The trip to Ghirardelli had been nice. Fitz and Gigi were continuously making funny comments and that kept Lizzie distracted. But once, they arrived to the square, Lizzie found very difficult not to notice all the couples walking around.

She felt a jab of pain in her chest. She had been there with him. She had truly loved him and her heart was deeply hurt. She stopped for a moment to breathe, and in an instant she felt William next to her.

Lizzie expected him to say something or ask her if she was okay, but he did not. She mentally thanked him for that because she did not want to feel more vulnerable that she already felt. She was trying very hard to be strong.

Georgiana and Fitz were already by the door when they noticed that they were alone. They turned and waited for Lizzie and William to join them.

Lizzie breathed deeply and said to him, "Shall we?"

William nodded, put a comforting hand on her back and walked with her to the store.

"Hey, Lizzie, which ones do you like better?," Gigi asked and took her to the counters.

William stayed with Fitz, who was looking around to decide what to get for Brandon.

"You're staring," he suddenly said.

"Sorry, what?", William asked, coming out of his daydreaming.

"You're staring at her," Fitz accentuated.

"Oh," William replied and removed his glasses to rub his eyes, "I did not notice, do you think she noticed? I don't want to make her uncomfortable."

"Not now, Gigi is keeping her busy, but she might if you continue."

William sighed. It was hard not to look at her, especially when he had her so close.

"I just wish the present circumstances were different. I longed to see this scene, Lizzie being happy around my family and my friends, with me. But this is just a mirage."

"She will recover, William, just as Gigi did. And when that happens what you just said could be real. Just don't give up again," Fitz added.

"No, I won't," William said firmly.

Fitz patted his friend on the arm, satisfied with his answer. He picked up a bag with assorted chocolates and paid for it.

However, Gigi was still deciding and Fitz and William waited for them outside the store. When they finally came out, Gigi was holding a bigger bag than Lizzie's.

"My God! Gigi! How much chocolate did you get? You're going to get fat, you know?," Fitz teased.

Gigi smacked him on the arm and said, "Ugh! This is my last semester in college, okay? So I need all the chocolate I can get!"

Lizzie, Fitz and William laughed at her response.

The weather was pleasant, so Gigi suggested going to the nearest park. Lizzie started walking with Fitz, with Gigi and William behind them. Since the four of them had been to the park when they were children, they were sharing some stories.

At some point, Fitz's phone buzzed and split from the group. Lizzie continued to walk alone until she realized William was again by her side. She remembered when Georgiana had told her that her brother had not left her side after the incident with George. In his own way, he continued to look after her.

She looked ahead and saw that Gigi had taken Fitz by the arm and was pulling him forward to look at some dogs that were up for adoption.

"Your sister reminds me a lot of my younger sister. They are both very energetic and easy to like," Lizzie said.

William smiled at her comment. He was glad that Lizzie liked his sister.

"And not to mention their ability to always get their way," she added. Apparently, Fitz did not really want to be around dogs.

"Oh, yes. All the time…," he added, looking at them.

"Fitz had a bad experience with a dog when he was six, and I don't think he has forgotten. And Gigi," he sighed, "she always wanted a dog when she was little, however when my parents told her that she needed to take care of it all by herself, she immediately changed her mind."

Lizzie smiled, "The same happened with Lydia, but then she managed to convince my father to get a cat instead."

"As you said, they always get their way," William said.

They continued to walk in silence, until he spoke again.

"Lizzie, are you enjoying… I mean, are you…?," he just wanted to know if she was enjoying their little outing, but could not find the right words. Fortunately, she put a hand on his arm and he shut up.

"It's fine, William. It's been… calming. And I'm feeling better, not much, but better."

"Okay," he said and squeezed her hand, affectionately.

She freed her hand and he suffered from the lost of contact.

"Hey, happy birthday, again" Lizzie said as she reached for the Ghirardelli bag and took out a smaller bag.

"Gigi told me that these are your favorite", she added and gave him the bag. Lizzie was right; William liked the combination between dark chocolate and mint.

"Thank you, but you did not have to get me anything," he said.

"I know, but I wanted to," she replied and gave him a smile. He tried really hard not to blush at that.

"Thanks, Lizzie," he finally said, "Do you want to try one?"

"Sure."

He opened the bag, took one square and broke in two.

"Here you have, in case you don't like it."

Lizzie bit her piece and made a funny face.

William chuckled, "I'm sorry…"

"It's okay, it actually gets better. It was just unexpected," she added and licked her lips.

William had to turn away so she would not see him flush.

"Well, you're welcome to have another piece," he said and started making small talk to distract her. They did not notice when Fitz and Gigi left them behind.

"I thought you had planned to spend time with your sister," Lizzie noted, after a while of walking.

"Mmm, yeah…," William said. He had not remembered his sister or Fitz because he was enjoying the conversation with Lizzie.

"I don't see them around," Lizzie added. They had reached the limit of the park and were facing the sea.

"Let me call …" and in that moment, his phone rang, "It's Gigi."

Lizzie turned to watch the sea and the bridge, as to give him some privacy.

"Gigi, where are you?," he said to his sister.

"We are going back to Ghirardelli square," Gigi replied.

"What? You should have said something," he responded dryly.

"I know, but you looked so cute together, eating chocolate and laughing that we thought it was better we did not disturb you," she explained.

"Georgiana…," he said dryly.

"Sorry, William! I know… it's not the right time, sorry!"

William exhaled, "It's okay. So what are you going to do now?"

"Brandon called and he's done with work and he wants to meet us for lunch. So, why don't you guys wait there? Fitz and I will get the car and pick you up."

"Okay, call me again when you are near," William finished.

Gigi said good-bye and hung up.

Lizzie turned to see him when she felt him near.

"So?," she asked.

"They are getting the car and will pick up us for lunch."

"Perfect," she said, smiling and returned to look at the sea.

William just stayed there close to her. His body was facing the ocean, but his eyes were on Lizzie. He liked the way her red hair shone with the sun. And her face was way more relaxed of what it had been the day before.

He hoped that he was in part responsible for that change and immediately felt guilty for feeling happy about that.

He lost track of the time they stayed there and was finally brought back to reality by Gigi's ring tone.

"Lizzie, are you ready to go?," he asked, after looking at his phone.

"Yes," she replied, giving him a little smile.