[C] The Bench Press

Lilly padded past him without delay, smiling as the warm sun hit her.

She had to thank which ever deities were in control of her fate for letting her be able to walk out into the day light.

She felt sorry for others of her kind who were stuck in the dark.

Still, it didn't come without it's set backs, her thirst for one. Her guardian had thought she had gone insane when she had decided to be a nurse, but she made it work, some how.

Letting her walk ahead of him had ulterior motives beyond just wanting to be a gentleman.

Her ass looked even better in these shorts.

His eyes only lingered for a few moments before he stepped up to walk besides her.

Lilly stretched her arms above her head with a happy little whine before letting them rest locked together behind her head as she looked up at him.

He was nearly a foot taller than she was and easier twice as wide.

"You a gym junkie like Annie?"

She asked, the very notion was foreign to her.

"I suppose so. I work there."

He was at the gym almost every day. When he wasn't training someone, he was using the facilities himself.

He supposed that counted as being a gym junkie.

It wasn't long before Ian held the door to a small, cute little bakery and cafe open for Lilly to step into.

"Oh, you're a trainer?"

She asked, pulling a face of mocked horror, a personal trainer, that was a frightening thought for a self proclaimed blob of a person.

"Thanks."

Lilly muttered before passing him and looking through the store, a small groan sounded from the woman as she looked over the pastry display and the hand written menu above the counter.

She wanted one of everything.

"Actually I work at the kiosk," he teased with a grin.

Ian stepped up behind her as they padded into the small shop.

A woman behind the counter gave a loud, enthusiastic cry before an old woman, easily in her seventies came racing towards the two of them with her arms spread.

Ian grinned and embraced the woman when she was close enough. The two muttered their greetings in Italian before kissing each others cheeks.

The woman slapped Ian's arms firmly as she stepped back, planting her hands on her hips as she began scolding him.

"That would be more acceptable."

She replied with a small laugh, her eyes widening a little as the woman hugged and scolded Ian, she hadn't lived in Italy all that long and was yet to pick up the language.

"Oh dear, we are in trouble."

Lilly chuckled as she watched the older woman slap the man. It was always amusing seeing a grown man being told off.

Ian stood silently as he was scolded, trying hard not to laugh.

He managed two minutes before he did crack up, leaning against the counter as he laughed softly.

"Lillian, this is my zia: Ersilia. Her name lies." That earned Ian another firm slap on his muscular arm.

"Come, come." Ersilia waved her hands, beckoning Lilly forwards. She cupped the woman's cheeks, patting them softly. "Bella donna. You are beautiful. A good girl for my Ian."

She brushed the woman's hair out of her face before stepping back and turning to Ian again, scolding him once again in rushed Italian. He replied in an indignant tone.

"Come, little Flower, you pick good treat. Ian pay."

Lily gave a little squeak as her cheeks were cupped but smiled brightly, the woman's warmth was infectious.

She gave a soft laugh as the woman spoke but didn't contradict her one the fact that Ian and her weren't dating, he could have that honor.

"Everything looks so tasty."

She replied as she looked over all the baked goods.

Lilly pointed to one of her favourites, though she could never pronounce it in italian.

"That one?"

She asked, pointing to the Cannoncini.

"She'll love you for that," Ian murmured in the woman's ear as she pointed out the treat she wanted.

"Zia Ersilia adores them. Ah, zia?" he called out as the woman dusted off her apron.

She returned his question with a cheerful murmur as she plated up not one but three of the treats.

"Ah, zia, I'm not made of money," he breathed in a moan as she moved over to plate up a few slices of tiramisu; Ian's favourite.

Ian rested a hand on Lilly's shoulder as his other hand reached into his wallet.

"Frullato di banana, zia Gioia," he asked of the other woman behind the counter. "Do you want anything to drink?" he asked the woman, his gaze turning down to her behind the dark tint of her glasses.

"A salted caramel latte would be great."

She replied as she looked up at him, practically beaming. Lilly couldn't be happier coming to this cafe.

It all felt to warm and homely and though in typical Italian style they could be a little loud, it was endearing to see Ian and his Zia interact with one another.

"You sure you don't want me to pay my half?"

She asked, glancing back up at him, she didn't mind at all.

Ian relayed the order to the woman who was currently making up his milkshake.

He shook his head. "Zia will kill me if I let a pretty girl pay for her own sugary heart attacks."

