Alex had the morning free. It was a rare luxury. He had wrapped up his work the previous day, so for once, he wasn't drowning in meetings or deadlines. The city was just waking up, but he wasn't in the mood to sit around.
So, after dropping Scarlet and that little kiss, he decided to take a long drive. No destination in mind, just the open road.
As he drove, a thought crossed his mind. It had been over a month since he last spoke to Lilly. Their first date had gone well, but between his shooting schedule and her own packed calendar, they hadn't kept in touch.
Still, going silent for a month? Yeah, that was on him.
With one hand on the wheel, he hit the call button. She picked up within three rings.
"Well, well, well," Lilly's voice came through, laced with irritation. "Look who remembered I exist."
Alex smirked. "Morning to you too."
"Don't 'morning' me, Alex. You ghosted me for a month. A month."
"I was busy with shooting," he explained. "You know how I get when I'm working. I completely immerse myself."
Lilly scoffed. "Oh, I know. But it takes, what, two minutes to send a text? A 'Hey, not dead. Still interested. Talk soon'- something?"
Alex exhaled, knowing she had a point. "You're right. That was my bad."
A beat of silence. Then, he added, "How about I make it up to you?"
Lilly was quiet for a second. "Oh? And how do you plan on doing that?"
"Shooting range."
There was a pause. Then, a chuckle. "Shooting range? That's your idea of an apology?"
"You can take a few shots at me if it makes you feel better."
She laughed. "I like how you assume I wouldn't."
Alex grinned, maneuvering through traffic. "Come on, Lilly. How many guys have invited you to a shooting range for a date?"
"Barely any," she admitted. "Most guys go with the usual—fancy dinners, flowers, the whole thing."
"And that's exactly why I stand out."
She hummed, considering. "Alright, Alex. I'm intrigued. But if I outshoot you, you owe me another apology date—one I choose."
Alex smirked. "Deal."
"Good. Pick me up in an hour."
"See you then."
As he ended the call, he couldn't help but shake his head.
This was going to be interesting.
...
[Lily's room]
Lilly grinned as she ended the call, excitement buzzing in her chest.
"Lucky me, wrapped up my latest shoot last week."
She jumped up from her couch, practically bouncing on her feet. "A shooting range, huh?" she muttered to herself, shaking her head with a chuckle. "Who invites someone to a shooting range in the morning as an apology? Or, second date?"
Before she could overthink it, she rushed over to her dog, Loki, who had been lazily lounging on the floor.
"Guess what, buddy?" she said, scooping him into a hug.
"Woof!" Loki let out a playful bark, wagging his tail wildly as he licked her cheek.
"Yes, yes, I love you too," she laughed, rubbing behind his ears. "But I have news. Alex finally called."
Loki tilted his head as if trying to understand.
Lilly sighed dramatically. "Yeah, after a whole month. Can you believe it? The audacity."
Loki huffed, as if agreeing with her. "Wooof!"
"But," she continued, scratching under his chin, "he's taking me to a shooting range. Not a dinner, not some cliché date, but a shooting range."
"Woof!" Loki barked again, hopping excitedly.
"See? Even you think it's cool," she teased, rubbing his belly. "Alright, alright, let me go get ready before he shows up looking all smug."
She stood up, stretching before opening the closet.
If Alex thought he could ghost her for a month and not suffer for it, he was in for a surprise.
Because she was definitely going to outshoot him.
She rummaged through through the closet, searching for the perfect outfit. Something casual but badass. She finally settled on black skinny jeans, a fitted gray tank top, and a leather jacket.
Tying her hair into a ponytail, she checked herself in the mirror and smirked. 'Perfect.'
Then, Lily was about to put on some make-up, but then she remembered Alex's words, saying she looked beautiful without her make-up and he likes her natural look. She smiled and closed the makeup box.
She looked at the clock. "Ah! Why did I say 1 hour? Haaa..." She was already ready in 10 minutes.
...
[Meanwhile...]
Alex pulled up to the familiar shop and parked his car before stepping out. The scent of fresh pastries and brewed coffee filled the air, a welcoming aroma that made his morning even better.
As soon as he stepped inside, Max spotted him. Her eyes lit up, and before he could say a word, she practically launched herself at him, wrapping him in a tight hug.
"Well, well, look who finally decided to drop by," she teased, grinning as she cupped his face and planted a quick, affectionate kiss on his lips. He hugged her back, returning the kiss. She tasted like coffee.
The kiss lasted for 10 seconds or so. Both of them wanted to do more, but well, it was morning in the shop.
