Beauty and the Beast | Fillie

Let's have dinner

➵

At first she couldn't believe it, but then, Millie realized everything was really happening. She was standing on a pedestal, while three well dressed ladies were taking her measures, and she was there with a rather confused face.

Lilia had taken her out soon after Finn told her that Millie would have come with him to that dinner. She brought her to the most expensive ateliers in Vancouver, something Millie wasn't really interested in and, most of all, she thought she couldn't have afforded in all her life.

When the shop assistants greeted the two new costumers, they quickly recognized Lilia; she was an habitual client, it seemed. Millie just followed her around the store, like a lost puppy, passing her fingers through the soft fabrics of the clothes surrounding her. There were some clothes sparkling; some plain; some too dark for her taste. The only thing they had in common were the numbers of zero on the price label.

"Yikes, how can you pay one thousand dollars for this purse?" Millie asked, pointing at a random Prada item.

And Lilia couldn't do anything but laugh at her ingenuity and pure heart.

The housekeeper quickly asked the tailors to take her measures, and when they did, Millie jumped off the pedestal, wanting to explore the new environment; that shop was giant, huge, and the shop assistants were all so nice and pretty.

"Found something that you like?" the blonde asked her, all excited, trying to cheer Millie up a bit. The teen was still scared. It was clearer as the sun she didn't like being next to Finn, but if that meant getting out of the house and saving her father, she would have done it.

"I don't know. These colors are too dark and the skirts are too tight. I don't wear such things..." she sighed.

"I know, honey. But you need to find something... appropriate for the dinner."

Millie suddenly stared at Lilia, trying with all of herself to keep that question to herself; but her curiosity once more was stronger than her.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"This Grace... how does she do it? How can she marry Finn and be okay with it?" Millie was so curious. She wanted to know who this mysterious girlfriend was.

Lilia shrugged, while exploring the store with her gaze, looking for the perfect dress.

"I don't really think they are going to marry. And they can barely get along well. They just share a physical bond, if you know what I mean." Lilia said with clear disappointment in her voice, making sure to remark the word "physical".

"Why am I not surprised?" Millie snorted, still observing some tight dresses. "Does she know she is sleeping with a monster?"

Lilia quietly nodded.

"Yes, but she doesn't complain. She is pretty horrible too. But," the housekeeper said, almost excited, "stop worrying about her. I'm here for helping you and making this night spectacular."

"Why? This is not a date!" the brunette quickly pointed out.

"When a woman and a man go out to a fancy dinner, that's a date. I mean, when was the last time you had one?" she asked as the question was something very basic and banal.

Millie stayed quiet. She tried to think and then she remembered the hard truth: that she never dated anyone. She never had any romantic feelings for a guy, or a platonic love. She simply was okay being with herself.

Lilia gasped and shook her head in disbelief.

"Wait, you never had a boyfriend? You? With your pretty face and personality?"