Lila smoothed the cool lotion over her slightly damp skin. She chanced a glance at the vanity mirror over her whimsical, white dresser and quickly looked away. It wasn't that she didn't like her body, it was just that nobody else did, so it stood to reason that she shouldn't. She moved her gaze back to the mirror.
Pale skin. At least it was unblemished. No sun distorted the color or dried it out. Light brown hair fell in thick waves around her face. Big brown eyes stared back in curiosity, as they usually did. Now if only she wasn't fat... or so painfully shy.
She shrugged absently. It wasn't that she thought she had missed out. While the other teenagers were partying, doing drugs and having sex, she was reading books or helping out in her grandmother's bookstore. The same store that she now owned.
She liked herself. That's all that should matter. But Sally's words still came back to her. "Honey, you would be stunning, if you only would lose some weight."
Lila didn't know what to say so she only lowered her head and looked at the ground.
"How much do you weight now, anyways?" Sally had asked in her own noisy way.
"185 pounds." It had come out as a whisper, and Lila had felt a deep, red blush of shame at having to admit that.
"Oh goodness, then you definitely need to lose that." Sally had commented with a sneer.
Lila sighed. She didn't particularly like people. And in her small town it was kind of hard to avoid them. Everybody knew everybody. And they had no problem saying it as they saw it. That's why she spent most of her time avoiding them. At least her little cabin was far away from people.
She put the lotion away and put on her nightgown. It was white and flowed around her do to its light texture. It was perfect in the hot Louisiana nights. It also made her feel like a good fairy out of a children's book.
The thought made her smile and give a little twirl in her bedroom, just to see the skirt of the nightgown flair out. She giggled at her own actions, but stopped once the sound of someone knocking heavily on her door reached her.
She stood in the middle of her bedroom nervously playing with the hem of her nightgown. The knocking grew more forceful. Whoever was knocking on the door would unhinge the door if they continued.
Lila made her way slowly and cautiously to the door. Thoughts of a big wolf ripping her door down and devouring her came to her mind. She shouldn't have read Little Red Riding Hood today. Once she reached the door Lila called out softly. "Who is it?"
The person stopped knocking. "Lila, it's Eric. Open the door." A deep, masculine voice demanded. Lila recognized both the voice and the name. Eric had made her high school life terrible. He never liked to make fun of her in public, but sometimes he would corner her when no one was around and call her mean names. And sometimes he would touch her in places he shouldn't. Lila's heart gave a little jerk.
What was Eric Monroe doing at her doorstep? The last she had heard, he was a big shot lawyer in Baton Rouge. He worked in his father's firm and only came home once in a blue moon to see his family. She hadn't seen him since graduation. She didn't want to see him now, especially here alone.
"I'm sorry, I'm busy. We'll have to talk some other time." She called out tentatively.
"Lila, god damn it, open the fucking door." He shouted form the other side.
Lila stepped back. "Please go away." She called out again.
"Open the door." He said again and Diana thought she heard a deepening in his southern accent. His accent had always been slight, giving him a certain charm and culture, rather than making him sound like a hick.
Lila didn't say anything back. She clutched at her nightgown and prayed that he'd leave. She heard his heavy footsteps move around a few seconds and then there was quiet. She almost fooled herself in believing that he had left, but the slight jiggle of her door knob and the opening of it disregarded that thought.
The door opened fully and Eric let himself in. His large six foot two inch frame filled her doorway completely. His gaze found hers, and a smirk flashed across his face. He held up her spare key.
"Hiding the key under the stone frog, Lila? Not exactly original." He commented flippantly. Lila saw that he was even bigger than he was in high school. His shoulders broader, his whole frame more muscular. His blonde hair had gotten a little darker, his face a little more mature, making him more handsome. It was his blue eyes that remained the same. They held the same arrogance in them as they always did.
He walked into the house fully. Lila backed away until her back hit the wall on the other side. Eric walked to her plush sofa and seated himself. He looked at her again.
"Go get me something to drink." He commended. "What would you like?" Lila ingrained manners didn't allow for her not to ask the question. "Scotch."
"I'm sorry, I don't have any alcohol here. I have apple juice." She offered.
Eric looked over at her. Fucking apple juice, like there were seven again. He almost snorted, but held himself in. Didn't she look pretty... and pure. Her hair was loose, it usually was in a bun. He had no idea that she had so much hair. His eyes traveled over her big Bambi like eyes to her plum lips, to her frail looking throat down her body.
Fucking hell, her tits had gotten bigger since he had last seen her. The thought made him lick his lips. He had tasted those tits and nipples under the bleachers as she was walking home. She had decided to take a shortcut through the football field one late night. The sun had set low over the horizon and most everyone had gone home. Only a few teachers remained and none of them had had a clear view of the field from any of the school windows. He had had to run to catch her, but when he did, he had punished her by biting her breast so hard that he had drawn blood.
