Lizzie

I'm still thinking about Brandon when I hear Lilly beep her car horn. She loves that damn horn. Her daddy had it fixed so it sounds like one of those really cool classic motors from the 1920's. It's funny, I guess, if you like that kind of thing, and Lilly can be very quirky.

"Mom, I'm going. Have a lovely time at the club and tonight. See you tomorrow. It is tomorrow you're back, right?" I'm slipping into my favourite Nike's, my white ones with a swirling pattern on the back of the heel, and grab my mini rucksack from my chair in the bedroom.

"Mom," I shout again. Where is she? I don't want to have to go running around the house; it's huge just to find her. She comes out of their room, fixing an earring in her ear.

"I heard you, Lizzie. Yes, tomorrow around four or five. Daddy has to leave early on Monday to fly to Dallas with Patrick." My dad never gets a break, but he thrives on his business; it's his whole life aside from my mother and me.

"Okay, perfect." I move towards her, place a kiss on her cheek, and give her a big hug.

"Enjoy your day out with Lilly and movie night with Brandon." She kisses me on both cheeks, then dashes back into her bedroom to finish getting ready. Dad is a stickler for promptness and hates it if we're late for anything. He has this bad habit too, of turning up early for anything you give him a time for. Mom has started giving him later times on purpose so his early is her on-time. It makes me smile. I hope one day I will find someone to be with who I can be like this with. They are the perfect couple.

Dad is always a gentleman; he holds doors open for her, he still buys her flowers after twenty years, he kisses her every day, and they snuggle up on the sofa together when he's not playing hotshot businessman, and Mom's finished her ambassador-for-charities role and supporting wife. That's when they're the most together couple I know.

They behave as I do with my bestie, Brandon. They throw popcorn at each other, smile at the same parts in a movie, Mom's eyes still dance for my father, and his eyes are still only for her. It's romantic and amazing. I know so many parents who have divorced and hate each other. It's sad and I'm lucky. I know how lucky I am to have my folks be one big love story. Mushy? Maybe, but who cares. It's what I want.

It's what I want to have with Brandon, but that's never going to happen. Lilly blasts her horn again. I rush down the stairs and bump into my father at the bottom. "That girl needs to learn some patience." He ruffles my hair and gives me a massive hug. "See you tomorrow late afternoon, cookie crumble." I giggle, that nickname has stuck since I was about three. It's okay, I don't mind. It's cute. I'll probably still love it when I'm in my thirties.

"Have a great time, Dad. See you tomorrow." Because my dad is so tall, I have to stand on my tiptoes to place a kiss on his left cheek. I dash straight out the door before Lilly can honk that damn horn again. I swear she just does it because she likes the sound of it.

"There you are." She says as I open the door and get in the passenger side.

"Are you ready to shop 'til we drop?" I ask as I fasten my seat belt.

"Sure am, and I spoke to Tammy earlier. She said she's going to come and meet us later. We're to let her know where we are around eleven, and she'll head over."

"That's easy, we'll be in B&N." I know Lilly, and I will spend a good hour or more in the bookstore; we're both addicts. Often, we end up buying way more than we can carry and have to organize for everything to be sent to our homes.

"I'm so pleased she's decided to come out. How can she deal with it so well? I'd be a wreck and totally ruined." Lilly moves the shift stick into reverse and backs away from our house.

"I don't know, but that girl sure is strong. Not having your folks around will do that to you."

"Whose having Willow today?"

"Her folks, remember? They came back late last night. I'm guessing that's why she wants out of the house." Yeah, I can see that. The least amount of time she spends with her parents, the better in Tammy's opinion.

I just want them to see what beautiful children they have and to be there for them. She and Willow deserve that more than anything. There isn't anything that can beat a hug from your parents, well, unless it's Brandon in my case. Now he is a serious hugger when I'm down. That guy is strong and says all the right things to me. Damn, I need to stop thinking about him. He's driving me insane.

It takes us just over twenty minutes to arrive at The Grove, where one of the largest shopping malls is in Cali and, of course, one of the largest Barnes & Noble bookstores. All thoughts of Brandon are now shelved, whilst I focus on the books I've mentally listed that I want to get and some girl shopping retail therapy. I may get my nails done or something; Lilly has a booking, so instead of mooching around or just scrolling through my phone, you know what? I think I will treat myself.

