Page 8 of Wicked Games We Play

Me: Thinking about me kissing you?

Lily: No.

Me: I think you are. I think you’re thinking about me doing a lot more than just kissing you.

Lily: I think we’ve both thought about a lot of things over the years, Noah. But there’s a reason why we never acted on them.

Me: And now we can.

Lily: No, we can’t.

Me: Why? What’s holding you back?

Lily: Everything.

MARCH 13

Lily: Dammit, Noah.

Me: Why hello to you too.

Me: Why are you damning me?

Lily: Because you corrupt my mind.

Me: I’ll corrupt a lot more than just your mind, Lily, but I’ll bite. How do I corrupt your mind?

Lily: Because I haven’t stopped thinking about kissing you either.

Me: Let me take you on a date.

Lily: No, I still need time.

Me: We can take it slow.

Lily: There would be no slow with us, Noah. I need more time.

Me: You’re right, there would be no slow.

Me: I’m still waiting.

Lily: You don’t have to.

Me: Oh, but my Flower, that’s where you’re wrong. I’ve never not been waiting for you. I’ll always wait for you.

Me: And when the day comes that I finally get my chance, Lily, nothing will stop me from getting that kiss. I can’t wait to taste you, Flower. I drive myself crazy thinking about it.

And then the day came.Seeing her at Andromeda changed everything for me. Something inside of me snapped and suddenly she wasn’t just a woman I had wanted for years. She was within reach and looked like an absolute goddess dancing in the middle of the crowded dance floor at Andromeda.

I hadn’t planned on going there that night, but Rosie had practically begged that I met her for a drink, so I took the bait. Little did I know it was a bait and switch. I had barely made my way to the bar where she supposedly was waiting for me before I spotted Lily, and the world stopped around us. It was only after the fact that Rosie had told me she saw Lily and knew I’d do exactly what she had banked on me doing: make a move on my girl.

That kiss, our first kiss, broke open seals within me I hadn’t realized were closed off. Not only did it make me want to be a better man for her, but it forced me to take a step back and truly realize the bigger picture; Lily needed time to heal and grow on her own. And I wanted her to know that I wasn’t going anywhere while she did that.

So here we were, a few months later, still nowhere closer to being together than we had been. Lucky for both of us, I was a man with perseverance and patience when I set my sights on something I wanted. I eventually made it mine, no matter how long it took.

Lily was destined to walk beside me on this Earth, and there was no way I was letting go of the opportunity that we had been given now. If it was time she wanted, it was time she’d get, but that didn’t mean we couldn’t have a little fun while we waited.

Clicking the power button on the TV’s remote, I stood and peeled off my shirt as I made my way to my bathroom for a shower, my thoughts lingering on the messages I had just read for the millionth time.

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