Sole Survivor (Eminem Fanfic)

Movies & Marshmallows

Marshall POV

Lilly answered the door and as our eyes met, I could tell she had been crying. I stepped in and gently took her hand.

 "Hey, are you ok?" I asked in my soft voice.

 I pulled her into a hug and she gladly folded into the embrace. This was the first time we shared actual physical contact. We stood there in her foyer like that for a few seconds and then she got herself together.

"I'm sorry" Lilly took a step back.

I kept my voice soft as not to scare her off, "It's fine, I understand."  

"I had trauma counseling today and sometimes I'm actually more emotional afterwards than I was going in. Plus, no sleep last night."

I started slowly, "We don't have to do this tonight if you're not..."

"No, no, no, don't be silly." Lilly composed herself. "Come on in. Do you want a tour of the house?"

I was impressed at how fancy her home was.  The downstairs was a modern open floor plan with a fireplace and then she showed me the upstairs and pointed out each of her kids' rooms.  I don't meet a lot of single mothers who own their own home.  Lilly's the independent type. 

 We walked through her bedroom and she told me, "This is my favorite part of the house." Off her bedroom was a balcony with a picturesque view of Venice Beach pier in the distance.

"Whoa, I bet the view of the Ferris wheel from here at night is amazing.  And you have a hot tub."

"Yeah. At night, under the stars, this is my sanctuary." 

Lilly walked back into the bedroom and led me to her walk-in closet. 

"And now I'll show you your favorite part of the house. No pictures!" she said jokingly, "And if you tell anybody, I'll have to kill you."

Lilly opened the door to reveal sneakers! Nikes, Adidas, Jordan's, it was breathtaking!

"Holy shit! You got the new Yeezy Boosts, they don't even drop for another week!" I was impressed again.

"I got 5." Lilly stated with pride.

I noticed a pistol setting on her shelf. 

 "You pack heat?" I asked with a flirty smile.

"Lunatics on the street, gotta keep the heat." She flirted back.

I stood in Lilly's closet examining all of her precious sneaker collection until she finally said, "I think my sauce is ready. You hungry?" 

As we made our way back downstairs she apologized, "I'm sorry I didn't make something better than spaghetti, but I had a rough day."

"Whatever you made, I'm sure it's delicious." 

Lilly set out the noodles and sauce, warm garlic bread, and a Caesar salad. She lit two candles, turned the lights off, and turned on some music, "Sorry, I don't know if this is tacky, but I don't do this often." 

"When's the last time you dated?" I asked.

"So, this is a date?" 

 I just shrugged. 

"Maybe six months. I haven't had anything serious since I got divorced and that was a long time ago. I mean, I date guys, but I haven't lived with anybody or had anyone who I would call a serious boyfriend." She took a drink as I listened to her explanation. "I raise my children, I have my career, and I'm happy with that. You?"

"Pretty much the same." I glanced at her plate. "You're right, you don't eat a lot.  How come you didn't sleep last night?"

Lilly hesitated, "I hardly ever do. It's part of my PTSD. I can't sleep and when I do, I have nightmares. Even when I go to sleep, I'm not comfortable. Ever! I wake up in a full state of panic. Then I get up early and run. Nature, exercise, music...that all helps."

We finished our dinner and I just wanted to lighten the mood, "Wanna watch a movie?" 

"Sure." She sat next to me when we found our way to the couch and flipped through the channels. "Forgetting Sarah Marshall is on!"

I was glad she picked a comedy. We sat close together and laughed together at all of Russell Brand's goofiness.  I noticed Lilly starting to loosen up and enjoy herself.  She had  a beautiful smile.

When the movie was over it was around 10'o'clock.

"I guess it's late, so do you want me to leave?" I asked awkwardly.

We both knew we wanted to spend more time together.  Lilly smiled and raised her eyebrows as she got up and walked over to the pantry.

"Wanna roast marshmallows?" she asked with a grin.

I smiled back and followed her outside as Lilly lit her firepit and we took a seat together on her comfy lawn furniture.

"I love that you want to roast marshmallows." I told her.

Lilly POV

I was watching the fire, but I saw Marshall still staring at me out of the corner of my eye. We sat there eating our treat, Marshall making me laugh every chance he could, and having a great night together.

"Hey Lilly, what's your favorite Eminem song?"

"Oh, I don't know. It kinda depends on my mood. There are so many. Right now, I've been listening to Recovery a lot...until I can get all these demons out of my head." I said with sorrow clouding my voice.

Marshall put his arms around me and I eagerly nuzzled my head into his chest. This felt nice. He felt safe. We sat like that for ten minutes snuggling by the fire. 

"I hate to break the moment," he said, "but I need to get back to my home away from home."

We walked back into the house and through to the foyer.

"I had fun with you tonight." He told me.

"Yeah, me too." 

We gave each other one more big hug and when we let go Marshall ran his hand over my cheek slowly.

"Goodnight Marshall"

"Goodnight Lilly. I'll see you at work tomorrow."