I'm super sorry that there's been so many chapters of the same day but I guess that's the way the cookie crumbles sometimes.

"Hey there." Dakota stands up straight in his driveway as I lean against the doorframe, the door swung open behind me. It didn't take much to find him once I listened for his boisterous laughter.

"Hello, Dakota." I chuckle slightly, taking in his red face and dirty clothes, oil swiped across his forehead and onto his clean gray shirt. "What are you working on?" I inquire, stepping down and closing the door as I approach him.

I stop when another head pops out from under Dakota's Jeep. "We're attempting to make sure Dakota hasn't done anything to ruin this beautiful specimen and very expensive vehicle."

"Hey, I'm paying you back with interest." Dakota defends.

"You must be Dakota and Sam's dad." I smile, continuing forward as I ignore Dakota. "I'm Lillian."

"Oh I know." He winks, sliding back under the vehicle. I don't know how I missed him the first time seeing as I can now clearly see underneath the car. I guess I just wasn't paying any attention.

"What?" I ask, confused as I look to Dakota for an explanation.

He shrugs. "Who knows what he's talking about ninety percent of the time." He scoffs in an obvious attempt to wave off his father's comment.

"Hopefully a lot of people considering he's a professor." I reply smartly, leaning against his car, my fingers running over the white exterior.

"She's got a point." His dad calls from under the Jeep, earning a laugh from me and an eye roll from Dakota.

I shrug, climbing up and into the driver's seat of his vehicle, placing my hands on the wheel, admiring it. My now-dry hair blows slightly in the breeze without a door to protect me from the heat and wind.

"You like it?" Dakota asks me, settling into the passenger seat.

"Obviously." I breathe, "Who wouldn't? Why are you guys checking it again?" I ask him curiously.

Dakota leans back in his seat, propping his legs in the dashboard. "My dad makes me do this with him every time I go off-roading just in case."

"That's either smart or very overly paranoid." I whisper quietly so his dad can't hear. He mouth I know right in reply and I chuckle.

He pauses and I can feel his eyes on me and I run my own eyes over every button and lever in front of me. "You can drive it sometime...if you want." His voice is low as he says this.

My head whips to the side. "Seriously?" I gasp.

His grins immediately widens when he spots my excitement. I'm practically bouncing up and down when he replies, "Yeah of course. As long as you're careful. But I get the feeling that you're the safest driver to ever exist." He laughs lightly.

"Probably." I confess, biting my lip. "You would really let me drive your Jeep?"

He shrugs. "Yeah, I mean, why not?"

I laugh happily, gripping the steering wheel. "Thank you, I'm looking forward to it."

"I can see that." He laughs, looking over at me. Once again, I spot the smudged oil on his forehead and on instinct I reach over and run my thumb across the skin, rubbing as much of it as I can away.

Pushing the sweaty hair from his forehead, I see the almost shocked expression on Dakota's face, his bright green eyes locked on me as he quickly recovers, an amused smirk on his lips. I pull my hand away quickly. "I'm so sorry." I laugh nervously, "Me and my dad...uh...I guess it's a habit. I didn't really think about it."

He pauses, his smirk growing. "And here I was thinking you were trying to kiss me this time."

My cheeks grow warm. "Certainly not."

"What did you just say, Koda?" His dad's voice emits from under the vehicle. I feel my face grow even warmer until I feel it's on fire. I forgot he was there.

"Lillian tried to kiss me." Dakota yells, swiftly dodging my hands as I try to hit him.

"I did not!" My voice strains. "I definitely did not."

"I'm just going to pretend that I didn't hear you say that." He calls from underneath us, a chuckle escaping him.

Dakota gives me a satisfied smile. "I'm pushing you out of your comfort zone."

"That isn't what I had in mind." I seethe through my teeth, feeling embarrassed even though I know that literally nothing happened.

"I know I'm just trying to make an excuses for embarrassing you in front of my dad." He smiles nervously before saying loudly, "Hey dad we're gonna go inside."

"Yeah you do that." He responds, grunting as he works.

