“I am not too busy for you, Lily,” Tony said as he stared into her big blue eyes. He meant every word he said and hoped Lily knew that.
Lily’s heart raced as those words left Tony’s mouth. She could see the sincerity in his eyes as he spoke.
She was about to give him a reply when they heard Rachael’s voice from downstairs. “Daisy’s home!” She screamed happily.
Lily stepped away from Tony and smiled apologetically before meeting Rachael and her daughter.
Tony shook his head and laughed as he saw her run off. He knew she used that as an excuse to avoid the awkward situation.
Lily saw Rachael heading upstairs with a young girl who seemed to be around seven years old and hurried to meet them.
Lily loved children more than anything. At the hospital, she always volunteered to care for the children’s ward because she got to spend time with them.
“Hey, Lily!” Rachael squealed and giggled like a child. “I told Daisy about you, and she couldn’t wait to meet you.” She confessed, and Daisy nodded happily.
“Hell, Lily! I’m Daisy, and my mummy told me a lot about you.” Daisy said, repeating the words her mother had just said.
Lily was baffled at how fluent Daisy spoke. She sounded like a teenager and even walked like one
She had her mother’s features, dark hair, and brown eyes. She was going to break a lot of hearts in the future. Lily could sense that Daisy was going to be a lot of fun.
“Hello, Daisy. I’m Lily, and I am so happy to meet you finally.” She beamed and held out her hand for a handshake, but Daisy surprised her and hugged her.
“You are very pretty. I love pretty people.” Daisy confessed and giggled, leaving Lily with her mouth open in surprise.
“Oh, thank you. This is the best compliment I have gotten all my life.” Lily said genuinely. There was nothing better than a child complementing your looks. Adults could lie or try to be nice, but children were always honest, even though it sometimes hurt.
“Are you Uncle Tony’s girlfriend?” She asked, and Lily’s eyes widened
Rachael laughed loudly.
“Oh! No, no. I am not your uncle’s girlfriend.” Lily chuckled awkwardly and scratched the back of her head.
“Why are you living here then? Mummy said you’d be staying with us.” Daisy asked again, and Lily looked at Rachael for help.
“Okay! That’s enough questions, Daisy. Let’s go to your room.” Rachael came to Lily’s rescue and took Daisy away.
“I’m sorry.” Rachael mouthed to Lily before they left.
Lily decided to return to her room since she had nothing else to do, but as she neared her door, she saw Tony walking towards her.
“I wanted to tell you this, but it skipped my mind.” Tony chuckled and opened her door. “There’s a TV here just in case you get bored and want to watch a movie. It also has a Netflix subscription, so you’re ready.” He revealed, but when Lily looked around, she saw no television.
“Oh. Sorry.” Tony saw the confusion on her face and went to the cabinet to pick up a remote. He pressed a button on it and a TV came out of the wall.
“Wow!” Lily exclaimed. It was her first time seeing a hidden TV. She had only heard about it and seen it on the internet.
“I figured you’d be bored on days like this when you won’t be at the hospital,” Tony said and smiled. “If you ever need a movie partner, you know where to find me.” He winked at her and walked to the door but was stopped by Lily.
“Thank you! I was also worried about not having anything to do.” She said and chuckled awkwardly.
“You’re welcome, Lily. The fridge is filled with snacks and ice cream, just in case you get hungry. Don’t hesitate to get some whenever you want.” He said with a friendly smile and finally left the room.
Lily spent the rest of the night binge-watching episodes of Stranger Things. When she checked the time after hours of Netflix, she realized it was already 2 a. m., so she switched off the TV and went to bed.
*
*
The following day, after Lily freshened up, she called the head Doctor at the hospital, informing her that she would be taking the day off.
“I am really sorry about this, Dr Harrison. I know how bad it looks since I have only spent two days at the hospital, but I’ll make up for it when I return.” She begged.
“It’s alright, Miss Arnold. Dr Martinez informed me about it yesterday. I am sorry about your house. Please take your time with the relocation. I know how tedious it can be.” The head doctor, Dr Harrison, said, taking Lily by surprise.
She had no idea what he was talking about, but Tony had already sorted it out.
“Uhh…yes. Thank you, Dr Harrison.” She replied and ended the call. “Wow, Tony. A relocation! Really?” She shook her head and chuckled at Tony’s excuse.
A knock sounded on her door, and when she opened it, Rachael walked into her room with shopping bags. “Good morning, Lily. I trust you had a good night?”
“Good morning, Rachael. My night was splendid.” She replied and shut her door.
“Well, I got these yesterday when I went to pick Daisy up. Tony told me you didn’t have any clothes since leaving your house abruptly, so, I got a few things you can wear just until you get your things. Don’t worry about the sizes. We have the same body time and should be around the same height, so I just got whatever would fit me.” Rachael said and opened the bags. She pulled out a few dresses, underwear, and shoes.
“You can wear this today.” She held up a red dress, and nude heels went with it.
“Am I going somewhere?” She asked innocently. All Tony told her was that they had something important to do. She didn’t think it would involve leaving the house.
“Well, my brother will take you out of the house today. He said you both have something important to do. This is the perfect dress since it is your first outing together.” Rachael announced happily.
This was a dream come true for her. She could finally dress up her brother’s girlfriend. Well, Lily wasn’t his girlfriend…yet.
“Oh. I had no idea.” Lily whispered and picked up one of the clothes. She didn’t need anyone to tell her that all the clothes in front of her were from expensive brands. She expected nothing less from Tony’s family.
She had understood that they weren’t just rich; They were wealthy.
“Now, come! Let’s have breakfast. I think Tony is already waiting.” Rachael said and pulled Lily out of the room.
“Good morning, Lily.” Tony greeted with a bright smile as soon as he saw her walking towards the table with Rachael. “Did you enjoy your first night here?” He asked.
“Good morning, Tony. Yes, I did. Thank you once again for letting me have some TV time.” She said and took a seat.
“Is Lily the only person at this table? Have you decided to ignore me, or you can only see Lily?” Rachael rolled her eyes and sighed, acting like she was hurt.
“You’re right, Rachael. I only have eyes for Lily.” Tony yelled, and Lily immediately choked on her spit. She couldn’t believe how he was openly flirting with her.
“I-is Daisy not having breakfast with us?” Lily decided to change the topic. The last thing she wanted was for her cheeks to redden in front of the Martinez siblings.
“Oh, she already left for her grandparent’s house. She stays there during the day.” Rachael replied, and Lily gasped.
“When Tony said she usually spends the day with her grandparents, I didn’t know she’d leave this early! I didn’t even get to see her.” Lily poured and lowered her head.
“Oh, I’m so sorry, Lily. I’ll tell my parents to pick her up later tomorrow.” Rachael promised, and Lily nodded happily.
“Alright, Lily. I know Rachael must have told you about our outing already.” Tony butted in.
“Yeah, she did. You didn’t mention it yesterday.” Lily replied, and he nodded.
“I know, and I’m sorry. It skipped my mind.” He apologized. “We need to leave early since we have much to do.”
“A lot? Where are we going, Tony?” She asked, and he smiled.
“You’ll see.”