Dessert

"They can imitate you
But they can't duplicate you
Cause you got something special
That makes me wanna taste you
I want it all day long
I'm addicted like it's wrong
I want it all day long
I'm addicted like it's
Whatcha gon
Whatcha gon do with that dessert." Dessert by Darwin


I headed to work early on Monday to complete my responsibilities before I could help out with patients now that Vincent wasn't working with us. I was overlooking the patients' charts when Monica dropped by the office. Dr. Fahri left a release for one of her players so she came to pick it up.

"Um, let me ask you something." I started as I handed over the signed release. "Did you tell Uriel about the night he met me?"

Monica eyes widen. "No. Why do you ask?"

"No reason." I shrugged. There really was no reason- I still wasn't going to call him. I was just curious how he remembered my birthday cake when he claimed he didn't before.

"Hmmm...ok. What are you doing here so early anyway?"

I explained to her about Vincent's sudden exit.

"Hmph. Good riddance. I know you're not sad to see him go." Monica replied.

"Yes and no. His attitude sucked, but I wished he would have stayed longer so we would have had a replacement for him."

"Are you getting help in the evenings?"

"Dr. Fahri is going to pop in more, but other than that, I'm just going to pick up the slack."

"So you're working two jobs for the time being?"

"I don't mind.  He just left at a bad time. Normally I don't have anything better to do. This week my cousin is finally coming to visit me."

"Do you have anything planned this weekend?"

"Not sure where or when, but I gotta take her somewhere."

"Friday my husband is dragging me to an event for one of the sponsors for the Mavericks. Y'all should come."

I gave her an amused look. "As excited as you sound to go, I'm gonna pass."

"It's not going to be fun for me- I have to hang out with the booze bags wives and girlfriends."

"Are they that bad?"

She shook her head. "Worse. But if you wanna come enjoy the music and drinks without the pack of hyenas, give me a call."

I laughed. "Ok, I will..."

I waved goodbye as she left. I hurried home that night so I could watch the Grammy's. I ate cookies for dinner so I wouldn't miss anything. Christian category wasn't televised, but I looked up the results while I was watching. When it was announced the album that he worked on won, I sent him a celebratory text.

The following morning, Shawnee posted on her Snapchat a ton of videos from the after parties, shouting out and congratulating Christian. I noticed a lot of Christian's manager's Hugo snaps included Christian with random and well known women. I didn't let it bother me; I had no claim on Christian and I wasn't going to worry about things I couldn't control. I did step aside at work when he called me back that day.

"Hey Grammy award winning artist Christian." I smiled as I answered the phone.

"No, I'm part of the production team who's album won a Grammy."

"Don't try to minimize your accomplishment- it's a Grammy either way! That's huge!"

"Trying to stay humble."

"Being humble doesn't work as well as being aware." I quoted to him.

"Who said that?"

"I just did."

"I meant, who did you steal that from?"

"Ohmygosh, you don't know? The Grammy winner doesn't know?" I teased.

"No. I'm looking it up right now."

"Go ahead! Just be aware that while you have a Grammy, I stumped you." I goaded.

"Fucking Drake! That shit is going to bother me all day." Christian groaned.

"Bye Grammy winner!"

Bianca arrived in town Thursday afternoon. I felt bad I wasn't able to pick her up and take her to my house, but work was crammed enough. Adil had yet to make an appearance like he said he would, so I had to stay on top of everything myself.

Bianca planned to rent a car anyway and could GPS her way to my house. I hid a key in my backyard for her. While I was hiding the key, I got a call from the animal hospital. They wanted me to complete a survey about when Justine had surgery. I left a rave review, while also requesting the number to the vet that treated Justine. I wanted his opinion on her dental care. When she transferred me to his extension, I got his voicemail. I left a message with my number requesting a call back.

When I got home that night, I entered through the garage and Justine came running, meeting me in the laundry room. Bianca followed, and I moved away from Justine to gave her a hug.

"It's been too long!" I said, embracing her enthusiastically.

"I know! You look gorgeous!" she declared, equally excited to see me.

"Bullshit! Let me take a look at you." I said, pulling away to look her over. She struck a model pose, and I laughed at her. She always been naturally skinny, but now her arms and legs looked tightly toned in a sleeveless top and snug fitting pants. Her hair was a striking deep chocolate brown, cut in stylish long layers to her back. She looked incredible- but so much more older than when I last saw her. I wasn't sure why that was...

"So?" Bianca said, expectantly.

"Eh, nothing a cheeseburger won't fix."

"I knew you were going to say that!"

"C'mon. I'll give you the official tour!"

"Are you kidding? I already went through every room." she said, following me.

"That's why I said official."

I took Bianca to every room of my house again. She loved the furniture my dad picked out for the living room, I had to explain Sammy's makeshift bar in my kitchen, she commented that the dinning room looked familiar, picked a guess room to sleep in and hopped on my bed while I changed clothes.

"What do you want to eat?" I asked as I removed my scrubs and changed into jeans and a top.

"Braums!"

Over dinner, she told me about Tahiti, the swimsuit and clothing line she was working on, and the real reason she was in Dallas for the next few days.

"Jorge Marta is franchising his boutiques across the country. He has a shop opening in Dallas, Austin, Vegas and Seattle this year. It would be huge if we can get him to carry the line in his store. He's going to be in town for his grand opening Saturday." She explained, excitedly.

