To Pique an Interest
Chapter 13: You're Beautiful to Me
Author's Note: A continuation of the previous chapter, and I can tell you this one will be good! Thank you so much to everyone who's reviewed, added to story alerts or favorites! Never thought this story would have been quite a success without you awesome Fanfictioners!
Lilly wasn't the only one giddy from the upcoming evening event. Adam, the same guy who'd asked her out for dinner, had been high on Lilly all day. Even as he chatted with Vince over the phone his thoughts were on Lilly, and he envisioned every female who walked up to him as the beautiful redhead whom he'd successfully asked out on a date.
Though this would sound like an unlikely story to happen in reality, all Adam could think about was his upcoming date with Lilly. He'd had the urge to ask her out since the day they became friends, for he wanted to see the woman inside of her. He knew behind the rocker girl with a love of wrestling was a sexy, sophisticated lady full of womanly charm and appeal, and tonight, he was going to put this hypothesis to the test on a fancy dinner at a French restaurant his friend had recommended him.
Asking a fan out on a date wasn't exactly the everyday thing for a famous celebrity, but Lilly Hazel had been anything but a simple fan to him. From the way they clicked and interacted, Adam grew to like her more and more each day. He could tell from the night she rejected him that she was one of a kind, a class in her own, a special breed that could only be found in one person. Lilly's headstrong yet innocent demeanor was what intrigued him, what drew him towards her.
But tonight, he wanted to see a different side of Lilly; a side that she'd been hiding for all her life, a side that she didn't want anyone to see. From his experience with women, he knew that in every female was a sultry, romantic kitten, and he wanted to make that fire come alive in the stubborn, self-critical Lilly. He noticed from the way she dressed to the way she refused to acknowledge her positive traits, she was lacking a lot of confidence. His goal tonight was to make Lilly believe in herself, to make her believe that she was a beautiful woman.
That evening, at exactly seven thirty sharp, Adam arrived at her front door with a bouquet of white roses, well-groomed with his hair combed neatly and dressed in a simple white button down shirt and navy blue suit. Instead of the beautiful redhead he'd longed to see since the beginning of her day, a short yet leggy blonde answered the door, squealing in excitement. Why? Perhaps it was because of his celebrity status. But Adam knew that the one woman he wanted didn't find that the most important aspect about him.
"Oh, hi! I'm Camryn, Lilly's friend," said the blonde, holding out her hand to shake his, "you must be the famous Adam Copeland! Come on in, I'll go check on your date."
Adam walked into the familiar scene of Lilly's apartment, standing comfortably by the front hall waiting for his date. "Lilly! He's here!" the blonde named Camryn shrieked into the apartment. Adam perked up when he heard Lilly reply, "I'll be there in just a sec!"
"You'll love her, she looks so gorgeous," sighed Camryn, as she handed Adam a glass of water.
His eyes locked on the bedroom door, Adam waited for her with eager excitement bubbling up inside of him. He'd waited anxiously all day to finally take Lilly out on a date and he was going to see how beautiful she looked. He knew her well enough to know that she never took more than five minutes to get ready.
His prediction was well-proved when the door creaked open and Lilly emerged from her bedroom door. He had to practically pick his jaw up from the ground at that moment.
It was as though Lilly was a butterfly that had emerged from its cocoon after metamorphosis. It was as though an angelic choir sung into his head, and the room suddenly glowed. The Lilly he was staring at in awe looked nothing like the Lilly he was used to seeing everyday, but this was the same Lilly he'd befriended over the past few days, believe it or not.
Her famous blazing red hair was styled in an elegant mass of curls at the side of her head with a few locks curling loosely past her shoulders. Her makeup was sultry and sexy, the smokey effect making her eyes glitter like emeralds. Her lips were a soft bubblegum pink, the apples of cheeks done with a very light blush. Sparkly earrings and a matching silver cuff adorned the glamorous look.
But it wasn't the make-up that completely threw him off. It was what she wore that gave him the biggest wake-up call: a fuchsia pink halter dress that hugged all the curves in all the right places and gave just the right amount of cleavage. Instead of the Converse he was used to seeing on her feet, she wore a pair of peach colored stilettos that seemed to elongate her already shapely legs, something he rarely saw because she always wore pants. It was as though she'd transformed into a whole new woman.
Adam was put in a trance as he watched Lilly walk towards him, clutching her purse nervously. The way her feminine hips swung in that dress completely hypnotized him.
"I did a good job, didn't I?" he vaguely heard Camryn sigh next to him.
