Lydia’s P.O.V
The restaurant was almost empty at ten thirty in the night, but the atmosphere was warm and welcoming. Spring was giving way to summer and soon enough, the little chill still hanging in the air would be all but gone, giving way to patchy summer nights.
“Lyric, my boy!” And elderly man came out from behind the counter and engulfed Lyric in a hug before he turned his eyes on me. “I see you brought a friend!”
The man had short grey hair with a few strands of black thrown in the mix, from what I could decipher from under his baseball cap. He wore a red shirt and grey pants with a white apron on top that now contained numerous stains from all the food he must have served his customers throughout the day. His face and hands were covered in wrinkles and he was sprouting an enormous beer gut and if I had to guess, I’d say he was in his mid sixties to early seventies.
“Matt, this is Lydia,&rd
Lyric’s P.O.V“I’m not getting on your bike.” Lydia did that brow crinkling thing she did when she was frustrated.I smirked. “Why? Are you afraid that the girls in school will die of jealousy because you came to school riding on my bike?”“No. I’m afraid I’ll die of a heart attack or a cracked skull thanks to your driving skills.” She crossed her arms across her chest stubbornly. “I’ll run my bicycle, thank you very much.”I sighed in defeat. Lydia McKenzie was not the kind of woman you could easily mess around with and I was learning that the hard way.“I’ll wait for you at school.” I told her as I pulled down the glass shield of my helmet and took off before I could hear her protest.George waved at me when I reached school and parked my bike at the usual spot. I waved back and told the guy next to me to park elsewhere so
Lyric’s P.O.V“I fucked up, didn’t I?” I asked George during lunch hour as we sat outside in the courtyard, under the shade of some fancy tree that had peach colored flowers blooming everywhere.Normally, I would’ve preferred to have my lunch at the nearest Subway or Starbucks, but George had brought homemade lunch today and he insisted that I share his. Maybe it was his way of saying thank you for saving Avery, but we both knew Lydia was the one who had done the actual saving part.“Is this about Miss Lydia?” George asked, putting a spoonful of pasta into his mouth.“Stop calling her Miss like she’s the President’s daughter or something.” I frowned at George. “She’s the same age as me.”“Yes, but-”“Never mind.” I shook my head. “Yes, it’s about Lydia and I’m getting in way over my head. Just forget
Lydia’s P.O.V“Where are you going?” I paused halfway through getting my bag into the trunk of the car my dad had sent to take me back home as Lyric strode across the street to stand in front of me. “Are you leaving because of what happened today?”“Don’t flatter yourself. I’m not leaving because of you,” I told him as I shut the trunk after getting my bag inside and asked the chauffeur to lock it. “My family’s throwing an engagement party for my brother and his to-be-wife and I have to attend the party at all costs.”“Oh?” Lyric seemed taken aback for a second before he regained his composure. “You sound like you don’t want to attend.”“I hate parties.” I shrugged.“It’s your brother’s engagement party.” Lyric reminded me before adding…quit that, demanding something completely absur
Lydia’s P.O.VIf I could laugh at the scene in front of me then I would have, but alas, you can’t have everything in life.Lyric and Nate were eyeing each other as if they were big bad wolves sizing up their prey and while Lyric actually looked menacing, Nate looked too adorable to act the big bad wolf.Thankfully Stephen wasn’t on the scene as he had gone out with mom and Ivy to get some last minute things in order and my dad was at work, as usual, otherwise the scene would’ve been much worse. Nathan had been the one to greet us as we reached home and now he probably thinks I’ve brought home a boyfriend from college. However, the misconception that Lyric had about Nate became clear the next instant.“A bit young to be getting married, aren’t you?” Lyric asked with his eyebrows raised.“I’m 19.” Nate said with a sickly sweet smile. “But I’m not the one ge
Lyric’s P.O.V“So you’re David Donovan.” Asked the brown haired, green eyed man in front of me, muscular arms crossed over his chest. The man was over six feet tall and built like a mini tank and from the look of menace on his face; he was very close to crushing me in the palm of his hand.Nathan, the little bastard was standing a few feet behind his older brother with a shit-eating grin on his face because he thought I’d cower away from Stephen McKenzie like most people were used to. So, I too folded my arms across my chest and looked Stephen directly in the eyes as I spoke to him.“Yes. And you must be Lydia’s older brother, Stephen.” I tilted my head to the side, studying him in the same way he was studying me before adding, “Lydia speaks quiet highly of you. Congratulations on getting engaged.”Stephen’s eyes softened at the mention of his sister’s name, even thou
Lydia’s P.O.VI knocked on the guest bedroom door nervously, feeling guilty for having ditched Lyric completely last night. When I had come down for dinner last night, Ivy had informed me that he had retired to his room early and she had sent his dinner to his room.I hadn’t disturbed him last night thinking that he might be tired, but this morning, I had to come knocking at his door because of selfish reasons.When Lyric didn’t open the door after knocking on it twice, I tried turning the knob and found the door unlocked. Pushing the door open, I entered the guest room and shut the door behind me.“Lyric?” I called out, finding the room empty.The guest room wasn’t all that different from the other rooms in the house. It was a bit smaller in size with a closet, a queen sized bed and a study table and chair at one end of the room. It also had an attached bathroom. So I walked towards the bathroom
Lydia’s P.O.V“A graveyard?” Lyric gave me a narrow eyes glance.“I promise to kill you gently.” I gave him a sideway glance before getting out of the car. “And thank you for not getting us killed on the way. Your car driving skills are way better than your bike driving skills.”“Why, thank you! I’ve never been so flattered in my life.” Lyric put a hand over his heart and batted his eyelashes at me. If I could, I would’ve smiled but I simply shook my head at his antics.Lyric came around the car and came to stand right next to me as I stood in front of the cemetery gates. My heart was beating so fast I was sure he could hear it too. My palms were sweaty from nervousness so I wiped them on my dress. Lyric must have noticed the movement because he took one of my hands in his and held it tight in a silent show of support. I think by now, he must have guessed why we were here.
Chapter 25:Lyric’s P.O.V“Holy shit!” I blinked at my reflection at the mirror. “I like Lydia McKenzie!”The realization wasn’t what had me stunned, but it was the fact that it had taken so long for me to realize it, that was what surprised me most.Lydia was an astounding woman. She was beautiful and not just on the outside, but she was a kind hearted and compassionate person. She was also the person who gave me comfort. Just being around her was enough for me to feel better, feel…refreshed. She makes me want to be a better version of myself, a better person who she can be proud of.A knock on the door sounded then and I fixed the buttons on my tux before opening the door to my room.“Stephen?” I raised my eyebrows at him as I moved aside to let him enter.“Here,” he held out his hand with a box in it. “Dad send it for you. It&