Was It Always Us?

𝙲𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚒𝚎𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚃𝚎𝚡𝚝𝚜

I opened the door to the apartment, and rubbed my eyes. Today had been a really hectic day, and I was looking forward to a quick dinner and some sleep. But when I entered the living room, I saw Lily setting up the table. She turned around, and stopped abruptly when she saw me. But then her face broke into a smile, and she hugged me. I kissed her on the forehead, basking in her scent. It was as if all the weariness had washed away.

"How're you doing?" I asked.

"What kind of question is that?"

I wasn't sure what to say after that.

"I made you dinner." Lily spoke, and I chuckled.

"Why?"

"Because I wanted to, you idiot."

"Way to set the mood, Lily."

"I prepared spaghetti. And I was going to make cookies too, but I got tired."

"I can make some for you."

She pulled back and her surprised expression made me laugh.

"What?" she said.

"Nothing. You looked really cute."

She blushed, and I laughed again. She smacked me across the chest. Her whole face was red, and her eyes refused to meet mine. My laughter reduced into a subtle smile, and I tried to catch her attention.

"If you weren't making me those cookies, I'd be really mad at you." she muttered.

I pecked her on the forehead once again and went to our room. After taking a quick shower and changing into more comfortable clothes, I finally came outside. Lily had already put some spaghetti in my plate. I sat down, and took a bite.

"Hmm."

Lily looked really anxious as she waited for my reaction. I didn't give her one. 

"Well?"

"Well, what?"

"How is it?"

"Hmm."

"Ugh, I hate you."

"Why did you make me this food, then?"

She didn't reply.

"It's really, really good, Lily. I love it." I said when she stayed quiet for a bit too long. Her eyes lit up, and I could tell she was fighting a smile. 

"Now finish it quickly so you can make me those cookies."

"Yes, ma'am."

***

I took out all the ingredients I needed to prepare a small batch of cookies, while Lily washed the dishes.

"Can I help you?" she asked, and I nodded.

"Could you pour this into a bowl? Only four cups."

"Which cup?"

I stifled a chuckle and handed her the measuring cup. Her eyes widened and she began trying to open the bag of flour I'd given her. I cut off a slice of butter, and emptied a container of chocolate chips into a separate bowl. But just as I was about to add a drop of vanilla extract, Lily screamed and my vision blurred. It was like an explosion took place.

Coughing, I grabbed the edge of the counter and wiped my eyes. I caught a glimpse of the kitchen and-

Oh my God. 

"I'm sorry." Lily whispered. The whole bag of flour I gave her had exploded, and the room was covered with a layer of white. I looked at my reflection in the fridge and saw my face, clothes and hair all stained too. Lily looked embarrassed and a bit scared as she eyed me.

"How did that happen?" I asked.

"I-I don't know, I was just trying to open the packet, and suddenly, everything was a mess. And now you can't even bake cookies--"

"I'm not angry at you, Lily."

"Oh."

I managed a laugh.

"And don't worry, we can still make the cookies."

I opened the cabinet, and rummaged through it until I found another bag of flour. Lily seemed much more relaxed now as she tried to wash away the dust on the counters and floor.

"I'll handle the cooking, and you can try to clean that up, hmm?"

"Alright."

I mixed up the ingredients one by one, until the cookie dough had a nice consistency. It looked good. I took some and tasted it. 

Yummy.

"Here, try it." I said, giving some to Lily too. She closed her eyes and groaned. I felt happy. It took me back to the first time I'd prepared cookies for her. I kissed the tattoo on her collarbone, and then began laying out the dough on the tray I'd taken out.

"Are you doing okay?"

Her random question caught me off guard.

"Yes, why?"

"No, it's just that after what happened with Ryle--"

"I am completely fine, Lily. Don't worry yourself."

She nodded and I left it at that. I didn't want anything to ruin this moment between us. Just then, my phone buzzed and I took it out. 

As if the flour wasn't enough, now I had to go through another coughing fit. 

R: Hi. 
R: I don't really know what to say to you, since we've never really bothered talking much. It's just that I realise my anger towards you was misdirected and I'm sorry for that. And I'll try to gain control of myself so I don't inconvenience you.

What the hell?

Was this really Ryle, or some wrong number?

Lily probably noticed, because in a few seconds, she was next to me, reading the messages with a confused look on her face. I tried to take a deep breath. I know it was just a text, but Ryle trying to apologize to me was just-

Unexpected.

I didn't know what to feel about that. I didn't know how to reply to him. He wasn't wrong when he said that we hadn't really bothered talking much. Our relationship had always been terse, and inconvenient. The only thing binding us together was Emerson. 

When I looked over at Lily, she seemed stumped. Her mouth was slightly open, and her eyes were wide. 

"Umm...what should I reply?"

"How am I supposed to know?"

A: Thanks.
A: Really. Thank you.

I typed that out, and clicked Send. I stood there for so long I didn't realise I hadn't put the cookies in the oven.

"Well, that's that." Lily finally spoke, and I thought her voice was shriller than usual.

I put the tray with the cookies in the oven, and set the timer, hoisting myself on the counter.

"This is weird." I said.

"Very."

"Do you want to watch some TV?"

"Sure, let's go."

We went to the living room and I snuggled up to her when we sat down on the couch. My feet were on the table, and I had put an arm around her shoulders, pulling her to myself.

"Hey, what happened?" she asked playfully.

"Nothing. I just want to be close to you."

I didn't need to look around to see that I had made her blush again.

***

Okay, firstly, this was unedited, so... *nervous laugh*

Umm, anyways, here's another new chapter! Don't forget to upvote and comment.

How'd you like Ryle's messages? Do you think he deserves redemption? 

And what kind of chapters would you like to see next?

Let me know, and keep showering your love <3