^^Kitchen

Flickering my eyes between Andrew and his father, I watched them argue. I didn't know how the conversation from siblings to career went in the direction of this and they ended up fighting.

Andrew whirled his head towards me with regret written all over his face. I averted my eyes from him and looked down at my empty plate, not sure if I should say something. The cheerful atmosphere a minute ago just vanished in a second.

I got Andrew despised being a lawyer and his dad still taunted him for it.

"Sorry." He grumbled and marched out of the kitchen. We heard his footsteps storming upstairs, then a door slammed shut, making me flinch a little.

It was awkward sitting at the table with his parents. When I peeked up, Mr. and Mrs. Pierce were looking at each other in shame. Even AJ was sitting in the room's corner with his head and ears hung down.

"Um... The food was delicious, Mrs. Pierce." I asserted, trying to get out of the situation. "The beefsteak was tender, chipotle was juicy and I love the pasta sauce." I dwelled.

"I like the caramel pudding," Abigail mumbled, and my eyes snapped to her.

She also looked unsettled by the mood and was trying to overcome it.

"I think the cheesecake was tastier." I beamed, which she returned.

"Nah-eh, the cheese doesn't even compete with caramel."

"But the cake was spongy."

"The pudding melted in my mouth." She made a chef kiss. "Lit!"

We began giggling, and I glanced at Mrs. Pierce, who had a grateful smile on her face while Mr. Pierce got up from his seat, clearing his throat.

"It's lovely meeting you again, Miss Smith. Good to have some young smart company."

"I enjoyed it too, Mr. Pierce." I tried to give him my best smile, but it wavered when I saw sadness in his eyes.

"Good to know. Sorry to cut the dinner short, but I need to wrap some work up, so I'd like to be excused." He gave me a smile that looked similar to Andrew's. "Hope you see to again."

"You too," I mumbled and watched him stride out of the kitchen.

Andrew looked exactly like his dad, with his dark brown hair. All the three siblings shared the same blue eyes as their dad, but Abigail and Austin are blond like their mother.

"Abigail, why don't you finish your drawing?" Mrs. Pierce said, getting up from her seat. "I need to clean up the table."

"Sure," she murmured and hopped out of her chair. "Let's go AJ."

"WOOF!" AJ barked and followed her with his tail wiggling.

Before leaving, Abigail turned at the door frame and gave me a sweet smile. "I like you."

I was taken aback by her confession because the last time we met she hated me and accused me of being googly around her crush. Now that she was over Nate, I was on her good side.

"I like you too." I chuckled. She gave me a cheeky grin and then bounced into another room with AJ.

"I'm sorry about that dear." Mrs. Pierce apologized as she began cleaning the table. "The dinner was a disaster!"

"Not that bad." I gathered the dishes dirty dishes together. "Let me help you."

"You're a sweet child." She smiled. I felt my cheeks turn pink, and we stepped into the open kitchen adjacent to the dining room.

The kitchen was glamorous, a type of kitchen my mother always dreamed of. White marble tiles and cabinets with a combination of beige. It was beautiful and I couldn't help but praise it.

"Your kitchen is wonderful."

"Oh really! I'm glad you like it." She wiggled her brows. "I designed it myself a few years ago."

"It's amazing. I'm sure my mom will faint when she'll see this. She loves aesthetic kitchens."

"Then bring her. I'd love to meet the mother of such an adorable child." I ducked my head as my face heated. "Next time I'm going to invite your parents for dinner, too." She halted and grumbled. "And I pray that time the dinner won't end up like this one."

"I'm sure it just happened in the heat of the moment."

"Andrew and his father have a different point of view about his career." She sighed, putting the dishes in the sink. "His father thinks it'll be wise of him to become a lawyer, but Andrew opposes it."

"What's Andrew planning for himself?" I asked, passing the dishes in my hands.

"Thank you." She beamed, took it from me, then frowned. "That's the problem. Andrew doesn't know what he wants to do. He said he will take a gap year, but his father says it's a waste of his time."

"Why does he hate lawyers?" It was clear how disgusted Andrew looked while talking about it.