"Ohhh!" I cut her off, feigning outrage. "So that's what this trip is? Not to visit your only cousin that misses and loves you dearly?" I wasn't really upset- well, maybe a tad that she wasn't here to just see me. Any ill feelings I had disappeared when I saw how excited she was.

"If this deal goes through, the first shipments of clothes goes to his boutique- the second will go to you."

"Hmmph. I don't even know what these clothes look like."

"I designed them- that's all you need to know."

I smiled at her confidence. "True enough."

I took a deep breath and asked what was really on my mind. "Have you spoken to your mom?"

"No." she said bluntly.

"Do you plan to reach out?"

"Do you plan to reach out to yours? I know Ben got you her contact information."

I shook my head. "It's not the same."

"It kinda is, considering they both made the choice not to be a part of our lives- no matter the reason." Bianca said, coldly. I didn't have an argument for that, so I said nothing. My phone rang, breaking the tension between us. I quickly answered the unknown caller.

"Lily? This is Scott Chapman from Legacy Pet Hospital."

"Hi Dr. Chapman. Thank you so much for returning my call." I said, shooting Bianca an apologetic glance. She waved me off and pulled out her phone.

"My apologizes for calling this late. I just checked my messages. How is Justine doing?" he asked.

I explained to him the same thing I told her Vet- I just wanted a second opinion.

"She did just have surgery, I wouldn't want anyone putting anymore strange objects in my mouth if I was in her shoes." he said, lightly.

"I get that. I guess my only option is to put her asleep for cleanings?" I resigned.

"That maybe necessary if she continues to have problems. Try introducing her to you cleaning her teeth gradually. Start with something that she likes- say peanut butter. That was the only way I got my dog to take medicine- covering it with peanut butter. Try peanut butter first, than switch to toothpaste." he explained.

"Oh wow, thank you so much for that. I'm definitely going to try that." I said, grateful for a plan.

"Ok, call me back if you or your boyfriend have any questions or concerns." he offered.

"Just me, but I'll call. Thank you." I said goodbye before hanging up. When Bianca was done texting and smiling at her phone, I explained to her what was going on with Justine.

"So how was San Francisco? I mean, before you left?" she asked.

"Eh, it was ok. Kinda bummed I missed the Suberbowl though, but it was still fun."

"So you and Christian had fun?" she continued.

"For the most part." I replied before telling her what I knew she wanted to know. "Nothing happened between us, but we are dating." It was the first time I said it out loud. It didn't sound that weird anymore.

"Dating?" she gasped at me.

"Yeah...Casually. Just getting to know each other." I explained.

"How do you do that- long distance?"

"Um, lots of talking on the phone. He actually came out to see me last week."

Her eyes widen. "For Valentine's?"

"A little before that, but basically."

She was quiet, I could see the wheels spinning in her head.

"What is it? Because this will be the only time I'm taking comments about it." I joked.

"How did you get to know someone over the phone? That's not real- he can just tell you what you want to hear."

"I mean, you can be face to face with someone and they only tell you what you want to hear. I'm trusting that he's being real with me like I'm real with him."

"I've heard things from Noelle about him-"

"And I heard things from Christian about her, but that's up for you to determine right?"

"Right." she admitted, reluctantly. "Just... Be careful ok?"

"I am. I promise, he's not my boyfriend. No commitment. We're just talking, getting to know each other." I reiterated.

"Gotcha." she nodded. We both went back in line for Ice cream cones for dessert. Bianca moaned as she devoured her treat.

"Good?"

"You have no idea. It's been forever since I had ice cream. Noelle doesn't do sugar."

"How do you not do sugar?"

"Easy. Everything she eats is natural. Organic. Nothing processed."

"What does that have to do with you?"

"I try to eat better too. Besides, it makes you taste better. Noelle taste like pineapples."

"Eww fucking gross!!! I'm trying to enjoy my dessert!" I hurried away from her to the car While she laughed at me.



Friday night, when I got home Bianca already set out an outfit for me for the party. I took a shower, got dressed, did my make-up and was finishing my hair when Christian video called me.

"Hey Grammy winner." I smiled at him.

He returned my smile, broadly. "Still with that?"

"Always with that! You know how many Grammy wining artists I know?" I questioned him.

"I don't know; how many?"

"7 but you're my favorite."

"Wow... Thanks. You make me feel special."

I giggled. "Whatever. How many girls have made you feel special after you invited them home to see your Grammy?"

He chuckled at me. "0, but I don't have it yet. You wanna be the first?"

I nodded. "Let me know when you get it."

"You getting ready to go out?"

"Yeah. One of the athletic trainers for the Mavericks invited us to a party."

"So you're getting sexy for him?"

"She is married, but I still hopes she likes it."

"Let me see if I like it. Stand up."

I giggled and stood up, straightening the gorgeous grey dress Bianca got for me. It had high neckline and went down all the way pass my knees, hugging my curves. The thigh high slit added a touch of sexiness to the dress.

"Prop the camera up so it's facing the mirror." He instructed me. I did what he asked, watching his reflection through the mirror as he watched me.

"Now spin around." he commanded.

 I did.

"Slower."

I did it again, slowly, and he rapped to me.
"You just like my sidekick, I just wanna wife. Fulfill all your desires. Keep you in the front, never in the back. And never on the side. You a real ass woman and I like it. I don't wanna fight it-"

I laughed at him, dancing around. He stopped rapping to watch me, a smile plastered on his face.

