"How do you like my surprise? Did it brighten your day?"
Lily beamed at me, her eyes shimmering with excitement as she wrapped me tightly in her arms. Her perfume enveloped me, filling my senses entirely.
Her question left me momentarily dazed, my words faltering into a murmur.
"This is what you meant by a surprise?"
"Yeah! You've been so down lately, and no matter how hard I tried, you wouldn't tell me what's wrong. So I thought, since Professor Davis is back, seeing him might lift your spirits. And voila! Look at you now!"
Lily embraced me again, her curly hair brushing against my neck, eliciting a laugh I couldn't hold back.
I had gone to such lengths to mask my melancholy, yet Lily had seen through every layer of my pretense.
I touched my own face, conceding, reluctantly, to rea
