13

The shop is in your hands, Anna. But you know you can always call my brother in case you need help with anything," Soph says, going through all the stock for the nth time.

"I'll be fine, you'll only be gone for a week," I say amusedly, following her as she zigzagged through the store. "I can't believe you're staying a few days with Jenny. So you guys did talk when I left after all."

"Yeah, kinda, it's just so we have more time together to really figure everything out, and to help her move out and get used to the new city, of course. It sucks going all alone to somewhere you don't know."

"Uhum, one week together, alone. I bet you'll figure a lot out indeed," I joke, wiggling my eyebrows.

I expect her to cuss at me but she simply lets out a content sigh. "I really thought she'd leave with us in a state of uncertainty."

"I'm happy for you, it's good to see you in love for once," I smile at her. "And don't tell me you're not in love, look at those eyes, there are little hearts in them."

"You're such a goofball," she groans, trying to play it cool but I can see right through her facade. "But I'm bummed I'll miss Daniella's birthday, Mrs. Sonia is going and I can't believe I'm going to miss it."

"Well, you're not going to miss anything, Daniella assured me she's not a problem. But some of Daniella's teacher friends from Flagstaff are coming too and I am a bit nervous about them."

"Why?" She raises an eyebrow.

"What if they don't like me? What if they realize I was Daniella's student? I'm terrible at lying."

"Well, Daniella invited them so she's definitely not worried," she rests a hand on my shoulder. "They don't have to like you, you're dating Miss Bootylicious, not them."

"Yeah, but I want to make a good first impression. They're Daniella's age and older, I don't want them thinking I'm some stupid teen she's having a fling with. I'm wife material."

"Relax, you're worrying too much."

"You're right," I sigh, it's no good to overthink like this. If Daniella isn't worried, then I have no reason to be. "So, tell me all the details about that conversation you had with Jenny."

"What are you insinuating?" she asks amusedly.

"Nothing," I smirk. "C'mon, tell me everything."

"No way, you creep!" she jokes, shoving me away.

The shop is already closed at this point and we're just cleaning everything up and checking on the inventory. It sucks that Soph is leaving tomorrow with Jenny, but I'm confident that I've gathered enough flower knowledge to be on my own at the store while she is gone.

"Alright, we're all done," Soph says, taking off her pink apron. "Are you sure you don't want me to take you home though?"

"No, it's fine, Daniella is almost done at the school, we'll meet at the park."

"How is she liking it there?" she asks, as we walk outside, locking the door and passing me the keys.

"We didn't have much time to talk, she's just getting to know the building and planning the classes. She's not teaching yet so it's hard to know but she seems to like it so far," I answer, pocketing the keys, can't lose these.

"It's a rich kids' school, everything there is premium, even the paycheck. She'll love it," she smirks. "At least let me drop you at the park."

"Soph, it's alright," I groan, pushing her to her car. "You have things to pack, and you should be worrying about whether that tin is able to make it all the way to California."

"Erika is strong as a bull, I have faith in her."

"Amen."

The park is just a few minutes away from the shop, and surprisingly, there's a nice breeze going on. I rest my back at the entrance of the park, waiting for her, which to my luck only takes about 10 minutes.

I walk to her car as she rolls down her window. "Hey, pretty girl. Are you looking for a ride?" she asks teasingly.

"Uhum, which route are you taking?" I play along, inclining myself into her car, peaking into the window.

"Oh don't worry about that, I can take you wherever you want to go."

"How generous of you," I chuckle, opening the door and sitting down.

The moment I close the door she locks it, rolling up the window. "Now, now, young lady. Taking a ride from a stranger can be very dangerous," she leans over me, a devilish smirk on her lips. "I could do very bad things to you."

"Oh really?" I ask, leaning over her too, our faces only inches apart. "What kind of things?"

She rests a hand on my thigh, bringing it up to my hip, leaving a warm trail behind. "Who knows," she murmurs, her eyes not leaving mine. "Maybe I can show you — if you're brave enough."

Her teasing tone sends a wave of excitement through my body. I can feel all the little hairs in the back of my neck standing as she moves her hand from my hip to my neck, pulling me even closer, her lips brushing against mine.

I'm so overwhelmed by her that I completely forget how to talk, she chuckles into my lips. "Cat got your tongue?" she asks, holding me still, preventing me from kissing her.

My brain takes a few seconds to fully process what she has said and the challenge she has proposed. "I'm the bravest out there," I finally answer, trying to play it cool but my body is in flames.

"Oh yeah?" she smiles, preventing me again from coming any closer.

"Uhum," I grunt, growing more and more frustrated with each time she didn't let me kiss her.

She clicks her tongue in disapproval. "Impatient."

"you're being such a tease."

"And what makes you think that what I want to show you is the same thing that you want?"

"Then show me," I answer simply, running my tongue across her lips.

Now more than ever, I'm glad Daniella has semi-tinted windows, you can still see us but it's hard to make out who we are, either way, we're the only ones at the parking lot at this time.

