You've got Problems?

Myer held himself firmly as he savored the feeling of the warm water flowing down his body. He had been very groggy when he awoke from his very pleasant dream, but with the water of the shower hammering his head, he felt a lot better. But more important that making him feel better, the water simulated the rain storm earlier, and the greatest experience of his life so far.

Myer couldn’t help but lick his lips as his mind dwelled on the kiss he had shared with Lilly. Even though the taste of her lips had washed away with the shower, the memory was quite vivid in his mind. So was the feeling of her body against his. None of the wildest dreams he had conjured caused as much excitement in his body. As he glanced down at himself, he was a little surprised to see that he was becoming aroused again. He had been so sure that he had taken care of that earlier. Apparently he thought wrong.

Myer let his hand wander down towards his groin, but quickly collected his senses. He knew perfectly well that if he so much as simply brushed himself, nothing was going to stop the overflowing urges except to follow it through all the way. And he didn’t want to feel any guiltier than he already was for thinking dirty of Lilly. She was so sweet and gentle, he didn’t want to corrupt his thoughts of her. Since he was thinking about it, Myer peeked his head out from the shower curtain and glanced at the clock on the sink. Less than an hour to go.

He decided that it was the right time to get out. He didn’t want to rush anything, a risk being late. Myer figured that he was probably already in hot water with Lilly’s father. In fact, he was almost sure of it. The man apparently was looking for any excuse to chase him off.

“Well too bad.” He muttered as he dried himself off. “I’m not going to stop seeing her.”

That was especially true now that he had managed to repair the damage that had happened between them. He was a bristling battery of energy as he dried himself off and slipped into a decent set of cloths. After giving his hair a couple of quick brushes to even out all the loose ends, Myer felt ready to leave.

The waiting part was what he hated the most. Each minute that passed felt like an hour, and only seemed to get slower the closer the hand crept to the top of the hour. Myer tried to busy himself by pacing around his room, but that didn’t help at all. Feeling like he was going out of his mind, Myer left his room and went downstairs. He was glad that his father was out at the time, probably drinking or chasing tail or both. Either way, Myer didn’t put much thought into it anymore. He had other things on his mind, Lilly being the center of it all.

As he sat down on the couch and tried to pass the time with mindless television, Myer vowed to himself that he wasn’t going to screw things up again. In fact, he vowed to make the relationship, if he dared to even call it that yet, with Lilly even better than it had been. It kind of scared him when he thought about how fast she had become a corner stone in his life. To him, Lilly was something extraordinarily amazing, and not just because she was so different from everyone else. Myer knew that deep down, it was because he had come to understand just how much he cared for her. But more importantly, he realized, Lilly cared for him as well.

Though he already knew that, the dawning of this understanding truly struck him at that moment, and he began to shake. It was impossible for Myer to tell if it was from fear. Maybe a little bit of it was, since he was charging forth into an unknown territory, but a part of him just knew that it was also from joy. There wasn’t a doubt left in his mind about how Lilly might have felt about him. The way her eyes had shined the moment after he had kissed her confirmed that.

When he saw that it was nearly time, Myer rose from the couch, feeling happier and more confident with himself than he had felt in a very long time. Knowing that there was a girl that he cared deeply for that he knew felt the same way back caused an exhilarating feeling to swell up inside him. Myer doubted very much if he had ever felt as powerful as he did then.

Thankfully, he didn’t need to test that apparent power against Lilly’s dad. She answered the door herself. “Hi Myer.” She said with a sly smile. No doubt she was thinking the same thing he had been.

“Hi Lilly.” He said, barely able to suppress his stupid grin at the sight of her. In fact, it was next to impossible to not stare into her glistening eyes.

“You want to come in?” she asked, stepping aside.

Myer cleared his throat. “Actually, I was hoping that we could do something different tonight.”

Lilly cocked an eyebrow at him. “Like what?”

“Well,” Myer said, sucking in a deep breath, “I was hoping that I could take you out and show you the town.”

Lilly gave him a look that was halfway between suspicious and curious. “Why?” she asked.

Like he always did in an awkward situation, Myer rubbed the back of his head. “I figured that you would like to get out. I know you don’t go too far from your house, so I bet it must feel a lot like a prison.”

