Author's Note: Hmmm... I have no idea what this story is. I wasn't really even going to post it, but I've spent the last two days writing it, so I thought I might as well. A little summer interlude with Sev and Lily the summer after fourth year. You don't have to tell me this story has no point. I am painfully aware of the fact...

Rating: M
Warnings: Some pretty intense making out and petting by two fifteen year olds (yes, that would be Lily and Sev).

Last First Kiss

School had only been out for a week and already Severus Snape was bored. He made sure to set an alarm and to shut it off quickly, sneaking out of the house before either his father or mother was up. He would go to the park, sit in the swings and trace small trails in the sand with the toe of his trainers. Sometimes, around ten o’clock he would go to the Tesco for a fizzy drink, or if he happened to stumble upon enough loose change between the sofa cushions at home, or in the gutters on the way there, he might even buy a couple of fags from the stock boys breaking out back.

He should have gotten a job. He felt a little guilty about not having done so, but the stockist at the local market had taken one look at him and laughed when he had told him that he was sixteen and had previous experience. Truth was he was only fifteen, but if there was one thing he prided himself on, it was his ability to lie convincingly. Perhaps it had been the size and build of him rather than his age. Just his luck. Something he couldn’t change – at least not in a hurry.

Today had gone exactly the same as the seven that had come before it. He had sat in the park pretending to be fascinated with sand for hours on end, when in reality what he had really been hoping for was to catch a glimpse of Lily. No doubt she was off with her muggle friends. He knew that her family was at home because he had seen Petunia coming out of the house two evenings prior when he had managed to convince himself that walking through Lily’s neighborhood really was the fastest route to the library. She had seen him and glared. He had glared back and kept walking.

Truth was he hadn’t really spoken to Lily in weeks. With all the business of end of year exams and packing for home there just hadn’t seemed to be time. Every time he’d seen her she had either been tangled in the center of a huddle of giggling girls, at the Gryffindor table for meals, or on her way to the medical wing to visit Remus Lupin. He’d looked for her as they had boarded the train for home, but he had seen Potter and Black duck into the compartment she had chosen to share with Mary Macdonald just as he had decided to approach. Instead he had ended up sitting with Mulciber, Avery and little Regulus Black.

The sun was hot over head and he was starting to get hungry. He should go home and get something to eat. Tobias would be at work – if he had any that week – and perhaps his Mum would be cooking. She did sometimes, but she didn’t like to fire up the stove in the heat, so probably not. Oh well, he could always scrounge about in the icebox. Anything was better than lolling about in the heat.

He let the screen door slam behind him as he entered the cool dark interior of the kitchen. His mother had no doubt drawn the curtains in an attempt to keep it cool in the unseasonable heat. A movement from the table caught his eye, and he squinted in the half-light, waiting for his eyes to adjust.

“Shhh… Severus. Your father’s still asleep.”

His mother sat at the table, head in her hand as she scowled up at him from the newspaper spread out on the Formica top. There was a small glass of something that look suspiciously like some of Tobias’ whiskey beside her elbow.

“What? Why?” he whispered back.

“No work again.”

“So he’s been out at the pub all night and is hung over, is what you mean.”

She glared up at him a moment more and then stared down at the glass by her arm. After a moment she snatched it up and drained it dry with a grimace. “Don’t speak of your father with that tone. You know it’s hard for him.”

He raised his eyes to the ceiling in disgust, and then let them drop down to her again. “So what? Now you’re drinking too…?”

“Mind your own business, Severus,” she snapped. He opened his mouth to object but she cut him off. “Stop bothering me and make yourself useful. Go out and pick some peas for supper.”

“I’ll eat first…” he mumbled darkly.

“You’ll do as you’re told!” she snapped again. Her voice cracked and he couldn’t help but notice that it sounded somewhat slurred. “Eat while you’re out there. Take something from the garden, but don’t…”

“Fine,” he grumbled, and grabbing a bowl off the shelf by the stove, crashed back through the screen door into the back garden.

“Don’t eat all my carrots, Severus!” she called after him, but he ignored her. The first thing he tore up as he dropped to his knees in the dirt was a whole handful of her precious carrots. Brushing the dirt from them, and then rubbing one on the leg of his trousers he bit into it, grimaced a little at the earthy flavor of the dirt still managing to hang on, and then moved on to ‘doing as he was told’.

