Lily

As I look through Diana's closet, I sigh. It was actually Diana and Dante's closet since her and Fiona moved in with him after their wedding. 

"You're a peach, Diane. But I just can't find a dress that can fit me." 

She gets up from the bed and stands in front of the closet. Taking out a bright green short dress, she holds it up. 

"What about this one? I've never worn it before and you'll look amazing in it."

I smile softly and accept the dress. It wasn't really a looker, but I didn't want to say no to my very best friend. 

She stares at me for a moment and frowns. Snatching the dress from me, she throws it back in the closet. "You don't like it, do you?"

"Well, of course I do! It's so b-"

"Lily."

"No. I'm sorry Diane, but that's got to be one of ugliest dresses I've ever seen in my gosh darn life." 

I frown at myself at being so mean. Usually I'm not like this, but I guess whenever I'm nervous, I'm not the same person. 

Last night, I had another breakdown. I only have one now and then, but when it happens, it affects me for a while. My emotions get so hectic and scrambled that I just sit in a corner, rock back and forth and cry my eyes out as I rub my necklace. 

Before Diddy had to start leaving again, he used to help me every time I broke down. He'd hug me and rub my head until I calmed down. I thought mama would do the same but whenever I did have one, she'd tell me to grow up. She's just trying to help me though, that's all. 

I push those thoughts aside and think about the date I have tonight with Theo. I get to call him by his first name now because he likes me! 

When Muffin told me that yesterday, I hugged him so tight, he had threatened to tell Vivo and goodness no, I couldn't let that happen. Vivo and I made a rule a while ago about me being too touchy. If I told him how many times I've broken that rule since I've met Muffin, I think he'd just about run out of his cage and never return. 

Val and Audrey walk in and I smile. Val rushes to me with a bag, "Is what I hear correct? Is Lilybug going on a date?" She asks and I smile, nodding proudly. 

"Yes, ma'am!"

She squeals and hugs me. I hug her back tightly until she backs away. Val hands me the bag as Audrey sits on the bed. I open it and gasp, seeing what's inside. I hold up the lingerie set for the girls to see. 

"Val!" I yell in shock as Audrey and Diana laugh. 

She smiles, her pretty brown dimples showing, "Now that is the get laid on the first date set. I'm telling you, it works like a charm, girl. How do you think me and Edward got together so quickly?"

I gasp again, "Oh, no! Muffin and I aren't doing that, Val!"

She frowns. "Well, you've done it before."

"Yes, I know. But that didn't count. Muffin is special. I can feel it. So I want it to be special if we do it. Besides, I didn't even, you know, the first time I did it."

Diana laughs, "You mean cum?"

I start to blush and look away. "Yes "

Audrey leans forward. "And you believe this guy is going to make you cum, Lily?"

My blush grows deeper. "My goodness, I don't want to answer that."

Heavenly father I am so sorry for the answer to that question. 

I turn away and they laugh. Diana stands up, "Alright, Lily's uncomfortable, let's talk about something else." 

I smile, "How's Bear and Fiona doing?"

Diana smiles, the same smile she always does when she speaks about them. "I thought this honeymoon stage would stoeep at least after a year of being married, but I just can't seem to ever get tired of his stupid grin or adorable smile." Looking back in the closet, with her back turned to us, she continues, "And Fiona, well she'll be sixteen soon and when I tell you I've never been a mixture of scared and proud in my life."

She takes out a pair of light blue denim overalls and my eyes grow wide. "Oh my!"

"Here, you can wear t-"

I accept the overall and smile happily. I put them against and I see they are going to fit wonderfully. I hug Diana, "Thank you, thank you!"

She pulls me off of her and walks to the door, "Yeah, yeah." 

Dante appears and as soon as he spots Diana, he pulls her close and kisses her as his hand rubs her tush. I giggle and look away and Val fake vomits and Audrey rolls her eyes.

"The girls are here." I hear Diana say, 

"Why?" He responds and I turn back around with a smile as he stares at us, frowning. 

"I have a date!" 

 "Why? Why do you have a date?" He lets go of Diana and steps in front of me, looking down at me with a serious expression. 

"What's wrong?" I ask.

"Lily, listen to me and listen to me good. I want you to put your right foot in and take your right foot out. Then I want you to shake it all about. Next, do the hokey pokey and I want you to turn yourself around. And that's what it's all about. Understand?"

I smile, "Are you high, Bear?" 

"What? No! I haven't picked up a cigarette or a blunt in almost three years. Diana doesn't like 'em, so I don't like 'em." 

Diane smiles, "And I'm very proud of you for it."

He walks back to Diane with a grin and hugs her from behind, wrapping his arm around her waist. "Enough to let me give you an orgasm with my tongue, baby?"

"Don't call me that and my friends are here, Dante."

He looks up at all of us with a straight face. "Get out." 