Adam couldn't have agreed more. If he wasn't so lost in his own little world, he would've thanked Camryn for helping Lilly show how truly sexy and feminine she really was. Who knew that underneath the black and wrestling t-shirts was a glamorous dame who could put all the supermodels in the world to shame?
"Woah…" Adam was lost for words as he once again reveled in Lilly's beauty, "you look...amazing."
Lilly blushed as she mumbled her thanks. She felt more self-conscious than usual, especially from the way Adam was drooling over her like a wolf to a prime rib. He noticed her blushing even harder when he presented her the bouquet of roses. "Adam, that's so sweet," gasped Lilly, "thank you." She was just about to put them away until Camryn did the job for her.
"You're welcome," said Adam, taking her hand and giving her an assuring squeeze, "you ready to go?"
"Yup," said Lilly, a beautiful smile adorning her pouty lips. She turned to Camryn and thanked her, who in turn replied cheerfully, "Anything to help you impress a guy, Lilly!"
Adam chuckled as Lilly blushed again, thinking how cute she looked that way. Hand in hand, he walked her to his sleek black Porsche Carrera GT in the parking lot, one of his most prized cars. Opening the door for her, the gentleman's protocol, of course, he jogged over to the other side and hopped in, driving off to the place where he'd booked their date.
"Adam, is this too much for our date?" asked Lilly nervously, tugging the hem of her skirt down and tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. She was not at all used to the fact that she was wearing a tight dress and looked like a contestant in the Miss Universe beauty pageant.
Adam found it difficult to concentrate on the road, darting his focus between the street and the goddess in the passenger's seat. When he finally stopped at a red light, he turned towards Lilly and said in a husky purr, "No, it's perfect." He grinned and wiggled his eyebrows, making her giggle.
"So where exactly are you taking me for dinner?" Lilly tried to persuade Adam.
"A place that I know you'll love," was all he replied. But Lilly, the little minx that she was, tried bugging him out of spilling the beans, and Adam had to admit having a hard time not giving into the sweetest voice she could make.
He heard a gasp next to him when he drove up to Rosewater, one of the top rated fine dining restaurants in the city. He was well aware of how expensive it was, but that didn't matter to him. He wanted to make his beautiful Lilly feel like a queen.
"Adam! Are you serious about this place?" exclaimed Lilly, watching as Adam drove up to a valet parking attendant and parked the car in front of the restaurant, "this place is fucking expensive! You can't take me here!"
"Of course I can," replied Adam, as the attendant opened the door for Lilly, "there's a reason why I decided to bring you here." However, he noticed the attendant staring longingly at Lilly's legs and his nose twitched in jealousy. Handing the attendant his keys and a twenty-dollar bill, he gruffly mumbled his thanks. When Adam saw Lilly walking up to him he took her hand in his, and he shot the attendant a look saying, "She's mine."
They walked into the restaurant hand in hand and were escorted to a private room Adam had booked specially for the occasion. He tried to hide back a howl of triumph as he watched Lilly glancing around the restaurant in fascination, all while he shot glances between the waiter and Lilly's perfect round behind.
Lilly felt rather self-conscious at the stares she received from servers and customers around her, but all that was forgotten when she was brought to a private room on the second floor. It was perfect; just a single table for two was set up next to the window, with a single candle and scattered rose petals for decoration. The way the setting was set up so intimately made Lilly feel as though she were in a dream. No one had ever done something like this for her. But then she had to admit; this was the first time she'd let any man take her out for a private dinner.
"Adam…this is…" Lilly was astoundingly speechless.
"Do you like it?" Adam asked huskily.
"It's beautiful," replied Lilly, as Adam pulled out a chair for her and then took a seat in front of her. After they'd put their orders for drinks, the waiter handed them their menus. Again, Adam snarled under his breath when he noticed the waiter's eyes salivating over Lilly's chest as she ordered her choices. What was up with people in this place, watching Lilly like she was some delicious prime rib? He definitely didn't like the way the waiter's eyes pored over his girl the same way the valet parking attendant's had done earlier.
Adam felt his heart swell with pride as he gazed at his date; she was so beautiful it was impossible to put it in words. He'd forgotten about his jealousy the instant his eyes met Lilly's emerald green ones. She gave him a soft smile that made him melt; he could tell that she was enjoying the intimacy of their date.
"Why are you looking at me that way?" she asked him curiously, raising a perfectly arched eyebrow.
"Because you look gorgeous," he instantly replied. He smiled again when she blushed.
"Are you really sure I didn't overdress for the occasion?" asked Lilly uncertainly, shy under Adam's lustful gaze.
