Since the girl wanted to prepare, Ray helped her buy groceries and, after walking her home, wanted to participate in the cooking from the very beginning. But Lily wanted to dress up and surprise her beloved, so she unceremoniously kicked him out.

  Arriving home, Ray immersed himself in the world of books as usual. After spending several hours reading, shortly before the agreed time, he went to the store for a bouquet.

  When Lily opened the door, Ray barely managed to keep his jaw from dropping: the fragile-looking, short girl was wearing a blue dress. She wore no makeup, but the dress accentuated her natural innocence.

  From their very first meeting, Ray had felt a desire to protect this little one, shielding her from all storms. This desire was one of the reasons he hadn't dared to make the first move, despite the sincere feelings he had for her. It was because he clearly understood that he couldn't become a reliable support for her.

  Noticing her beloved's reaction, Lily realized she hadn't made a mistake in choosing her outfit. The girl, despite her joy, was clearly embarrassed, but accepting the bouquet of white roses, she decided to reward her beloved and gave him a light kiss.

  Then she stepped aside, letting him into the house. When they went into the kitchen and Ray handed the bouquet to the short old woman, who was slightly shorter than him, she said sincerely:

  "Young man, my name is Rosie. Thank you very much for saving my foolish granddaughter from making a big mistake."

  Finishing speaking, Rosie tried to bow, but Ray gently held her back.

  "You don't need to thank me. I'm gd I did a good deed, but in this story, I'm the one who gained the most—I won the heart of such a beauty as your granddaughter. And seeing you, I understand who she inherited her beauty from."

  Saying these words, Ray wasn't being the least bit dishonest: time had left its mark on Rosie's face, but even so, it was clear that in her youth she had been incredibly beautiful.

  "Young man, I must admit you have a way with words," Rosie said, smiling.

  "That's one of my few virtues."

  "I'm gd you've hit it off," Lily said jokingly. "You're doing a wonderful job fttering each other. But let me put the flowers in water, and we'll start cooking."

  "There's not a drop of fttery in my words. Time has left its imprint on your grandmother's face, but even it hasn't managed to completely hide the traces of her former beauty.