Alex chuckled, giving her a playful squeeze around her waist. "Miss me that much?"
"You have no idea," Max quipped, pulling back just enough to look into his eyes. Then, lowering her voice, she whispered in his ear, "What's the occasion, sugar daddy?"
Alex smirked. "Just here for some cupcakes."
Max arched a brow, clearly not buying it. "Uh-huh. Sure you are."
Behind the counter, Caroline was busy brewing coffee, throwing a glance their way. She clearly wanted to hug Alex too, but with three customers waiting for their orders, she settled for a quick, amused eye-roll before focusing back on the machine.
Max pulled away, walking backward toward the display case. "Alright, hotshot, what'll it be?"
Alex nodded. "Two vanilla and chocolate. Two blueberry. And throw in a couple of extras with those sprinkles. I need something sweet to soften someone up."
Max's lips curled into a knowing smirk as she grabbed a box and started filling it. "Let me guess… a woman?"
Alex didn't confirm or deny, just gave her a wink.
Max laughed. "Oh, this should be fun."
Alex waited as the last customer grabbed their coffee and walked out, the little bell above the door chiming softly. As soon as they were alone, he turned toward Caroline, who was wiping down the counter.
Before she could react, he stepped closer, tilting her chin up and pressing a slow, lingering kiss against her lips. She let out a small, surprised sound before melting into it, her fingers tightening around the cloth in her hand.
Behind them, Max let out a dramatic gasp. "Oh my god, Alex, are you seducing our sweet Caroline now?"
Alex smirked against Caroline's lips before pulling away, his hand still resting on her waist. "Jealous?"
Max scoffed. "Please, I encourage this behavior." She leaned against the counter, grinning. "You know, you're really building yourself a little harem here, Alex. And I, for one, am all for it."
Caroline rolled her eyes, but there was a hint of pink dusting her cheeks. But she kinda liked the idea. "Really?"
"I'm just saying!" Max raised her hands in mock innocence. "You, me, a couple of other girls, and Alex in the center of it all? Tell me that doesn't sound like a good time."
Alex chuckled, shaking his head. "You're wild."
Max wiggled her brows while packing the cupcakes. "Oh, honey, you have no idea. I'm just holding back for tomorrow. Remember your promise, right?"
"Yup! Tomorrow I'm all yours and Caroline's..." He winked at her.
Caroline sighed, setting down the cloth and fixing Alex with an amused look. "So, are you just here to steal kisses and entertain Max's nonsense, or did you actually need something?"
Alex tapped the cupcake box. "Just grabbing these. Got an apology date with Evangeline Lilly."
Max gasped again, this time clutching her chest dramatically. "A date? And it's not with us? Alex, I'm hurt."
Caroline's eyes widened. "Wait. Did you just say… Evangeline Lilly?"
Alex smirked as he grabbed the cupcake box. "Yeah. It's just an apology date."
Caroline practically squeaked, grabbing Max's arm. "Evangeline freaking Lilly? As in the actress? The model? The absolute queen?"
Max snorted. "The one he ghosted for a month."
Caroline gasped dramatically, turning to Alex with an accusing glare. "Are you insane? Who ghosts Evangeline Lilly?"
Alex sighed, already expecting this reaction. "I didn't ghost her. I was just..."
"Busy, yeah, yeah, we know." Max rolled her eyes. "Classic Alex."
Caroline placed a hand on her hip, shaking her head. "Unbelievable. If I were her, I would have blocked you."
Alex smirked. "Good thing you're not her, then."
Max laughed, handing over the bag with the cupcakes. "Oh, she's gonna make you work for it, that's for sure."
Caroline nodded, still giving him the I-can't-believe-you look. "She should. I hope she absolutely destroys you at whatever this date is."
"Oh, she will," Alex admitted with a chuckle. "It's a shooting range."
Max nearly choked on her coffee. "A shooting range? As an apology?" She let out a slow, impressed whistle. "That's either genius or completely reckless. You do know she's trained, right?"
Caroline's face lit up. "Oh my god. She's trained. You did see her 2001 interview, right? She's going to outshoot you."
Alex chuckled. "Yeah, yeah. I know."
Caroline grinned, practically bouncing in excitement. "You have to record this."
Max wiggled her brows. "Yeah, I need to see her wipe the floor with your overconfident ass."
Alex just smirked. "We'll see."
Caroline huffed. "No, we know."
Max leaned on the counter, eyes gleaming. "But if you survive, you better bring her here. I need to meet her."