I quickly scurry out of the vehicle and walk stiffly to the front door, Dakota behind me. As soon as the door closes, I turn to him. "Dakota, you're such a jerk." I place my hands against the heat of my cheeks in attempt to cool them down.

"I'm sorry." He fights a smile, placing his hands on my elbows gently as he apologizes and we stand in the doorway quietly.

"Why did you say that? That was so awkward." I laugh once as I look at his goofy smiling face. "Stop making me laugh, I'm angry."

"Oh sorry." He apologizes again, clearing his throat and forcing his expression to deaden although I can still see the amused glint in his eyes.

I breathe deeply to calm myself down, dropping my hands. His hands move to my wrists, a grin spreading over his lips once again. "Better?"

"Yeah but I'm still ticked at you." I glare at him.

"What else is new?" He winks, releasing my wrists and stepping back.

"You have a point." I chuckle, "Just don't do it again."

"I promise I will not lie about you trying to kiss me ever again." He holds his left hand up as he swears, his right hand drawing an x over his heart.

"Thank you." I deadpan, "Now when is everyone showing up?" I ask him, changing the subject.

"They should be here in a few minutes actually. I need to get dressed again, do you need anything? I can ask Samantha if you need like makeup or something." He offers cluelessly, stepping towards the stairs.

I think for a moment before replying, "I can ask her if I need anything."

"You sure?" He asks me once more with a questioning look.

I give him a small smile, nodding once. "Yeah I'm sure. I'll see you in a bit."

"Okay." He grins before turning and walking up the long flight of stairs.

A few minutes later, I've stepped into the hall bathroom and, with wide eyes, I take in my appearance, the braid I put half of my hair in is frizzy and disheveled and the other half looks crazy and knotty. Not to mention the dark circles under my eyes from my mascara smudging.

"I definitely need some help." I mumble, exiting the bathroom. Warily, I look around before ascending the stairs. The second door belongs to Dakota so I'm guessing the one next to it must be Sam's.

I stop in front of it nervously before knocking on the white wood quietly. "Come in." I hear her voice from the inside.

Slowly, I twist the knob and step inside the room, closing the door behind me. "Hey, it's me." I say awkwardly as I stand there in the dark, taking in the scene before me.

In a large beanbag chair in the corner, both Winter and Sam lay, his arm around her while her laptop props up on another chair, a movie paused.

"Oh hey, Lillian." Winter grins, leaning forward and closing the laptop. "You can turn that light on if you want."

"Oh I didn't mean to interrupt." I rush to say, feeling like a nuisance.

Sam waves this off, pushing Winter's arm away from her. "No you didn't, don't worry. We've seen this movie a million times. Did you need something?" She asks me, standing up as I switch the light switch on and she opens the blinds, light pouring in. I hesitantly turn the light back off.

"Um..." I hum, ringing my hands. "I know that your guests will be getting here soon and I look like complete trash from today so I was wondering if I could use a brush or something?" I ask hopefully, laughing a little.

"Yeah of course." She responds immediately. "Winter you should go help my mom or something. We need to get ready." She stands on her tippy toes and kisses him on the cheek. I smile at the sight.

"Okay." He smiles down at her, walking toward the door. I step out of his way swiftly as he stops and turns around to say, "I love crushed pineapple." He winks, earning a laugh from her.

"I love crushed pineapple too." She responds before he goes out, closing the door behind him.

I stand there, completely confused. "Uh...am I missing something here?"

Sam looks at me, shaking her head with a bright smile. "No not at all. It's an inside joke kind of thing." She explains with a shrug, moving the chair back to her desk and tossing the laptop into her bed, a thick white comforter and different colored pastel pillows covering it.

"Okay." I accept this response, reminding myself to ask Dakota about it later.

"So." Sam rubs her hands together. "What else do you need?"

"Uh..." I begin, thinking. There's plenty that I need it's just a matter of whether I'm comfortable asking for them or not. Using other people's things somehow makes me very nervous because I'm always worried that they secretly would rather me not use it. "Would it be okay if I used some mascara or something?"

