A/N: As usual, I would recommend putting the video on loop.

Service itself had gone by pretty quickly, but that was only because they had a large party coming in around noon to celebrate a wedding anniversary among close family. So, service ended at eleven, which left everyone to scramble around to prepare for the event. They were going to take up the whole dining room by the kitchen, and the other one would be closed. That way, they could focus on only the party and no other guests. Decorations went up, food was prepped, some preparations having been done during the regular service, and (f/n) gave Lee a slight addition to his outfit: a fresh white lily in his jacket sleeve's pocket since the couple loved white lilies.

Honestly, the whole café smelled amazing from the fresh flowers, but it also wasn't overpowering. Besides the lilies, strings of decorative pearls and crystals were placed around the flower centerpieces and strung along the upper part of the walls. Napkins were held together by smaller versions of the strings, and the silverware rested neatly within the cloths. Thankfully, Hal, Blaise, Cassidy and she managed to finish it all in forty five minutes, which gave them time to help in the kitchen if any was needed. (F/n) stayed at the front to watch for early arrivers, and Lee held the modified menu for the event. It didn't take long for the husband and wife to enter the café once she stood at the front. She only had a moment to smile towards Lee before she heard the door open and saw them come inside.

The event itself went over well, and (f/n) was busy helping the servers see to the party that she didn't pay attention too much to Anita. Anita didn't even tease her since she was constantly busy in the kitchen, which was a welcome relief. While (f/n) worked, though, Lee watched on from the entrance room. People had finished looking at the menu in his hands a long time ago, so he was left alone, which gave him time to admire (f/n) from a distance.

Her full attention was on the customers, and she remained patient with their requests. A kind smile was on her lips whenever she interacted with any of the party. On her form were black pants, dress shoes and belt. Around her neck was a black neck ribbon, which helped to secure her plum purple blouse better. She carried a professional air about her and didn't become distracted. It brought a smile to his lips; she worked so hard to keep her dream alive, and he hoped that she'd be able to find a place even better than this one to continue her interest in owning a business once Anita was dealt with.

If she needed help, though, he'd be there for her. He was fine with not getting recognition from others as long as he was able to be of assistance to (f/n). Being part of her future dreams and her future in general was more important than getting more attention. Hers was enough.

His gaze turned to the party and the decorations. It did remind him of what a very small wedding reception might look like. If (f/n) was in a wedding dress and him in a fancier suit, it could be their reception. He could see it so easily, and he wondered what kind of dress she might pick. Or, maybe, she preferred that they dress more casual. That could work well too. Even though he liked to dress in suits on a regular occasion, he knew how to make casual wear look elegant.

From his lips escaped a peaceful sigh. He knew that she'd look beautiful, like she always did. Even when she was in her pajamas she had a charm about her that just made him wish he had a heart so that he could feel it skip a pleasant beat. Music broke him out of his thoughts, though.

Focusing back on the party, he saw the main couple now dancing in the space where tables had been cleared to leave room for a small dancing area. They rocked back and forth gently as they moved to the slow song. It was easy to picture himself guiding (f/n) in a dance similar, maybe something more complex once she learned the steps.

Back in his teens and early twenties, he occasionally had gone out and danced to the swing music at the time. His favorite of the dances being the Balboa. He would've loved being able to take her to one of those dance halls. Even better, they could've used one for a wedding reception of their own. If he could've and she had been alive back then, he would've married her when they both turned eighteen.

Once the music stopped, he broke out of his daydreaming, and a sigh parted from his lips. That wasn't the case, and he couldn't even bring her to a club to go dancing. It'd cause too much trouble. In fact, he couldn't take her anywhere that involved being in public for the same reason. Despite that, she kissed him back; she was happy to be with him. He couldn't describe how lucky he was to have met her, and he wished that he had realized that sooner so that he never had made the mistake of tormenting her in the beginning, but she looked past that too.

