Not one flower. I cannot find the perfect flower in this whole big flower shop. I am pretty sure the owner thinks I'm paranoid because I have been in the shop for about one hour trying to find the right flower for her.

Tonight is the big night. The night I'll be going on the first date with the girl I am going to spend the rest of my life with. I have been going crazy with that thought in my head. 'How do you know?' I asked myself. 'You ever heard of this thing? It's called conscience.' That was my answer.
Finally, I lay my eyes on this one beautiful flower. It is like a spiral of petals with a thick stem. It is a beautiful baby pink color touches of white here and there.

"Oh, this one? It's a lotus. They're pretty tough to find here. Here, let me open it up and show you." The owner opened the petals one by one in an outward shape and showed me the flower. It is so much more beautiful from the inside. "I'll take it," I say. "Really? That's awesome! How many, man?"

"Five, and in a bouquet, please?"

"That would be $50, mate."

"Seriously? I think I asked for five of them, not like a hundred!"

"I told you, boy. They're pretty tough to find here. They're imported. So should I pack it or not?"

Probably three would be enough, I think. When I'm about to pay, my mother's words come back to me. "Do anything for your loved ones." I know the amount I had allocated for this night is exactly just that much and I couldn't afford the dinner if I lose it now, but she deserves these lotuses. Thought it means that I have to use up some of the money I saved for buying the yet - to - be - released new Nike sneakers, I should do it. Because she matters to me now; and definitely more than some sneakers that don't come for sale for another month.
I say yes and pay my money after I get the bouquet. I have the best flowers for My Flowerbed. God that's cheeky.

***

I go to her house that evening. She gave me the address and we happen to be in the same area. Fate, huh?
When I knock at the door, she answers it. And my jaw drops.
Wow, she's an angel. Her white strapless dress hugs her body smugly and does full justice to her curves. The baby pink lush coat she has on is so much like her skin: soft, silky, smooth. Her hair is let down without any binding just like at the party. She has very minimal makeup on, and her natural lips still remain without lip stick's falseness. I see her smiling at me like she knows what I'm doing.

What am I doing?

"Are you done yet? Or should I wait a minute more?" She says. "Wait for what?" "I thought honesty was your trait." "Yes, it still is. But honesty is my trait. Not blurting it out all the time."

She laughs again. I just realized how happy that made me. It's like making her laugh is my prime duty.

"Hi," I say.

"Hi, Phillip." I love my name. I love the way it sounds wrapped up in her voice. From the deepest of her throat to her rose, wet tongue and out through her beautiful lips. I love it.

"This is for you," I say and hand her the bouquet. She looks at the bouquet with doe eyes and then at me.

"Thank you so much! I love lotuses," she says and inhales the scent of them.

She smiles at me and slowly raises her hand. "Shall we?"

I hold her wrist softly and look at the flower tightly wrapped around her fingers.

"It's beautiful," I say. "Lotuses are beautiful. They are born to be beautiful..." She says. "I'm sure they are. I meant your hand when I said it's beautiful."

"Okay, that's the weirdest compliment that I have received. But it kind of makes me feel good," she admits.

"Oh yeah?" I take her hand and bring it close to my lips and kiss it.

"So you want to go out now?" I ask and she nods. And so we go out.
This is going to be my best night ever.

***

"So you're telling me we share French and Calculus II together for four mouths? And I never saw you?" I say. "I know, right? I mean, at least I remember reading about you in the school newspaper when you won that match with - I don't know, I'm sorry. All I remember from that article is your name and what flattering things Nina Hansen had to say about you."
"I'm sorry about the article. I swear I don't know what I did to get her that obsessed with me. I tried talking to her, but she fainted. So I left a letter at her locker, and I hope she has moved on because a girl who can express so much of her heart in her writing deserves someone who can give the affection back."

She leans forward. "And why aren't you that guy?" I take her hand in mine and lean in. "Because I didn't feel what I felt when I first laid eyes on you."

Stephanie blushes and her cheeks take the most beautiful pink hue I've ever seen. I thought white looked the best on her. I was wrong. Pink is her color.

"Stephanie, you look great in pink."

She blushes even more. God, I want to make her blush all the time. I love her pink.

"You know, it's rude to stare, Phil."

"You know it's also rude to be so beautiful and not realize it..."