"Are you kidding?" She laughs. "You can use anything you want, seriously. What's mine is yours."

"Are you sure?" I grin, feeling ninety percent more comfortable. "That's really nice of you."

"It'll be nice to have a girl to get ready with instead of having Winter stare at me while I do my makeup and make me nervous." She chuckles, earning a laugh from me.

"That's cute though. You guys are cute." I say, walking towards the bed and taking a seat on it, making a mental note of how soft and comfortable it feels.

"Thank you." She grins, biting her bottom lip, her face turning slightly red. "Sometimes I can't believe I'm actually with him. Even after six months he's such a dream." Sam sighs, sitting on the bed next to me.

"That must be nice." I smile at her happiness.

She looks over at me almost sheepishly. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to go on about it. We look about the same foundation shade, do you need some?" She changes the subject, opening the drawers of her desk and pulling out, what looks to be, a makeup bag.

"Sure." I fold my hands in front of me. "Do you have a makeup wipe or something?" I ask her hopefully.

"Yeah." She chirps, opening another drawer and pulling out a whole pack, pulling one from it and giving it to me swiftly.

"Thank you so much." I thank her, running the wipe over my face and eyes to remove any makeup.

"So you work at the bookstore?" She asks me as she wipes her own face and begins rubbing a moisturizer over her smooth skin.

I nod, tossing the dirty towelette into a nearby trash tin. "Yeah I do. I really like it. What about you? Do you have a job?" I inquire, watching as she sprays her face with some rose water spray.

"No, not yet. I've had a job before but I've never found something I really liked." She tells me as she hands me her moisturizer and spray.

"Thanks." I smile, "You should work with me." My smile widens when her face lights up, her chocolate brown eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Would they hire me?" She gasps. "Because I would absolutely love that. Dakota says that you guys have tons of book there. And he got me a copy of The Enders Game so it must be cool there." She laughs.

I pause. "Wait...he actually got it to you?" I ask her, shocked. "I thought that he left it in the elevator."

Sam shakes her head. "He did but an employee found it in there and thought he deserved to have it for free after getting stuck in the elevator." She laughs.

"Amelia." I chuckle, "It was probably my manager, Amelia."

"Probably." She agrees, "Anyway, I'm guessing I have you to thank for the book. Dakota knows nothing about science fiction." Sam snorts, pulling a black beauty blender from the back and spritzing it with the rose water after I've finished using it.

"Guilty as charged." I confess, thinking back to how clueless Dakota wondered around for hours until he finally let me help him.

"Well thank you. It's a wonderful novel." She thanks me as she pats at the makeup on her skin. "I'm guessing you've read it."

"Yes, I have." I tell her, taking the blender and glass foundation bottle from her once she's done with them. "I read a lot."

"I think we have that in common. Which is why we should most definitely be coworkers." She winks at me in the mirror and I wink back.

"Most definitely."

When we've finished making ourselves look significantly less ugly, I feel much better about my appearance and also significantly more comfortable attending this party. After having a long conversation with Sam, I feel that we have a lot in common and that we're already becoming good friends.

I now feel less nervous since I can be introduced as both Sam and Dakota's friend.

"Want some?" Sam asks me, holding up a bottle of vanilla body spray.

"Please." I smile, stepping forward as she sprays a spray on my chest, on the back of my neck, and on my back. "That smells so good." I comment.

"Thanks." She chirps, "Winter got it for me."

"Awe, that's so sweet." I laugh, tucking my hair behind my ear. After much arguing, Sam convinced me to take my hair all the way down and spray from voluming spray in it to fluff up to roots a bit more since it looks a little more flat since being soaked in pond water.

I have to admit that, with the color of Dakota's sweatshirt and my fresh makeup, I'm feeling very comfortable and confident.

"Okay, you ready?" She asks me with a sigh, opening the door.

"Uh..." I look down at my bare feet, "My shoes got soaked earlier. Is it okay if go barefoot?"

Her mouth ticks to the side as she thinks. "I'd say it's more than fine but if you'd be more comfortable with shoes then you're welcome to wear mine if they fit you."

