One Day At A Time - Revised Edition

The scorching hot, short-lived days of July are soon behind them, as the mildly more bearable days of August creep in.

Ava and Lilly's six-month anniversary is two and a half weeks away, giving them both enough time to figure out how to celebrate it.

Lilly already has an idea, an idea she's had for a while now, but her idea is a little more expensive than she anticipated. She goes up to both of her parents one afternoon with the idea set in mind.

Once she has their attention, her idea comes out clearly. Right to the point and sure of herself.

Though, Shawn has one understood concern,
"Sounds kind of expensive. What's it for?"
"It's a gift for Ava. We've been together for six months- well, six months in a few weeks- and this is how I'd like to celebrate it with her."

Lilly just says it without any fear and, good lord, does that feel exhilarating.
"Together- ah, I get it. Your mom told me about that." Shawn says as the puzzled expression forms and falls off his face simultaneously.

"Six months? Jeez, that's impressive." Louise comments. "I'm happy for you, for both of you." She's happy for her. Genuinely happy for her.

Shawn looks at his wife and thinks for only a minute.
"Oh, what the hell! I'll buy it for you, just give me a minute."
Lilly smiles at him, excited and beyond grateful.
"Of course, we can get it whenever. Thank you so much."

She thanks her mom, too, for saying she's happy for her.

After some time goes by, Ava figures out what she wants to get Lilly to celebrate, walking up and down the isles of a few different stores until she finds it.

And then, Ava and Lilly wait out the time left until the anniversary, where Lilly suggests that they see each other the day before; she wants to give her the gift early, with good reason.

While it confuses Ava, she is eager to give and receive her gift.

So, the day before her and Lilly's anniversary, she invites her over to her house.

Lilly is very clearly happy about her gift and her recent successes with her mom, because when she goes into Ava's bedroom, a joyful energy radiants from her. So beautiful and vibrant that Ava can feel it herself.

Seeing Lilly so happy has never failed to make her happy.

Lilly sets her gift on Ava's bed and they grab onto each other, both beaming with excitement for tomorrow, whatever it may be. (What Lilly has planned, whatever she's giddily sitting on.)

When they let go of each other, they are still close, looking at each other warmly.

"Six months... can you believe that?" Lilly can barely believe it herself as she says it.
"We still have one more day, but I can't believe it'll be here tomorrow!"

Technicalities aside, neither of them can believe it, that they are one more day away from being together for half a year.

"I love you. I love you, so, so much!" Ava tells her, smiling.
"I love you, too. And I'll tell you a million times tomorrow! I'll say it so much that you'll get sick of it!"
"I won't get sick of it, ever. Never ever, Lilly."

Hearing that makes Lilly's heart feel warm, so loved and warm.

Knowing that Lilly will tell her that she loves her a million (give or take) times makes her feel a soft and loved in her own right.

Lilly gives Ava her present as they sit together on the bed: a thin box wrapped as neatly as she could, which still isn't the best.
It's the thought that counts.

Ava tears into it, opening the lid to reveal an envelope, which she opens to find a folded piece of printer paper.

Lilly watches her unfold the paper and Ava's face lights up as bright as the sun and she grins ear-to-ear.

She holds in her hands two tickets to the Renaissance Fair that are booked for tomorrow.

"Oh my god, oh my god- thank you!" Ava doesn't mean to, but her voice squeaks when she thanks her; a happy squeal!
"There's something else in there, look."

Ava puts the tickets to the side and pulls out two lavender shirts with dark purple silhouettes of a dragon and a sword on them.

She grins wider somehow, her eyes are wide, too,
"Matching shirts?"
"I know, it's kind of dor-"

Ava leans forward a little and gives Lilly a hasty peck on the lips to quiet her doubtful thoughts.

"It's not dorky at all, don't say that! I love it!" Ava tells her a second later and Lilly looks caught off-guard and giddy at the same time.
"I'm glad you like them! I thought it would be... cute if we matched tomorrow." Her face is warm and pink.

Ava looks at her adoringly, feeling her heart on the verge of bursting open with all the mushy love she feels inside of it.

But she focuses, handing Lilly her gift, a small tape-heavy box with a bow the size of the box secured on top with even more tape.

Lilly tries her best with digging her barely-there fingernails into the wrapping paper, which after some time, proves to be successful.

She carefully opens the small box, which contains two halves of a heart necklace: one half being a green jade crystal and the other half being a dark blue lapis lazuli crystal. Their hearts put together. (They don't see each other as their "other half," they're both whole as is. Ava visualizes it as their two whole hearts being intertwined, squished next to each other.)

Lilly looks at the necklaces together in the box, snapped together with tiny magnets.
"I love it, so much. It's beautiful." She says, grinning herself now.

She puts the box down gently, pulling Ava in to hug her again, a long, tight squeeze.

When they put them on and click the necklaces together, there's a slight problem: the necklace chains are short, which means that the two of them have to be mere centimeters apart when the necklaces are together.

Though, to them, it's barely a problem.
It just gives Ava the excuse to kiss Lilly again for a longer moment now.

Both of them are dizzy afterwards.

The necklace gives Ava a new thing to fidget with, like the jade necklace she already has, and it gives both of them the excuse to click the halves together to kiss.

"I'm so excited for tomorrow." Ava sighs blissfully.
"I am, too. I'll make sure it's the best day ever."

They're both excited, over-the-moon excited to spend the day together tomorrow. Celebrating their love together.