A/N: so this is a one-shot hooking Lilly up. I stink at summaries, sorry if it wasn't a very good representation of what the story is actually about.
==============================
Lilly looked into the mirror on the shelf. Age cracked and warped it, fingerprints, and dust had made the surface almost opaque and barely a reflection could be seen. Yet, Lilly noticed, it was still clear enough to show that in the aisle behind her, some one was watching.
She spun around, reading to chomp his unwanted head off. But he was already facing the other direction and closely inspecting a rather hideous pink porcelain poodle. Lilly nearly gagged at the sight of it, but instead turned her focus to the boy. He had medium brown hair, wavy, unkempt, it hung to just below his ear. His skin was tan, but not the ugly dark bronze that always made Lilly suspect a tan-from-the-can type crap. It was actually quite… lovely.
Lilly shook herself back to the task at hand. She had come to this obscure thrift store with the intention of finding some rather humiliating outdated clothes. It was of course for her next show.
(Studying how styles of dress affect the treatment you are given at restaurants and stores, despite the money (or lack of) you carry.) She had Mia, Tina, Ling Su, and Shameeka involved. But between them, none was able to produce a truly horrifyingly humiliating outfit. So she here was, age seventeen, spending her parent's plentiful wealth at a thrift store.
Luckily it was summer, especially because she'd already been through half the store, inspecting everything closely, but it had already been two hours, and nothing found yet.
Frustrated, Lilly decided to go to the dress section. There, in all its blazing trashy glory was the ugliest dress Lilly had ever seen. She squealed and quickly grabbed it off the rack. It was a burnt orange-brown color, floor length dress. The top was princess-cut style, and pretty low in front. Sleeves puffed harmoniously to the sides, and then narrowed quickly to end just below the elbow. The skirt portion of the dress was plain. The whole design wasn't even that bad. Other than the fact that around all the edges of this dress there was an olive green lace trim. On the bodice, the same olive green color was embroidered into the shape of roses all across it. Lilly felt her self giggle again. It would be perfect for Shameeka.
Lilly walked to a full length mirror and held it up to herself, trying to picture how perfect this show would be. She closed her eyes and did her best to imagine Shameeka wearing it. Knowing Shameeka, she would still look beautiful in it. Lilly sighed. She knew she shouldn't envy Shameeka's body shape or beauty but sometimes… sometimes it was just hard not to.
Normally she felt very secure about herself. But lately, it seems like all of her friends had boys interested in them but her. No she didn't depend or need a boyfriend … but she missed the companionship that she hadn't felt since going out with Boris.
"I don't think that's your color," a male voice said amused. She heard a hint of a strange accent in his voice, but couldn't place where it was from.
Lilly snapped her eyes open, she could see the reflection of the boy that was watching her earlier, stand close behind her.
"What do you want?" Lilly demanded, she refused to turn around. She glared at him through the mirror.
He flashed her a brilliant white smile. He leaned forward and whispered in her ear, "You're beautiful, you know that right?" Lilly held her breath, still holding his gaze. One last grin at her before he turned on his heals, briskly leaving her.
Lilly let out her breath heavily and turned to see where he left to, but he was gone, completely from the store.
--------------------------------------
"Michael!" Lilly screamed. "Would you mind not leaving all your crap in the door!" She stepped over his duffle bags and guitar case. Her mood had not improved after the encounter in the thrift store. She had only found outfits for Shameeka, Tina, and Mia. That still leaved two people still in need of a wardrobe. Another thrift store stop would need to happen, and soon. Her show was on in three days, and it would still take filming and editing.
Lilly recognized the purse on the coach as being Mia's. So she was already here. Good, she could help Lilly look up stores in the phone book and call for hours. "Mia! Can you help with the bags?" she shouted down the hallway. The burnt-orange dress had enough material it took it's own bag. And so did the dresses for Mia and Tina. Plus her purse and two more bags of… err, normal clothes she bought for her summer vacation to Genovia in two weeks.
She set the bags down, waiting for Mia to come, and took off her sweater, underneath was a tank top. Lilly usually didn't indulge in current fashions, but it was damned hot to be wearing her normal longer sleeve shirts. And its not like she looked bad in a tank top, she had prouly lost 20 lbs since her freshmen year.
