“But hey, the weekend thing isn't the whole reason that I called,” Wyatt said, just blurting the words out so that he wouldn't chicken out on himself.
“Really?”
“Yeah,” he said, now feeling his heart thump quickly. “I was wondering if you were busy on Friday night.”
There was a few seconds of pause, which cause Wyatt to cringe. He had no clue how Lily had taken what he had just said. For all he knew, she'd tossed the phone across the room in embarrassment. Luckily, though, she finally spoke up.
“Friday night?” she said. “I mean, I don't think I have any plans. Everything okay?”
“Of course everything is okay,” he said.
“Good,” she replied. “It just sort of sounded like you were about to ask me out.”
“Well, that's because that was exactly what I was about to do,” he said. “I wanted to know if you'd let me take you out to dinner on Friday. I mean a real dinner, too. There's a place on the East side of town. It's a super nice sushi restaurant. I've never had better sushi in my life. I'd love to take you if you'd be willing to go.”
“I think that sounds like fun,” Lily said. “Just one question. Is this, like, a date? Or is this just two friends getting a meal together?”
Wyatt smiled. “It's a date.”
“Are you sure you're ready for that, Wyatt?” Lily asked. “I mean, last night you seemed to feel awful about us kissing. I don't want to put you in a position where you'll feel guilty again.”
“I won't,” he said. “Trust me. I've thought about this all day. I can tell you more about it over dinner, but just know that I'm ready. I'm ready to pick you up on Friday and take you out for a night on the town. You deserve it and I want to do it for you. In fact, there's nobody else in the world I'd rather spend the evening with.”
“You mean that?” she asked, her voice now high pitched with excitement.
“Yes, Lily. I mean that,” he said. “I'm sorry I've had such a hard time showing it, but I'm done with hiding behind the veil of my emotions. I'm ready to get to know you. The real you. I'm ready to give this a shot. You're an amazing woman, Lily. I think it took having you live here, then moving out, for me to realize what a blessing you are to my family. I would never be able to live with myself if I didn't at least ask you out to dinner. I know, it sounds ridiculous, but it's true.”
“It doesn't sound ridiculous at all,” Lily said. “Honestly, I can't tell you how happy I am that you called me just now.”
Wyatt lifted an eyebrow. “It wasn't allergies, was it?”
Lily chuckled and Wyatt could picture the expression on her face. “No, it wasn't allergies. I was upset. I was sad that I had to leave your place today. I'd only been home ten minutes and I already missed you and Maggie. I'm a hot mess because of it. I sat on my couch when I got here and I haven't gotten up since.”
“If it makes you feel any better, I've been about the same since you went home,” he said. “I didn't realize how happy I was when you were here until I saw you walk out that door. I think it forced me to really look at myself and my life, though. It made me realize how special you are to me and I don't ever want to lose that.”
“I wish you could have told me how you felt a long time ago,” Lily said. “Although, I could have done the same thing but I didn't.”
“I couldn't tell you how I felt, because I didn't even know how I felt,” Wyatt said. “I've been so confused and messed up over the past year, that I didn't hardly know who I was. But you being at my house for ten days helped me to find the part of me that I was afraid I'd lost forever. It reminded me that I can still be happy. That happiness is still out there somewhere and it's free for the taking, just as long as I'm open to it.”
“You figured all of that out because of me?” Lily asked.
“Yes,” Wyatt said blatantly. “I realized something this morning. The entire time you were here, my heart didn't ache. The knot that I'd gotten used to, the one that lived in my stomach for over a year, had untied itself. I'm not sure that it's anything you did specifically. It was just you being you. It changed me, Lily. It changed me for the better.”
Lily sniffled again and Wyatt knew she had teared up.
“I feel the same way,” she said. “I was so happy last week, you know? It was the happiest I've felt in a long time. I think that's why I was so sad when I had to come back home to my regular life again. It was like I didn't want to face the old me. I like who I am with I'm with you. That's who I want to be.”
Wyatt felt so good right then that he wanted to scream out in celebration. He didn't, though. He stayed reserved for the time being. “So we're on for Friday then?”
“Of course we are, Wyatt,” Lily said, with a girlish giggle. “I'm so excited.”
“The place I want to take you is really nice,” he said. “I'm so happy you're letting me take you.”
“I'm not sure what I'm happiest about,” she said. “Not only do I get to go on a date with you, but I also get to eat a nice meal that I know for a fact will taste good. We both know that was never a certainty when I was the one making dinner.”
Wyatt laughed. “Very true. Although, the steak you cooked last night was pretty much amazing. So I wouldn't be too hard on yourself. Besides, maybe you just have a knack for cooking a nice steak. If that
's the only thing you can cook, then I honestly don't see a problem with that.”