"I don't know." She rubbed her head in frustration. "My other son Austin is in Harvard's final year becoming a lawyer, and Andrew thinks his father forced him to become one, which is not true. Austin wanted to follow in his father's footsteps and he loves it. Now he wants Andrew to become one too, but..."

"He doesn't want to, thinking it's something his father wants, not him." I completed it for her, and she nodded.

"If maybe Andrew was sure of what he wants to do, then all of this." She motioned towards the dining table. "Will never happen."

"I'm sure he'll think of something." I smiled. She tried to return but failed.

"I hope so." She sighed, wearing a pink apron. I almost giggle when I read 'I'm a hot chocolate bomb kind of mom' written over it.

"Andrew got this?" I asked, amused.

"You guessed it right." She giggled, running a hand over it. "Andrew got it for mother's day last year. It was a kind of prank and he never thought I'll actually wear it." She winked. "But I secretly love it."

"Andrew is a great guy." I adjusted my glasses, getting nervous, but I had to say it.

"If you minus his player ways." She grimaced.

"You know?" I was surprised.

"You can't hide things here in West Hills." She said, taking cookies out of the oven. "I am very well aware of his dating habit and I've warned him so many times before, he doesn't listen to me but... You've changed him."

"I... Uh..." I stuttered.

"That's it!" She looked at me with her twinkling eyes. "You can help him!"

"Huh?" I tilted my head in confusion.

"You're a genius girl and you've planned everything." She smiled proudly, making me blush. "You can put some senses into my boy's head and tell him to decide something."

"I'm not sure if he'll listen-"

"He admires you, Lillian." She giggled, patting my cheek. "I've seen the longing way he looks at you."

"Uh..." I ducked my head in embarrassment.

"It might not come as a surprise, but you are the first girl he ever brought home, and when I saw you that day, leaving in the morning." She gave me a teasing smile. "I knew from that moment my boy cares for you."

"Yeah, about that I'm sorry-"

"I'm not asking for an apology, silly." She chuckled, cutting me off. "What I'm trying to say is I've seen a change in him. A wonderful change. I know he'll listen to you."

"I'll try," I mumbled, keeping my heated face down.

"Thank you so much!" She pulled me into a bear hug. "Now go to his room and take these." She passed me the fresh cookies plate. "He must be waiting for you."

Nodding my head, I ambled out of the kitchen and went upstairs. I already knew the direction to his room since I came here before too... More like tired to escape from here.

The door of his room was shut, and I knocked on the door.

"Come in." I heard his grumbling voice and entered. "Took you long."

"I was talking with your mom," I answered, closing the door behind me with a soft click. "She gave cookies."

Placing the plate on his study table knowing he wasn't interested in eating these, I observed him as he lay on the bed on his back and threw a ball in the air and caught it.

"Let me guess. She told you I have bad blood with my dad for my future career and that I don't want to be a lawyer, etcetera..."

"She didn't have to tell me I got the idea myself," I mumbled, sitting at the bottom edge of the bed and staring out of the window in front.

"Of course, you're the smart one." He mumbled, but I kept my head straight, staring outside.

The window was the one just above the main gate of the house. The sun has set a long time ago and the dark sky was covered with clouds. I had a feeling it'll rain in a day or two.

I looked at the empty street and then the house in front. The houses here were far from each other because the streets were big and so were the houses and plots.

As compared to it, the houses on my street were nearer to each other. You take two steps and you are in the neighbor's house. Andrew and my life are totally opposite and how we ended together is still unusual for me.

First, I wasn't sure if it was going to even work between us, but now... I want to. I will be there for him whenever he needs me, and this was one of those moments.

Andrew stopped playing with the ball, and I felt him sitting straight on the bed.

"Why are you so quiet?"

Taking a deep breath, I pondered on how to discuss it with him. I knew it was a sore subject, and I didn't want to upset him. I bit my lip and answered him.

"I'm thinking."

~•~ • ~•~ • ~•~

"I'm thinking."

"About?"

"You." she calmly replied, and my body stiffened at that.

Me?

I squeezed my eyes shut and internally groaned. She referred to what happened earlier with my dad.

"I know what you're thinking. I'm a stupid idiot and a terrible guy to misbehave like that with my dad and-"

"No, I don't." She cut me off.