Sighing, Lilly picked up the bags, and her purse and sweater. Mia obviously wasn't planning on helping her. She trudged up to her room and tossed her belongings inside onto the bed. She could hear music, singing and laughing from Michael's room.
"Baby's on fire, Better put her in the water…"
Lilly didn't recognize the voice singing, and approached Michael's room cautiously. Lilly peered in to find Mia and Michael comfortable on the bed, while a stranger serenaded them loudly in an off-key voice. A rather sexy off-key voice. Lilly winced, it was the boy from the thrift store. And when had she thought his voice was sexy? Since he first spoke to me. She felt herself answer. Lilly had to admit he was pretty attractive as well. No no no no, she begged herself. Please, don't let me have a crush on him.
His eyes were closed as he played a hot pink, sparkling electric bass. Definitely not Michael's. His hips swayed as he sung, occasionally, through eyes barely open he would make a comically seductive face in Mia's direction. Michael was grinning, so his apparent flirting with Mia must've been acceptable.
"Look at her laughing, Like a heifer to the slaughter…"
His lids opened slightly, and he turned his head towards the door. He knew Lilly was there listening. His soft pink lips moved for form a smile at her.
"Baby's on fire, And all the laughing boys are bitching, Waiting for photos. Oh the plot is so bewitching."
He took step towards the door, slowly moving his hips still, and eyes never leaving hers. "Rescuer's row row, Do your best to change the subject."
Lilly stepped back. There was something in his eyes that scared her. A kind of fierce passion she had never seen in anybody's eyes before, he loved what he was doing. Singing to her like this, making her feel exhilarated, exhausted, tempted, scared… it was thrilling and in his ice blue eyes, she could see he knew it.
"Blow the wind, blow blow. Let some assistance to the object," he was still moving towards her, every so slowly, but it felt like he was closing in on her.
"Photographer's snip snap. Take your time she's only burning." He closed his eyes again and turned to face Michael and Mia on the bed. Lilly let out her breath slowly, not realizing she had even held it.
"This kind of experience, is necessary for the learning." He looked at his fingers, gripping the struts, plucking the metal strings, no pick.
"If you'll be my flotsom, I could be half the man I used to." He looked over his should back to Lilly. This time, she was better prepared for the look he gave her, but still she felt her breath slip from inside her. The feeling was making her dizzy as she leaned against the doorframe for support.
"They' said you were hot stuff, And that's what baby's been reduced to…" he took a large step towards Lilly, and slid onto his knees in front of her. His eyes were lidded as he stared at his fingers, playing a complicated lick. Lilly glanced at Mia, who was grinning at her happily. She looked down at the boy again and stared. He fingered the last section of the line, and looked up at her once more. He held her gaze as he finished with a flourish and held the fingering of the note, rolling his finger for a slight vibrato.
She was holding her breath again. She knew it but couldn't let her air out for fear of gasping and collapsing embarrassingly in front of him. The note faded out, and he stood to face Michael and Mia who were clapping.
"Welcome to the band, Danil," Michael said, shaking his hand. Lilly stepped out of the room and leaned against the wall in the hallway, gasping for control over herself. She barely gained composure when Mia grabbed her and dragged her to meet the boy.
"Lilly, this is Danil Feller. Danil this is Lilly," Mia grinned at her excitedly. "He's the new bassist. Isn't that cool?"
Lilly stared at Mia, then back to Danil (said Dan-ill). He was smiling at her, knowingly. She resented that. "Yeah, real cool," she said coldly. Mia looked at her curiously, but shrugged it off. "Can we go work on things for the show now?" Lilly asked impatiently.
Mia looked at Lilly pleadingly, and she knew that Mia desperately wanted to stay and hear Danil play more. Hell, Lilly wanted to stay desperately and hear him play more, too. Lilly didn't know what to say, this boy in front of her gave her a feeling of rapture. But she couldn't very well openly say that to him. She didn't know him. And look what happened with her last… "lustful fling" with someone she barely knew.