When my door busted open, I quickly sat down at my vanity. I blushed as Bianca looked me over, cautiously.

"What are you laughing about?" Bianca asked me.

"Nothing. I'm taking to Christian." I said, grabbing my phone and giving Christian a little smile.

They gave each other weak hellos before Bianca backed out the room. "I'll wait for you in the living room."

"Ok." I told her. He waited for the door to close before saying, "She doesn't knock?"

"Not when it's just us." I smiled, hopping it'll take some of the awkwardness away. It lingered for a moment before I asked Christian. "Who'd you steal that rap from?"

"Maybe I wrote it for you."

"Really?"

"No. You don't recognize Drake? I stumped you?" he grinned.

"What Drake song was that?" I exclaimed. I didn't sound familiar at all.

"Fire and Desire from Views."

"Hey! That's not out yet!" I complained.

"I got connections. I'll send it to. Listen to that song first. It reminds me of you."

"You know what song reminds me of you?" I said sweetly.

"What's that?"

"Cheater cheater pumpkin eater." I sang to him.

He laughed at me. "Bye. Have fun tonight."

After hanging up, I finished my outfit with a pale purple cardigan and grey booties. Bianca was waiting for me in purple leggings, a black sweater and a oversized gray vest. Black stiletto heels and a silver pendant around her neck finished her look. With her hair slicked back, a smokey eye and nude lip, she looked effortlessly elegant and sexy at the same time. I would have been envious of her abundance of style if it wasn't what she did for a living and she didn't share with me.

"So you have us matching? How cute."

"What?" she asked, putting her phone away.

"You purple tights, grey vest? Me purple cardigan, gray dress?" I pointed out

"Your dress is pewter and the cardigan is mauve. These tights are magenta and the vest is charcoal."

"Right. Purple and gray."

"Let's go." she instructed me with a smile.

The party was everything Monica said it would be; we had a blast. The wives and girlfriends were over the top. They drank like fish, called each other derogatory nicknames, and were the loudest group in the VIP section; but they were fun. When Stanky Leg came on, a girlfriend pulled me up on one of the couches to do the dance with her. I dragged Bianca and Monica to the dance floor when Formation by Beyonce came on, threating them with the wrath of the Beehive if they were caught out of formation. Majority of the ladies joined us and left VIP to dance wildly on the floor.  After a few songs, Monica, Bianca and I retired back to the VIP section.

"Hey guysss!" Monica exclaimed, excitedly rushing to her husband Trent's side. Beside him was Uriel, and he gave me and Bianca an appraising look before standing up and offering us a seat.

"Thanks." I smiled, greeting Trent and Uriel, introducing them to Bianca. We both sat down and I made sure I took the outside with Bianca next to me.

"Hey! Now you two can talk to each other instead of asking me questions!" Monica announced, pointing to Uriel and me.

"I asked one question pertaining to him but it was for you Monica!" I clarified.

Monica shrugged, looking at Uriel. "I did ask her where you went on Vacation." he turned to me then. "How was the Superbowl?" Uriel asked.

"I didn't get to see it. I had to come back because my dog got sick." I explained.

"Sorry for your loss." he told me.

I balked at him. "She's still alive! Just lost a tooth."

"Ok. Sorry you missed the Superbowl then... And that she lost her tooth." he said, smoothly. I couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or not. I nodded but didn't respond.

"Are you a dog or a cat person?" Bianca asked him.

"If I had to pick, dog." he answered.

"So is Lily! You two should talk!" Bianca encouraged him while I narrowed my eyes at her.

"I don't think she wants to talk to me. I left her my number, but she never called." He admitted.

"She's not the kinda girl who's going to call a guy. You gotta get her number." Bianca coached him.

"Really? Y'all are going to talk about me like I'm not here?" I cut in. They continued like I said nothing.

"I thought she didn't call because she has a boyfriend. She said she did when we met."

"She doesn't! She's causally dating at the moment." Bianca hinted to him.

"Would getting cake fall into the category of casually dating?" He asked Bianca but winked at me.

"I guess it would depend on the type of cake you're talking about." Bianca played along.

"Well what kind of cake does Lily prefer?"

"She has no preference when it comes to cake. Cupcakes, cheesecakes, snack cakes, she's all for it." Bianca grinned, suggestively.

"Alright. Bye!" I announced, standing up.

Bianca laughed. "I'll shut up now."

Before I could sit back down, she scooted over making me swipe seats with her. Uriel gave me a challenging look, and I sat down next to him.

We changed to neutral subjects and talked among each other until it was time to go. Uriel stood with us while we waited for our Uber outside.

"Can I get your number?" he asked me.

"I don't know. You're pretty forgetful. You might just forget to call." I played him off.

"I didn't forget you; I thought you had a boyfriend. Why don't you come get cake with me- then decide about giving me your number." He asked.

"I'll think about it." I told him before our car pulled up.

"Are you trying to date anyone besides Christian?" Bianca asked me as soon as we took off.

I narrowed my eyes at her. "I thought we talked about Christian."

"This is not actually about him. It's about you-actually dating and seeing what's out there. You've never done that before."

"If I meet someone I wanna hang out with, I will." I ended the conversation at that.

Saturday Morning, Rocky and I went to get our hair and nails done while Bianca opted to stay home to strategize with Noelle about the store opening.