Lilly put her hands on her hips. “You know, you’re right Myer. This place has gotten to be a lot like a prison. Will you wait out here for one second?”

Myer agreed. Lilly disappeared back inside for a little while. As he waited, Myer stuck his hands in his pockets and whistled softly to himself. He just hoped that her father didn’t step outside, ready to go on the war path. That would have just ruined his mood completely. Again, to his relief, it was Lilly who slipped out the door. “Mom, Dad, I’m going out for a while?”

“Where?” he heard her dad call out from the interior of the house.

“Myer’s going to take me to see the town.” She yelled back inside.

“Now wait just a minute…”

Lilly slammed the door shut before Myer could hear anything else. Not that he needed to. Her father sounded mad. Lilly took two running steps and took one graceful leap from the top of the porch to the walkway snaking through the front lawn. “Come on Myer!” Lilly shouted as she was halfway across the lawn. “He’ll be out any second.”

Those words were more than enough to get one big fire started under his feet. Myer was off the porch and was almost into his own yard in the time it would have taken a person to sneeze. Lilly didn’t need to ask which car was his, it was the only one in the driveway. With another stroke of luck, Myer hadn’t bothered to lock the doors. Lilly was already in by the time he had was wrenching his own open.

Myer madly fumbled with the keys, not entirely sure just what the hell it was he was doing or how he had gotten himself into this mess. One thing was certain, they were both going to pay for this. “Come on Myer!” Lilly said, glancing out the side window. “He’s about to come out.”

The engine roaring to life could just as easily been a judge’s reprieve from a death sentence for him. He threw the car into reverse and nearly stomped on the peddle. All of his body was trembling from a mixture of excitement and pure terror. The car was out on the street just as the front door to Lilly’s house swung open. Myer didn’t dare to stay and see who was coming out. They both knew who it was. He switched the gears, and they both speed off into the night.

Lilly, for her part, laughed like she was nearly possessed. She cried out an exhilarated scream before settling down a bit. She glanced sideways at him. “That was fun, huh?”

“Fun?” Myer repeated unbelievably. “Oh yeah, that was real fun. And when I take you back later, your dad’s going to kick my ass. That’s not exactly what I would call having a good time.”

She sarcastically waved her hand. “You worry too much. He might be mad, but he’s not going to hurt you.”

“Easy for you to say that.” Myer gulped.

Lilly smirked. “Still, if my dad does overreact, there’s not much point in going home any time soon, is there?”

She had him there. The simple logic of it all was easy enough to agree with, if it wasn’t for the nagging fear that itched at his back. Lilly, for her part, was far calmer about the whole situation. Myer had a suspicion why. “This isn’t your first time running out on him, is it?”

The look on her face went sour. “That’s not a nice thing to say. I love my dad.”

She didn’t give him a chance to respond. With a quick turn of the knobs on the radio, the car was flooded with music. Lilly rolled down the window on her side and screamed out to the passing night. Myer groaned to himself. He still had a lot to learn about her.

“Where are we going?” she practically screamed at him over the radio.

Myer couldn’t help but twist the volume down. “Well, first I was hoping to take you to an ice cream shop…”

“Is it like those old ones you see in movies sometimes?” she asked.

“Now that you mention it, the place is like that.”

Lilly giggle and clapped her hands. “Good. I’ve always wanted to see one of the old ones. The city never had any like that, they were all chain stores.”

Myer made sure to check the clock on the dashboard. They still had around forty minutes before the place closed. It seemed bizarre for him to be going back to the place. In a way, he didn’t want to. Dreaded memories lingered in that building. Memories of his mother taking him there on Sundays when he was little. He hadn’t been in the place since she had died.

Myer glanced out of the corner of his eye at Lilly. Her eyes were shut and she was bobbing her head to the tunes. Seeing her carefree and liveliness brought a comforting smile to his face. In ways that were quickly multiplying, she was guiding him through the storms of his misery that were mired in the past, to something better that lay beyond in the future.

Getting to the soda shop and going in were a lot easier than Myer thought they would be. All it took was for Lilly to gently take his hand in hers, and pull him inside. Fortunately for them, or perhaps just Lilly, only a few people were present. One was the slightly older guy working behind the counter, the couple in one of the booths, an elderly man at the end of the counter, and woman ordering.