He worked slowly, no longer relishing in the cool refuge of the house. He wondered what he might do if she started drinking too. It was possible that it had just been a hard night. He had heard them fighting until well past three o’clock in the morning. His mother usually tried to keep her voice low, but his father had been bellowing so loudly it had set the neighbour’s dog to barking at one point. He supposed he should give her some grace considering, but…if it became a habit…

The sun beat down mercilessly, and after a few minutes he looked around, and when he was sure that the neighboring gardens were empty, stripped off his black T-shirt and continued on without it. Really, he could have filled the small bowl he had brought with him in no time considering how prolific his mother’s garden was. Even when there was a drought and the rest of the yards were brown and dead, hers always remained verdant and green. He was almost certain she used magic, but she would never admit to it. He took his time because it was better than going back into the house and it at least gave him something to do. Once the bowl was filled, he looked around him, desperate for something else to do, and decided to weed between the beets and spring onions.

He had made it all the way through the beets and half way through the onions when the burning sun above him was suddenly blotted out and a pair of bare, white feet with cherry red toes poking out of white sandals stopped just below his nose. He looked up with a start.

Lily stared down at him with a disapproving look on her face. “You’re burnt.”

“What?” He could feel his face flushing as he cast his eyes desperately about for his shirt.

“Your back, Severus. It’s burnt – something terrible. You’re not even going to be able to sleep tonight. You’d better get out of the sun and put something on that.”

She was wearing a white eyelet sundress, and her hair was hanging loose over her shoulders. Her head had blotted out the sun, but the rays still struggled to make themselves seen around the waves of her hair, highlighting the copper hairs on her head like a halo. For a moment he thought he must be dreaming.

After a moment of him staring up at her stupidly, she brought a hand to her hip, and stamped her foot a little in the soft dirt. “Severus, did you hear me?! You’d best do as I said.” He was definitely not dreaming.

“Oh…Yeah, yeah.” Getting to his feet in a rush, he snatched up the bowl of peas and his shirt and headed for the house. He made sure to catch the door with his foot as it swung back, and deposited the bowl on the counter before shrugging quickly back into his T-shirt. The pain of it was intense. His mother was gone, and he didn’t wait for her to come back, but instead, hurried back outside into the sunshine again, realizing suddenly that he had not asked Lily to wait.

As he stumbled back through the door he caught a last flash of white as she pushed back through the gate toward the street. He raced after her. “Lily!”

She stopped just the other side of the gate and turned back. “Oh, I thought maybe you were mad.”

“Mad…why would I be mad?”

She just shrugged, looking suddenly uncomfortable.

“I’m not mad, I just…” He felt his face flush again, and silently cursed himself for it. Perhaps she wouldn’t notice, as it seemed that he was red almost everywhere else. “I just needed to get those peas into my Mum. I kind of lost track of the time.”

“Oh, well if you’re busy, I’ll head home then.”

“No. I’m done now. I’m…I don’t have anything else to do…” He berated himself the instant the words came out of his mouth. It made him sound so pathetic, like he’d nothing to do all day but dig about in the dirt, or that her company was only a draw because he’d nothing better to do. “I mean, I…I’m glad you’re here. I didn’t see you on the train.”

She sighed. “Yes, well I was ambushed.”

“By Potter?”

She rolled her eyes heavenward, and sighed again, before looking back into his eyes, a soft smile playing on her lips. “Have you any idea how wearing it is to ride from Hogwarts all the way to London with Potter prattling away about Quidditch this, and Quidditch that, and how fabulous he is. I’ve never wanted a trip to end so much in all my life.” She laughed lightly. “I’ve been wanting to come and see how you are. I’ve hardly even seen you the last few weeks. You’re always off with Avery and Mulciber…”

He ignored the comment. “Where are you going?”

“I’ve just come from Emily Braithwaite’s place. You remember her, don’t you? She was in our class the year before we went to Hogwarts. Blond hair, brown eyes…”

He just shook his head.

“Well, I’m just come from her house, and I thought I might go and get some ice cream and then go to the park for awhile. You want to come?”

He looked briefly back at the house. Tobias would be asleep for hours, and his mother would probably join him if she continued at the rate she was at. “Sure.”

She smiled and started back toward the street. He fell into step beside her. He opened his mouth to speak, but then suddenly realized he didn’t know what to say. He shut it again quickly.