When I came home, Bianca was doing some complicated yoga poses with a humidifier type thing pumping weird fragrances in the air.

"The fuck?" I asked her.

"Shh. Seriously, don't start. I need this time." she said, cracking an eye at me.

"I don't even know where to start. " I muttered to myself, feeding Justine peanut butter. A smile broke out on her face, but she quickly refocused.

I let her do her thing, and Justine actually let me massage her gums while feeding her peanut butter. Afterwards, Bianca got dressed and left I wished her good luck and left for the grocery store. I figured Bianca hadn't had a regular, processed sugar filled home cooked meal so I cooked a ton of food for her. Hopefully a celebration, but comfort food as well. I used all of Aunt's Patty's recipes. When she returned, I rushed her immediately.

"Hey. How'd it go?!?" I exclaimed, making her a plate of food.

"Better than I even planned! We set up a meeting next week in California." she gushed excitedly.

"Ohmygod! Congratulations!!! Tell me everything." I demanded, pulling her in for a hug.

She told me word for word what happened.

"I couldn't even think... I didn't even know what to say! I told him I'd have to get back to him when he first offered the meeting. Then I spent about an hour buying random things until I saw him again and told him next week was great." Bianca laughed at herself.

"At least you got the meeting! That's amazing." I smiled. "Eat! Eat! Then we'll go out and celebrate!"

"Why don't we just hang out here?" Bianca suggested, pushing her plate away.

"You don't wanna go out?"

"Where? Another bar and a cover band?"

"I do other stuff..." I lied. I had no idea where else to take her.

"Let's just chill here."

"Ok."

I texted everyone that we weren't going out but they were welcomed to come to my house. As they arrived, we ate and drank and toasted Bianca. When Blake and Jordan showed up, everyone cheered, congratulated and toasted them on the engagement. Jordan proudly showed off her ring. She told us about how Blake set up candles in the shape of a heart at their favorite restaurant and got on one knee to propose to her.

"That's so romantic." Peyton cooed.

"Yeah...so when's your due date..er, wedding date?" I asked, slyly.

Jordan immediately shut me down. "I'm not pregnant and we haven't picked a date yet."

"Yeah but we don't want a long engagement so we can get started right away." Blake grinned triumphantly, putting his arm around Jordan. She beamed at him.

"Right... We'll see what comes first: a wedding or a baby. " I joked.

"Don't be jealous Lily. You had your shot." Blake tossed at me. While everyone "ohhhed" and exclaimed, I put my hands on my hips.

"Excuse me? My shot? That never happened!"

"You don't remember our date at Denny's?"

"Pancakes? For real?" I said, incredulously.

"I paid, so it was a date. A cheap one, but still a date." he goaded me.

"I'm gonna call you Odell with that reach."

Forrest laughed out loud, knowing the Blake was a cowboy fan and would hate the mention of Odell.

"Fuck Odell Beckham!!!" Blake seethed.

I went to refill cups and heard Dominick and Bianca in the kitchen discussing Richard.

"Have you heard from Richard?" I asked Dominick when I joined them.

He bristled at me. "Why?"

"'Cause I invited him over. No offense, but I see you all the time at the gym. I haven't seen him in forever. Where is he at?"

"I don't know. Call him. I'm not his keeper." he told me.

"But you're his roommate..."  I trailed off, dialing Richard.

Bianca shook her head at him as the phone rang.

"Hello?" he finally answered.

"So you coming over or are you stopping by?" I asked him.

"Wasn't planning on it but that doesn't sound like a choice."

"It's a choice... But a bad one. You're roommate just bought over a few bottles and said you're not doing shit. Come help us drink and celebrate."

"Alright."

We decided to start the fire pit so I called Richard back to ask him to bring me some marshmallows. Forrest sweetly carried down an office chair from upstairs for Rocky to sit on outside. We all found spots on the deck. I told everyone my next project would be my backyard as we drank and talked.

I went to go answer the door for Richard when he finally arrived. I hugged him and escorted him outside to the backyard. He bought me the hugest campfire marshmallows I've ever seen and I pulled them open excitedly. As we roasted marshmallows and drank, Richard shared my blanket with me.

"Kinda disappointed to see you weren't wearing the red boots for me." he told me.

I laughed at him. It was a joke alluding to the time I met him to inspect my house and I shamelessly came on to him. Enough time had past so I could laugh about it without being mortified. "They were ginger- not red. And your completely safe. No plans to seduce you tonight."

"Shame." he smiled at me. "Are you dating anyone right now?"

I curled my lips as I thought about the answer.

"You're thinking about that way too long. Don't lie." he laughed at me.

"What are you lying about?" Bianca asked me.

"I'm not-" I started the same time Richard answered for me.

"Whether she's in a relationship." My phone rang so I escaped the question by answering the door for Sammy and Corey. I gave them a group hug before leading them to the backyard.

"...that's what she says, but she's not trying to date anyone else. One guy at the comedy show tried to talk to her-" Staci was gossiping about me when I came back.

"First of all, I'm not in a committed relationship with anyone. 2nd of all, stop telling my business Staci! And third of all, that guy was 5ft-nothing and on a date!" I exclaimed.

Staci laughed at me, good humoured. "He was my height, so 5'6 and he said it was a group thing. Their lady friends got them tickets-"

"Even worse- a grown man on a group date and didn't even buy the tickets." I shook my head.

