Devoted

Stay With Me.

Lily's POV

As soon as he said those words, I went up to him and pulled him into a hug, yet again. I could feel a tear or two dropping down my own cheeks. He sobbed and sobbed in my arms and I just held him. No person should have to go through that. I felt horrible for him. Eventually, I let go of him but he took me straight back in his arms and cried all over again. I was surprised but continued to hold him. He cried and cried, sobs wracking his entire body and shaking me along with him. I got the feeling that he had been holding everything in until that point.

After about twenty minutes of continuous sobs, he suddenly stiffened. He looked up at me and only then did I realize that his face was buried in my chest. I blushed and he jumped five feet away from me. He said,

"U-uhh, I-I I'm sorry. I d-didn't mean f-for that to h-happen. You can go back to your room if you want to."

I looked at him in shock while he scratched the back of his neck and looked down. His cheeks were pink but I couldn't decide if he was blushing or if it was from all the crying he had done earlier. I walked up to him and said,

"Are you okay?"

He nodded but seemed a bit hesitant. I raised my eyebrow at him and he sighed in defeat. He flopped back down onto the sofa and put his head in his hands. He said,

"No, Lee. I'm not okay. I have kept all of this inside of me for so long, I didn't even know that I had to cry. But now that I've started, I cant stop. I don't wanna be alone. Will you stay with me?"

He looked at me and I saw his eyes showing just how broken he was, and his voice confirming what his eyes were telling me. He probably only wanted a shoulder to cry on. I understood why he hadn't told his parents. I wouldn't tell them that I was hurting either. He was scared that they would be worried for him. No matter how many bad memories this would bring back, I softened and nodded. He sighed in what seemed like relief and said,

"We should probably sleep. We have school tomorrow."

I nodded and we both went back inside his room. I told him,

"I'll take the couch. You can take the bed."

He smirked at me and said,

"I said stay with me. If you sleep on the couch, you won't be with me. We're both taking the bed. Besides, there's enough room for two people."

I was shocked at his statement but before I could do anything, he grabbed me from around my waist and put me down in his bed, tucking the duvet covers under my chin. He then went to the opposite side of the bed and got in himself. I was as stiff as a board, trying my hardest not to touch him in any way. Why was he so close? An entire Eiffel Tower could fit on his side yet he was barely 6 inches away from me. I coughed uncomfortably and said,

"Scooch over, please."

As I was facing the wall and not him, I couldn't see his facial expression, but by the way he took me by my waist and crushed me straight into his chest, I could tell that he was smirking. A gasp escaped my lips as he buried his face in my shoulder. I could feel the indentations of his smirking lips on my shoulder and my theory was confirmed. In an angry tone, I exclaimed,

"I said to scooch over. Not scooch down towards me."

His muffled and mischief filled voice said,

"You never told me which direction to scooch over to."

Exasperated, I sighed and rolled my eyes. However, my heart beat told me that my real emotions were far from the one's shown on my exterior. My heart was beating extremely fast, as if it was running a marathon with Usain Bolt or something. For some reason, I could feel Ashers heart beating just as fast on my back. I was confused but didn't have time to dwell on the matter as my eyes grew heavy and shut on their own accord.

*******

I woke up to someone shaking me. I instantly shot out of bed, knowing that Carter would hit me if I didn't. I opened my eyes to see a surprised Asher standing by the bed. All of the previous events came storming back into my mind like a hurricane. It was enough to make my head pound and give me a headache before the day had even started. Asher cleared his throat, making me snap out of my thoughts, and said,

"Um.. Just came to tell you that we need to get ready for school. Why did you jump like I was gonna kill you or something?"

I just shook my head, telling him not to go there. He nodded, as if he was expecting what I had just done, and said,

"Breakfast is ready, so you better hurry up."

I nodded and got out of his bed, stumbling over my own feet. I made it to my room and looked at myself in the mirror. My hair was messy and my eyes were glossy from all the yawning that I had done. I stepped straight into the shower and quickly did all my business. I came out of the shower, locked the door, and changed into my clothes. Since, it had been getting even colder recently, I decided to wear a white turtle neck, a knit cardigan, some skinny jeans and white sneakers. I was the type of person to not get cold easily and loved the winter and fall. Still, I always stayed on the safe side and my strategy had never failed me before.

I put my books inside of my bag and took my wallet with me. I did a last check in the mirror to see if the tattoo was visible and went down the huge staircase. In the dining room, Asher and his parents were having breakfast. Asher's mom got up and gave me a hug. She pulled back and said,

"Hi honey. I hope you had a good night. Come have breakfast with us."

I was not that hungry and felt guilty for having them do so much for me. I smiled back at her and shook my head, saying,

"Thank you very much and I slept great last night."

I could see Asher smirking from my peripheral vision and I suppressed an eye roll. I then said,

"Um.. I don't feel like having breakfast. You guys go ahead. I'm gonna head out now."

She frowned slightly and so did Asher and his dad. She then said,

"Okay sweetie. Just eat something filling at school, okay?"

I nodded at her, amazed at her resemblance to mom's personality. I could see Asher looking at me worriedly. Before he could say anything, I dashed out of the room and straight outside. The walk to school was only a fifteen minute one and by the time I had reached, I still had about twenty five minutes before the first lesson began. I grabbed my books from my locker and walked towards the library. On the way, I heard faint music coming from the music room. It sounded so sweet and melodious and I was enthralled.

Unknowingly, I felt my feet taking me to the room. It was definitely the sound of a piano. I used to love to play it and even had tutoring sessions before Carter burned it. I hadn't touched a piano in so long in fear of all the memories it would bring back. I would always feel the urge to go away when I saw one. However, this time my fingers were itching to play it. The undeniable urge was there and I couldn't stop moving towards the source. As I got closer, I recognized the piece. It was "Bluebird" by Alexis Ffrench. (AN/ You know that I don't usually do an author's note in the middle of a chapter but this piece is amazing. Definitely one of the most beautiful that I've ever heard and played. I would definitely ask you to listen to it.)

As I opened the door to the music room, what I saw inside shocked me beyond belief.

There you go everyone. Who could it be? PLEASE comment, vote and share. It would mean SO much. Love you all! Peace out!

Winter or summer?

P.S. Please listen to the piece that I have mentioned. Fun fact: I've been playing the piano for four years and it has been my favorite piece for the past three years.