“You know,” she said suddenly. “I’m really starting to get worried about Remus. He seems so sick all the time. It seems like every month he comes down with something. Madame Pomfrey doesn’t seem to worry about it much, but…I don’t know. Sometimes I think that there really must be something wrong with him.”

“Every month?”

“Yes, every month.”

“Who knows,” he grumbled. He had no desire to discuss Remus Lupin. “Maybe he’s not a bloke at all. Maybe he’s just on the rag.”

“Not funny, Severus. I’m serious. Do you think there may really be something seriously wrong?”

“Who knows... If Pomfrey’s not worried about it, then I doubt you need to be.”

“Yes, well…maybe…” She didn’t sound very convinced, but he decided to take the opportunity to change subjects.

“I saw Petunia the other day – coming out of your house…”

“Really…? If you were by my house, why didn’t you stop in?”

“Oh, well I was running errands…didn’t really have time…”

“Hmm… She didn’t say anything about it. Did the two of you talk?”

“No.”

“Oh.”

They descended back into silence. When they finally reached the ice cream parlor he realized he’d no money left, and so told her that he wasn’t hungry. Truth be told, his stomach was clenching painfully, and he felt a little light headed in the heat, but there was nothing to be done. She went in and came out a few minutes later with a small brown sack in one hand and two cones balanced precariously in the other.

He scowled as he raced over to help her. “I told you I wasn’t hungry.”

“You always say that.”

“Well it’s true.”

She smiled and then reached down and playfully poked him in the stomach. “No its not, Severus. You can’t be ‘not hungry’ all the time.” He pulled away, rather disturbed by the surge of pleasure the casual contact had produced.

She laughed. “You’re getting so skinny, Sev. Just eat it.”

He scowled once more for good measure, but did as she asked. The place where her finger had poked him through his shirt continued to burn as though he had been branded, and though she had started to talk again, all he could manage to take in was the fact that she had just called him ‘Sev’. It had been months since she had called him that.

He ate the cone in silence, taking his eyes off the sidewalk only once to glare at a couple of boys his age who were openly ogling Lily as they passed. They smirked. She seemed oblivious.

They finally reached the park, and he supposed that he must have at least occasionally acknowledged what she had been saying as they went along, because she was still at it. And then she was sitting down at a picnic table by the swings and pulling out two sandwiches and two bottles of lemon squash, and he realized with mortification that she had bought him lunch as well as just the ice cream, and that they were out in the middle of the park, about to eat where anyone might see them.

“Do we have to eat here?”

She stopped in the middle of crumpling up the now empty paper sack. “What do you mean?”

“It’s hot. Let’s…let’s go to our spot.”

“Really? Do you want to? I mean, it’s just that I’m in a new dress, and we’ll have to crawl to get to it…” Something in his eyes must have made her reconsider, because she stopped herself and then smiled, shaking her head. “Well, alright, if it’s that important…”

“I just think it will be cooler there,” he lied.

She uncrumpled the sack again and put the two bottles and the sandwiches back inside before snatching it up and shoving it under his nose. “Here, you carry it then. I’m going to have a hard enough time just getting myself and this dress there in one piece.”

He stared down at the rumpled bag in his hand and then at her retreating form as she marched off across the grass toward the trees. He hurried to catch up.

The air already felt cooler the moment he entered the cover of the trees and for one brief moment he wished he were alone so that he could take his shirt off again. The pain of the fabric rubbing against his burnt back was nearing unbearable.

He could see her white dress and copper hair flashing in the mottled sunlight that filtered through the branches just ahead of him, and become more than aware that he needed to start focusing on something else. The pain in his back would no doubt do.

As soon as they reached the thicket and he got down on all fours to crawl through the small passage way cleared beneath the branches, he was indeed thankful for the stray branches scratching across his back. She had gone ahead of him, and he had a delicious view of her bum and the backs of her pale, freckled thighs as she went.

He saw her straighten up and disappear save for a view of her calves as she reached the clearing. She had already kicked off her shoes and was walking toward the edge of the slow moving river when he reached the end of the passage himself.

“Ooo… This was a really good idea. It feels so nice here. We could probably even go swimming if we wanted. Its not like there’s anyone around. She lifted her skirts a little and waded in up to her knees. “Come here, Sev. It’s so cool!”

“I thought we were going to eat.”

“I thought you weren’t hungry,” she teased back.