"It was nice to meet you, Lilly," Danil said to her, too calmly, as she turned to leave the room finally. She froze, curiosity getting the better of her.
"Where are you from?" she demanded.
"Originally?" she nodded. "The Netherlands. I moved to the States when I was twelve."
Lilly smiled at him smugly. That would explain the faintly Germanic-based accent he had. "And how old are you now?" she asked accusingly.
"What is this? Twenty questions?" he asked, chuckling. "I'm nineteen. I'll be twenty next week actually."
"How nice," she said sarcastically, trying to resist the urge to wish him well. "Good bye. Come Mia, we've got thrift stores to call."
"Can't we do it later, Lilly?" she asked, whining. "I want to spend more time with Michael."
Yeah, well, I'd like to spend more time with Danil, but I still have a deadline to meet, Lilly thought bitterly. "Fine."
--------------------------------------
"There's a large thrift store I know of, on South Jackson street," Danil said sitting down on Lilly's bed next to her. He took the phone book from her hands, and closed it, tossing into the corner. "I'll take you," he said grabbing her hand and the purse on the ground.
Lilly had little time to protest before she was nearly out of the apartment. "Wait a second," Lilly finally breathed out. Her heart was racing dangerously at even the smallest contact between their hands.
Danil looked at her, emotions hidden. Lilly hated not being able to read him the same way she felt he could see through her. "Yes?"
"I-I uh… um. I need to tell Michael where I'm going," Lilly felt ridiculous. Since when has she been for a loss of words? And since when did she need to tell her older brother where she was, like he was babysitting her or something?
"Right." Danil held still held her hand tightly in his own. "Michael!" he shouted into the apartment. "I'm taking your sister shopping!"
"Okay." Michael shouted back.
Daniel smiled at her and started towards the elevator. "Wait!" Lilly protested again. "You don't even know me that well."
"Then now is a perfect chance for me to get to know you better." Danil looked her a moment, scrutinizing her closely. "Is there something you're afraid of, Lilly?" he asked.
"N-no! Of course not!" she stuttered flushing a deep red.
"Good."
----------------------------------------
So shopping with Danil hadn't been that bad after all. Not that Lilly had expected it to be, just… well, she was confused about him, that's all. For once in her life, she was the one left confused, dazed and stumbling instead of the other way around. In a strange way, she felt a rush thinking of being near him, and knowing how flustered she always became. Like it was a new challenge to over come this ridiculous sensation that caused her to act so pathetically.
Danil not only had a car, which in New York was rare, but he had a nice new convertible. As he drove threw the New York streets Lilly felt herself enjoying the ride, the sensation of the air rubbing the small hairs on her arm the wrong way, and knowing she would look disheveled when they arrived.
As they walked to the entrance of the building, Lilly could see their reflection in the glass. He met her gaze in the reflection and slowly smiled crookedly. Always watching her, but always smiling. Lilly wasn't sure whether she should be frustrated at his constant seemingly cheerful personality or not, but at the moment, she had a mission she would decidedly not become distracted from.
That was at least, until Lilly had found a possible candidate to wear herself. She was in the dressing room trying the dress on, Danil was holding the door closed as the latch was broken.
"May I see?" he asked through the door. Lilly stared at herself in the mirror, horrified. The dress was perfect for the show, but she didn't really want Danil to see her in it. Buttercup yellow was definitely not her color.
"Um… no. Sorry, I just started to change," Lilly fibbed.
"So stop. If you don't show me, I'll just open the door." She panicked, Lilly barely knew Danil, but something in his voice… something said he wasn't the sort of person to lie.
"Fine, open the door," Lilly sighed.
He opened the door a small ways and peered inside the dressing room. Lilly watched his expressions closely as he evaluated every inch of her. "It fits well," he admitted. "But that isn't really your color either." Lilly stared at him. Smiling lazily, his head tilted to one side, and hair flopping lightly, Danil continued, "A dark green, maybe a blue, or even a deep scarlet red would look nice."
"…Thanks?" Lilly said very unsure.
