Guilt coursed through Gavin. With her recent hospital visit, their fear made sense. “I’m sorry, Mom. We fell asleep.”
She gave them a pointed look, and he saw Lila duck her head from the corner of his eye. “Walk Lila home, then get back here so we can finish this talk.”
“Did you tell my parents?” Lila’s soft words were barely audible.
“I just texted your dad that I found you both here asleep. I won’t lie to them.”
Lila nodded. She’d never been in trouble in her life. She was always the good one, and he knew that, even though they didn’t do anything, the whole situation upset her. He took her hand and stood, pulling her up with him. They quickly moved out the door and across the yards to the Weston house. A light by the front door illuminated their path. He could see more lights through the curtained living room windows. Her parents waited just inside, no doubt.
She hesitated before the door, seeming to think the same thing. “They’re going to be so mad.”
Gavin turned her toward him and placed a hand on her cheek. “It’ll be fine. They’ll be happier that you’re okay than mad. Just let them get it out and remember how scared they must’ve been.”
“When did you get so wise?” She grinned up at him, and he was happy to see the amusement back in her eyes.
He slid his hands down to her waist as he leaned in close. “Are you kidding? I’m a pro at facing angry parents. I’m the one always messing around, getting in trouble, remember?”
She rolled her eyes. A flutter in the curtain caught his attention just before her lips pressed to his. He wanted to get lost in the touch of her, but the door yanked open, flooding them with light, and they pulled apart.
“Goodnight, Gavin.” Mr. Weston’s firm tone matched his stony expression. Just behind him, Mrs. Weston looked at them with a hint of happiness in her eyes.
Gavin cleared his throat. “Goodnight.” He glanced at Lila. “I’ll see you at work tomorrow.”
Biting at her bottom lip, she nodded and followed her parents inside. He waited until the door clicked shut to wander back home, where his mom waited at the foot of the stairs inside.
With a sigh, he sat beside her. “Nothing happened. We just fell asleep watching TV.”
“You two cannot do this.”
“I thought you wanted us to live in the moment and enjoy our time.” His voice raised with his anger. “Now, you don’t want us together?”
“That’s not what I meant,” she said. “Of course, I do. But you cannot just disappear like that without telling anyone.”
“We didn’t disappear though. We were at home.”
“Not answering your phones. If something had happened—”
“I would have rushed her to the ER and called them,” he interrupted. He didn’t want to think about the possibility of needing to do that. “She’s fine.”
His mom nodded before standing and changing the subject. “You two looked so at peace. I almost didn’t want to wake you.”
He chuckled and got to his feet. “It was a good day.”
She narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms again. It seemed to be her permanent stance around him.
“Not that good,” he said, holding his hands out in front of him, palms out. “I didn’t corrupt your precious Lila, no worries.”
“Good. Now, get to bed.” She pointed upstairs. “You’re both working the early shift in the morning.”
He told her goodnight then went to his room. Thoughts of his encounter with Lila on the floor earlier filled his head as he climbed into bed. He smiled up at the dark ceiling for a long while, unable to fall back asleep.
Lila’s Summer Bucket List
Sleep under the stars
Attend a party
Get a tattoo
Use fake ID to sing karaoke in a bar
Stand under the lights on the football field
Go on a date ❤️
Sneak out of the house
Visit the baby goat farm
Go to Chicago
Midnight swim
Spend a day in bed watching movies
Stay up to watch the sunrise
❤️ Be kissed in the rain
Run through the halls of the high school
Conquer a fear
Paintball
Try something new
Dye hair pink
Sneak into movie theater
Climb water tower
17
Friday
“Good morning,” Kaley said as Lila walked into the main lobby of the Scoop.
Lila smiled and greeted her while grabbing her apron. She wasn’t sure what the Millers had told the girl about her absence, but by Kaley’s cheerful attitude, she guessed it wasn’t the truth. Mrs. Miller took the morning off, leaving the final training to Lila and Gavin. The latter of whom had not arrived yet.
With the toppings all set up, they flipped the open signs and waited for the day to begin. Kaley turned on a local radio station, and they stood at the counter in awkward silence.
Lila cleared her throat. Her jealousy the week before no longer existed, but she still wasn’t sure about Kaley. They hadn’t had many classes together. She did know one thing though, and it was time to move on and be able to talk about it. “So, you’re going to Bennu?”
Kaley nodded, her enthusiasm and excitement evident in the way her eyes widened. Lila bit the inside of her cheek as Kaley talked about her introductory courses and theater major. Lila was happy for her, even if it broke her heart to think about what could have been if things were different. The tumor wasn’t the reason for the change. She could have waited and started later if necessary.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to study music anymore. As Kaley went to start getting ice cream out, Lila looked around the Scoop. She loved the place far more than she let on. It was the reason she’d debated changing the plan the last couple years. She’d finally made the tough decision the previous summer to go for a business degree instead. The tumor only truly affected her school choice.
Mrs. Miller was beyond thrilled about Lila’s interest and had