We head inside, and already it's busy, not just with people who live around here but tourists. It's a big place. It always fills with booklovers. Usually, I don't tend to like too many people being in my face, but today I don't seem to mind. It's a welcome distraction from two things mainly. Firstly, the whole business with Tammy and secondly, the thoughts that keep cramping in my damn brain about how sensational it felt having Brandon lying right behind me last night. I feel that warm, butterfly sensation again in the pit of my stomach.

"Come on, let's hit Sephora first." Lilly grabs me by the arm. She's like a kid in a candy shop. Honestly, I thought Tammy was the all-time queen of shopping, but Lilly, when she's in the mood to spend, that girl can spend and then some. I allow her to drag me away as I admire her cute outfit today. A pair of baby-blue cowboy boots with silver stitching, which matches her same shade, frayed denim skirt. On top, she's wearing a white halter top. Lilly looks like something out of an advert for the cowgirl image. She would fit perfectly in Texas or Oklahoma. You get my drift; she even has her hair in two braids hanging down each side of her head. All she needs is a cowgirl hat to finish the look off.

I can smell popcorn and candy floss in the air, with a hint of burgers cooking on one of the food cart stalls. Children are running around playing, people brush past me, and it doesn't faze me like it usually would.

Inside Sephora, it's like a piece of tranquil heaven, and all the colors of lipsticks and nail polish- wow, even I feel like I'm in some kind of paradise. "Oh, look at this, Lizzie. It's gorgeous." Lilly is holding up a tiny bottle of fluorescent pink nail polish. Yeah, so bubble gum. Just her kind of thing.

"Nah, not for me," I say and shake my head. Definitely not for me. I prefer more muted tones. I look with her and choose a peach, neutral beige kind of color and a pale yellow. She's moved onto the iridescent eye palettes. Like Lilly needs anymore make-up, trust me when I say her bedroom cabinet is stuffed with it. Lilly could open up her own store.

"I love this shop sooooo much," she says, with that doped-up look on her face, her eyes glazing over. Adorable and cute. I hug her. I'm really pleased I made the effort to come out with her today.

"I'm hungry." Even though I had pancakes made by Nina, I could eat again. "Let's go grab a McDonald's or something." She wrinkles her nose.

"I don't fancy that."

"You can have a milkshake," I tell her and grab her hand as she swings her Sephora bag with all her purchases. I lead her out into the open and head straight for the closest McDonald's. Maybe I just fancy something crap to eat for a change. At home we only eat healthy and hardly any meat; Mom is vegan, so we usually get some weird stuff that tastes like cardboard. So, yeah. I guess I'm craving junk to eat.

The queue is long, but I don't mind waiting. "I'll catch up with you in a bit. Get me a strawberry milkshake please." Lilly says. "I'm going across to Victoria's Secrets.

That makes me smile. "Buying something hot for a date with Denver, are we?" Lilly blushes; her cheeks get burning red spots on them, and she looks down.

"Maybe." She says sheepishly. I feel a little knot in my stomach because I'd like to know what it feels like. You know, to be buying something alarmingly sexy for a date with your hot, sexy stud of a boyfriend. Maybe I'm just a teensy bit jealous.

"I'll meet up with you over there." I point to where the benches all form a semi-circle around the fountain. She nods and dashes off in the direction of one of the doors leading inside the mall.

Some guy standing in front of me turns and looks at me. He smiles; his teeth are so white I need sunglasses. Everyone here in Cali must use the same dentist except me. Mine are natural. Mom thinks it ruins your teeth having them bleached and whitened. I just go along with whatever she says.

I smile back and then take my phone out of my back pocket and start scrolling to avoid getting into conversation. He looked like he was about to say something. I, however, am not here to be chatted up. My heart belongs to one guy and one guy only. I know some day that same guy is going to find a girl in college or at one of his football games; they'll fall in, and I will be left with a broken heart.

I'm just waiting in line staring at a photo of, you guessed it. Brandon. He's wearing aviator shades, a baseball cap and a sleeveless black Versace tee. I can see the fine muscles in his arms and the way a few strands of hair have come loose under his cap. He is so fucking hot; it's scorching me just looking at his picture.