That got everyone debating about whether a man always needs to pay the bills or if the woman should pick up the tab every now and again. As I got drinks for Sammy and Corey, Bianca mentioned to me, "Uriel is way past 6 feet."

"Uriel's trying to get laid." I snipped.

"And?" Bianca asked. I ignored her and returned to my spot next to Richard.

"I would pay for you if we went out." he flirted with me.

"Shut up!" I told him, cuddling under the covers with him.  With Richard, I knew it was harmless. He flirted with me all the time but never made a move. Mostly because I was tipsy, I flirted back.

Once everyone got settled in for the night or left, Bianca pulled me aside.

"Are you really thinking about going on a date with Richard?" she asked me.

"Nah. He was just playing around." I said as I straightened up the living room.

"Good." she nodded.

"Wait. I'm so confused. You want me to date around. Just not Richard? What's wrong with Richard?"

"Just trust me- don't go there with Richard. Keep your options open though. Like Uriel."

I didn't comment on that because I wasn't going to date Richard.

 "Why didn't you eat? I cooked for you- and don't say it's because of your diet because you inhaled a cheeseburger the other night."

"I ate." she held up an almost empty bag of marshmallows.

"Really?"

"I just wanted dessert." she offered with a shrug.

I was putting the remotes up when I saw her weird humidifier. Maybe the fumes were affecting her brain and appetite. "What the fuck is that?"

"It's a diffuser. Aromatherapy. That's yours to keep." she told me.

"Yay..." I said, sarcastically.

She threw the bag of marshmallows at me. I caught it, pulled one out and ate it.

Deadroses

"Turn the radio down
And lay you down too
I could be the one for you
I know we’re not in love
Love is vivid
No we’re not in love
You fall right in it for a week a month or maybe just a minute or a lifetime
What’s the difference- big bang or collision; love is blind
We had a vision though
Now we dead roses" Deadroses by Blackbear

I slept in as late as I could before I had to take Justine to her vet appointment the morning Christian left. He texted while I was sleeping saying he made it back to California. I texted him back before I left, thanking him again and wishing him good luck over the weekend.

At Justine's appointment, her vet assured me her behavior was normal. She told me that we can start giving her quarterly cleanings. When I expressed my concerns about how Justine wouldn't let me anywhere near her teeth, she explained that we could put her asleep for cleanings. I didn't know if it was lack of sleep, but I wasn't sold on the idea of knocking her out for cleanings 4 times a year.

I gave Sammy a call  afterward to update her on Justine but she didn't answer. Rocky called me the night before, so I called her back. On my way to work when I still hadn't heard from Sammy, I texted her about Justine instead. She responded "ok" but that was it. I didn't feel the need to track her down and explain anything, (especially if she wasn't willing to pick up the phone and talk) so I left it at that.

I was in the huddle room at work, rearranging next week schedule when Dr. Fahri joined me.

"I'm going to meet with Dr. Charles for an exit interview. Can you cover his clients?" He asked.

"Sure."

They talked for about half an hour before Vince came back. I went to join Dr. Fahri in the office.

"Is there a reason Dr. Charles is leaving so suddenly?" I asked him, sitting across from him.

"Another job. I saw it coming when he lost out on the promotion here; I just hoped he would hold off until after the season ended." Adil answered, handing me a folded letter.

"What's this?" I said, reading my name scribbled on the outside.

"Not sure- It was in the office last week. I put it away for you."

"Thank you." I said, putting it away as we stood.

 "I went over the schedule for next week. I think we'll be ok. I'm going to come in a few hours early to finish my work before Dr. Clayton leaves so I can help out with patients." I informed him while walking back to the clinic.

"Good. I'll be here as much as I can. The next onboarding schedule is in March. Hopefully I'll have a new hire by then." Dr. Fahri commented. "If you know a good candidate, forward their resume to me."

I told him I would before going on my lunch. I sent out emails to the group of therapists I knew regarding the position. I then opened the note Adil handed me. On the inside was Uriel's business card. Scribbled on the back in neat handwriting read:

It wasn't as good as your birthday cake but I owe you a slice from the wrap party. Give me a call.

I looked over the number, debating what I should do with it. It was kinda cool that he thought about me, but week old cake? Not only that, he claimed he didn't remember my birthday cake before. I knew I wasn't going to call him, but I put it away in my purse.

When I got home, I received a package from Jenna in the mail. It contained a chocolate perfect man and a AMC gift card.

I called Jenna and thanked her for the gift.

"You're welcome. It's a little tradition I do with my sisters." She said brightly.

"Why didn't you tell me about the tradition so I could have got you a gift too?" I asked.

"It would have ruined the surprise." Jenna said.

"Next year we want two gifts." I heard my brother say in the background.

"Don't listen to him. I don't know why he feels a need to get into my business."

"My sister." I heard him argue.

"Our sister." Jenna corrected him.

I smiled, proudly. "I loved it and I'm going to get you a present this year."

"You can still get me something that'll cost nothing but your time." she stated.

"What do you need?" I asked.

"Check in on Amanda. I'm concerned about her being alone all the time."

"Done! I actually saw her earlier this week. I invited her to hang out this weekend, but she said she had to work. I try to include her in stuff I'm doing all the time, but she normally shuts me down." I explained.

"She's introverted- My mom and I have to force her to socialize. If you keep trying, I'll appreciate it." Jenna requested.