Alex raised a brow. "Why? So you can fangirl?"
Caroline gasped. "Absolutely."
Max chuckled. "And so we can see how much of a mess you make when you try to charm your way out of getting your ego shot down."
Alex just shook his head, grabbing the cupcakes. "I swear, you two enjoy my suffering a little too much." He took out his card and swiped. He could have taken them for free, but its work hour and it didn't feel right to just take them.
"Oh, absolutely," Max said with a grin.
Caroline nodded. "A hundred percent."
Alex sighed, already regretting this conversation. "I'm leaving."
"Good luck, hotshot," Max called out.
Caroline smirked. "You'll need it."
"Yeah, yeah..." He sighed.
"Don't forget to bring her here," Caroline reminded him once more.
"As long as Max doesn't make sugar daddy jokes," He replied waving his hand.
As Alex walked out of the shop, he couldn't help but chuckle. Yeah… this was definitely going to be interesting.
[Lily's apartment] [1 hour later]
Lilly was pacing near her window, occasionally glancing at the street below. Where the hell is he?
She had been ready for almost an hour. Not that she was eager or anything—she just hated waiting. And the fact that Alex had ghosted her for a month meant he was already on thin ice.
Loki sat by the couch, lazily chewing on his favorite toy, his tail thumping against the floor.
Lilly sighed, checking her phone. No texts. No calls.
"Typical." She rolled her eyes and muttered to Loki, "If he's late, I swear I'm making him pay for every second." (He wasn't late. 5 minutes still left.)
As if on cue, the sound of an engine revving reached her ears. She leaned against the window, spotting Alex's car pulling up to the curb.
"Took him long enough."
Grabbing her leather jacket, she gave Loki a quick scratch behind the ears. "Be good, buddy. No chewing on my sneakers this time."
Loki huffed dramatically. "Woof!" He ran to her.
Lilly made it two steps toward the door before Loki darted in front of her, blocking her path.
"Oh, come on," she groaned, looking down at her overly dramatic dog.
Loki sat stubbornly, tail wagging but eyes full of determination.
"Loki, move."
"Woof!"
She tried stepping around him, but he shifted, cutting her off again.
"Seriously?" Lilly huffed, placing her hands on her hips. "You let me get all ready and now you wanna guilt-trip me?"
Loki's tail thumped against the floor as if to say yes, obviously.
Before she could argue with him, the doorbell rang.
Lilly rolled her eyes and muttered, "He's five minutes early and somehow I'm still mad."
She stepped over Loki—who let out a dramatic sigh—and opened the door to find Alex standing there, a cupcake box in one hand and his usual smug look in place.
"Morning," he greeted smoothly.
Lilly crossed her arms. "You're early."
He smirked. "Would you rather I was late?"
Lilly narrowed her eyes. "I haven't decided yet."
Alex chuckled, then glanced past her to see Loki sitting at her feet, staring at him like he was a competition. "Ah. So, this is the problem."
Lilly sighed. "He won't let me leave."
Alex tilted his head. "Loki, you mad at me too?"
Loki huffed. "Woof!"
"Yeah, fair," Alex admitted. Then, he looked at Lilly. "Want me to come in for a second?"
Lilly considered, then shrugged. "Sure, but if you bribe my dog with those cupcakes, I will shoot you first."
Alex chuckled and stepped inside. He crouched down, offering his hand for Loki to sniff. The dog inspected him, then looked up at Lilly as if waiting for her verdict.
Lilly sighed, rubbing her forehead. "Loki, I promise I'll be back in a few hours."
Loki whined dramatically, flopping onto the floor.
Alex raised a brow. "Wow. That's impressive guilt-tripping."
Lilly groaned. "I know."
Then, Alex grinned, as if an idea struck him. "You know, I actually do know a place up north. A shooting range with a little play area for dogs and cats."
Lilly blinked. "Wait, seriously?"
Alex nodded. "Yeah. It's more private, has a lounge, and the owner's a dog person. Loki can hang out while we shoot."
Lilly glanced down at Loki, who was now staring between them like he understood every word.
"You planned this, didn't you?" she muttered at the dog.
Loki's tail wagged.
Alex smirked. "So… what do you say?"
Lilly exhaled, then looked back up at Alex. "Alright, let's go."
"Wooof!" Loki let out a victorious bark, trotting ahead of them as if he'd won the argument.
And honestly? He kind of had.
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[6 advance chs] + [7 chs of Two and a Half Men: Waking up as Charlie Harper] [All chs available for all tiers]