"Lilly, I think you look perfect," answered Adam honestly, "besides, it's the first time I've seen you wearing no black at all. Why is that so?"
"I don't know," said Lilly, shrugging, "something just told me not to wear any black. I don't know why, but I just didn't."
"Well I think you should wear black less often and more colors other than red," he suggested, "especially pink."
"Really? I hate pink," admitted Lilly. Adam couldn't understand why she hated pink; that pink dress she had on was the sexiest thing he'd ever seen on any woman.
"Why?"
"Because it's a girly color," Lilly laughed, "and I'm far from girly. Besides, my sister always told me that pink was the wrong color for me."
"I still don't think you should hide behind all that black," he murmured under his breath.
"What did you say?"
"Nothing."
To Adam, it was quite obvious that Lilly thought of anything but highly of herself. But tonight, he wanted to make her feel beautiful, sexy, and confident. He carefully chose to talk about subjects that not only interested her, but also didn't tempt her to criticize herself.
Their food arrived quickly and they briefly halted their conversation on dirt sheet reports to savor their appetizers…and each other. Though they were friends, Lilly and Adam both felt as though they were out on dates with longtime crushes. It was no denying that they couldn't keep their eyes off of each other.
Lilly was stuffed by the time dessert was served. Adam had certainly fed her well and she'd enjoyed the food very much. Never in her life had she been able to afford such luxurious dinners, but she admitted she wouldn't have minded coming back again for the five-star quality fine dining. She could hardly believe it was almost the end of their date when Adam drove her back home and accompanied her up to her apartment.
"Adam, I had an amazing time with you tonight," Lilly said to Adam when they'd reached her front door, "I can't thank you enough for doing all this for me. I mean, you really didn't have to take me to such an expensive restaurant…"
"Lilly," Adam's voice suddenly grew low and husky, "the reason why I took you out to dinner is because I wanted to know you better."
"But you already know me," Lilly laughed softly.
"But I never saw this side of you," said Adam, "the side of you that you keep hiding from everyone. The cute, charming, romantic, and sexy side of you. The side of you that's not wearing black all the time or constantly thinking she's not good enough for anyone. Nothing could have made me happier when I saw you having such a good time tonight, because I haven't seen you like this at all."
Lilly's heart stopped. She glanced up at Adam, whose eyes were clouded over in lust.
"Tonight, I got to see a whole new woman in you, Lil. I want you to know that you are the most beautiful girl in the world and I don't want you to think that I'm lying, because I'm not," whispered Adam, taking her hand in his and bringing it up to his heart.
"Why do you think I'm beautiful?" asked Lilly softly, shuddering at Adam's warm touch.
"Because you see the real me," was all Adam whispered before he suddenly grabbed Lilly by the waist and pulled her into a kiss.
Sparks flew in Lilly's head as Adam's warm, soft lips brushed against hers, a shock of adrenaline jolting her entire body awake. This kiss wasn't the same first kiss they shared the night they met; it was a kiss so full of passion and intensity. It was a kiss that made both Adam and Lilly feel more alive than ever before. Lilly sighed as Adam's hands cupped her cheeks, circling them softly before sliding down her neck and then to her waist. He used his hold on her waist to pull her in, deepening the kiss. Lilly's small hand slid to the back of Adam's neck as her tongue gently tangled with his. Adam moaned upon tasting her sweetness, a flavor so fruitful it made him wanting more.
Not a single thought of taking her to bed crossed his mind at all as he kissed her. All he could think about was how truly beautiful and sexy Lilly was, and how she showed that sultry side of her tonight, from her jaw-dropping appearance to the harmless flirting at dinner. The thought of her originally being just a pretty fan didn't occur to him at all. Other fan girls had nothing on Lilly Hazel. When his lips parted from Lilly's, Adam knew for sure that he didn't want to leave Toronto any time soon.
"I'll miss you so much," whispered Lilly, placing a hand on Adam's cheek and looking at him sadly.
"I don't want to go," said Adam, his forehead against Lilly's, "I don't want to leave you."
"Well I have to go back to Providence tomorrow anyway," she admitted.
"What time are you flying back?"
"My flight's in the evening."
"I'll cancel my flight tomorrow morning and catch a later one," said Adam, "I don't want our goodbye to be like this. I want to spend another day with you before we both leave."
"That would be great," said Lilly, smiling. She gave Adam a tender kiss, which Adam couldn't resist deepening once more. She was heartbroken that time had flown by so quickly, and before she knew it, she and Adam would go their respective ways, unsure of when they would meet again. But tonight, all that mattered to her was that Adam liked her as more than just a friend.