"Okay, thanks." I grin, peeking into her closet and leaning down, grabbing the first pair I see and trying them on. The black flat vans fit perfectly and I sigh in relief. "They fit amazingly."

"What size are you?"

"Seven and a half." I state.

"That explains it." She chuckles, "I am too. Okay, now are you ready?"

"Yeah, I'm good. Let's go." I breathe, standing straight before following her down the stairs.

Surprisingly, the home below is already bustling with noise and chatter. No one notices us until they spot Sam, claps erupting as they see her. I smile at her as she lights up, seeing her family and friends gathered in her honor.

"Happy birthday!" Everyone seems to yell from every direction. She waves in response, probably just as confused as to where the voices are coming from as me.

I'm greeted by several people who introduce themselves as aunts and uncles of the twins and a few friends of Dakota's smile brightly at me but they're all male and make me slightly nervous so I duck away before any of them can talk to me.

As soon as I enter the kitchen, it's even more crammed with people. Who knew that the Thorntons had so many family members and close friends? I don't even think I know this many people.

I shove my way past people, apologizing as I go. Grabbing a can of Lacroix on the way, I push the patio door open that leads to the pool and step outside, the people significantly lessening as I close the sliding door.

I release a large breath of relief, opening my can of the fizzy beverage in my hand, taking a sip. I look around, counting about eight people out on the patio, mostly teenagers, and of course Dakota's dad working the grill.

Speaking of Dakota, my eyes lock on a familiar head of blonde hair and a cheeky grin as he sits by the pool with his feet in the water while a few of his friends surround him. Geez, when Sam and Dakota told me they had a few friends I assumed they meant about ten at the most. They know quite a few people considering they were homeschooled.

I watch him laugh at something the guy next to him said and I smile at his laid back stature. He looks like he's having fun. I'm about to turn around and leave him with his friends when his eyes meet mine and the smile from them disappears as he gives me a serious look. Almost like he's begging with me for help him.

My brows furrow deeply as he quickly laughs along with the group and then looks back at me once again and shoots me the same look as before.

"What?" I mouth to him. He blinks at me as if willing for me to understand. I start to walk his way but his eyes stop me, his head shaking ever so slightly. Finally, realize what he wants.

"Uh..." I clear my throat. "Dakota?" I call for him casually, earning his "attention" along with a few of the people around him, the others going on with their own conversations.

"Yes?" He replies, looking at me expectantly.

"Um..." I mentally smack myself for not preparing myself for this, "Your mom needs you inside." There, good enough.

"Okay cool. Sorry guys I've got to go, I'll see you later.Thanks again for coming." He grins, fist bumping a few guys and giving his girl friends a quick hug before walking towards me and subtly grabbing my hand, pulling me over to the sliding door of the guest room, opening it.

As soon as the door is closed and he's closed the large curtains, I give him a very confused look. "What was that all about?" I laugh as he drops my hand and sits on the bed.

"None of those people actually care about me and it gets exhausting hearing about the same crap every time I see them. Then I saw you and I'd much rather spend time with you and my family." He sighs, laying back on the mattress with his arms spread out, "And I just needed a breather so thanks for saving me."

I pause before sitting next to him. "You're welcome I guess." I laugh lightly before saying, "There's a lot of people here."

"Tell me about it." He chuckles, staring up at the ceiling. "And I love everyone here, I really do. But is it bad that I wish there were less people here?"

"No. At least I personally don't think so. It's your birthday, right?"

"Right." He replies before slowly sitting up. "Whelp. I have officially had a breather so now it's time to mingle."

"Okay let's go." I smile. His hand reaches out and I roll my eyes before grabbing his forearm and pulling him up, obviously doing nothing to help as he stands but it's the thought that counts.

As soon as we exit the guest room and walk down the hall, Dakota is greeted by everyone who sees us passing.

For the next few hours, I see little of Dakota as he drifts through rooms having conversations with anyone who wants to talk with him. I watch from my place on the couch, his great aunt Edith who's about seventy eight talking to me about when she was a young girl how when the phone had a chord, humans were free, as Dakota bustles about.

