Just Between the Two of Us

Just Between the Two of Us Jacqueline Lilly © 2023 Jacqueline Lilly All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. This is a fictionalized memoir. Some names and identifying details of people described in this book have been altered to protect their privacy. Printed in the United States of America First Printed April 2023 Cover Art by Jacqueline Lilly Published by: Southern Willow Publishing, LLC 1114 Highway 96, Suite C-1, #340 Kathleen, Georgia 31047 ISBN: 978-1-956544-27-5 This book, like my life, is dedicated to my wife. Vanessa, you are the lyrics in every love song, the verse in every epic poem, and the brightest star in my universe. I love you. Chapter 1 Emilia Roman was running late, which was highly unusual for her. She was usually the first person to report to work, school, church, or any other commitment she had. She was dragging this Sunday morning for some reason. She had skipped the first service and everything, which was also highly unusual. Her alarm hadn’t gone off on time and she barely had time to shower and fix her hair before flying out the door for the second service at church where she performed in the children’s ministry’s weekly variety show. Emilia was considered what people called naturally beautiful and didn’t need makeup to draw the attention of anyone, but she lacked confidence. She knew she wasn’t homely, but she failed to see how fit and pretty she was. She didn’t feel right without throwing on some eyeliner and mascara, and usually finished with a pale pink shade of lipstick. Today she didn’t have time for anything extra like foundation or blush, not that anyone should be looking at her too closely during a worship service. She whipped her car into the first available space in front of the main building. She usually parked in front of the children’s building, but she knew those coveted spaces would all be taken by now. This meant she would have to walk across the entire property, thus making her even more pressed for time. She practically ran across the vast parking lot and wove her way in and out of the people crisscrossing the lot between the multiple buildings. That’s when she saw Lucy. Lucy had a habit of looking perpetually lonely, the way that only girls who lean against the brick wall of an outbuilding could look. Her shadow looked out of place in between the two portables, and the smirk etched across her lips made her look somewhat unapproachable. Her light brown hair was perfectly straight and kicked up in the breeze underneath her faded trucker’s hat. She looked dangerous and brooding with her hat turned backwards and her hands shoved into the front pockets of her black jeans. She was cool, calm, and collected. She smiled at everyone who walked past her, but she never left her post against the wall. She looked like she was waiting for someone to give her an excuse to move. Emilia went out of her way to walk past her, hoping she had saved a smile for her. She was in a hurry, but that didn’t account for her quickening breath. Her heart was in her throat, and she knew it was beating so loudly that everyone nearby could probably hear it thumping loudly against her vocal cords. She was certain that it sounded like a kettle drum being played by an upbeat street musician. What was it about this mysterious person that caused such a visceral reaction? She had never even spoken to Lucy before. In all reality, she barely knew anything about her. They both ran in similar circles but had never been formally introduced or crossed paths at the same parties or hangouts. Lucy was pretty, but she dressed in a way that downplayed it. She didn’t appear to wear makeup, but it seemed that she did her best to stand out from the crowd. Perhaps that was on purpose. Emilia was a fixer at heart. She was drawn to people, especially ones who needed a friend. That must be it, she thought. Lucy looked like she needed a friend. Emilia knew the feeling all too well. Having grown up as a child dependent in a United States military family, she was often being plucked from one school and deposited into another across the country. She knew what it was like to be lonely. “Hey,” Lucy called out as she rushed by. Emilia could not be sure that Lucy was talking to her specifically. There were a ton of people walking in between the buildings. Regardless, she willed herself not to turn around and look at the mysterious girl. She kept walking towards the doors ahead, semi-focused on her mission. Thankfully, Lucy couldn’t see the smile that had plastered itself across Emilia’s face. She had wanted nothing more than to turn around and say hello, but doing so would betray everything she was known for. She had somewhere to be and things to do. People were counting on her, and she was running late. Plus, trivial conversations bored her. She hated the fakeness of superficial relationships that abounded in this town. That had to be her subconscious reasoning for blowing past Lucy. It couldn’t have anything to do with Lucy’s smirk or the way her eyes followed Emilia when she walked by. She silently reminded herself that she had a job to do. She had to teach an auditorium full of children about being a giver, or whatever the chosen character trait that month was. Her mind was blank. Thankfully, her feet knew the way to the outbuilding where she spent her weekends. Her phone vibrated against her thigh.