She finally leans in, holding my face in place. The kiss starts out hungry and hurried but gradually slows down to a more passionate pace, and then to something more playful.

She sighs into my lips, letting go of our little foreplay. "How was your day?"

"A little busy but it was good, how did it go at the school?" I ask as we finally settle down in our seats. As much as I want her right now, I don't think a parking lot is the ideal place.

"The school is huge, it will definitely take me some time to get used to it."

"You still have time until classes start, but what about your colleagues? Did you make any friends?"

"They were very welcoming, as expected," she says, starting the car. "You're sounding like my mom after a first day of middle-school."

"Your mom did tell me to take care of you," I smirk.

"Of course she did," she groans amusedly.

"You'll make friends in no time, I bet they're just as gossipy as you are."

"I'm not gossipy."

"Yes you are, you always know everything before and right after it happens. Kids at school hated you because you'd always catch them in the act like you just knew they'd be there."

"Teenagers are predictable, it doesn't take much to get one or one hundred steps ahead."

"How does it feel not being a cool teacher?" I tease her.

"Pretty good, I think," she raises an eyebrow. "Respect feels better than a couple of hugs at the end of the year."

Damn right, and only I can get the hugs.

"Are you not going to come in?" I ask the moment she parks her car on the sidewalk instead of the garage slot.

"I still have a lot of paperwork to go through, also preparations for my birthday this weekend."

"I can't believe you teased me like that only to leave me all alone," I sigh dramatically, leaning into her.

"Is your dad home?" she asks, planting a single quick peck on my lips.

"He's coming home late recently," I give her the puppy eyes, getting excited all over again.

"I swear if we get caught I'll kill you."

"I'll lock the door," I smirk as she parks her car at the parking spot.

We've never done it at my house, my bed is small so it'd be a challenge, and Daniella is terrified about my dad coming home while we're at it.

Since Lucia is back home, our nights together have been very limited too, even though her walls are thick, I can understand how awkward it'd be to have sex with the possibility that her mom might hear it.

The single bed was indeed a challenge but we made it work, and to our luck, we didn't get caught... by a matter of minutes. However, I'm pretty sure my dad caught on to what we were doing anyway.

I don't think Daniella will ever want to sleep over again. I'm pretty much shameless so I don't really care, he didn't see anything after all.

This morning I had to wake up at an unholy time to see Soph and Jenny off. It was very emotional mainly because Soph was acting as if I'd never see her again, even though she would come back in a week.

I mean, we really might never see her again, she might get herself stuck in the middle of nowhere with that car of hers. I'm ready for a call asking us to pick her up from the desert at any moment.

It was weird not having her at the store though, but I think I did fine for the most part. There were not many clients today, and I must admit that it was kinda lonely being there by myself. I can't believe I'm missing Soph's jokes and awful singing skills.

Because soph isn't here to distract us from actually getting the cleaning part done quickly, I was able to leave early, which leaves me with half an hour until Daniella is over with what she has to do at the school. I'm taking this time to get her a gift, her birthday is tomorrow and I still have no idea what to give her.

I know she said she didn't want anything, except that she wanted me to sleep over — I wonder why, wink wink — I still want to get her something.

Daniella is a simple person, even though she came from a rich family. She cherishes everything that is gifted to her, no matter how small. Like the plushie I bought her at the aquarium trip, and the keychain I brought from England, she uses it on her car keys even though it doesn't match her style at all. Damn, even the 'will you be my girlfriend' paper I ripped from my own calculus notebook, she keeps it neatly folded on top of her bookshelf.

However, I still want to give her something nicer for her birthday. Maybe something small I can give her in the morning and the real thing when it's just the two of us in bed.

After a while walking in and out of many stores I finally got both gifts, the expensive one, and damn it is expensive, is a bit daring and I'm still not sure how I'm going to explain it to her without dying of embarrassment, but life is about taking risks.

Daniella did question me about the bag I was carrying when she came to pick me up, and even though I tried my best to not give it away that it was her gift, it was pretty obvious.

This time around she didn't come inside, which is understandable but I still find it hilarious, and I honestly don't think my dad cares as long as he doesn't come home to us butt-naked scissoring in the living room sofa.

At night she called to wish me a good night but I was able to push the conversation until midnight so I could be the first one to wish her a happy birthday. It wasn't that hard to keep her awake until then, she was very curious about what I got her as a gift, she kept trying to guess it and she actually got pretty close to it even though I gave her absolutely no hints. She still has no idea what it is though.

Because we ended up talking till late at night, both of us overslept our breakfast date. Daniella called me at around 11 am, waking me up to reschedule it to a lunch date instead. She came to pick me up at 12, in a very nice white summer dress that hugged her body in all the right places. She has her hair up in a bun for a change, accentuating her cheekbones and her neck.