"I have a favor to ask you," Danil said as he opened the dressing room door and stepped completely inside. "Next week is my birthday." Lilly stared deer-eyed up at Danil, her heart beating at a dangerous tempo. He looked down at her, no longer smiling, but looking sincere, even slightly nervous as he stepped closer to her, still holding the door shut. "What do you say to dinner, Wednesday night? Sort of a small, birthday celebration."
"A date?" Lilly managed gasped out, swallowing hard immediately after realizing how naïve she sounded.
"Yes," he said quietly and grinned at her. Danil's free hand wandered to her hair as it rested on her shoulders. He fingered a small lock of her raven-colored hair, "What do you say?" he asked searching her face again.
"I—I…" Danil's face seemed to move closer and closer to hers, Lilly's eyes fixed on his lips. They looked softly pink and oh-so inviting. "Yeah, okay," she whispered.
"Good!" he beamed, letting one hand caress her cheek lightly before quickly leaving the dressing room.
Lilly collapsed against the wall breathing heavily. "Oh God," she whispered.
----------------------------------------
"What do you think?" she asked for the billionth time that afternoon. Lilly looked at her reflection in the full-length mirror, Mia close behind her.
"No," Mia said bluntly. "I still think that you should wear the dark green halter."
"But I don't like the way it looks," Lilly whined. She hadn't mentioned her other reasons for not wearing it. Specifically, Danil's comment about colors Lilly should wear. She didn't want to give into him entirely.
"You might not, but you really do look great in it," Mia insisted, for probably the tenth time. Tina sat behind them on the bed, grinning and nodding enthusiastically, Lilly sighed. "Just try it on again, and try to convince me you look horrible in it."
"Fine," she said. She slipped the pale pink peasant top over her head and grabbed the halter off the floor. "Can't I just cancel the date?"
"Definitely not." Mia looked at Tina as she said it, they shared a knowing look. Lilly was never like this.
"You must really like this boy, Lilly," Tina said giggling. "I've never seen you so indecisive."
"I'm not being indecisive," Lilly protested loudly, fiddling with the clasp on the halter back. "I'm being picky."
"Yeah, sure," Tina giggled.
"Time for you make up," Mia said, pushing Lilly back to the bed. "Tina, go for it."
"Since when have you become so commanding?" Lilly asked angrily at Mia's sudden bossy nature.
"Since you and Michael have been rubbing off on me," Mia smiled at her genuinely. "You always told me to be more assertive, you might want to take your own advice tonight." Lilly made a move to stand up, but Mia held her down. "After we've made you over."
----------------------------------------
Michael knocked on Lilly's door lightly. "Good luck getting them out of there, man," he said apologetically to Danil. "They've locked themselves in here all afternoon. I couldn't even get Mia to come out."
Danil shrugged, and said to the door, "Lilly? I'm going to come in." He put his hand on the door and started to slowly open the door. Three small shrieks from the girls startled them as the door was quickly smashed with a bang in to a closed position.
"Not yet, doofus!" Lilly's voice shouted.
Michael grinned at Danil, "I hope you know what you're getting yourself into."
Danil shrugged again. "I can't help it, can you?" he asked.
"No, never," Michael grinned. "As Lilly once said, 'slaves to our own lust'… though I'd like to think I'm more driven by love." They chuckled quietly and watched the door for a few more seconds before deciding to retreat to the living room.
----------------------------------------
Mia and Tina left the room first, leaving Lilly behind in the room wishing she'd never invited them to help her. They giggled about unknown things as they walked into the living room to find four men in suits. Tina hugged Mia goodbye, as they wished each other fun. Tina left to return to her home.
Mia turned to face Michael, so he wasn't exactly wearing a suite, Mia knew it was as far as he was comfortable going. He wore a brand new pair of dark jeans and a nice button up shirt under a dark blue suite coat.
"You look great," he breathed taking her hand to kiss her lightly. Mia curtsied jokingly in her light-blue designer fifty-styled knee length dress. [a/n: what a mouth full.] She was really proud of herself, it was the first dress she had chosen herself, that Grandmére had approved of.
"You don't look half bad yourself," she said to him.
"Well, we're off to see Singing in the Rain," Michael sighed to Danil.
"Hey," Mia jabbed Michael. "I gave you a choice, it was this or Beauty and the Beast."