Like Myer both expected, and feared, all heads turned their way. The eyes grew wide, and their jaws nearly dropped. It took several tense moments before they all looked away, though they continued to glance their way. Myer felt Lilly slip her arm around his and squeeze tightly. That simple gesture revitalized the strength in him. Calmly and stoutly, Myer lead Lilly over to the counter. The whole time they were making their orders, the guy working the store continued to stare at her. There was a lingering uneasiness lying just behind his eyes, and it angered Myer.

For her sake though, he quenched the fire that had flared up inside of him. That still didn’t take away his distaste for both the man and everyone else’s stupefied eyes on her. None of them knew her, so none of them had any right to judge Lilly simply because she was different from them. Was it her pale skin, the snowy white hair, or the way her grey eyes glowed a reddish hue in the light of the shop that made them so unnerved by her presence?

“It’s ok Myer.” Lilly whispered softly into his ear. “I told you, I’m used to it.”

Myer took his ice cream, and Lilly her milkshake, and they went to the booth closest to the front door. No one seemed all that upset when they did this. And Myer was happy to just be away from them all. He couldn’t bring himself to ignore their repeated glances at them.

“Just let it go Myer.” Lilly said, taking a sip of her shake. “People don’t trust what they don’t understand. That’s just the way it is.”

“It shouldn’t be.” He said. “None of them have any right to judge you just because you’re different.”

Lilly looked up at him. There was a mixture of sadness and affection in their grayness. “Please, Myer. Don’t worry about it. I just want to enjoy the night with you. Will you please do it for me?”

Myer sighed. “Alright. For you.”

They finished the treats barely a sentence between them. When they had finished, Myer took her hand and lead Lilly out. The night air was cool, much more pleasant than the stifling heat of the day. As Myer took it in, he began to realize that the night was starting to grow on him. His thoughts on the other half of the world seemed to catch Lilly’s attention. She gently squeezed his hand. Myer looked to her. There was just enough moonlight shining down to radiate her unique beauty.

“Thank you for taking me out Myer.” She said with a slight smile. “That was very sweet of you.”

She leaned up and kissed him before he could reply. It wasn’t nearly as world shattering as the kiss they had shared earlier, but it still felt like a connecting of their two spirits. Myer slide his arms around Lilly and embraced her. Even though he didn’t want to let her go, she broke their lips and pulled back. That didn’t get her out of his arms.

“Come on Myer.” Lilly said, slipping her much slender body out of his grip. “Show me the rest of the town.”

“But there’s nothing open now.” Myer said. “The whole place is dead right now.”

Myer wished he hadn’t said that. He could see the discomfort on Lilly’s face. It wasn’t because there wasn’t anything she could see, it was a reminder of the world she would remain stuck in for the rest of her life, no matter how much she wanted to be a part of the other one. Myer breathed a sigh of relief when she seemed to just wipe the look from her face. “That doesn’t mean I don’t want to see it.” She said with a chuckle. “I can picture what it must be like, I’ve got a good imagination.”

Myer couldn’t argue with that. “Alright.” He held out his hand. “Shall we, my lady?”

He half expected her to tell him what he had just said was stupid. But she didn’t, instead she took his hand, and together they walked through the town. Myer was happy to give Lilly the tour, it just gave him more excuses to stay out with her. For the most part, Myer was surprised that she didn’t become bored out of her mind. It wasn’t like there was a whole lot of interesting things to say about the town. That’s why it was a small town. A center for plain and boring.

The park was their last stop on the tour. Seeing it, Lilly immediately became adamant. “Oh wow.” She said. “Can we go in?”

Myer gave her a puzzled look. “Of course we can. Why would the park be closed?”

Happiness flashed in Lilly’s eyes. “I can’t believe this. They always close the parks after dark in the city.”

Her smile brought a warmth into his heart, Myer gladly lead Lilly into the park. Once they were sheltered within the contours of the small oasis of nature, Lilly slipped her hand from his. As Myer looked on, she twirled around, holding her arms out and staring into the sky. “This is so wonderful. It’s almost like being in a dream.”

Myer blinked. “You’ve got to be kidding.”

Lilly shook her head. “Remember, photosensitive.” She gently patted her cheeks. “I can only go out at night, and all parks in the city are closed after dark.”