“Well, you’ll ruin that dress you were so worried about.”

She stared down at it. It was covered and dirt and grass stains and he even though he saw a small tear near the hem. “I think it’s already ruined, actually. But thanks so much for reminding me. I was supposed to wear this to a party tonight.”

He looked at the soiled garment and felt a twinge of regret. “You…you’ll look nice with or without the dress…”

Her eyes widened a little and her cheeks flushed slightly as her lips parted slowly into a smile. “And just how exactly would you know that, Sev?”

His brow furrowed, in confusion, and then suddenly he realized what he had said. He felt his face go scarlet, and knew that even in the shade of the glade, there was no way she wouldn’t notice. “Oh, I didn’t mean…I mean…I just meant that…”

And then suddenly she was laughing, full and free and heart felt, and it sounded so wonderful to hear her laugh that for a moment he almost forgot that she was laughing at him. “You…you should see your face,” she giggled.

He glared at her then, but she seemed to have gotten into a fit of giggles now. This was something he had never understood. It was almost as though the sound of her own laughter was contagious to no one but herself, and once she had started, it was near impossible to get her stopped. It was infinitely worse if she had had sugar. He remembered the chocolate ice cream she had just devoured and cringed.

She was doubled over now, and she stepped back a little, lost her footing, and suddenly sunk up to her neck in the cool water. Letting out a shriek of surprise she shot up out of the water again and stumbled out onto the bank, where she collapsed onto the grass and laughed some more.

Setting down the sack with their lunch, he walked over to where she lay and stared down at her. He wanted to be angry at her for getting so much enjoyment out of his discomfort, but her dress was sopping wet, clinging to her body like a second skin, giving him a glimpse of white lace covering small, pert breasts, and tiny pink rosebuds on cotton knickers. His mouth suddenly felt dry, and his head light. He needed to leave. He really needed to leave, right that minute, but he didn’t. Somehow he found his voice.

“Are you finished laughing at me, yet?”

She blinked up at him and instantly tried to sober. “Oh…” She sat up then, but the dress still clung to her, and he was almost certain now that the soft pink flush he could just see through the front were her nipples showing through the lace of her bra. “Oh Sev, I wasn’t laughing at you…” She let out a last giggle, but clamped her hand over her mouth. “It was just funny. The look on your face was so cute.”

She was breathing hard, trying to catch her breath after laughing. ‘Cute’? He wanted to argue ‘cute’, but instead he just turned and walked away.

“Sev...? Oh Sev, don’t be angry. I’m sorry… Really!”

He ignored her, and instead plopped down in the grass and opened the rumpled brown sack to stare inside. His stomach grumbled, but he wasn’t supposed to be hungry. He really shouldn’t eat it, or she would know he had been lying. He took out one of the bottles, and pulling a pocket knife from his trouser pocket, popped the cap.

After a moment or so of him drinking in silence, she finally flopped down on the grass in front of him. “I’m sorry, Severus - really. Don’t be mad, okay.” She sighed. “I…I miss you sometimes, and I…I just wanted to do something nice, for it to be like old times – you know…”

He shrugged. He was slowly beginning to realize that there was no way that things could ever go back to being like ‘old times’, but had no idea how to tell her.

“Are you mad…?” Her voice was low, sad, almost a whisper.

He looked up, and felt his heart twist at the look in her emerald eyes. “No…no, I’m not mad.”

Relief washed over her features, and she seemed to relax. Reaching out for the sack in his lap she scrounged around inside until she found a sandwich, and then unwrapped it, and started to eat. He opened the other bottle and handed it to her and she rewarded him with a smile. “How’s your back?” she asked. “You arms are so red!”

“Fine.”

“Did you put anything on it, when you went in...No, I don’t suppose you wouldn’t have had time… Severus, you really do need to put something on it. My mum always uses cold cloths and vinegar. It really helps.”

“Doesn’t hurt that much…”

Her eyes narrowed. “Liar.”

He glowered at her.

“You are and you know it.”

“Am not.”

“No?”

“No.”

Leaning forward unexpectedly, she reached around and poked him in the back.

“Ow!”

“See.”

“Fine. It’s burnt. It hurts, okay. There - are you happy.”

She grinned. “Yes. And now you are going to let me do something about it.”

“What?”

“Take off your shirt.”

He felt the blood drain from his head again. “What?”

“Take off your shirt.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m going to do something to help.”