"Wise choice," Danil commented grinning.
"Yeah, I suppose," Michael added airily, grinning as they left the apartment, Lars trailing behind.
----------------------------------------
Lilly peered around the corner as soon as she heard the front door click close. She stepped forward, and cleared her throat to get Danil's attention.
He gaped at her. His mouth hung open, eyes bulging and staring. "I'm sorry I look so foolish, I didn't realize they would turn me into a parade clown."
"N-no! Its not that," Danil said closing his mouth and flushing. "You look gorgeous."
Lilly looked at her feet nervously shifting her weight. "Shall we go?"
----------------------------------------
"Will you be my girlfriend Lilly Moscovitz?" Danil asked, sipping his water. For once, he looked nervous, and unsure of what to do. He was looking everywhere but her. A slight blush covered his cheek as Lilly followed his eyes. The plate, the napkin, the candle, the dewy glass of ice water, the waiter, the other costumers, but he wouldn't look at Lilly.
"I'm going out of the country for a few weeks," Lilly stated finally.
"How long?" he asked, surprised, finally returning her stare.
"I don't know, however long I feel like it." She was testing him, and he knew it.
"When do you leave?"
"Tomorrow." Lilly didn't blink. Danil's ice blue eyes seemed to swirl for her, and she was dizzyingly lost in them.
"I can wait," Danil said calmly.
"I don't want to commit to anything right now."
"I don't mind."
"I don't want you to see anyone else," Lilly said forcefully.
"I wouldn't do that to you," he said with equal zeal.
"I'm still in high school," she smirked. If he didn't realize it, than he was a fool. But most guys would still find this a turn off to be reminded.
"I'm still in college," he replied simply.
Lilly was frustrated. All signs pointed that he was the perfect guy. He sang, he played the guitar, he was smart, he was willing to date on her terms, he didn't care that she was in high school… "What's wrong with you?" Lilly finally asked.
This started Danil, catching him off guard. "W-what?"
"You heard me," Lilly replied, coldly. "What's wrong with you?"
"What do you mean?"
"You are too perfect, so what are you hiding?"
"I'm not hiding anything." Lilly grunted in disbelief. "Lilly, I'm not hiding anything," Danil insisted. "I really like you, Lilly. Really like you. I want you to be my girlfriend."
Lilly grinned finally. "Simple as that?"
"Definitely," he said.
The waiter came with their food then. The rest of meal they spent shyly glancing at each other and grinning sheepishly. But the silence was comfortable, there was no pressure to please and it had made Lilly very glad that she had decided not to cancel the date after all.
They walked back from the expensive Italian restaurant, hand in hand, strolling lazily across Central Park, back to Danil's car.
"You know," he said kissing her lightly on the cheek. "You never actually said yes." Lilly looked at him confused. He stopped and pulled her close to him, and went down on to one knee. Lilly gasped as he pulled a small ring out of his pocket. "Lilly Moscovitz, will you be my girlfriend?"
"Danil," she groaned, grinning stupidly down at him. "Of course, now get up!"
He slid the small gold ring onto her pinky. It was a small but wide band ring, in it was carved a lily. "Its beautiful," she gasped.
"Just for you," he kissed her lightly. "That shade of green looks lovely on you."
"Gee, thanks. Some attractive stranger told me would look good in dark green. I guess he was right."
"How attractive?"
"Very attractive," Lilly smiled mischievously. "Even more than you."
Danil feigned offense. "Well, if that's how you feel…" he sauntered off leaving a stunned Lilly behind him.
"Danil! Get back here!" she shouted laughing.
"Only if you promise to make me happy," he called back at her.
"I promise!"
"Then I promise to make you happy too," he said running back and wrapping her in his arms. "You deserve it."
Lilly smiled at him, knowing nothing could be better then this night and Danil's promise of happiness. This was better than anything else she had ever felt, Lilly could hardly believe that she could have met someone so amazing and fall so deeply in love in so short a time. No, nothing could beat this. And she was almost right. The only night Lilly would ever consider herself happier was the night Danil proposed to spend the rest of his life with her.
========The End==========