Chapter 1: Roman

The air was cool tonight. It was cool against my skin as I sat on the hood of my car, cool enough that I could feel it blowing even through the leather that coated my body.

I looked back at the house I just left, Samuel was still inside. It was another house of the many girls he has tried to set me up with. There was always a girl who was friends with his girl... Kayla I think her name was. Maybe Kaitlyn.

It didn't matter, I only stayed for ten minutes before leaving again. Whatever K name she was... she wasn't for me.

I pulled the cigarette smoke through my throat, inwardly sighing as I felt the way the nicotine greeted my oxygen cells. Making them less effective, yet much more interesting.

My head pulled up as I heard footsteps. I looked towards the sound, not expecting what I saw in the slightest.

Lilly Green was walking towards me. I knew it was her, even though she was far away. Lilly Green, well she's unmistakable... to me at least.

She was drunk, it was easy to see. She tilted with each step, a minuscule zig-zag forming in her path. She was bare, even in this cold weather. She didn't seem to mind though, she looked like she could barely feel the chill.

I looked around her, expecting to see her asshole of a boyfriend beside her. He never let her very far from his sight, as if he always wanted her within grabbing distance. Even the thought of him caused my fingers to want to curl themselves into a fist.

He wasn't there, much to my surprise. It was just Lilly.

I willed my face not to change as she approached me, though that was hard. She was staring right at me, those green eyes I had remembered so well were bright, even in the darkness of night around us.

She was staring at me, seemingly looking for something as she ran her eyes over me. Though, no hint of recognition passed her features, and I had to bite back the disappointment that fact caused me.

I didn't move as she walked up to me, only my hand, which pulled the cigarette from my mouth. Even in the dark, she looked as beautiful as ever.

Though, her eyes... they were still lost.

"Can I have one?" She surprised me by asking. I don't know why she asked me that, she doesn't smoke.

I only contemplated her request for a short second, before I retrieved the pack of cigarettes out from the pocket of my jacket. I pulled one out, handing it to her. I watched as she placed it in between her lips, but after that, her eyes flicked back up to mine.

She didn't know what to do next.

My heart-rate quickened as I leaned forward, her face only inches away from mine. I pressed my lit cigarette against hers and I watched her face as she realized it was lighting hers as well. She watched it like it was the most fascinating thing she had seen all night.

I leaned my head back away, she took an inhale. I was interested to know what would happen next. Was Lilly Green a secret smoker? Was it a habit that she only had when she was away from people?

Did we have something in common?

And even though it was a slow suicide... well, at least it was something.

Though, it seemed we had nothing in common after all. She only choked on the smoke for a second, before her mouth released a series of coughs that sounded like it hurt.

"That's fucking gross," she finally said, after drawing in some much needed air. "Why are you staring at me like that?"

I let out a chuckle, trying to cover my own embarrassment. I was staring at her, and since she likely has no idea who I am... I shouldn't be. "I'm just wondering why Lilly Green is asking me for a cigarette."

She titled her head at my use of her name. She looked like she was searching in her head for the memory of me, and it was like a blade to the guts when she seemed to come up empty handed.

"My name isn't Lilly," she surprised me again by saying. "It's Lilac."

I felt my eyebrows furrow together as she spoke. I've known of Lilly Green for years, and never have I heard someone refer to her as Lilac. Hell, even the sole day she had spoken to me, she introduced herself as Lilly. I had an internal debate on whether she was lying to me, before I realized she had no reason to.

Who was I to her that she would lie about her name? No one.

"Sure." I nodded before climbing off the hood of the car. I stepped right in front of her, so close that I could smell the perfume coming off of her skin. So close that you could place a piece of paper between us, and it wouldn't fall.

To my surprise, she didn't step back. I looked at her green eyes, curious as to what she was thinking, because those green eyes were still staring back at my blue ones.

"Have fun, Lilac Green. Doing... whatever it is that you're doing," I said, opening my car door and sliding in.

I swallowed the pit of regret that was climbing into my throat at the thought of driving away. In all these years, this was the first time she's spoken to me again. I should stay, I wanted to stay. I should ask her the questions that I've always wanted to ask her.

Not that it would matter, either way. She would never know someone like me.