"I'll do you one better- I'll kidnap her tomorrow and make her see a movie with me." I promised.

Jenna laughed. "Thank you. Let me know how it goes."

That evening I finally got around to calling Ethan to see what EJ was up to and if he wanted to spend the night on Saturday. He informed me it was his mom's weekend with him and he had a birthday party on Saturday. Afterwards, I gave Christian a call. It went to voicemail.

I stayed up, waiting for him to call me back, while searching for a gift for Jenna and Cam. I found a cute Mr. and Mrs. red decorative pillows that I thought would be great for Jenna's and Cam's first Valentine as a married couple.

When Christian still hadn't texted or call, I went on his Instagram. I noticed he posted pictures of my dinning room when he set up dinner for me. He captioned them simply:

Something special for someone special.

He also posted pictures of him out with musicians in a night club, announcements of were he was djing and links and clips of interviews he did. I went back and listen to the interviews he had over Superbowl weekend and his single release party. I played some of the music he said inspired his album.

One artist he mentioned was Blackbear. His album Deadroses gave me a great idea for a Valentine's present for Christian. I called Jennifer to get the address to send it and paid an outrageous fee to make sure the dozen chocolate roses were delivered by Sunday. I went to bed a little after 1am after receiving no response from Christian.

Saturday morning, I woke up and saw I had a missed call from Christian. I tried to call but no answer. I sent him a text instead.

Me: Good luck with your show tonight. Tell Rihanna I said "Hey"

After breakfast, Justine and I went on an extra long run at a dog park. While she played around, Christian texted me back.

Christian: Just hey?

Me: You can add bae to that.

Christian: Bae?

Me: She'll know what's up {heart eyes emoji}

Christian: I need to know what's up. {Lips, lips, tongue, tongue emojis}

Me: Nothing at all {angel, lips sealed emoji}

I waited 30 minutes for him to respond- when he didn't we left the park. Once we got home, I gave Justine a bath and once again attempted to brush her teeth, but it was not working. I gave up and took a long shower. I spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning my house, listening to more music. My doorbell rang and I answered it for Sammy.

"Hey, what's up?" I smiled, letting her in.

"Am I interrupting anything?" She asked.

"Not at all. Come in." I said, leading her to the leaving room and silencing the music on my phone. She sat down on the couch while I sat on the floor.

"So how long have you and Christian been together?" Sammy narrowed her eyes at me.

"We're not together." I said, truthfully, at least, partially. We weren't together currently but I had no idea what the future would bring.

"So he's buying you jewelry, coming out and setting up dinners just because?"

"Not just because. He likes me."

"Do you like him too?"

"I don't know yet. I decided to get to know him better and find out."

She breathed out deeply and gave me a reproachful look. "Let's just take Trevor out of the equation even though we both know he's very much still in it. What you know about Christian is all the shady things he's done: What else do you need to know?"

"I would hate if anyone judged me off my past, wouldn't you?" I challenged her.

She shook her head. "Do whatever you want. I'm just stating my opinion."

I cocked my head at her, thrown off by her attitude. "Based off the time we spent together thus far, I want to spend more time with him. Before I went to San Francisco, you were all for me dating. I'm just curious: what changed? "

"I never thought you would really date Christian. I thought you hanging out with someone else would help you come to your senses and realize what you had with Trevor."

I frowned at her then. "I realize what I had with Trevor. I decided to move on just like he has."

"He hasn't; just like you haven't. He will though and I'm afraid you're going to regret it too late."

I stretched my legs out, considering her words before I responded. "What's the worst that can happen- I end up alone? I'm good by myself. I hope we'll be good too whatever I decide."

"We're fine." Sammy said, simply.

I nodded. "Ok. You excited about the show with Corey tonight?"

"I'm excited he's excited. I betta go so I can go get ready." she said standing up.

"Alright. Tell Corey I said hello." I followed her.

After she left, I saw I had a missed call from Christian. I groaned out loud when I called back and got no response. I called Staci next to finalize our plans for the evening. She was dropping her daughter off and heading my way. Since she wasn't going to have Cherish, I asked if she wanted to go out tonight. After debating where we could go that wouldn't be too crowded, we stuck to our original plan to hang at my place with food and booze and catch a movie Sunday. Since we chose to see The Revenant, we decided to have a Leonardo DiCaprio night with Italian food.

When Staci arrived, we placed an order to the Italian place I loved in Carrollton. Before we went to pick it up, I stopped by Amanda's place. It was so weird being at Trevor's, well, our old place but I shook it off and focused on my task. I knocked on the door, waited for awhile before the door opened. I was shocked to see a short guy answer the door.

"Umm is Amanda home?" I asked.

"Yeah. Mandi!" he called to the back before going back to the couch in front of a video game. "Y'all wanna come in?" he said, when he saw me still standing at the front door.

Staci looked at me. "Um yeah. Thanks." I said, leading the way.

When Amanda saw me at door, she paused, her eyes widen in shock. I gave her a smile. "I was coming to force you to hang out with us. I didn't know you had company."

"Yeah. Maybe some other time." Amanda declined quickly, looking over at her friend nervously.

"Ok. I'll catch you at another time." I looked at her friend too.

"Nice to meet you..." Staci trailed off, suggestively.

"Paul." he looked up from the game, waving his hand, still holding the controller.

"Paul." I finished giving Amanda a knowing look. She looked away. "Ok. Bye."