"So beautiful, is the dress new?" I smirk, taking her in as I approach her near her car. "Happy birthday, Ray-bae," I complete, hugging her tightly.

"I got it for today," she answers, welcoming my kiss. "Thank you."

"Thank you, you never fail to remind me that I'm the luckiest woman on earth."

"So dramatic."

"Not at all, I mean it," I smile, pulling her in for another kiss.

She lets out a somewhat shy smile that she tries to cover up by pulling me to her car. "Let's go, I'm starving."

"Where are we having lunch?"

"I'm honestly not sure, what do you feel like eating?"

"It's your birthday, you decide."

"A restaurant in the city would be too risky but driving out of town would take too long. What do you think of take-out and a picnic?"

"Eating junk and being able to kiss you as much as I want? It's perfect."

We settled with sushi, I'm not a fan but Daniella loves it, and I love her, and love is all about sacrifices. Although I do like the fruit ones and that one with a cucumber. It's like taking a bite into freshness.

We only had to pick up a picnic blanket and we headed to the park on foot. It's quite near Daniella's house, and the weather is pleasant for a summer day. We laid the blanket under a tree for shade, coincidently, the same tree we were under the day Ed passed away, a soothing reminder of him.

"Can I just eat these with my hands?" I ask, eyeing the sushi rolls and the chopsticks.

"You don't know how to use them?" she teases, holding one up with hers.

"I mean, I can do this—" I grab a single stick, stabbing a roll in the middle and bringing it up.

Daniella gasps in complete horror. "Baby, no. I'll teach you how to use them but please never do that again."

"Good luck, Soph has been trying for years, I'm no good," I say, watching the stabbed roll fall off. "Either bear with it or feed me," I joke, opening my mouth wide open.

She simply shoves the piece that she was holding into my mouth, almost making me choke. "How is that?" she asks amusedly, watching me wipe out tears from my face from the almost-death experience.

"More gently, please."

"Just learn how to use them, lazy ass," she rolls her eyes, placing her hand around the one I was holding the chopsticks, positioning them the right way. With her hand guiding mine, it was fairly easy but the moment she would take it off it would just go back to disaster. At some point she just gave up, settling with feeding me instead of having to watch me butcher every single sushi roll I attempted to pick up.

After we were done eating and were just laid down at the blanket, I figured I'd give her the first gift I got her. I rest my chin on my hand, looking down at her, I get lost in her eyes for a moment and nearly forget what I was just about to say.

"What do you think of desert?"

"Do you want to get some?" she asks, sitting up.

"I actually got you something," I smirk, reaching for my bag where I have both her gifts.

"Oh?" I show her the enormous bag of green skittles I bought yesterday. First, she's surprised, and then she bursts into laughter. "How do you know? You found my secret stash, didn't you?"

"Oh, they were supposed to be hidden?" I joke. "Who knew you were a sweet tooth after all."

"Don't tell anyone," she winks teasingly, picking up the bag from my hands. "These are my favorites, thank you," she says, leaning in for a kiss. "But don't think you can fool me, I know this is just a distraction from the actual gift."

"You'll have to wait for that one."

"Come on," she groans, kissing me around my neck and ears in an attempt at seducing me, which to be honest almost works.

"It can't be in public."

"Did you get me a strap-on?" she teases, making me choke on my own laughter. "Are you ok? You're sounding like a goat," she says trying to contain her own laugh.

"Well, you sound like a crab."

"How— Anna, how does one sound like a crab?" she attempts to say between laughs. "That's the worst comeback I've ever heard."

"Ugh, shut up," I roll my eyes. "But no, it isn't a strap-on."

"Well, that's too bad."

We spent the rest of the evening just joking around and cuddling until we had to come back to Daniella's house to get things ready for the dinner party, which I'm still nervous about. I'll be meeting all of Daniella's closest friends, and I'm honestly not sure how she'll present me to them. As a lover? As a friend? I don't want to ask and sound stupid and insecure.

Lucia was already in the kitchen as we came in, working on all of Daniella's favorite dishes for tonight, and by the looks of it, I can already tell they'll all be delicious.

"You look nervous, is it about my friends?" she asks as we lay all the plates on the main dinner table.

"Just a little bit."

She doesn't have time to answer or even process what I have said, as the doorbell rings. The first to arrive is my dad with a bottle of wine for dinner, and it doesn't take long for Sonia and her husband to show up too. And yes, it was very awkward, that woman used to hate me, which I can't really complain or blame her for.

I was getting more and more anxious by the minute. Thing is, it isn't even a big deal, and I'm not sure why I'm overreacting so much when Daniella is acting completely normal.

I almost fainted when the doorbell rang again, my dad got up to open it but Daniella simply shook her head, holding my hand in hers and walking me to the door with her.

Her hand in mine gives me some kind of peace of mind as she opens the door revealing three women, two around the same age as Daniella and one a bit older, I'd say around her forties.

Their eyes fall on me the moment I come into view and I don't think I've ever felt so small.