Lilian stepped off the plane, yawning slightly as she was finally able to stretch her legs after sitting on the plane. She glanced behind her, smiling as Dave ducked to get out of the terminal, not wanting to hit his head. She held out her hand, allowing Dave to take her hand as they walked into the airport together.
They stopped at the bathroom then made their way to the baggage claim area. Lilian and Dave quickly found their luggage and made their way out of the airport. Dave easily hailed a cab, helping the cab driver to put their stuff in the trunk and Lilian gave the address to Dahlia's house.
She leaned back against the soft cushioning of the cab, smiling wearily at Dave. "I love you," she whispered, taking his hand in hers once again.
"I love you too, Baby," Dave replied softly.
Lilian glanced at him, then asked, "Are you sure you're okay visiting Dahlia and Matthew with me?"
Dave sighed, squeezing Lilian's hand and pulling her gently towards him. She laid her head on his chest, closing her eyes as Dave stroked her soft blonde hair. "Lilian, you know it's not a problem," Dave replied quietly. "I want to meet your sister and her husband. I want them to be part of your life and I want you to be happy. So of course I don't mind going with you."
Lilian smiled, keeping her eyes closed and snuggling up closer to Dave's chest. "I love you so much," Lilian said. "You treat me so well it's not even funny." She opened an eye, glancing at the cab driver when she heard him speaking in another language. He was talking and… there was no one in the front seat. "Who is he talking to?" Lilian asked Dave nervously.
"I don't know, Sugar," Dave said softly, causally glancing in the front seat. "He doesn't have a cell phone or an earpiece… so I dunno."
Lilian nodded, frowning slightly as she looked at Dave. Then, they started laughing together. "Lily, would you stop being bad?" Dave hissed, smiling innocently when the cab driver looked in the backseat.
"I'm not!" Lilian said indignantly, also smiling.
Dave shook his head, then asked softly, "Are you okay with this? Seeing Dahlia after five years, I mean?"
Lilian sighed, tracing the pattern of her jeans before replying, "I dunno, baby. I hope so."
Half an hour later, the cab driver pulled into the driveway of a one level house in a nice looking neighborhood. Lilian stepped out of the car, looking at the house as Dave paid the cab driver and grabbed their bags out of the trunk, slinging them over his shoulder. The cab driver said something to Dave, then hopped in the car and drove away.
"What did he say to you?" Lilian asked curiously, accepting her purse as Dave and she began walking towards the house.
"I don't know," Dave said slyly, "He wasn't talking to me."
Lilian snorted, her breath catching as the front door opened. She stopped in her tracks, Dave nearly bumping into her as she looked at her sister. She stared for a long time, meeting her sister's gaze.
"Lil, it's okay," Dave murmured. "It's gonna be okay, baby, I promise."
She nodded, setting her jaw as she walked up the steps to her sister's house. "Hey, Tortuga," Lilian said tearfully.
"Hey, Runtkins!" her sister replied, opening her arms. Lilian stepped up, hugging her sister for a long time. "I've missed you," Dahlia whispered.
"I've missed you too," Lilian whispered back, holding her sister tightly. Dave and Dalia's husband watched on, both smiling.
After a few long moments, they stepped back, Dahlia keeping her hands on Lilian's arms. "You look awesome, Lil. You've lost weight, haven't you?"
"Yeah," Lilian replied shyly. "You look really good yourself." And her sister did, too. She looked a lot happier than she did five years ago. She noticed her sister glance behind her, looking at Dave. "Dahlia, I'd like you to meet my fiancé, Dave Batista," she introduced.
Dave nodded at Dahlia, smiling slightly as he extended a hand. "Hi, Dahlia," he said softly. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
"You, too, Dave," Dahlia replied. "Lilian, Dave, I'd like to introduce you to my husband, Matthew."
"Nice to meet you, Matthew," Lilian said, taking his hand and then stepping aside so Dave could do the same thing. The four then stood there awkwardly, looking at each other.
"Well, come on in," Dahlia finally said, gesturing for Lilian and Dave to enter her house. Dave and Lilian stepped into her house, glancing around curiously. "Let me show you where you'll be staying, that way Dave can put your stuff down," Dahlia added. "Then, I guess Matt and I can take you out to dinner and maybe walk along the beach. Our treat."
Lilian and Dave followed her sister, Dave saying, "Dahlia, you don't have to take us to dinner. We're your guests-"
"Exactly, Dave. I invited you guys," Dahlia said, smiling up at Lilian's fiancé. "So it's our treat."
Dave opened his mouth to protest, but Lilian put a hand over his mouth. "Trust me, Dave," she said sweetly, "When I tell you never to argue with my sister. You won't win."
She removed her hand, and Dave shrugged his shoulders. "Okay, but we're buying dinner tomorrow," he said.
A few hours later, after dinner, Dahlia and Lilian were walking along the beach as Dave and Matthew were tossing a football back and forth.
"So what do you think of Dave?" Lilian asked nervously, laughing to herself as she remembered having this conversation many times before with Dahlia over the course of their teenage years.
"He's nice, Lil. He's big, though. He makes you look even smaller than you already are."
"I know," Lilian exclaimed. "But I love cuddling against him. I feel like I fit perfectly into his side and that he towers over me and that we're just made for each other… and I'm gushing, aren't I?" Lilian asked, seeing her older sibling smirk slightly.
