Charmed Again

Chapter Seven - First Date

The doorbell rang on the dot at 5 pm. My dad and I were in the kitchen talking and he got up to go answer the door. I took one more look at my outfit and walked to the front door. My dad and Eli were talking when I got there. Eli stopped mid-sentence and stared at me. He looked stunned and speechless. "Hi," I said softly. We completely forgot my dad was around and only when he cleared his throat and chuckled, we realised we were not alone. I looked away sheepishly but kept turning back. Eli looked great in his green button down shirt and jeans. His shirt showed all his abs and I could not stop staring. He had a boutique of red and white roses and a box of chocolate in his hand. He handed them to me with a smile.

"These are for you. Hope you like them."

I turned away blushing as my dad started laughing, "ah to be young and in love again." He turned back to Eli, "You are a great guy Eli, but do not hurt my baby girl."

"Dad, stop. We are going," I kissed his cheek, handed him my gifts and asked him to put the roses in water. I grabbed Eli's hand and turned and walked to the car.

Eli turned to my dad, "Sir, I promise I will try my best to never hurt her or let anyone else do."

My dad smiled at him, "go have fun. See you later kids and be safe."

Eli walked me to the passenger side and opened the door. As I got in he whispered softly, "You look really amazing Lily-Anne."

I smiled at him, "you look great as well, Eli. I still cannot get used to you opening doors for me. Thank you for my gifts. The roses look amazing and I cannot wait to eat the chocolates. I am obsessed with chocolates."

We laughed and everything just felt comfortable after that. We talked as we drove to our date, which Eli refused to tell me about. We got to the lake and Eli parked near the docks.

I looked at him curiously, "where are we going?"

He smile, "have patience, Princess. You will know soon."

He came around and opened my door and we walked towards the docks. There were a few massive yachts that was there. They all looked amazing. We walked to one that was named Starlight. Eli helped me on board and jumped in behind me. I looked around and saw a picnic area set up complete with blankets, cushions a cooler box and picnic basket. "Are we having dinner on the boat?" I exclaimed excitedly.

"Yes, but we are also going out into the water."

I looked at him shocked, "wait, do you know how to steer a boat?"

He laughed, "of course, I grew up in the water. My dad loves sailing and we spent a lot of time sailing and during the holidays, he taught me how to steer."

He took me a tour and showed me the inside of the yacht. I learnt that the yacht was named after is mum's nickname. His dad called her his starlight and when he got the yacht, he said it was to ensure that she was with them even if she didn't join them.

Eli left me and bar and took the yacht out. When we passed the docks and could barely see the car, he called me over.

"Come on, I will teach you how to steer."

"Wait, what? Are you sure it is safe?"

"Of course, I would never let anything happen to you."

I walked over and he pulled me towards him. He put my hands on the wheel and showed me how to steer. It was so much fun. I leaned back into him and just continued to watch over the horizon as the sun rays hit the water.

When we got far enough from the docks, Eli led me to the picnic area. As we sat, we started talking about what it was like growing up and the experiences we had. What we liked and what we disliked. Eli had a spread of amazing food. He got sandwiches, chicken wings, meatballs and many different types of finger foods. He also managed to include ice cream for dessert. We were having an amazing time. Eli had on slow music. I stood and walked over to the railing to look over the horizon as the sun started to set. I heard a click and turned around to see Eli taking pictures. I smiled at him.

"What are you doing?"

"The view was just stunning. I needed to capture this moment."

"Come here, let's do a selfie."

He walked over to me and gave me his phone as he pulled me in his arms. I took and few pictures of us and the sunset and turned around and looked at him.

"Thank you. This was the best date ever and the night is just amazingly beautiful."

He smiled. "I really, really want to kiss you right now."

"What are you waiting for," I teased.

He grabbed my face and kissed me. It was sensual and it felt like fireworks was going on in the distance. I pulled him closer and the kiss turned more fierce. I did not even realise that our hands were everywhere.

We slowly pulled apart, breathless.

He pulled me over to the blanket and pulled me to sit between his legs.

"I have a gift for you." He pulled out a box and handed it to me.

I looked at him curiously.

"Wait, do not open it yet. I want to tell you a bit about the background of it before you open it."

"My grandma and I were really close. She passed away when I was 15. When I had turned 13, she sat me down and handed me this box. She said that, when I find the right one, she wants me to give this to her. It is a family heirloom but it goes to the men of our family to give to women that captures our hearts. She said it will show the world that we belong to each other. She used to tell me how, my granddad gave it to her a few days after they met. Since my mum was their only child, the heirloom was given to me. She told me she will keep it and give it to me when I find the right one. After I left you this afternoon, I remembered the gift and I searched all over the house. I eventually found it together with a few books." He took out the books and showed it to me. "My grandparents had an amazing love story that only ended when my granddad passed away a few years ago. They had a difficult time falling pregnant and my mum was their miracle child." He looked away wishfully. He stayed silent for a few minutes but I did not want to disturb him so I stayed quiet. He looked at me with a loving smile. "Go ahead, open it. We can read the books afterwards."

With shaky hands I opened the box and gasped. Inside was the most stunning neck chain. It was a crescent moon and star with colour stones.

"Oh my gosh, Eli, this is beautiful." I looked him. "Eli, I cannot take this. It is too precious and you need to be sure."

He smiled at me. "That tells me I am sure. Any other girl would have just taken it and wanted to show it to the world but you are something else. I am sure Lily-Anne. I know we just met. But the way I feel about you is something I cannot explain. Maybe it is love at first sight. But when we touch, it's like I found a part of me I never knew was missing. You are the right one, Princess and I would never want to give this to anyone else. I know we are young but honestly I never want to let you go."

I leaned over and kissed him. "Thank you Eli. Can you put it on for me?"

I turn around as he took the chain and put it on. He kissed my neck and I gasped. He turned me around and pulled me in for a kiss. We pulled apart and laid down staring and each other as we held hands.

"So tell me about these friends I have not met yet," I asked breaking the silence.

"You are going to love Liam and Lincoln. They are twins and Lincoln is the older brooding brother and Liam is the slightly younger goofball of the group. They are protective. They have two awesome parents. Isabella and Jake are like the best people you could ever meet. But it always feels like something is missing when I am at their place. Jake and Isabella owns their own businesses and they are extremely rich. Their house is opposite ours. Lincoln and Liam are the brothers I never had and we would do anything for each other. Unfortunately their granddad has not been well so they have spent most of the summer with him at the ranch. They will be back soon. I cannot wait for you to meet them."

I smiled and him and squeezed his hand. It was obvious that they loved each other.

"Are they going to be upset that we are dating? Were they the ones that pushed you to date Cara?"

He pulled me closer to me, "First of all, we are not just dating, you are my girl. Second of all, Cara was nothing to me. Honestly the only thing we ever did was go out a few times to parties and kiss, that's all. And lastly, Lincoln and Liam cannot stand Cara, they were actually overjoyed when I ditched her. And I got a feeling, they are going to love you and be very protective over you."