Kevin woke late the next morning to the sounds of the ocean hitting the beach right outside of his condo. His eyes fluttered open slowly as he instinctively reached for Lily. When his hand came in contact with nothing but the other side of the bed, his eyes snapped open the rest of the way and his head turned quickly to verify the truth.
"She's gone." Kevin's head snapped around at the sound of the voice and saw AJ lounging comfortably in a chair beside Kevin's bed.
"Who's gone?" Kevin asked nervously, afraid of what AJ may have found out.
AJ shrugged and casually rested his foot on Kevin's bed. "I don't know. Whatever woman you had up in your room last night." he said as he pointedly looked around the room.
Kevin followed AJ's eyes and saw what AJ must have when he first walked into the room that morning. The bed spread was carelessly strewn halfway across the room, the bedside lamp lay broken on the floor next to the bed, and the spot beside Kevin on the bed held a telling dent where Lily's head had been.
"I don't know what you're talking about, AJ." Kevin said and casually laid back on his pillow, with his hands behind his head.
"Whatever." AJ said as he rose to play with an object on Kevin's bedside table. "That's not why I came over here. I came over here because Brian wants to see you. Him and Lily had a fight last night and now she's gone." Kevin tensed visibly but remained quiet as AJ continued. "She left a note telling Brian that she's going back to Atlanta. So Brian wants to see you as soon as you get up and ready." he finished and made a motion for Kevin to get dressed before he showed himself out of Kevin's condo.
Kevin waited for AJ to leave and then slowly got out of bed. Gone. Lily's gone. The words echoed in his head as he dressed himself. Kevin knew that it wasn't unusual for him to feel completely responsible for the break up between Lily and Brian. He knew that if it wasn't for him, their relationship never would have failed so soon.
He finished dressing and headed out the door, down the beach on the way to Brian's condo. As he walked along the beach, other words echoed in his head, words he heard Lily whisper the night before, words that held more meaning today than they did last night.
For Tonight
***************
Lily stepped off the plane and removed her sunglasses, scanning the crowd for the face she sought. As she saw her, Lily stepped forward to embrace her friend.
"Lil!" Hannah said as she hugged Lily closely. "I'm so glad you decided to come home early. I was so scared that you'd get eaten by an alligator!"
Lily forced a smile for her friend's benefit and replied "I almost did. I was saved in the nick of time though."
Hannah gasped in mock dismay and shook her head. "I knew you never should have gone. Now, get your bags and come on, on the drive home you can tell me all about your trip. Including why you came home early and what happened that has you so depressed." She grabbed one of Lily's bags and turned, expecting Lily to follow her. Lily did, shaking her head. She knew she should have known better to think she could keep anything from her best friend. She was way to perceptive.
Beginning of Part Two: For Forever
Chapter Eleven