Briefly, she glanced over to him, and he met her eyes. Her stunning (e/c)s shone brightly even though she was becoming exhausted from work. She smiled a little before she averted her attention. If only she could see him smile back.

As the event continued, some of the party became more tired, either from conversation, drinks or both. Some were louder, but the atmosphere continued to be light and joyful. Lee continued to watch (f/n) with a loving warmth, but he was thankful when the event ended too since that meant that it'd just be the two of them soon enough.

After the rest of the staff left, Anita annoyingly hung around for longer. If he had blood, it'd be boiling at her teasing (f/n) about Tristan and her having a similar event in the future. (F/n) raised a brow and rolled her eyes, but Anita kept up the disgusting idea until she finally left to go tend to her jerk of a boyfriend.

When Anita was gone, he relaxed and looked to (f/n), who sighed in relief. "Finally." Everything in the dining room was back to normal, and the decorations had been moved and put in storage in case they had a similar request in the future. (F/n) fell back onto a chair and slid against its back until she was only partially sitting on it. Lee chuckled and grabbed paper and a pen. Soon, an airplane found its way onto her lap.

Should we go upstairs so that you can lie down for a bit? She shook her head and forced herself to sit up more. (F/n) rested her right cheek against her knuckles and indicated for him to take a seat across from her. With no protest, he did so.

"I just need a moment to relax and not do anything. Then," she pointed to the stairs, "we can look for that club since there was nothing of use on that friend's profile." Before he could write a note, she sat up straight and snapped her fingers. Honestly, the action caught him off guard a bit, and he wondered what just went through her mind. She didn't say a word before she stood up and grabbed his left hand. Curious, he let her guide him.

They went into the kitchen and towards the very back. To the left, there was a door, which led into the backyard. He couldn't leave the house; he had tried already through the front door. And the steps out front were part of the building's property, so he knew that he was kept to the inside of the property and couldn't even go onto the outside portion of it. Before he could protest that it wouldn't work, she had unlocked the door and walked out. Lee was expecting to hit an invisible wall, but to his surprise, he didn't.

Stunned, he stopped completely on the first step. (F/n), confused, peered back to him. He looked behind him; he just had left. If he could blink, he definitely would. What ... "Lee?" Is something wrong?" Her voice caused him to divert his optics back to her, and he managed to write a note.

I hadn't been able to leave the house before. Let me test something. He moved his hand from hers, and she watched on in puzzlement. Lee entered the house before he came back out. No issue. Incredible. There no longer was a barrier blocking him from leaving.

Staring to his hands, a giant smile broke out on his lips. He locked his gaze with (f/n), who continued to remain puzzled. Before she could ask another question, he brought her into a hug. For whatever reason, (f/n) had broken the barrier around the house. Whether it was due to him just needing assistance from someone alive, someone special to him or another reason, he didn't know, but he was ecstatic about it.

Perhaps, it was best that he had been prevented from leaving earlier. Otherwise, he might've not found the love of his life; he might've killed her. Now, he'd kill to protect her if things came to that. (F/n) wrapped her arms around him, though, and asked, "Lee, can you explain a bit better? I'm still a bit confused about what you mean?"

Pulling away from her a little bit, he nodded and wrote a note. There had been a barrier, an invisible wall, preventing me from leaving the house. But with your help, that somehow broke. Now ... She stopped reading when she felt hands wrap around hers, and she smiled a little before she continued to read. I can help you if you need my assistance out of the house. Hopefully, nothing goes wrong where that is needed, but I can run to you if Tristan gets more out of hand. If any of them do, I can now go; I don't have to remain inside and watch. His hands tightened around hers, and she couldn't help but smile more.

Stepping up onto the stair he was on, she leaned up and kissed his right cheek. Her cheeks heated up just a little while he smiled too. "Just remember our plan." He nodded. "But, that is reassuring to know." A teasing smile now touched her lips. "But, you could've told me sooner, and I would've brought you outside earlier, then, to test that out."