She giggles and swats my arm. "You are one helluva flirting king..."

"Like I told you, I'm just an honest-to-God man."

She laughs again and my heart flutters, seeing her cheeks swell with excitement and joy. It constricts her eyes but those blue-green eyes fail to arrest all my attention with its gleam.

"So... Tell me about you, Phillip March."

I chuckle and say, "Why don't you guess?"

She smiles a smile that lights up the extra naughty in her eyes and says, "Alright... Phillip March, a 16-year-old handsome hunk who has the cutest dimples for a guy and is ignorant about his girl fandom. He's a sweet guy and a gentleman, at least he tries to be... And he's genuinely honest about his emotions... Or else he's a very smart flirt. He thinks beer is overrated. He has a Cupid for a best friend who is Ryan Reed. Now, I'm gonna make some wild guesses.

"You have a great family. The one that's happy 24×7. You love Harry Potter, guessing from the Hogwarts sticker on your car's dashboard. Your mom is a very beautiful woman, both on the inside and outside... I can see that from the picture in your car. You love her so much that you have that picture in your car... You love The Beatles because you have like tons of their CDs in your collection. You like football but you aren't comfortable with the fame attached to it. You like to read... You have respect for women. You are romantic by heart. It's like a default version of you. You wish to live a life where you make your loved ones happy. Oh, and you're Jewish."

I chuckle.

"I'd give you a 9/10. Yup, I love Harry Potter. Ever since I was 12. Who doesn't love HP? And yeah, The Beatles are legends! They, like, invented music! Yup, I love soccer, and I also love how you say 'football' instead of soccer... But I really feel it's overrated in terms of fame. I love to read as well... There isn't one genre I haven't tried... My wish is to keep everyone around me happy. And yes, my mom is BEAUTIFUL inside and out... She's a goddamn angel... Just like you."

"Really, I'd like to meet her!"

I smile, knowing that she'd definitely ask this. But I don't want to suffocate her with the tragedy of my past and so I say, "As soon as possible, Steph."
She nods and says, "Then why the 9 on 10? I was right!"

"Well, I'm Catholic."

She slaps her forehead and winks her left eye as she cringes, reveling in the silly mistake she has done.

That is the cutest thing I've ever seen.

"Oops, sorry."

"No problem... Now, tell me about you, Steph."

Before she opens her mouth to speak, the musician in the corner who was playing amazing music takes the mic and asks for attention.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to The Taste Of Life. It's a wonderful night and the stars are already gleaming above us... Today's a Wednesday, so whoo!"

The people next to us hoot back.

"For those of you who are new to the restaurant, Wednesday nights at The Taste Of Life are the best ever! You know why?"

The people cheer, "It's Karaoke Of Life night!"

All of them clap and Steph and I join them.

"So... Who's the first one to sacrifice your dignity and sing till our ears bleed?"

We all laugh.

"Me!" I say before I can stop myself. Stephanie's eyes widen.

I get up and receive the mic."Hi guys! I'm Phillip and I'm here today with an angel who got stuck on earth... I'm gonna go ahead and make a fool of myself by singing a song for her. Steph, this one is for you! "

I start singing 'Don't stop believin' by Journey which is like a classic for karaoke.

I watch her the whole time... She's laughing, smiling, swaying to the music; she's got all of my attention by being just herself... She's got me.
When I finish, she claps. When I get to our seat, I say, "You forget one thing about me."

"What's that?" She asks.

"I really really like this girl named Stephanie..."

She blushes and laughs together. I really really like her.
***
"How did I end up on the roof of your car?" Stephanie asks.

"Well, I'm pretty sure I hypnotized you so that you listen to me ask the time and when I suggested we gaze the night sky from the roof of my car, you agreed!"

She laughs and places a hand on my chest. We are lying down side by side on my car's roof. My left arm is supporting her head and she has to kind of snuggle with me so that we fit in without falling off. And I like it. I really really like it.

"Oh look! It's a shooting star!" She cries and I look at the sky.

It is a shooting star. I knew it was the right moment. I looked back at her and she turned herself to face me. I use my other hand to hold her face and lean in.

