Page 21 of Creeping Lily
Of Lincoln.
Of how quickly they threw me aside…
… and left me to learn how to survive in a broken world alone.
Bethany’s brotherJustin is like her silent twin. His name is whispered in the grand hallways of the college, and I don’t think there’s a single person on campus who doesn’t know who he is. Except maybe me.
I’ve managed to deflect and sabotage any plans Bethany has for me to meet any of her extended friend circle, even when she declares she will take no for an answer. I’m not much of a socializer,and I’m not sure that I’m ready to answer anyone’s probing questions about my life before college, so I decide to keep my time on campus low key. I cannot, however, get out of spending time one on one with my room-mate, who also happens to be my only friend on campus.
I suspect she planned this whole thing, but I’m tight lipped as we step into the bustling café and we’re met with someone calling her name.
Bethany startles, or what I consider fake startles, before she tells me her brother Justin is in the house and she wants me to meet a few friends. She introduces me to each one of his friends as they sit around two tables pushed up against each other at a local coffee shop. It’s close enough to the university that most days, it’s where many of the students can be found when they’re on break. Bethany tells me we’ve totally lucked out by running into them today, but even to my ears, her words have a ring of untruth about them.
“My annoying older brother, Justin Collins.”
Justin’s straddling a chair, a hand hanging loosely over the back, deep in conversation with another guy sitting beside him. He only stops to look up when he hears his name. His green eyes fall on me curiously, his jaw working back and forth, as though conducting a silent conversation. He scrubs a hand over his chin, smoothing his fingers across his three-day growth, then rises and turns his chair around so it’s sitting the right way.
“Lily,” he rasps, and points to the chair “sit.”
I shake my head and turn toward Bethany, looking for an escape. I’m happy to say hello, but I don’t want to sit at a table with six guys, especially ones I don’t know. And definitely not these beautiful college guys who look like they just did a spread for GQ. They are definitely the elite of the college crowd, just like Bethany said; she was not exaggerating when she explained her brother’s status on campus.
It doesn’t help that he’s easy on the eyes, which is precisely why the girls and the boys flock to him like a second skin.
“Sit for a bit, Lily,” Bethany says, pulling me down with her. A couple of the guys shift their chairs to make room for us, one gets up and walks away to answer his phone. Another to order coffee.
“What’ll you have?” Justin asks, his gaze falling on me again.
“We…we were going to get our coffee to go,” I tell him, awkwardly breaking eye contact. I don’t want to sit here any longer than necessary.
“Stay for a bit. Get her a latte, Marshall. She looks like a latte girl.”
“Actually, chai latte,” Bethany pipes up, seemingly impressed that her brother almost got it right. I don’t know how he knew, but I don’t comment as I feel the gazes of all the guys upon me. I have a sudden urge to blurt out that Bethany is the beautiful one so they can redirect their attention to her, but I say nothing as everyone continues to watch me with rapt attention.
“So, Lily…you’re new in town,” Justin says, stating the obvious. I’m way out of my element here.
I clear my throat, anxiety radiating through me. This is more questions than I’m comfortable with. “I am.”
“Liking it so far?”
I nod, words failing me.
“What’s not to like?” Bethany pipes up. “She has to like it if she’s going to be here for at least the next four years.”
When my coffee arrives, I grab the cup with both hands just so I can give my digits something to do. I know the coffee is too hot and I’ll burn my tongue if I sip at it now, but I don’t mind a little heat to my fingers as I absentmindedly continue to rotate the cup around and around on the table. I notice Justin’s eyes as they follow my movements; the table has grown quiet with an uncomfortable silence as everyone follows his gaze.
“So…journalism, huh?”
I turn to Patrick, who addresses me in a way that I know is meant to break the ice. He regards me with an amused smile, and I can only think that he’s entertained by my discomfort. It’s super hard to hold anyone’s gaze here; each and every one of these handsome boys sits on the cusp of manhood, impressing the room with their roguish good looks. I think it should be illegal to sit in the presence of such greatness.
“We share all our classes together,” Bethany says, then dismisses him just as quickly, turning to her brother. Patrick gives me a small, welcoming smile, and tells me we’ll probably see a lot of each other now that we’ve met.
I shift in my seat, trying to tear away from his mesmerizing blue eyes, the color of the sea swirling within them. His features are too delicate, too ethereal to belong to a boy, but he’s beautiful, nonetheless. He has the best head of hair I’ve ever seen on a man, his dark brown waves folded to the side in messy elegance.
When Bethany breaks from conversation with her brother, I lean into her and suggest we leave, not missing the way that Justin’s eyes follow the interaction between us. Bethany nods and I stand quickly, holding my cup up, as though in salute.
“Thanks for the coffee,” I say to no-one in particular. I’m trying extremely hard to avoid any further eye contact as I turn to move away from the table.
“Lily.”