"Who's Paul?" Staci asked me when we left.

"Ex-boyfriend."

"Ahh... Looked pretty comfortable for an ex."

"I know!" I agreed as we headed to pick up the food.

"What's Cherish up to?" I asked when we were settled in front off the TV with our food at my house. Our first movie was Staci's pick, and she choose the sappy romantic film Titanic.

"At a sleepover with her friends. I'm just waiting for one of them to post a picture with a boy so I can go pick her up." Staci answered as she checked her phone. I chuckled at her.

After Titanic, we watched my movie choice: The Wolf of Wall Street.

"That's bae right there." I grinned at the screen.

"Get in line. Who doesn't want Leo's fine ass?"

"No! I love Jonah Hill. He's so fucking cute and funny."

She looked at me sideways. "You really don't have a type huh?"

"Yes, I do. I love beautiful souls."

"Me too... Just wrapped in a hard, sexy body."

"You're stupid!" I laughed at her. "How's the online dating going anyway?"

"No real contenders at the time. I'm talking to a few guys- Including Daniel." Staci revealed.

"Daniel? Really?" He was the guy that worked with Ethan. Apparently they hit it off at his birthday party.

"Yeah, even though he bailed out of plans so fast when he realized it was Valentine's day. I wanted to tell him to chill, no one's trying to be in a relationship with you." Staci complained.

"Ethan mention before he wasn't a commitment kinda guy." I warned her.

"That's fine with me. Dating, especially online dating, is a numbers game. I'm not looking to commit to one guy unless I can see a future with him." Staci declared.

Our last movie of the night was The Great Gatsby because we both feel asleep on the couch before it ended. I was awakened at 4am by my phone ringing. When I saw it was Christian, I went to my room and answered it.

"Hey..." I said, running a hand through my hair before sitting on the bed.

"Hey, sorry for walking you up. I wanted to give you a call back earlier- it's been hectic."

"It's cool. I know your busy. It's the Grammy's." I yawned.

"Go back to sleep. I'll talk to you later. Happy Valentine's Day."

"Happy Valentine's Day." I replied before hanging up and going to sleep in my bed.


The next morning, we got up and Staci went to a boxing session with me. We worked off the booze and food we ate before we planned to eat more at the movies.

"Let's go to the movies at the mall. We can pick up some Valentine's sales." Staci suggested as we drove back to my place.

I agreed. At home, Rocky called, asking me if I wanted tickets to a comedy show that night. Staci was more than willing to skip the movies in favor of the show.

As soon as we showered and changed, we headed to Rocky's place together. When we got there, Forrest let us in.

"Hey! Happy Valentine's Day!" I said, giving him a one arm side hug. "What are y'all up to today?"

"Since Rocky didn't want to go to the show, we're going to hang out here-watch some stand up on Netflix." he explained.

"Aw, you're a good dude!" I complimented him.

"Especially for passing the tickets on to us." Staci agreed.

"It wasn't his idea- He was going to try to resell them." Rocky busted him, joining us from her bedroom.

"Really Forrest?" I narrowed my eyes at him while Staci laughed.

He grinned. "I didn't though. You're welcome."

Rocky handed me the tickets before sitting next to Forrest on the couch. He automatically put his hand out to help her sit down comfortably, asking if she needed a pillow or blanket.

"No. I'm good. Show her the post." she said, with a smile.

"What post?" I asked.

"Have you been on Instagram today?" he asked me, pulling out his phone.

"Not at all." I looked over his shoulder.

"No fucking way!" I gasped when he showed me Jordan's Instagram.

"What?" Staci asked, while Rocky laughed.

"Remember Jordan and that guy Blake she's been dating for like a minute?"

"Yeah?"

I showed her Jordan's lastest post, her ring finger sporting a beautiful diamond and the caption: I said yes!!!

"They're engaged!"

"Geez. That was fast." Staci commented.

"I know!" I agreed.

"We think she's pregnant." Rocky smiled.

"I didn't say that. I said I wouldn't be surprised if she was." Forrest said.

"You didn't know about the proposal?" I asked him, pulling out my phone.

"Not at all." he shook his head.

"Would you have tried to talk him out of it?" Staci asked, noisily.

Forrest just continued to shake his head. "I should call and congratulate him. Be right back." He said, walking to the den.

I went though my Instagram quickly to see what else I missed. Amber posted a picture of the dinner she had with Will. Dino and Jake posted a cute candid picture on theirs, and Mia and Dominick were on a date based off her picture tagging him in it. Sammy also posted a picture of Corey smiling at a bar with the caption:

2nd Valentine's Day together. Anyone can buy things to make you feel special, only a special someone makes you feel that way without doing anything. I realize what we have is special and I wouldn't trade it in for anything else. We've been through a lot of ups and downs but there is no one I'd rather be with. It's easier to break up and move on to the next than it is to stick it out and make it work. I stick by him because we have love for each other. That's all that matters.

#Valentine'sDay#CantBuySpecial#AppericateWhatYouHave

I rolled my eyes at her lengthy and shady post. I keep scrolling and saw what Christian posted. He added a picture of 4 meet and greet passes and tickets to the Rihanna concert with the caption: #TellHerHeyYourself

I smiled at his post and liked it before showing Staci and Rocky.

"Y'all coming with me to see Rihanna?" I asked.

"Yasss!!!" Staci exclaimed, excited.