"You don't?" I asked in astonishment.

"If you don't want to be a lawyer, then he has no right to force you." She shrugged. "And you standing up for yourself is not wrong."

"I..." I trailed off, opening and closing my mouth, but nothing came out.

"Do you hate him?" She interrupted.

"What?! No!" I shrieked. "I don't hate him. He's my dad." I let out a deep breath.

"Do you hate that he's a lawyer?"

"I don't care about it because that's his choice." I shrugged. "My dad and I used to be close when I was little. I was his favorite while Austin was always mama's boy."

"What happened then?" Her back was still towards me and I couldn't see her face.

"Everything was going great until I got in the senior year. He asked me what I was planning after graduation and I told him I was thinking, but I couldn't..."

"You don't know what you want." I nodded, then realized she didn't see me.

"He advised me to pursue law like my brother Austin, but being a lawyer is not my thing, and that's how the war began between us."

"How is your relation with Austin?"

"It's like..." I raked my brain to think of a word to describe it. "It's like you and Luke."

"Is he happy?"

"He is where he wants to be." I glanced at the ball in my hand. "He always wanted to be a lawyer like our dad. He aimed for it and got it."

"So you know your father didn't force him?"

"I know." I groaned.

"Then why do you say that to your dad?"

"I... I guess I got jealous of Austin." I whispered. "He had everything sorted out for himself from day one and he was becoming Dad's favorite and I... I feel like a lost soul."

"You have nothing on your mind?"

"No, and that's the problem. Unless I come with something, Dad's going to force me to Harvard and he's not accepting my year gap saying it's a waste of time. If only I could think, but I don't know what I want to do." I finished.

Lillian went silent after that, and I watched her back. She sat still on the edge of the bed and didn't move once. I opened my mouth to cut the silence, but she spoke first.

"What about cars?"

"What about them?" My brows knitted in confusion.

"You like cars and I've seen you talking about Luke's, which was a kind of impressive and well..." She finally turn towards me with a teasing smile and gestured towards the car collection on the side shelf of my bed.

"Uh yeah." I scratched the back of my neck, a little embarrassed.

"Have you thought of doing anything related to them as in your career?"

"No..." My face scrunched.

"There are a lot of things you could do."

"Like?" I moved to the edge of the bed and sat next to her, dangling my feet on the floor.

"You can be a car dealer or if you go for a business degree, you can own a showroom."

"A showroom?" My brows raised in amusement.

"You can be an industry journalist and write reviews on cars." She shrugged, looking ahead out of the window.

"Do I look like a journalist?" I chuckled but halted when she said.

"I think you'll be a hot one."

"Say that again." I leaned toward her.

"You can be an automotive marketer..." She ignored me and went on and on. "An Auto designer, or the least you could be a driver."

"Would you be willing to spend your life with a driver?" I questioned, leaning back on my elbows on my bed.

"If he's passionate about it, then yeah. The point is there are a lot of things you can do if you search in the right direction."

Blinking my eyes, I observed the smartest and most beautiful girl I've ever met. I was furious before, but she somehow calmed me down and whatever she said made sense, which I never understood before.

I was never the guy to stick with one girl and I was proud of my player ways. I always thought all the girls were the same clingy and stupid after money. But since I've met Lillian, I got that not everyone's the same.

Every day, she surprised me with her intelligence and purity. She likes everything to be simple and peaceful while I always liked to show things off, but what was the point of it?

Nothing.

I thought I was happy before, but I was wrong because I'm truly happy only when I'm with her. I've mistaken true love before, but now it felt different and I know what it is.

I'm falling for her.

Hard and fast.

"You're amazing," I murmured, sitting straight.

"I'm just trying to help." She blushed, ducking her head. Hiding her face behind the curtain of her hair.

"I know." I tucked her hair strand behind her ear, and she slowly turned her head towards me. "Lillian I..."

"What?" She darted her generous green eyes between mine.

"I..." I love you. "I'm grateful to you." I gulped the lump forming in my throat.

F**k I can't say it.

Not yet.

"Are you going to think about it?" She asked in a hopeful tone.

"I will." I nodded, which made her beamed. "But for now..." I stared at her lips. "I desperately want to kiss you."

