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“Lily?” I repeat.
She pulls a pillow onto her lap and hugs it. “I’m going to stay home.”
My heart sinks as I step inside her room. “Why?”
Shrugging, she fingers a lock of her hair. “I’m not feeling too good.”
“What’s wrong?” I press my fingertips to her forehead. “You don’t feel like you have a fever.”
Frowning, she pulls away from my hand and says with horror, “Oh my God. You just turned into my grandmother. It was terrifying.”
Laughing, I say, “I’m worried about you.”
“I’m fine. I just have really bad cramps. You know how it is. I want to just lie in bed and watch sad movies.”
I sit on the bed with her. “Now I want to do that, too.”
“I wish you could, but I think Kelley will be upset if neither one of us shows up at his first real concert.”
“True…”
“And you look way too gorgeous to stay home.”
“Thanks… but I really wanted to go together.” Not only is tonight Kelley’s first time performing at a concert, but it’s also my first time going to one. I was excited to dress up with Lily, dance like fools, and sing lyrics at the top of our lungs until we lost our voices.
“I know,” she says. “But you’ll have fun with my dad. If you see any women flirting with him, let me know how he reacts so we can figure out a dating strategy for him.”
I force a smile to my lips to mask my instant jealousy. “Dating strategy?”
“Yeah. Haven’t you noticed how different he is lately? He finally got a car. He’s dressing nicer. He’s more motivated about his art. He’s working out and running almost every morning. I think dating is the next step, don’t you?”
No. Absolutely totally fucking not.
Jaw clenching, I say, “I think what your dad does isn’t my business. I’m just excited to see Kelley.”
“Will you take some videos for me of him singing?”
“Sure. I’ll text them to you while I’m there if I have a good enough connection.”
She looks sad. “I’m bummed I won’t get to see him live. I thought we’d be screaming Kelley’s name together all night.”
“That’s a sentence I don’t ever want to hear again,” Alex says, leaning against the doorframe with a smirk. “Is that what you’re wearing?” He nods toward Lily. “I was expecting something a little darker from you for a rock concert.”
My breath catches a little. Alex looks hot as hell in a tight hunter-green shirt with the sleeves pushed up, dark wavy hair touching his shoulders, jeans, and black motorcycle boots. His late nights in the basement blasting rock music and lifting weights are paying off. He’s totally droolworthy.
“She’s not going,” I inform him, dragging my eyes from his wide shoulders.
His brow creases. “What happened? You’ve been excited about this for weeks. Kelley got us backstage passes.”
Lily’s shoulders sag. “I know. I just don’t feel good.”
“Maybe we should stay home with you,” he says. I can’t help but smile. He tries so hard to be a good dad.
“God, no. It’s nothing that serious.” She flops back onto the bed dramatically. “Just girl stuff. I want you guys to go and have a good time.”
Alex and I look at each other. I’m sure the thoughts running through his head are the same as mine: we don’t want to go without Lily, but we also don’t want to disappoint Kelley. And now, we have an unexpected night alone together that’s way too tempting to pass up.
“I don’t want to let Kelley down,” Alex says. “Tonight is huge for him.”
Lily waves her hand at us. “Please go. Both of you. I’m totally fine. I won’t be upset at all. I swear.”
“You’re sure?” I ask skeptically. Her behavior seems very odd to me, almost like she’s trying to get rid of us or hiding something. I’m not sure what to think.
“Yes!” she says. “But you better bring me home a T-shirt.”
“Done,” I promise.
Alex is quiet when we get in his car. He holds the keys in his hand and looks up at Lily’s bedroom window.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, putting my seat belt on.
“I dunno… I have a weird feeling.”
“What kind of weird feeling?” I wonder if he’s having second thoughts about driving at night in the dark.
“About Lily. Something doesn’t seem right. She’s been looking forward to this concert for weeks. Didn’t she even buy a special outfit?”
I nod. “We went shopping together. She bought a black leather miniskirt and a leopard print blouse. I think there was a scarf, too.”
“She didn’t look sick. She’s never sick.”
“She told me she had bad cramps.” It’s a valid reason. I get wicked bad cramps myself, sometimes. Although, in the entire time we’ve been friends, I’ve never heard Lily say she does, too.
I don’t share this with Alex. If I let on that I also think Lily is acting strange, it will only make him worry more.
