Larissa didn't stick around for too much longer after we kissed, and I was worried that she would have second thoughts about going on a date with me. However, she gave me a goodbye kiss before she left, which gave me hope.

She needed to leave to go to the solicitors to finalise taking Brandon's name off the mortgage, and Tom had agreed to come keep me company for a few hours. I was sure that Larissa only asked him so that he could make sure I was taking my medication on time, but I didn't mind.

Tom arrived about half an hour after Larissa left, which gave me time to take a shower and get dressed.

"What are you doing out of bed?" He asked when he walked through the door.

"I was bored," I laughed, turning on the TV.

"Fair enough, but if Larissa asks, I argued a little more," he said, sitting next to me. "You feeling alright?"

"Yeah, just a bit of a headache now. The drugs are numbing everything else."

"I hear you gave everyone quite the scare at the hospital," he said, raising one eyebrow.

"Yeah, everyone's a little touchy about it. They didn't really find it funny," I laughed.

"That's because they love you. Rob said Larissa turned grey when you said it."

I nodded and pretended to be ashamed of myself, but Tom saw straight through me, and laughed.

"Are you two good now?"

"Actually, we're better than good," I grinned. "She's actually agreed to go on a date with me."

Tom looked shocked at my revelation. I kept forgetting that Tom was best friends with Larissa's dad, and I should probably stop talking about her around him.

"You know, Jack asked me about you two at the barbeque."

My eyes widened.

"What did he say?"

"Well he asked about you, and if you had a boyfriend, and I told him you're a lesbian. He said he thought Larissa would be better off gay than with some idiot like Brandon," he said, and I laughed. "And then when you were both sitting on the grass, he told me that he thought you liked her."

"Why?" I asked.

"Because he's not blind, and he could see how you looked at her."

"Yeah, apparently now that I've got actual feelings, I'm not very good at hiding them," I laughed.

"Yeah, but neither is Larissa. And I could see that she likes you too," Tom smiled.

I didn't know what to say, but I couldn't hold back what I'm sure was the goofiest smile ever.

"So where are you gonna take her?"

"I haven't even thought about it yet," I sighed. "We're going out on saturday, so I've got time to plan it."

"Okay, well just remember, this could be a game changer, so make sure you do it right."

"Yeah, thanks Tom. Obviously, I wasn't nervous enough before," I frowned.

He just laughed at my comment, and focused his attention on the TV. My full attention, however, was now focused on a million possible first real dates, and all the scenarios in which they could play out.

Tom was right, it could be a game changer. I knew that dinner and a movie was not good enough for Larissa, although she would probably be happy with that.

I decided that it would be a good idea to ask Alice for help, as she and Larissa were good friends. I text her to ask if she would come over later, and got a reply straight away. Alice promised to come here when she finished work.

Tom and I just chilled out in front of the TV for most of the day. He kept offering me food and drinks, and ignored me when I turned them down.

I was relieved when Alice turned up, as I had been panicking about my date with Larissa. She knocked once, then let herself in, as she knew I was expecting her.

"Hey," she said when she saw us. "I didn't know you were here, Tom."

"Yep, just babysitting this danger-prone dumbass," he laughed. "You sticking around for a bit? Cause I need to check your boyfriend hasn't destroyed my shop."

"Yeah, I'll babysit for a while," she laughed. "Send Rob up here when he's finished."

Tom agreed, then kissed me on the cheek and stood up. He hugged Alice and thanked her, before leaving.

"Danger-prone dumbass, huh?" Alice laughed, joining me on the sofa.

"He's not wrong, though," I grinned.

"So, what did you wanna talk about?"

"Well, this morning, Larissa was here, and she kissed me," I said, and Alice looked shocked.

"What? Oh my god, does that mean you-"

"I asked her on a date, and she said yes," I interrupted.

Alice's face was overtaken by a huge smile, and she hugged me tightly. I loved how happy she was about the whole situation.

"I'm so happy she's giving you a chance! Where are you going on your date?"

"That's actually why I asked you here," I said. "You and Larissa are really close, and I thought maybe you would know what she might like to do?"

She looked thoughtful for a second, then her expression changed slowly to excited, which gave me hope.

"When she first started at the gym, she told me about some lake near her Dad's house. She used to spend a lot of time there when she was younger, and she wanted to go with Brandon, but he wasn't interested. She'd be so happy if you took her there," she said.

"Perfect," I grinned. "Where is this place?"

"I have no idea, really. But Tom visits Jack regularly, so he would probably know."

"Thank you so much, Alice. I'll text Tom a little bit later, and then I just need to figure out how to turn visiting a lake into an actual date," I laughed.

"That's easy," she replied. "A picnic is always a safe bet."

"Good idea," I smiled. "You're an angel, Alice. Thank you."

"You're welcome. I'm just glad it's finally happening!"

I laughed at how excited Alice looked. I was so glad Rob hadn't fucked up their relationship, I really liked her.

"What if I mess this up?" I asked, suddenly riddled with anxiety.

"Honey, you've got this," she reassured me. "Larissa likes you, and she's finally starting to admit it. You've already got her, you just need to let her know that this is real. She should already know how amazing you are, so now you just gotta throw it in her face. Show it off."

I smiled shyly at her compliment, and she chuckled at me.

"I'm so glad Rob found you," I laughed.

"Me too," she blushed. "Anyway, I have other news."

"Yes?"

"I have an interview tomorrow at a vet's in town."

"Oh my god, seriously?" I almost shouted. "That's great!"

"Yeah, I applied for loads of jobs yesterday, and this one got back to me less than an hour after I applied," she said proudly.

"Awesome! You're gonna do great!"

Alice and I chatted for a while about Larissa and Rob, and work. As odd as it sounds, she was probably the first girl that I had a real conversation with, without trying to sleep with her. Although, I probably would have tried if Rob hadn't gotten in there first.

As if he had read my thoughts, Rob burst through the door.

"Guess what?" He almost shouted. He was panting slightly, I assume from running up the stairs for this guessing game.

"You finally found your penis?" I said, with a forced serious expression.

"Nah, that's not what he's missing. It's his balls he was looking for," Alice quipped. "Don't worry, they're still in my purse, where they belong."

I burst out laughing, and Rob tried to fight the urge to laugh too. It was so unexpected.

"Did I upset you?" He asked, and his lips finally gave up and curved into a smile.

Alice just smiled happily, I could tell she was proud of herself. Rob eventually shook off his confusion of his girlfriends sudden change in sense of humor, and continued to speak.

"Anyway... My dad is handing the coffee shop over to me," he beamed. "Not just yet, in about a month. But he's going on holiday for the weekend, and he wants to see how I cope with everything."

"That's amazing, babe!" Alice said, jumping up to hug him.

"So you're my boss now?" I said, feigning annoyance.

"Yep," He said. "And as your boss, I'm requesting that you work this weekend."

"No," I frowned. "I mean, I can work sunday, but not saturday."

"But I need you, Saturday is the busiest day, and there's nobody else!"

"She can't, Rob. She has plans," Alice jumped in. I smiled at her gratefully. "I'll come give you a hand on saturday."

"Alright, that'll be cool," he agreed, then turned back to me. "What you doing Saturday?"

"I'm taking Larissa on a date," I said with the most goofy smile possible.

"About fucking time!" He yelled, and ran over to fist-bump me.