"You don't have to ask." She mumbled, glimpsing at mine.

Without wasting another second, I grabbed her face in my hands and pressed my lips to hers. She placed her arms around my neck and I put one hand on her waist, pulling her closer to me.

I licked her sweet lips and felt her shiver under my touch. A smile took over my face, knowing I wasn't the only one that felt this insane feeling. She opened her mouth, getting my hint like a good girl. I slid my tongue into her mouth and when it touched hers, my mind went blank.

When out of breath, I pulled away from her a little and gazed at her swollen pink lips. She opened her eyes and gazed into mine. Her hot cheeks were blazing red, and she darted her eyes to my lips.

"That was..."

"Breathless?"

"Yes..." She giggled. "Andrew..."

"Hm..." I hummed, putting my forehead on hers. She looked at me seriously and what she said next was out of the blue.

"Cookies."

"Huh?" I frowned, still dazed with our kiss.

"Your mom gave cookies."

"You want them?"

"They smell delicious." She bit her lips, and I chuckled.

"I'll get them." I kissed her forehead and got up from my bed and glanced at the clock. "We still have time. Want to watch something?"

"Yes." She bobbed her head, and I got the plate of cookies from my study table.

We sat on my bed with our backs leaning on the bed head and watched 'Stranger Things' new season. I had my arm wrapped around Lillian as she had her head on my shoulder.

In the middle of the movie, my phone buzzed. I picked it up from the side table and saw a group text from Louis.

'I asked Chloe to go prom with me and she said YES'

Oh shit, I forgot about prom!

I need to think of a way to ask Lillian. A simple way that is difficult to think of.

"It's Louis." I shook my head, and put my phone back. "He asked Chloe to prom and shockingly, she said yes," I said with sarcasm.

"He gets excited." Lillian giggled.

"He does." My mind went to his condition. "I can't believe he hid it from us." I felt Lillian getting tensed.

"How did you guys meet?" She asked. "You know the Clichés."

"Let's see." I paused and thought about it. "Ben, Brittany, and I have been together since kindergarten."

"Wow... That's a long time."

"I know." I smiled. "In middle school, Brittany got fed up with being the only girl, so she became friends with Tiana."

"And David is Tiana's boyfriend..."

"He also got along," I confirmed. "As for the others... Jordan and Maddie became friends over the summer when she moved next to him and they saved Louis from getting bullied in middle school, so they became a group."

"That's cute." She giggled.

"When Jordan joined soccer, we kind of hit off. So yeah, that's the story."

"You're forgetting someone."

"Am I?" I acted obliviously.

"Nate." She gave me an amused smile.

"Yeah, the dweeb." I scowled. "He and Brittany dated in freshmen year."

"They what?!" She jumped in surprise.

"Shocking I know. They dated for a few months but because of their differences." I rolled my eyes. "They ended it and stayed friends."

"Wow," she mumbled, laying her head back on my shoulder. "Who named you guys Clichés?"

"It was Louis's idea. He thought everything happened that way and all of us were different, but still somehow became friends."

"The Clichés. West High's popular group." Lillian murmured. "Everyone envies you guys. I used to."

"Why?" I frowned.

"I always thought you guys were amazing. Cared about each other and the confident aura you guys had."

"We may look normal, but we are a group of dysfunctional people." I chuckled. "Even though we have our differences and we fight all the time, we know that everyone's here for each other."

"No one is perfect." I grabbed her hand and interlaced our fingers.

"That's not true." She looked at me and I smirked. "You're perfect."

"I-I am not." She blushed.

"Yeah, you are." I kissed the back of her hand. "You are intelligent, beautiful, kind, humble, and honest."

"You're exaggerating." She averted her gaze.

"Believe it or not." I gave her a cheeky grin. "It is what it is."

And I love you.

~•~ • ~•~ • ~•~

A little bonding time of Lilldrew 🥰

A little back 😌

A little thought about the future 🤫

A little silence before the storm 💀

I wish I have powers like Eleven so I can write the chapters just by thinking in my brian 🥺

Anyway, the new season was lit especially the last episode. Can't wait for season 5!

Have you guys watched it?