“You’re not allowed to use magic outside of school.”

“Not magic. Just…just something. Now take off your shirt.”

He was running out of arguments and felt horribly trapped. “No.”

“Why?” she laughed.

“Be…because.”

“Don’t be silly, Sev. It’s me. Trust me, it will help…”

He just stared in horror. She laughed again and then, putting her sandwich down on top of its wax paper wrapper, slid over beside him, and softly laid a hand back on his back. As gentle as her touch was, it still throbbed and prickled painfully where she had laid her hand. “You should feel how hot it is… You’ve got to do something to draw out the heat. So take your shirt off, and I’ll wet it in the river and put it on and it will feel better.”

He was out of excuses, and he had no more options available to him. Finally he slid a little distance from her and did as she asked, feeling a little ill in the process.

“Good,” she declared, and then leaned over and snatched the shirt from his hand, scrambling to her feet and heading to the river’s edge. Once she had soaked it thoroughly in the cold water, she wrung it out a little and then returned to his side. “Lay down,” she ordered.

“What?”

“On your stomach…lay down.”

“Why?” His voice cracked.

“So I can put it on your back, silly. So it won’t slide off.” She put a hand on her hip, and he noticed that her dress was drying. That was good. He did as he was told.

The minute the cold fabric touched his back it sent a whole new surge of pain through him. He hissed in objection.

“I know it hurts, but in a few minutes it will start to feel better, I promise.”

He lay in silence, and she sat beside him, flipping the T-shirt over after a few minutes, and then when both sides were heated through, returning to the water to wet it again. She repeated this process several times, and after awhile it really did start to feel better. The fourth time around, she stopped before reapplying the wet shirt to stare down at the exposed skin of his back. “It’s starting to look a bit better, Sev. I told you.”

He waited for her to lay the cool fabric on his back again, but she didn’t. He squinted up at her. She was staring down at his back, a furrow in her brow, and a look he didn’t like in her eyes. She reached out a hand and lightly traced a finger over his skin. She looked back over at him. “Where…where’d you get those…?” She nodded back toward his back and her voice sounded small.

“What?” he snapped.

“The scars.”

“None of your business!” he snapped again.

The unpleasant soft look in her eyes grew, and she looked away quickly, twisting the wet fabric of his T-shirt uncomfortably in her hands. Finally she untwisted it again, and then laid the shirt down on his back without further comment.

He glared down at the grass, angry at her for her bloody prying, and angrier still that he could suddenly feel the unexplainable prick of tears in his eyes.

“Sev, I’m sorry…” He had the feeling it wasn’t her prying she was apologizing for. He didn’t say anything. He saw her tuck her knees up to her chest beside him, and bring her head down to her knees. He’d probably hurt her feelings. He should really apologize, but…what would he say?

After a moment or so, she uncurled again. He let his eyes slide shut, not wanting to see the look in her eyes if it were still there. He heard her slide closer to him on the grass, and then the T-shirt lifted from his back, and came down again with the cooler fabric face down. She sighed, and then he felt her hand come down to rest on his head, fingers splayed out through his hair. She sat there, very still for a moment or two, but then, very slowly, began to run her fingers through his hair, like his mother had once when he was a boy and had awakened from a particularly bad nightmare.

He kept his eyes screwed shut, mortified that the tears were threatening again, and he was losing the battle. He’d been forced to suffer enough indignities this afternoon. Why couldn’t she just leave him alone…? But then, he didn’t want her to either, didn’t want her to pull away, to stop touching him in a way he had hitherto only dreamed of.

Maybe he was dreaming. Maybe the heat and hunger had finally gotten to him and he’d fallen asleep under the tree and it wasn’t happening at all. Yes, that had to be it…

But her fingers kept tracing lazy trails through his hair, sending little shivers down his spine, causing his muscles to relax, and a strange twisting, throbbing heat to gather in his center. He’d woken from enough dreams of her face, her eyes, her hands touching him just like this to know exactly what it meant. He was glad he was lying on his stomach.

He heard her sigh softly above him, and her hand stopped, lifting from his head. The sudden absence seemed to cause almost more of a yearning than the gentle pressure of her hand had, and he prayed that she might think he was asleep. He certainly couldn’t sit up at the moment, and didn’t really relish having to add the explanation of that to the litany of the afternoon’s indignities.