I admire his people skills, I genuinely do. The way he engages in conversations as if it's a game of chess; he's always three steps ahead and ready for anything.

I've also noticed him avoided a few people but I don't think there's a real pattern, I just think that there are some people he thinks are really important to make sure he talks to and then there are people here who are more of his parents' friends.

When the night winds down and people begin to trickle out of the house and back to their homes, I begin to see more of Dakota. Especially as I help clean up in any way I can by picking up trash and even end up helping clean dishes with Helena.

"Sorry you got roped into this." Sam says as she stops beside me, placing plates and glasses into the sink.

"It's no problem at all, really." I smile at her.

"Well thank you, we really appreciate it." She grins back beautifully.

"No, I'm the only who gets to say thank you." Dakota interrupts me as I'm about to reply to his sister.

I give him a dead stare. "You can't claim thank yous."

"I just did. Thank you, Lillian." He smiles cheekily as I right my own smile.

"You're welcome, Dakota."

By the time we've finished, it's well after eleven at night and both of Dakota's parents are yawning.

They both thank me for coming and for helping before Helena gives me a hug and the two of them head upstairs to bed.

Sam hugs me before going to sleep herself and Winter gives me a nod, ducking out of the house to head back over to his own home next door.

Soon, it's just me and Dakota.

"Let me walk you home." Dakota whispers to me as I open the front door, staring out at the dark night sky.

I stop him from following me. "No. I don't want you to have to do that. It's late and you would have to walk back on your own. I'm fine, really." I whisper in reply.

He considers this before shaking his head. "I'll just drive you over there real quick. Come on." He grabs my wrist and pulls me outside before I have a chance to argue.

He grabs my bike and gently sets it in the back. The tires stick out a little but, with the doors off, it works out perfectly.

"You really don't have to drive me." I say aloud once I know I'm out of earshot from the tired Thorntons upstairs.

Dakota silences me as he hops into the driver's seat with a single look. "I want to, Lillian. Now get in, it's my birthday."

"You know, that excuse will only take you so far." I sigh at his demand but follow it is anyway, buckling my seatbelt and tugging on it to make sure it's secure.

"Hey, until midnight comes, the excuse is valid, my friend." He comments smartly to which I give no audible reply.

It literally only takes about one minute to drive to my house and one more minute to tug my bicycle from his Jeep.

Unbuckling my seatbelt, I hop out of the vehicle and look back in confusion when Dakota walks behind me, his Jeep still running.

"What are you doing?" I whisper. "You don't have to walk me to the door." I chuckle in amusement.

He shrugs, "Just making sure nothing happens to you in the time it takes you to walk from being with me to your front door."

I watch him with a smile on my lips. "Okay...that's fair enough I suppose." Yet I will never admit out loud how sweet those words sounded.

As we stop on my front porch, I pull out my house keys and stick them in the key slot, unlocking the door and swinging it open quietly. I did end up shooting my dad a text telling him I would be home late and that I was at a friend's birthday party here in the neighborhood. So we're good.

"Thank you for helping out with everything today." Dakota whispers, his hands in his jean shorts pockets as he leans against my doorframe calmly. "You really didn't have to."

"I wanted to." I smile, folding my hands in front of me. "Oh." I exclaim, "I have your sweatshirt and Sam's shoes."

I start to take it off but his cold hand stops me. "No. You can return them another time, it's okay."

"Okay." I respond slowly. "Well...goodnight."

"Goodnight." He smiles and waves a little before jogging off the porch and back to his vehicle.

Just as he's about to get in he says, "Oh and I forgot to mention that you looked especially beautiful today." His voice is just loud enough for me to hear.

"Thank you, Dakota." I respond with a small smile before waving goodbye.

I wait until he's pulled away completely to close the front foot. And even then I stand there with my back to the door, a goofy smile on my face as I recall my day completely taken up by a boy with a crooked grin and a dazzling sense of humor.