No-named Fish

BING!

The elevator rang in my ear. I got off the elevator making sure I didn’t drop the box.

It was the most important box I’ve ever held. I shuffled through my pocket for my key.

I placed the key inside of the door, but the door was already unlocked. I must have forgotten to lock it. I walked into my apartment when all of a sudden, I tripped over something.

“SHIT!!”

I caught myself before my body or the box hit the ground.

“What the FUCK!” I looked over at what I tripped.

It was a box. It was Lily’s box. My heart was skipping with joy and confusion. I placed the important box on the couch before something happened to it.

“Lily?”

I looked over and Lily appeared in my bedroom doorway. A chill washed over my body. I looked over to her moving box and back at her. She had a faint smile on her face.

Does this mean that she is back?

“What are you d-doing here?” My voice broke. “Are you coming back?”

Why wasn’t she at work today? It’s a Wednesday. She couldn’t say anything she just stared at me with her puppy dog eyes.

I walked to her quickly and gathered her up in my arms. I spun her around like she weighed nothing.

“I missed you so much.” Her scent overwhelmed me.

Finally, she is back.

“I’m not staying.” she whispered.

What? I let her go and looked into her sad eyes. I sat down on the edge of my bed.

“What?”

“I’m here to grab my other things.” She looked away.

“Lily.”

She walked away, but I carefully grabbed her wrist. This felt too familiar with the first time she left. I need to make this right.

“I’m sorry.” I pulled her in and gave her a tight hug. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. I’m so sorry I betrayed you, but I promise I didn’t mean to use you. Or hurt you.”

She looked confused. As if she wanted to believe me but she couldn’t.

“I know you were trying to make me happy but-but you lied to me.” She pushed me away. “You used me.” She mumbled.

“Fine. I won’t ever lie to you again.” I gave her a faint smile. “I’ll tell you the truth from now on. No more secrets. I promise.”

“That’s not what I meant.” She chuckled.

“You have to forgive me at some point, Lily.” I gave her a shy smirk.

She rolled her eyes and turned around, but not without me getting a glimpse of her smile. I knew I could win her back. I was so close. I’ll just tell her the truth.

“Do you want the truth?” I placed my hands on her hips. She didn't push away.

“I don’t regret getting you that job. I would do it a hundred more times to know that you would get your perfect job. Even if you left each time. It would hurt, but I would want you to be happy.”

I paused.

“I quit my job after I found out what Mike did.” She crossed her arms. She looked like she was protecting herself from her memories.

“I’m going to culinary school.”

I twisted her hips and turned her around.

“Do you want to hear the truth about you?”

She nodded as she looked over to the side. A tear ran down her cheek.

“I think you have the best ass, tits, and body in the world and your personality is even better.” She started to laugh and cry at the same time.

“I never thought I would feel so empty and heartbroken when you left. But I did.” I looked at her with a full smile. “And the biggest secret of them all is that I have been in love with you since I saw you at the coffee shop.”

Her wide eyes darted to me. She wasn’t expecting me to say that. I let out a little puff of laughter.

“That’s a lie.” I shook my head.

Lily brought back her puppy eyes. I stood up, headed toward my drawer, and pulled out a photo. I handed her the photo.

“Wait.” She looked up at me and the photo. “This is the holiday picture of when I was 17.” She examined the photo then my face.

“I have been in love with you since I first saw this picture.” I pointed at Lily in the photo.

Her eyes were filled with tears. Happy tears.

“S-So you weren’t using me.”

I shook my head.

“I planned for you to come here. But I didn’t plan to fall so hard for you. I never planned to be this MADLY in love with you, Lillian. I would NEVER use you. And I never meant to hurt you.” I wiped a tear from her face. “I will spend my whole life trying to make you forgive me and to make you happy if I have to. I love you, Lily.”

“I don’t know how to respond to that. I feel like- I don’t deserve you.” Lily sniffled.

“You deserve me and so much more Lily.” I placed my hands on her cheeks and kissed her forehead.

“But- But I called you a sicko. And…and my biggest mistake. How can you just forgive me? I hurt you.

“Because I would rather take your angry filled words for a split second than not have you around.”

“I thought you would be angry with me and reject me if I came back.” She sniffled.

I shook my head. “There was no way that was ever going to happen.”

Lily grabbed me by the collar and pulled me closer to her lips.

God. I missed her taste. She pulled away and looked at me with her olive-green eyes.

“I have something to show you.”

I pulled her into the living room in front of a cardboard box resting on the couch.

“Open it.”

“What is it?” She grasped the box lightly.

“It was something I was going to drop off later today at Samuel's house. It was kinda supposed to be my big romantic gesture, but you ruined it.”

She rubbed at her tears and giggled. She opened the box and pulled out a neon sign.

It was a custom sign I had made about two weeks ago after she told me the story of the No-named fish. It was a blue and white fish with green lights around his eyes. I made sure that when you plugged it in it would give the illusion that it was swimming.

“I figured that you can’t kill this fish,” I smirked.

She laughed along with me. “I love you.” She looked up at me and hugged the sign “I LOVE you, too.”

I kissed her soft lips.

“So, now will you move back in?”

She nodded. “But can we take things slow?”

“Whatever you want, Princess Lily.”

She rolled her eyes and walked toward her room, hugging the neon sign.

“Mindy is going to be staying here too.”

“That’s perfectly fine.” I gave her a smile as she walked back into her room.

“Did you clean my room, again?”

I let out a little laugh as I nodded. It felt like she never left.

“I’ll help you put the sign-up.”

This is how it’s supposed to be. Lily and me. Back in the same apartment.

Together.

Forever.