“Oh,” Myer said, looking down at his feet. “I never really thought of it like that. You mean to tell me that you have never been on a playground before?”

“No.” Lilly answered. It took her a few moments to apparently get the full understanding of what Myer was saying to her. “You mean actually play right now?”

The corners of Myer’s mouth curved up. Lilly’s eyes shined. “I thought you said that kind of stuff was for kids once before.”

“I think I can remember someone telling me that you can never be too old to have fun.” He replied.

Lilly laughed in a childish voice. She raced towards the playground equipment, leaving him in the dust. Myer couldn’t help but laugh himself, whenever he was near her, she seemed to bring out the inner child that he had thought died long ago. Their race descended into an odd yet fun game of cat and mouse. Lilly was very good at hiding, and Myer had never really been very good at the game. That was how Myer found himself creeping through the sand surrounding the jungle gym without the slightest clue where Lilly had gone to.

A part of him wanted to call out her name, but he knew that if he did that, she wouldn’t come out. Worse still, it might draw some unwanted attention. Myer had failed to mention to Lilly that the park was technically closed after dark. And it was still a school night, if a cop came by and found them, he was in deep trouble. A rusty creek echoed in the stillness of the night, causing Myer to practically jump out of his skin. He whirled around just in time to see a mass flying at him.

He went down in a tangled heap. The next thing he knew, his arms were pinned into the sand. Myer blinked a few bits of sand from his eyes, and saw Lilly sitting over him. “You’re completely hopeless Myer.” She said with a coy smile. “How am I supposed to have any fun if I keep beating you all the time.”

Myer returned the look. “That’s what you think.” Knowing that he was stronger than her, Myer forced himself into a sitting position. Lilly did her best to keep him from getting up, but failed all the same. She tumbled onto her back, but used her legs to bring Myer down on his side. The two laid there for a few moments, both giggling like they were children once again.

Myer finally sat up on his elbow and stared at her. Lilly had sand all over her and in her hair. He pointed at her. “You’ve got sand all over you.”

“So do you.” She told him in a low voice. Myer felt a sudden urge to lean over and kiss her. He was going to, but Lilly jumped to her feet before he could get the point across. In fact, he thought she had known what he wanted to do, and was just teasing him. He had to admit that she was particularly good at doing that.

“Come on Myer, let’s go on the swings.” She said, brushing herself off as she walked away. Myer felt a little flustered, but he pushed it away. She was just having fun, and so should he. He brushed the sand out of this hair as best he could before going after her.

Lilly was already comfortably sitting on one of the seat as Myer took the one next to her. “It’s so strange.” She said, working her eyes up the chains. “That I’ve never done this before.”

Myer didn’t want to feel pity for her, but he couldn’t help himself. Thinking back on all of the fun things he had done when he was little, and realizing that Lilly hadn’t done any of it, Myer could understand why she acted like a child sometimes. She looked over at him, a sheepish smile spread across her face. “What’s it like Myer? Swinging, I mean.”

Myer thought hard on that. Trying to describe what swinging was like to a sixteen year old girl felt a lot like trying to explain square roots to a toddler. After a few silent moments of thought, Myer found the best answer. “You just have to try it for yourself.” He said, and began swinging. He should have felt like an idiot, acting like he was eight again. But around Lilly, childish behavior was not only acceptable, it somehow felt desirable. Lilly followed his lead. Myer had to bite his lip to keep from laughing as her first few attempts went horribly wrong. Whatever flaws Lilly had, she always made up for them somehow. It wasn’t long before she was pitching through the air as easily as he was.

“Oh wow!” Lilly exclaimed as she soared high into the air. “This is feels like flying.”

Indeed it did. As he swung through the air, Myer let every trouble in his life go. And for the time being, he became immersed in the moment. Everything seemed perfect. It almost was, until he heard Lilly grunt in pain.

Myer looked over at her, and was horrified to see that her hands were firmly grapping her head. She dug her boots into the sand and stopped abruptly. Myer’s heart raced and he nearly jumped out of the swing. “Lilly! Are you alright?” he asked, rushing to her side.

“Yeah,” she winced, “I’m fine. I just pushed myself a little too hard.”

It occurred to Myer that he had forgotten about Lilly’s anemia. “Lilly, when was the last time you had a transfusion?”

