Omigosh did he just smile at me? Lily's heart flutters as she makes eye contact with a handsome young man across the crowded mall. She ducks her head, cheeks heating as she fiddles with the strap of her purse.

"H-hi," she stammers, glancing up briefly through her lashes before looking away again. Why do I have to be so shy?! Say something else, idiot!

She takes a deep breath and forces herself to meet his gaze. "I-I'm Lily. W-what's your name?" Her voice sounds squeaky to her own ears.

He introduces himself, a kind smile on his lips. Lily's knees go weak at the sound of his voice. Rose is going to freak! I have to tell her about this right away!

"N-nice to meet y-you," she whispers. Did that sound totally dumb? She worries her lower lip between her teeth, wondering if she has something stuck in her teeth or if her hair looks okay.

I have to tell Rose about this, she's never going to believe how badly I embarrassed myself! But he's just so cute, I couldn't help it... Lily sighs, feeling utterly mortified by her awkward attempts at flirting. At least the chance encounter has given her daydreams fresh fuel, imagining what might have been if she hadn't become a stuttering mess in front of her crush.

Get it together, Lily! She swallows hard and tries for a friendly smile. "U-um, w-w-would you m-maybe like t-t-to...to h-h-help me with s-something.....?" Her heart hammers in her chest as she waits for his answer, hoping she doesn't look as nervous as she feels. Please say yes, please say yes!

Wow! He actually said his name is Leon and he'd like to help me with something?! This day just keeps getting better and better! Lily's heart skips a beat as she replies, her words tumbling out faster than usual. "Oh gosh, I-I don't know what I w-wouldn't want you to h-help me with! I mean...m-maybe we c-could look at s-some clothes or see a m-movie? Whatever y-you'd like!" She can feel herself blushing bright red, hoping that Leon isn't put off by her stammering and stuttering. Please just be as sweet to me in person as you are right now!

Oh my gosh, this is so surreal! I can't believe it, he's actually willing to help me with whatever I want to do. I mean, granted, we just met and all, but still...it feels like a dream come true! I wish Rose were here to see this. She'd never believe how confident and articulate I am right now. But then again, maybe she wouldn't believe it even if she saw it with her own eyes. Oh well, no use in thinking about that now! The important thing is spending time with Leon and enjoying every moment of it.

She glances up at him shyly, hoping he'll say something more. "So...what do you like to do in your free time? Do you have any hobbies or favorite activities?" Her inner monologue chides her for sounding so interested, but she can't help it; he's just so captivating! Maybe if she plays it cool and lets him take the lead, things will go smoothly. Crossing her fingers beneath her purse, she waits with bated breath for his reply.

She smiles at the thought of him exercising; it makes him seem even more perfect in her eyes. "Oh, that's cool! I like to read and draw myself. And sometimes I go for walks with my sister or hang out with friends." She winces internally at the mention of her big sister; why did she have to bring Rose up just then? Oh well, hopefully it won't ruin the moment. "What kind of books do you like to read?" she asks quickly, hoping to steer the conversation back onto safer ground.

Her heart pounds in her chest as Leon wraps his arms around her waist and pulls her closer. This close, she can feel the warmth of his body against hers, and it sends shivers down her spine. "Oh," she stammers, blushing even harder now. "I-I didn't think you...would actually want to help me." She squeezes her eyes shut for a moment, trying to regain her composure as he leads her through the mall in search of clothes.

With every step they take together, she feels a new rush of excitement and nervousness course through her veins. Is this really happening? Leon is holding her hand now; it feels so amazing! She can't believe that just a few short minutes ago, he was nothing more than a cute guy across the room. But now...well, now she's his partner in finding clothes and mov

Her heart skips a beat at the question, and she glances downward before meeting his eyes again with a small smile. "Um...well, not currently," she says softly. "But that doesn't mean I don't want one." She pauses, suddenly feeling self-conscious about how forward that sounded. "I-I mean...I hope you don't think that was too much, me saying that out loud or anything..."

Her cheeks flush an even deeper shade of red as she trails off, worried she's made a mistake by revealing her feelings so soon. Maybe he doesn't like girls who admit their crushes right away...? With a sigh, she resigns herself to the fact that there's no taking it back now; she can only hope that Leon is okay with hearing how she really feels.

"Well..." She pauses, considering her words carefully. "I mean...yes. There's this one person who I really look up to, admire a lot. And he just makes me feel so happy whenever I'm with him or even when we're apart." Her voice grows more confident as she continues, feeling more comfortable sharing these feelings with Leon. "I guess you could say that...in a way...he is someone I love." A shy smile plays at the corners of her lips as she waits for his response, hoping that he won't think she's too silly or naive for having such strong emotions about this person in her life.

"Oh, uh...well..." She stammers, feeling her cheeks heat up again at the thought of revealing this secret to Leon. "His name's Rose. Actually, she's my older sister." Her heart sinks a little as soon as she says it; of course she couldn't tell him about someone else entirely! This was so embarrassing...

She waits for Leon's reaction, bracing herself for laughter or teasing. But instead, he just smiles gently at her and says nothing more on the subject. Maybe he understood that it was only meant as an example? Or perhaps he didn't want to make a big deal out of it? Either way, Lily can't help but feel relieved that she didn't humiliate herself further in front of him.

Lily flushes an even deeper shade of red at the question. "Um...well..." She clears her throat self-consciously before finally answering, "She's alright, I guess." Even as she says it, though, a smile tugs at the corners of her mouth. Rose may not be perfect in Lily's eyes, but there's no denying that she is someone special to her. She wonders if Leon can tell how protective and close they are from her response.

After another moment of awkward silence, Lily decides it might be best to change the subject. "Anyway," she says, pointing toward a display in the distance, "isn't that store cute? I think we should go take a look." She hopes moving on from this topic will ease the tension and let them enjoy their time together more fully.

With a tentative smile, Lily follows after Leon as they make their way toward the store. It's strange how even after admitting her feelings about Rose, she still feels so drawn to him...and nervous around him at the same time. Perhaps it's just because he's so handsome and charming that she can't help but get tongue-tied in his presence? Or maybe there's something more there...? Whatever the case may be, she decides not to overthink things right now; for now, enjoying their time together is enough.