, I mean.She’s got her best girlfriend back.She’s on her way.”

“Yes, she is,” I agreed.“And it’s good.Lily is becoming her real, whole self again.It’s the best thing.”

“For her, yeah.”

“What do you mean, ‘for her?’It’s just good.It’s all good.”

“If you say so.”

“Why shouldn’t I ‘say so’?” I asked.

Alex looked over at me finally and replied, “Lily’s ‘whole, real self’ was this whole other life that we weren’t part of.What if sooner or later she wants to move on without us?Jake, this girl is brilliant, and if she hooks up with the right people she could be going places.And maybe not hooking up with us any more.”

I frowned at that.“Is that what you’re worried about?That she’ll leave us and won’t want to sleep with us any more?”

“All I’m saying is, what if she does?”

Pondering that, I didn’t really, entirely believe it was possible.“Look, if Lily decides eventually that there’s no place in her life for us any more, it’ll hurt and we’ll be sad.But I’ll understand.I’ll be happy for her and I’ll be grateful we had a chance to help her turn her life around.And I’ll be proud that we knew her.That’s how it ought to be.Anything else…man, that’s kind of selfish.”

“I guess so,” said Alex in a glum tone.“But like we were saying before, we’re never gonna find anyone as good as heragain.We’re never gonna have anything again as good as what we’ve got with her.She wasn’t brought up to have a life where she screws around with two guys, Drake or otherwise.She’s not that kind of girl.Taking back her life and having the career she wants, Lily could cut us loose.”He faced me, looking more serious than I’d ever seen him look in all the time I’d known him.“I don’t think I want that, Jake.I want her with us.I don’t think I’m ever gonna stop wanting her.”

At the bottom of my heart, I didn’t believe Lily was the kind of person who would just decide she didn’t need us any more and walk away from us.She had too much depth, too much feeling, for that.And what Alex and I had talked about earlier was true.What we had with her had quickly turned into more than just what went on in bed and so forth.It had turned to something real.It was something that I didn’t want to go out of my life, either.

Lacking anything else to say, I put an arm around Alex’s shoulder and said, “We’ll be okay, buddy.We’ll all be okay.”

And we walked off together down the block.

CHAPTER 9

Lily

Elyse was a mixture of surprised, bemused, impressed, and aghast.

“Both of them?” she blurted, then gazed furtively around the cafe and hushed herself.More quietly and discreetly, but with that same mix of reactions, she repeated, “Both of them?”

We were at our table, talking over coffees.I’d taken off the dark glasses and the scarf; there was no need for them with her.It seemed just like old times between us, as if we’d never been apart.Now as then, we told each other everything.I nodded and wrinkled my brow.

She repeated, this time more as a statement than as a question, as if to confirm it for herself, “At the same time.The two of them.”

“Mostly, yes,” I said.

“I can’t believe that!” Elyse said, still seeming to need convincing even after I confirmed it.

“Why?” I said.“You met them.You looked at them.”

“Well, yes,” Elyse said, “I looked at them.And you described them on the phone, and I pictured them from the way you described them, but my imagination never came up with anything to match…that!Lily, they’re amazing.”

“They’re Drake guys,” I said, reminding her of what we both knew so well.“It’s not like you haven’t seen other Drake guys.You saw Mark.”I stopped suddenly and made a painful, wincing look, followed by a queasy expression, disgusted athaving had to mention his name.I hadn’t wanted to bring him up at all.But I went on, “That’s the way they are.”

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