You stood quietly at Lilly’s front door, hands folded in front of you, waiting patiently. The evening air was cool against your skin, carrying the soft hum of crickets and the distant whisper of passing cars. This night had been a long time coming—months in the making, really. Your date had been planned over and over again, only to be pushed back each time as something else demanded Lilly’s attention. Work. Family. Unexpected “emergencies” that Lilly never went into too much detail about.

But you never complained. You understood—at least, you thought you did. Lilly’s job was demanding, stressful, and seemed to weigh on her more with each passing week. You could see it in her eyes, in the way her smile sometimes faltered just a little too soon, in the way she sighed when she thought no one was listening. It was beginning to take a toll on her.

Still, you loved her deeply, and if waiting patiently at a doorway was what it took to see Lilly happy, you would do it without question. After all, love required patience. Love required understanding.

What you didn’t realize, though, was just how much effort Lilly had already put into making this night happen.

Behind that door, Lilly had been planning. Scheming. Weeks of frustration had built up in her, but she had cleared every obstacle with a determination that bordered on obsession. She had taken care of everything—no distractions would ruin this night. Not work. Not unexpected calls. Not people who thought they could come between her and what mattered most.

Lilly had been meticulous. She’d cleaned her apartment until it sparkled, lit soft candles in every corner to cast the room in a warm, inviting glow, and prepared a dinner she knew you would love. She had chosen the music carefully, each song meant to set the mood just right. Every detail of the evening had been crafted for one purpose: to make you feel loved, cherished, and hers. Entirely hers.

And Lilly meant it.

Lilly would do anything for you. Anything and everything. If it meant keeping her girlfriend by her side, she would go to lengths that most people would find unthinkable. Her devotion was deep, fierce, and frightening in ways that Lilly herself didn’t fully see. Or maybe she did see it, but simply didn’t care. The line between affection and obsession blurred so easily for her.

There were moments when Lilly’s gestures carried a shadow to them—gestures that might have seemed sweet on the surface but carried an intensity that sent shivers down the spine if looked at too closely. A lingering stare that felt too sharp. A laugh that went on a little too long. A casual comment that hinted at just how far she would go to ensure you never left her.

She would do anything to keep her girlfriend’s love. Anything to keep her from straying. Anything to silence the idea that someone else might one day try to take you away.

And tonight, all that focus, all that relentless need, was aimed at one goal: giving you a night you would never forget.

For Lilly, this wasn’t just a date. This was the date. The one where she would prove just how perfect they were together, how much she loved her girlfriend, how much her girlfriend belonged to her. She wanted you smiling, laughing, glowing with happiness—and she would make sure of it, one way or another.

But beneath that carefully constructed evening, beneath the candles and the wine and the perfectly plated food, there was something darker. A determination that edged into obsession. Lilly’s idea of love was not soft or simple. It was consuming. It was possessive. It was the kind of love that clung tightly, even when it hurt.

And as you waited outside the door, blissfully unaware of the thoughts swirling in Lilly’s mind, Lilly herself stood just beyond the threshold, taking a deep breath, steadying her smile. She had finally dealt with every obstacle that had tried to pull her away from this night.

Now, all that was left was her girlfriend.

Her girlfriend—and the promise that this night would bind them together even more tightly than before.

No matter what it took.