"Yeah, but it's cute. You're in looooooove!" Dahlia replied, drawing out the last word. "You're allowed." Lilian laughed, shaking her head as her sister suddenly became serious. "Can you believe we're actually here together?" Dahlia asked Lilian, stopping along the beach to sit down, Lilian following her movements.
"No, I can't," Lilian admitted. "But it is nice to be back in South Carolina for an actual visit rather than just stopping here for a show then moving on to the next town." Lilian paused, glancing at her sister. "And I'm glad to be here with you, making things right. Even if Daddy hates my career choice, I'm glad that you want to be part of my life."
Dahlia nodded, sighing as she pulled her knees to her chest. "I'm sorry, Lil." Lilian remained quiet, waiting for her sister to continue. "I'm sorry that I haven't been there for you these past few years. It's just… Daddy made it seem like you left the family… made it seem like you didn't want anything to do with us. But when we talked, when he told me you were getting married, he said that you contacted him. It didn't take a genius to figure out that he was the one who shunned you from the family." Dahlia sighed, looking out towards the ocean, watching as two seagulls fought over a fish. Lilian watched Dahlia, still remaining silent, knowing that her sister was attempting to gather her thoughts… wanting to say the right things. Finally, Dahlia glanced back at Lilian. "I'm sorry," she said softly. "I know it's a shitty excuse, and I'm not trying to make excuses for myself. But Lilian, please trust me when I say I want to make amends. I want to be part of your life again."
Lilian sighed softly, shaking her head. "Lia, I need you to trust me, too. Trust me when I say that I love you and I never stopped thinking of you as my sister. I want to be part of your life… I want to be able to come visit and bug you and call you at three in the morning when I have a girl problem. I want to show you what I bought you for Christmas with the crazy idea that you're going to show me what you got me." Dahlia snickered, remembering that trick she played on her sister every year. "I want you to visit me backstage at shows and have front row seats for events so I can point you out and proudly tell everyone in the crowd that you're my sister." Dahlia laughed, placing an arm around Lilian's shoulder, pulling her little sister close. Lilian wrapped her arm around her sister, laying her head on her shoulder. "I want to be part of your life again, Dahlia. But what about Daddy? He made it clear that he doesn't want anything to do with me."
Dahlia sighed, laying her head on top of Lilian's. "I don't know, Lil. My relationship with Mom and Dad is strong, and I don't want to break that. But you are important to me, and if Daddy doesn't accept that, then… well, I guess it's a risk I have to take, Lily."
Lilian remained quiet, simply enjoying the silence between her and her sister. Together, they watched kids playing, families tossing Frisbees and footballs, dogs running across the sand on the quiet night. Behind them, the boardwalk was bustling, South Carolina residents and guests enjoying the breezy Wednesday night.
"Hey, babe," Matthew said, settling down next to Dahlia. "You gals having fun with your girl talk?"
"You know it, sweetie," Dahlia said, kissing her husband of three years on the cheek.
"You have fun, babe?" Lilian asked Dave, kissing him on the nose and taking his hand in hers.
"Yeah," Dave replied. "Matt's got a rocket of an arm there," he added, tossing the football over Lilian and Dahlia's heads so Matt could catch the football.
"Hey, how about we play couple against couple?" Matt suggested. Lilian froze, her body tensing slightly. "Come on, it'll be fun," Matt insisted, seeing the less than enthusiastic looks on the girls' faces.
"Uh… I appreciate the offer, Matt, but I can't," Lilian said, glancing at Dave. He nodded encouragingly to her, and she looked back to her sister and her husband. "There's something I need to tell you guys. Sitting on a beach wasn't the way I imagined it, but still… you deserve to know this." Lilian smiled hesitantly at her sister before saying, "I'm pregnant. About a month and a half along."
Dahlia and Matthew sat there, shocked for a moment before Dahlia broke into a wide smile. "Lily! I'm so excited! I'm gonna be an aunt," she squealed, slapping Matthew lightly on the chest before turning to hug her sister. "Congratulations!" she said happily, leaning across Lilian to hug Dave also.
"There's something else," Lilian said softly. She felt Dave rub his fingers over her engagement ring, and then continued. "As you know, we're getting married. I'd be honored if you be my maid-of-honor, Dahlia."
"Oh my God," Dahlia said softly. "Are you sure, Lily?"
"Positive," Lilian said firmly. "I've talked it over with Dave and the other bridesmaids and we want you to be the maid-of-honor." She looked at Dahlia, sticking her lower lip out in a pout and asking, "Please?"
"Of course," Dahlia finally said. "I'd be honored."
"Thank you," Lilian said, wrapping her arm around Dahlia's shoulders again. "It means a lot to me."
"No problem."
The four sat in silence for a few moments before Matthew spoke up. "How about we go get some ice cream? Dave's buying. He lost our little bet."
"What's that bet, sweetie?" Lilian asked looking at Matthew confused when Dave blushed slightly.
"You don't even want to know."
End Part 2.7
The part with the cab driver is something that actually happened to my sister, my mom and I while we were in Chicago. Trust me when I say riding in a cab, passing by other cars at 50 mph with inches to spare with a cab driver talking to himself is not for the weak at heart.
Now review, please. All reviews are greatly appreciated.