I looked at Rocky and she rubbed her stomach. "Ace will be here in April, so no"

"Brandon can watch him for the night." I pouted.

"I'm breastfeeding."

"I got you a breast pump. You're good." Staci informed her.

"I'm gonna pass." Rocky declined."So what's going on with you and Christian right now?" she asked, curiously.

I briefly filled them in on Christian's visit to see me and the conversation we had over dinner.

"Ohmigosh! You're Christian's Daisy!" Staci declared when I finished.

"Huh?"

"Think about it-He's been in love with you forever, waiting for you to give him a chance to make you happy. You're the Daisy to his Gatsby."

"I don't think he's been in love with her-" Rocky started.

"Thank you!" I agreed.

"But he's definitely was in lust back in college." she continued.

I looked at her, surprised. "You knew he liked me in college?"

She shrugged. "I knew he wanted to hook up. I don't know about like."

"Why didn't you tell me?" I questioned her.

"How many times did I tell you there were other guys on campus that wanted to date you?"

"I thought that was just something you were saying to make me feel better."

"I wouldn't lie to you to make you feel better."

"You should have given me specific names!"

"Would it have mattered?" She raised an eyebrow at me. 

"Whatever." I refused to answer the question. "So that's what we're doing- hanging out, spending time- I'm not sure what to call it." I finished.

"Dating." Staci labeled it for me while Rocky raised an eyebrow at me.

"I guess." I shrugged. It was weird hearing that we were dating.

"There nothing wrong with dating casually." Staci told me.

"I just don't want to lead him on. He said something about making new memories to replace the ones I have with Trevor. I don't know if that's how it will work." I looked to Rocky for her perspective.

"It's not leading him on as long as you're telling him the truth." she said.

"I'm a strong believer if it's meant to happen, it will happen. Just wait and see what happens." Staci encouraged me.

After saying goodbye to Forrest and Rocky, we headed to the mall. We cut out plans to see a movie in favor to finding new outfits for the show that night.

I didn't see anything I loved besides a burgundy pair of Fenty Puma Creepers. They were a collaboration between Rihanna and Puma. I really didn't need anymore sneakers, but I thought they would be cool to wear at the Rihanna concert and bought them as a Valentine's gift to myself. We went back to my place and Staci left to pick up her daughter. We made plans for me to pick her up at her place for the show. I was eating leftovers when Bianca called me.

"Hey cuz! Happy Valentine's Day." I told her, cheerfully.

"Happy Valentine's day! Guess what I got for Valentine's day?"

"Umm... A jet?" I answered.

"No. Close... an all expense paid trip to Dallas to see my favorite cousin." Bianca responded, like a game show host.

"First of all, I'm your only cousin. Second, how is that close to a jet? And third, when are you finally coming to see me?"

I got her itinerary for the following week and made mental notes moving things around in my schedule. When I got off the phone, I took a shower, washed my hair and started to get ready for the show.

When I was ready, I admired my curves in my ripped black jeans and white fitted top, my hair falling in loose waves pass my shoulders and my make-up highlighting the amber in my hazel eyes and the fullness of my rose colored lips. The final touch was my new shoes. Even though it was Valentine's and I had no date, I was so excited to go out and have a good time with Staci.

After saying hello to Cherish and taking a ton of pictures and videos with Staci, we headed to the comedy show. On the drive over, Staci Snapchatted us as we sang along to the radio. When we arrived and struggled to find a parking space, my phone rang. I could tell it was Christian Face timing me by the ring, so I had Staci answer while I parked.

"Hello Christian!" she sang on the phone while I laughed at her.

"Hey... Is Lily available?"  Christian asked

"Yeah, sure. Your Daisy is right here!" she laughed.

"Daisy? Where's Lily?" I could hear the confusion in his voice.

"I'm right here!" I called. I parked and turn the car off.

"I just realized you both have flower names. That's perfect." Staci realized, laughing out loud.

I took the phone from her and smiled at him. He was in a bright, white room- his hair looked perfectly tousled and his face was clean shaven. He looked really great.

"That's Staci... Ignore her." I instructed him.

"Wow... You look great. What are you up to?"

"I was just thinking the same about you. Staci and I are going to comedy show tonight. Are you getting ready for your club appearance?"

"Yeah, we're about to head out. I wanted to let you know I got your gift. You sent me a dead roses?" Christian asked, smiling.

"Technically." I smiled, thrilled that he got it. I included lyrics from the song, but I hoped he could get the chocolate/dead roses reference.

"You like Blackbear?"

"I listen to his album and I like him now. Honestly I never heard of him until I stanned you hard the other night. Don't be creeped out." I admitted.

His smile brightened. "Definitely not creeped out-I'm glad you like it. I'll send you some of my playlists to listen to."

"I would love that- I'll probably still stalk you a little bit." I smiled back at him.

He laughed and we smiled at each other for a moment before he cleared his throat."I don't wanna hold y'all up. I just wanted to thank you."

"Thank you for the Rihanna tickets. I'll probably be up tonight if you wanna call later."

"I have no idea when I'm gonna be done so get some rest. Happy Valentine's day beautiful. Have fun."

"You too. Goodnight."

I hung up and Staci was watching me with a side grin. "That Christian... He's just soooo cool?" she fanned herself, mocking Daisy from The Great Gatsby.

"Leave the comedy to the professionals. Let's go!" I smiled as we got out the car.