Diane hits his arm, and he mutters something under his breath, but doesn't continue. Walking back to me, he folds his arms. "Seriously though, who's this guy you're going on a date with? Because the last guy you introduced me to, I had to rub my eyes about a hundred times to get rid of the image I saw."

I shrug, "He promised meh marriage and children, but took my virginity and after he left the next mornin' I never saw him again." 

Kind of like the squirrel I was talking to at the park. I wonder how she's doin'

The girls gasp, "Lily, why didn't you tell us that?" Val asks.

I wave a dismissive hand, "Oh, that's old news. I've been through worse." The thought of mama coming back home in a few days comes to my head and I shiver.

"Give me a name." Dante demands the same glare Muffin wore before he came back into the office with Gary in a choke hold.

I shake my head. "Oh no, I know that look, Bear. You're going to do somethin' you've got no business doin' and I won't allow it."

"Lily Hernandez, give me his fucking name and don't make me ask again."

"Nope. I will not have it, Miste-"

"Give him the name!" My friends shout.

Goodness gracious, I tried.

"Cole Waters." I mumble. 

Dante walks back to Diana and kisses her. "I'll be a little late to dinner, alright?" 

Diana stands on her tippy toes and kisses him back. "I'll cook lasagna!"

He smiles, "Mi Amor, I mean this in the most loving way possible. Your cooking is absolute garbage. You know it, Fiona knows it, hell even the racoons in the garbage bin outside know it." He looks at me and nods before walking away. 

"Asshole." Diana mumbles. 

I put the overalls on and the girls cheer for me as I go in the bathroom. Diana puts makeup on me for the first time and Audrey does my hair. She takes my pink clip I always wore and puts all of my hair down. Brushing it out evenly until it looks beautiful. I wear my new sandals and, after saying goodbye to Audrey and Diana, Val takes me to the coffee shop where I am supposed to meet Theo. 

Almost five minutes after we arrive, his car appears and I run outside. "Hey Muffin!

Muffin stares at me with his mouth agape as he opens his car door for me. I thank him and get inside. He jogs to the other side and gets in the driver's seats. 

When his eyes run down my face and body, I blush and turn away. He grabs my chin and makes me face him. 

"Every time you do that you become more and more beautiful to me."

I smile, "Thank you, sugar."

He frowns and lets go of me. He rests his head on the seat and pinches the bridge of his nose. "Fuck, that was corny," He says and let's go of his nose, sitting back up. "I don't know how to do this romantic stuff, Lily. I'm sorry if I disappoint you. But if you want, I'll take you on hundreds of expensive dates to convince you how much I like you." 

I pat his hand as he starts the car. "I know you like me, Muffin. Because Vivo likes you and Vivo doesn't like a lot of people."

He chuckles, "Alright then." 

I lean forward. "Where are we goin'?"

"That new restaurant for dinner, the photo booth, so you can put the pictures in that glittery photo book you have in your bag, then we'll look at the stars. Like I said, I'm horrible at this romantic s-"

"It's perfect! My goodness, this night is going to be magical. I just know it!" 

I think of all the food I'm going to eat, all the pictures we're going to take and just how beautiful the stars are going to look, and I clap my hands in excitement. 

It doesn't take long for us to arrive at the fancy restaurant. Theo opens the car door for me and holds my hand as we walk inside. He says he made a reservation for us and a waiter leads us to a table in the back. 

He moves my chair out for me and I thank him before sitting down. He sits across from me and smiles, "Well, the first date is supposed to be about learning about each other, but you talk so much I think I know everything about you."

"Well, surely that can't be true." 

He grins, "Hit me."

I don't like violence at all, but I didn't want to disappoint him. I take my sandal off and kick Theo's leg with my feet. He frowns. "What the hell was that for?"

"You told me to!"

"No I didn't!"

"Yes you did! You said, 'Hit me.' so I hit you! Lord knows I didn't want to myself, but I thought that was what you w-"

He exhales a deep breath. "Lily, I mean hit me with a question. Meaning, ask me a question, not literally fucking hit me, woman!"

I giggle and pat his hand, "Well in that case, my apologies, sugar." He shakes his head and I think of a question. One comes to mind and I grin. 

He'll never guess this one. 

"What's my favorite color?"

"Pink." He replies and I gasp. 

"How'd you know!"

"Lily, nearly everything you wear is pink. Whenever you choose something, it is pink. That's an easy question. Give me something harder."

"My birthday?"

"July twentieth. You babbled about how you and, as you said, 'Your very best friend' are soulmates because your birthdays's fall on the same days."

I smile, "Well, would you look at that. Muffin's a little sweet on me." I twirl my finger at his heart. "He acts like he's this big, cruel man, but deep down he's a sweetheart."

He looks away as I get up. "No, I'm not. Shut up." 

I excuse myself to go use the restroom. After peeing, washing my hands and touching up my hair, I return to him. I giggle and walk behind Theo.

