Chapter Text
As Lily made her way toward the quiet Cameron estate, the cool night air wrapped around her like a blanket. The party buzzed in the distance, but the further she walked, the more serene everything became. The Cameron house loomed ahead, its tall, grand walls standing in stark contrast to the peaceful night. She knew Rafe was off somewhere partying with his buddies, leaving the house empty and still—a rare moment of quiet that Lily had always appreciated.
Her phone buzzed in her hand, pulling her from her thoughts. She glanced down at the screen, expecting another message from Sarah, but her breath caught when she saw the name: John B.
Her heart skipped a beat, and her fingers hovered nervously over the screen before she opened the message. The sight of his name, so soon after their encounter, made her pulse quicken.
John B: Whoever you are, I’m not letting you disappear that easily.
Lily’s breath hitched as she read the message. She could almost hear his voice in the words, his usual confident tone softened by something new—something that made her cheeks flush with warmth. He was determined. He had felt the same pull she had, and now he wanted to find her.
She hesitated for a moment, her fingers trembling as she typed out a response. Her heart was racing and didn't even thought he would ever type the number out but he did.
Lily: What makes you so sure you’ll find me?
The message sent, and Lily’s heart pounded in her chest as she stared at the screen, waiting for a reply. She knew she was playing a dangerous game, but something about John B’s attention felt intoxicating, pulling her in deeper even though she knew she shouldn’t.
Within seconds, her phone buzzed again.
John B: Because I’m not stopping until I do.
A shiver ran down Lily’s spine as she read his words, her mind spinning with the weight of his determination. The night had started as a game, a little fun for her, but now it was becoming something much more. John B wasn’t like the other Pogues, and the way he’d kissed her—so sure, so full of longing—had stirred something in her that she hadn’t expected. She blushes and wonders in her heart was this first love true.
She typed back, her heart racing.
Lily: Maybe I don’t want to be found.
A part of her wanted to see how far he would go, but she also knew how complicated everything could get if Sarah found out. She glanced up at the Cameron house as she approached the front gate, her mind still spinning with thoughts of John B. It was wrong—so wrong—but the thrill of it all made her want to dive in headfirst, consequences be damned.
Her phone buzzed again.
John B: We both know that’s not true.
Lily’s breath caught as she read the message, her hand tightening around her phone. He was right. No matter how much she tried to convince herself that it was just a game, something inside her wanted him to find her. She wanted to feel his hands on her again, to feel the warmth of his lips against hers.
But she couldn’t. Not with Sarah, not with everything at stake.
Lily quickly slipped her phone into her pocket, her thoughts a tangled mess of emotions as she pushed open the gate to the Cameron estate and stepped inside. The empty house stood before her, dark and quiet, but inside her chest, a storm was raging—one she wasn’t sure she could control. She thinks about what will happen and feels, so full of love and life.