Her eyes gaze deeply into me and I marvel at its depth and intensity. Her lips look silver in the moonlight.
I know this is the right time to do what I wanted to do since the moment I met her. I tilt my head and slowly connect my lips with hers. It is so soft, so lovely. Kissing her should be one of the great repayments I get for doing good deeds in my previous life because it feels so heavenly.
I don't remember when I teased her lips with my tongue and when she opened her mouth, but all I remember was experiencing the velvety insides of her mouth. I forget how to breathe, how to insane and take in oxygen and exchange and let out carbon dioxide. All I remember is her mouth and my mouth. And kissing. And that's all I ever want to remember.

***

After about half an hour, I take her to her home. We hold hands the whole time back to her home. I love the way her hands fit in mine. So soft and smooth and creamy... It's almost like holding a delicate feather. She doesn't have long nails like most girls. It's cut to the correct size and lies just on the tips of her fingers. She has a beautiful baby pink hue on her nails, which suits her baby hands. It's the most natural color on her.

When we reach her home, I walk her out to her door. She stops on the porch and turns towards me. Damn, she looks beautiful in the moonlight...

She puts her arms around my shoulders and brings me to her embrace. I hug her back. "Thank you for this amazing night," she whispers.

"Thank you for this amazing night," I say. She giggles and pulls back a little. I sniff a little of her scent and it's so captivating. When I look down, I see her face lined with mine and her eyes boring into mine.

I lean in to brush her lips against mine. But this time it's a soft and smooth little kiss and we part away soon.
"So, I need to get in..." She says. I loosen my grip on her and she goes back to her door, still facing me.

"Is it too early?" I ask.

"Too early for what?" She asks, beaming to know what it is.

"Is it too early to ask you out again?" She laughs and says, "Well, the damage is done, so... Yes! I'll be glad to have another date with you."

"Will it be too early for it to be tomorrow?"

She laughs again. "Phillip! You just can't get enough of me, can you? Tomorrow's fine by me."
With that, I rush to her and plant a kiss on her lips. She returns it with an equal eager. I cup her cheeks and let our lips play salsa with each other.
When I pull back, we're breathless.

I plant a kiss on her cheek and say, "Good night, Juliet."

She blushes, taking in her new pet name. She told me how much she loves Shakespeare's works and that Romeo Juliet was her most favorite novel, however clichéd it may seem.

"Drive safe, Romeo," she says. "Well well well, a modern Juliet... Porch instead of a balcony; Drive safe instead of 'Go home with my heart'..."

She laughs and smacks his arms. "You can't go home with my heart. I need it to pump blood into my body."

I laugh. She kisses my cheek, taking me by surprise. "I'll see you tomorrow," she says.

"Bye," I say and part away. She tugs at my arm and says, "No bye. Don't say bye. It means we're parting. Say I'll see you. It gives hope for tomorrow."

I smile at her. Wow, she's got a beautiful soul, this girl. I'm the luckiest man on earth.

"I'll see you by the rise of dawn, Juliet. 'Till then, let the night part us with its darkness. 'Till then, I give you my heart to have and to hold."

She laughs.

I walk to my car and still find her on the porch. "You have my heart, Juliet!" I shout from the porch and she laughs deeply. "Seriously, Go!"

I start driving after blowing an air kiss and waving my hand.

She smiles the warmest and loveliest smile I've seen my entire life. The smile that reaches her eyes and travels through mine to reach every nerve ending in my body and making me feel loved and happy.

She has my heart, alright.

My Juliet has my heart...

***

Author's note:

This is one of the first drafts I wrote for Deserving. This is like 2 years old, so forgive me for the cheese. However, the cliche content is called for, because Philanie is nothing if not cliche-loving.

This one is for two of my most favorite readers whose birthdays have passed and/or near.

Ima_3112_A My Mimi, whose bday was December 31st (sorry for the late gift). She's my most loyal and sweetest ever reader! And my cute little sister <3

Miu_Chama Miu, who is the girl of the hour! Her bday is today! I remember how she was feeling about her bday being the same day Steph died, so here's something to cheer that up ;) You're also one of my favorite readers! I love it when you binge my stuff!

watery_wet Naoki! I don't exactly remember your bday, but this one is for you as well :)

And to all my beautiful readers who made Deserving a beautiful experience for me.

Note: Deserving is complete now so anyone reading this can go check it out and binge it!!

Love,

Abi.