He laid down a few euros just as his aunt set down the milkshake and latte.

Ian leaned over the counter to press a little kiss to each cheek of the old woman.

He picked up the tray and led the woman towards the empty seat at the front window.

"Sugary heart attacks are the best kind."

She replied with a laugh as she followed him over to the seats, calling out to his aunt and thanking her as she sat down across from him.

"She seems nice, to me anyway."

Lilly grinned softly, he got scolded but she was welcomed so warmly and without hesitation.

"You got to be careful around those Italian women though."

One moment they are welcoming a new girl into the family, next they are planning their wedding, Italian women tended to get a little ahead of themselves sometimes.

"She is nice. But I'm the youngest of our generation in the family. I get picked on by all the aunts and uncles."

Ian cut off a small piece of tiramisu and chewed it slowly. "Zia Gioia baked this morning." Gioia made the best tiramisu in the family.

The man snorted softly. "No kidding. I can already hear them whispering. Let's put their queries to rest, huh? What colour eyes will our children have? They hope they will have your eyes. They don't like blue eyes."

He rolled his blue eyes behind his sunglasses.

"Can't imagine what that must be like."

She replied as she picked up her own fork and cut into one of the custard horns, breaking off a piece that was a little to big, though she still managed to place it in her mouth and chewed.

Lilly snorted a soft laugh as she swallowed the sugary treat covering her mouth as she laughed a little more freely.

She had rich golden, brown eyes, a few shades darker than her hair, her eyes were large and almond shaped.

"How can you not like blue? They're stunning."

"I like blue. It's the old bats over there that don't like blue."

He slid his sunglasses down his nose before pulling them off, resting them on the table as he took up another chunk of tiramisu.

"They like your typical brown hair, brown eyes look. Old crones like the good Italian look."

He grinned as he took another bite of tiramisu. He couldnt look any different with his fairly pale skin and sparkling blue eyes.

Lilly waved him off and shook her head.
"Silly old women."

She replied, Ian was very handsome, no one could possibly deny that.

"Maybe I should dye my hair purple and start wearing contacts."

Lilly grinned devilishly as she took another bite of her treat before washing the bite down with latte.

No doubt the traditional family would not approve of that at all.

Ian laughed.

"I think bright orange would suit you better." That would really set the old women off.

The man took a sip of his milkshake through (bless Gioia) a bendy straw.

"Bright orange, you say?"

She mused on that for a moment, the bright orange would look terrible, she was too fair to pull off such bold tones.

"It'll add the hair dye to my shopping list."

Poor old women, the two of them could have a heart attack.

"And don't mention kids too loudly, I think I can hear her organizing our wedding back there."

"They're already fighting over who will get to spoil our children the most," he snorted softly.

Italian women; they could see a pair of people and plan the next fifty years of their life without fault.

Ian leaned forwards to cut off a piece off the end of one of the cones on Lilly's plate, chewing it slowly with a soft, pleased purr. It tasted good.

He cut off a piece of his tiramisu and held it out to her.

"Best you'll taste," he promised.

Lilly snorted at that as well, she had a crush on Ian, but on a "throw me over your shoulder like a cave man and let me have your babies" type of crush. She was little more realistic than that.

More realistic than his family it seemed.

She smirked softly as he stole a bite of her cone and leaned forward to take the offered piece of tiramisu, purring softly as she chewed.

"You're not wrong."

"Of course I'm not. Our family have been baking this for years. It's Gioia's specialty."

He took a sip of his milkshake.

"I'll make sure she knows you like it."

"This place isn't too far from the hospital, might have to make a few trips here during my lunch hour."

No doubt the food here was better than the shit they had in the hospital cafeteria.

"Though that would involve exercise...hmm."

That was a minor issue which she could over look for the sake of sugary treats.

"A little walk won't kill you off."

Ian grinned wickedly. "If you need help with motivation for exercise, I'm always willing to help a person in need."

He could help her with his gentle persuasiveness. He'd helped many people find their drive for exercising before.

Lilly's eyes narrowed at him as she shook her head.

"Annie would never let me hear the end of it."

If she started exercising now it would obviously be because she was trying to impress him or needed a reason to go see him more often.

"I'll walk if it is for food, but anything beyond that, simply too much effort."

She took another sip of her drink and purred happily.