One Day At A Time - Revised Edition

July is the month where not much happens.

Ava and Lilly spend July like most of their summers. Together, playing inside or outside, and talking and laughing until the early hours of the morning.

Though, it's different than any other summer. Different for obvious reasons.

They're a couple now, girlfriends, who lay close together in bed talking and laughing all night long, with their hands pressed together or resting their heads on each other's chests. (Ava loves the thump, thump, thump of Lilly's heartbeat against her ear, and Lilly loves the content and happy sigh that leaves Ava's mouth when they settle into peaceful silence at some point or another.)
There's never much space between them when they're alone now, especially at night, when Ava's mom and siblings are asleep.

Speaking of her siblings, Ava and Lilly do agree to take Anne and Andy to the local park on some days during the work-week.

Donna thanks them for it by keeping the kids out of Ava's room when Lilly sleeps over. An easy, easy trade off.

July also has a few more mini road trips sprinkled in with Lucas and Rose, which leave them all tired and joyful.

There are a few moments of growth in July, too. Moments of working toward mending wounds on Louise's part and openness on Lilly's part.

Moments such as Louise finding a pink, white, and orange t-shirt at the store randomly and giving it to Lilly, remembering it being the colors of her flag and saying how it looked pretty.

Moments such as Lilly answering questions about how herself and Ava got together, laughing at herself from a few months ago, being so overrun with emotions that she just kissed her. (For something so bold, Louise doesn't judge her at all. She laughs along with her daughter.)

July goes by quick, but Ava and Lilly make the best of it, continuing on to get to August.