“Sev…?” she murmured. He didn’t respond. He felt her peel the T-shirt off again and get up to go back to the river. When she returned, she laid it gently over his skin again, and then did something he did not expect. Stretching out, she lay down on the grass beside him. He could feel her thigh pressed up against his, and the soft waft of her breath against his face. It smelled like sweet lemons.

And then her fingers were tracing lightly over his face, and he heard her breath hitch. “God, I miss you…” She was crying. He was almost certain of it, and he couldn’t bear that. He let his eyes open, but all he saw as he did were hers just sliding shut as she leaned in and pressed her lips to his.

He froze in shock as her lips, soft and tasting just as sweet as they smelled, locked with his. It was awkward with her lying on her side and he on his stomach, but he didn’t dare switch positions now. Her hands slid back through his hair, pulling him closer, and he let her, let her kiss him, all the time afraid to move, or even breath for fear that the moment would break, that she would bolt, that he would burst with need.

He could taste the salt of tears between their lips and wasn’t sure if they were his or hers or both. “Sev…” she whimpered against his lips. He couldn’t keep up the charade any longer, and he opened his mouth, letting her in at last, kissing her back with a hunger he hadn’t even realized he had.

She gasped, and he was certain she was going to pull away, but instead she pulled her body in closer to his. The heat coming off of her skin was almost as intense as that coming off of his. He couldn’t kiss her like this, not at this angle. Rolling on his side, without thinking he pulled his body in close to hers, fighting hard to control himself. She moaned a little against his lips and with a sudden horror he realized that she could now be only too aware of his need. He tried to pull away, but her grip on the back of his head was firm, and she wouldn’t let him.

He felt a little lost. He was almost certain he was dreaming now, but the Lily in his dreams had always been shy and blushing, and …well, not this…not so eager, so sure… It seemed there was nothing he could do that she would not allow, and he wondered what it was he had eaten that had caused him to have such a dream. He would have to make sure to make it a regular part of his diet.

She was mumbling words against his lips, things he couldn’t understand in the haze of desire that was starting to completely overtake him. He hoped to Merlin it weren’t things she was begging him to do to her. He really would like to hear that.

Her hand snaked around his back, pressing far too hard against his sunburn, but in his current state, the pain only seemed to add to the pleasure, and he didn’t really mind. She was rolling onto her back, pulling him on top of her, and this applied pressure in all the right places. He was so close now, and if she didn’t stop…

“Lily…” he gasped, but she kept on kissing him, one leg lifting to wrap around his and pull him even closer than he thought possible. The pressure against the front of his trousers was almost more than he could bear. “Lily…” he tried again, but she just lifted her hips beneath him with a soft moan. “Lily…Lily stop…” He felt her lips spread into a smile beneath his and her tongue plunged into his mouth again – so sweet – leaving him senseless. “Lily…” he begged one last time. “Please…”

The smiled on her lips faded slowly, and she suddenly pulled away, staring up at him, her eyes confused. “What?”

“We…we shouldn’t…we have to stop.”

‘What? Why?’ his brain screamed.

“What…? Why?” she echoed.

Why, indeed. What on earth was he saying?

“I…We…we just can’t…we shouldn’t. I…I don’t…”

She squirmed a little beneath him, pushing herself up on her elbows, and sending him rolling off of her. She scowled. “Why not?” she demanded again. But she didn’t give him time to answer. A look of mortification suddenly came to her eyes and she brought a hand to her mouth briefly before scurrying to her feet. “Oh my god, I’m…I’m so…I thought that you… I…I feel so stupid, Sev. I’m sorry. Just…just forget this ever happened, okay. Please…”

She was brushing grass from her dress and looking around her, as though feeling that she was forgetting something. Seeing her sandals a few feet away, she went over and slipped them on. She was going to leave. “You…you won’t tell anyone, will you?”

“What? No.”

And then she was scrambling back through the bushes at the end of the clearing, and he was suddenly left alone, wondering what had just happened, where in the midst of perhaps the best moment of his life, his brain had derailed and his common sense left him. “Lily! Lily, wait!”

Shrugging into his T-shirt, he hurried after her, but by the time he had emerged from the underbrush he could see her just emerging from the edge of the trees to the park beyond. There was no way he could chase her through the park in his state. He slid to the ground beside the nearest tree and watched her dash across the grass until she disappeared down the lane to her street.

Nothing would ever be the same.