 I pat his shoulder. "Go ahead and log off for me." I say, speaking in a deep voice. 

When I was trying to become a teacher, I observed other teachers and I would always hear them say that whenever they caught a student on a computer game. I wanted to say it when I became a teacher but since I can't, I decided to say it Muffin. 

"I heard your sandals, Lily." He says as I sit back down. 

"Dang it." I whisper as the waiter returns. 

As I look closer at him, I notice his name tag reads, 'Larry' which I assume is his name. As Theo orders, I finally realize what Larry looks like. A dolphin! 

"Larry the dolphin!" I yell, not meaning to and cover my mouth. 

"Excuse me?" Larry asks

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to say that aloud. You see, I was thinking of a nickname for you and then I thought of one b-"

"It's fine, ma'am." He cuts me off, and flips a page on his notepad. "What would you like to order?"

"I'd like a cheeseburger, please."

"Ma'am, you are correct there are more options on the menu, correct? For example, the lobster is our n-"

"She asked for a cheeseburger, so go make the fucking cheeseburger." Theo says, and I flinch at his tone. 

The water rushes off and after about fifteen minutes, arrives with our food. I take a bite of my cheeseburger and smile happily. I swallow my food before speaking. "Best. Burger. Ever." I say, holding a thumbs up, and Theo laughs. 

I glance at his plate and my brows furrow. "How's your food?" I ask as he takes a bite of his prime rib. 

He drops the fork. "It's disgusting. Maybe I should eat you out instead."

My mouth goes agape, "Muffin!" 

Wow, this man knows how to get a lady's heart racing. 

"You don't think I could? Trust me, I'll treat it so good, baby," He leans forward, he licks his lips and stares at me intensely. "The first time, I'd be gentle. Explore your body, take my time. Put those pretty tits in my mouth and maybe even tease you a little."

My cheeks brighten and my heart rate speeds up. "Goodness." I whisper.

"Then the second time, I'd do the exact opposite. I'd make you moan and scream my name just with my fingers about three or four times. Then when you thought it was done, I'd ram my d-"

I cover his mouth. "Stop it!"

He laughs and sits back in his seat, "I'm kidding, Lily." He shakes his head and frowns. Leaning forward, he touches my hand, "I'm actually not. I am so fucking serious about that. All you have to do is say the word and I'm on my knees, baby."

No words come out of my mouth as I stare at the gorgeous man before me. I can hear my heartbeat now and I just know my cheeks are practically as red as the ketchup on his fries. My lips part as he touches my cheek with his thumb. 

"Look at you, all red for me. Adorable." He says and stands up. He takes my hand in his and places a few hundred-dollar bills on the table before we leave the restaurant. 

He holds my hand as we begin walking to the photo booth. After about ten minutes my feet begin to hurt and instead of taking the lead and walking Infront of him like I usually do, I begin to slow down. 

"My feet feel like tiny little thorns." I nag and Theo glances at me but keeps walking. 

I raise my voice, "Goodness gracious, I think my legs have just doggone had it. Look at 'em they look like stic-"

"Oh, shut up and get on my back." Muffin groans and I cheer happily. 

I hop on his back and hold my sandals. He begins walking and I smile, feeling relieved. As he walks to the photo booth, I tell him about Diana letting me borrow my outfit and Fiona turning sixteen soon. 

When we arrive, Muffin pays and we sit down. The first few pictures we take, I notice he doesn't smile and I frown. I hold his lips open to form a smile and he grumbles something I can't hear. 

"Smile!" 

"No." He replies, making the fourth picture come out funny. 

I turn away and don't smile for the next photo. I look at it and my smile instantly reappears, seeing that he has smiled on this one. I hug him happily. "You smiled!" I shout, just as the last picture snaps. 

We get out of the photo booth and I put the pictures in my bag neatly to glue to my photo book later. Theo holds my hand the whole way to a place I've never seen. He takes us up to a balcony and I gasp at seeing the stars. 

"I've never been stargazing before. This is absolutely beautiful, Muffin." 

Stars filled the sky like pale corn into freshly turned ground. It was the promise of life in the darkness, a sense of warmth springing from the cold. While the sun was my favorite and always owned my heart, nothing could top this beauty.

Theo stands in front of me and moves a strand of hair behind my ear. He licks his lips and my insides tingle. "Goodness gracious, you are so hot." I hit my head, "I'm so sorry! It's too early to say things like that and I'm sorry, sugar. I'm just real nervous right now and my hands are all sweaty. I don't want to embarrass myself since I seem to always do it every time I'm around y-"

He takes my head in hands and his lips met mine. He kisses me deeply, his hands on my face as my heart pounded in my chest and my knees got weaker. Heat rose from my stomach to my chest, and the only thing I could focus on was how soft he felt against my mouth. 

He stops and I try to calm my breathing. "Well, I certainly didn't exp-"

"Shut up, Lily." He says and begins kissing me again.