“About two days ago.” She whispered.

“Lilly, why didn’t you tell me?” he asked.

“I…just wanted to have a fun night with you.” She answered.

Myer helped Lilly to her feet and nearly carried her over to a nearby bench. “Lilly,” Myer said as he gently set her down, “I want to have fun with you too, but I don’t want you to hurt yourself.”

“I’m fine.” She said. “I just need to rest for a few minutes.”

Myer hoped that she wasn’t lying about that. If anything happened to her, Myer didn’t know what he was going to do. He chose not to press the matter any further. Instead, he just sat there with his arm around her, until Lilly was sure that she felt better. Myer checked his watch, it was getting late anyway.

“Come on.” He said, helping Lilly back up. “We need to go home.”

“Already?”

Myer showed her the time. “It’s almost mid-night. That’s way past curfew. If my dad finds out that I’m not in my room, he’ll kill me.”

“Yeah.” Lilly replied, staring off into empty space as he led her out of the park. Myer could immediately tell that something else was on her mind other than the pain she must be having in her forehead.

“What’s wrong Lilly? Is your head still hurting?” he asked.

“Just a little.” There was long pause in her next breath. “I would like to meet your father.”

That last sentence almost caused Myer to drop Lilly. He did his best to collect himself. “Lilly, my dad…I don’t know what he’ll…”

Lilly slipped from Myer’s arms. The look she gave him could have cut through a plate of steel. “What, that he’ll think you’re spending time with a freak? You said earlier that no one should judge me because I’m so different. Who better to prove that to than your own father?”

“But you don’t know my dad.” Myer tried to explain. It clearly didn’t come out right.

Mercifully, Lilly didn’t get angry at him. She just looked at him with her gentle eyes. “Myer, what tells you how to feel? Your father, or your heart?”

The streetlight overhead illuminated Lilly’s eyes, breathing life into that otherworldly reddish hue. That glimmer captivated him like a spell had been put on him. Myer knew the answer the instant they locked eyes. “My heart.”

“Then don’t be afraid of your father. Let me meet him. If he really loves you, then he won’t be ashamed that you’re with me.” Lilly said.

Damn how she made Myer wish moments like that wouldn’t end. Staring at her, looking the way she did, it was too much for him. Myer smoothly brought his arms around her. “Ok, tomorrow night, I’ll introduce you to my dad.”

“Thanks Myer.” Lilly said. The tension between them was too much for either of them to bear. He kissed her for the third time in one day, and wished that they could have stayed that way forever.

Myer finally got Lilly back to the car. They spent the drive home talking about everything. Myer was amazed at how fast they had come to know each other, it almost seemed like magic or fate. That thought would have been perfect, if it hadn’t made Myer think about his mother.

When they got home, Myer could see that Lilly’s dad was out on the front porch. What amazed Myer more than anything was that he didn’t immediately come storming down the lawn towards them. “I’m going to be in trouble. I doubt I’ll be able to see you for a few days.”

“I can wait.” Myer said. “I don’t want to, but I can.”

Lilly smiled. “You’re such a dork, but sweet too.” She leaned over and kissed him before slipping out. Once she had exited the car, her dad finally became adamant. He quietly walked over to Lilly, said a few low words which sent her scampering into the house, and turned to Myer. The man simply pointed a finger at him and fixed a stare on him that looked like he was ready to shoot him. When he turned and went back into the house, a ragged breath escaped Myer’s lips.

He parked the car and slipped over into Lilly’s yard. From there, he scampered up the limbs until he was at his bedroom window. Ever since meeting Lilly, he had kept the window unlocked, just in case she ever wanted to stop by unannounced. Myer felt relieved as he slide the window sill up and eased a leg in.

“I’m not that stupid.”

Myer froze in his place. In fact, he thought his heart froze too. Turning slowly to bedroom door, Myer saw his father standing there with his massive arms folded. Myer was about to blurt out some kind of excuse, but his dad raised a hand.

“It’s too late, and I’m too damn tired to deal with this crap right now. Go to bed, we’re going to have a little chat tomorrow.”

When his dad left, Myer shut the window and the door. Lying down on his bed, he felt an imminent sense of dread overcoming him as he knew the obstacles he was going to have to deal with.