Fractured from the Fall

A Girl's Gotta Eat

Ford opened the door to his truck and Lily climbed inside carefully, trying to cover her butt. She wasn't sure if it was the incident in the hall earlier in the week with that pig that had smacked her ass or if it was the fact that Ford was right next to her, but whatever the reason, she was acutely aware of how short her dress was. 

"Thanks," she said as he helped her up and onto the seat. He shut the door and walked around to the driver's side. 

Opening my car door is definitely a date-type behavior, Lily thought to herself. Then again, maybe he was just trying to be polite and do the chivalrous thing, like he did in the hall. 

Before she could overthink it, Ford hopped into the car and started driving down the road. They sat in silence for most of the ride. Lily looked at Ford several times, hoping he might say something, but he only returned her stare, cutting through her with his piercing eyes. Every time he looked at her like that, it gave her butterflies in her stomach and she wondered if he felt them too.

"So, where are we going? The concert doesn't start for a couple hours," Lily inquired, trying to focus on something other than Ford's eyes.

"Dinner," he said and that was it. Like her father, he was a man of few words.

"Dinner?" Lily asked, surprised that he wanted to spend more time with her than just the concert. Dinner felt like a date.

"I didn't know that was part of the favor," Lily teased.

"Well a girl's gotta eat," he retorted.

Ford's answers and his actions were not aligning in the way that Lily had hoped for. Was this truly just a favor or something more? She realized she was going to drive herself crazy all night with trying to figure out the answer, and she really wanted to enjoy the concert she'd been looking forward to for months, so she decided to quiet her inner monologue and just relax and have some fun. Besides, even if Ford did feel something for her, she was Grant's girlfriend, and she was happy with him...mostly. Their relationship did kind of feel like it had run its course and they seemed to be growing apart, or maybe they just were never that similar to begin with. But he was good to her, and it worked, at least for now. She didn't see the point of breaking up with him during their senior year. After all, they'd be graduating soon and Lily didn't plan on sticking around for long. She couldn't wait for the day she could leave the sleepy little mountain town she had grown up in.

***

Lily followed the hostess as she led them to their table. When Lily turned to see if Ford was behind her, she caught him looking at the back of her dress. His eyes fell to the floor, looking away in embarrassment, when she noticed him watching her.

The woman sat them at a table in the back and handed them menus.

"Your server will be right with you," she said and left the two of them alone.

Lily looked the menu up and down trying to decide what to order. She didn't know if Ford was going to pay and since she didn't realize they were going out to dinner ahead of time, she didn't bring much cash. 

"Get whatever you want," Ford said as if reading her mind. "My treat."

"Ok, dad," she joked and he cracked a smile. Jesus, Lily thought, his smile is just as mesmerizing as his eyes. How had she never noticed his smile before? Maybe because he didn't show it often.

"Did ya'll decide what you'd like?" the server asked as she approached the side of their table.

"I'll have a cheeseburger with fries and a coke," Lily said handing her the menu.