Page 2 of Lily
She sat back and nodded at the list. She could do this, but even she knew the list was woefully remiss on the basics of self-care, but that could wait for another time. Even making the list was more than enough for Lily, but even so, she forced herself to open her phone's web browser and tap out the web address for a venue she used to frequent.
The Burgundy.
She might not be able to get a new job in an afternoon, but she could book a spot at Burgundy's open mic night. A few clicks and a calendar site later, Lily had a slot for 10 pm that night. It wasn't a great time, but it was something; plus, she could make it and her dinner shift at the diner with just enough time to make a stop at her apartment for a dress change. She didn't think the audience would vibe much with her diner uniform, and if she were going to do this, then she would need to fake the confidence she didn't quite feel.
That meant full hair and makeup, plus her best stage outfit, which was comprised of a sheer, low cut dress. She hadn't touched the garb in months, other than to shove it to the back of her closet in her pursuit of something more plain, more discreet, less enticing. But covered up and nondescript clothing was not what Lily needed if she was going to command the attention of an audience that would more or less have tired of hopefuls with nothing but raw music talent.
Open mic night was brutal for its audience and lacking in its musical talent. Before her hiatus from the stage, Lily had been able to fill the club on her own name and had done well bouncing between clubs in the borough. She hadn't really needed the diner job in those days. It had just been a quick way to make cash when she was taking time off to work on her next song set list, but then, she'd lost her confidence, the words of her songs choking in her throat while her fingers missed the keys of her newest melody. Her fingers tightened on the pen in her hand and she shook her head.
"None of that," she told herself, refusing to allow the dark thoughts to pull her under. Not today.
Not on Monday. She had things to do. An almost Dom to forget. A life to set to rights and she could do it on her own because she was strong in her own way. Littles were strong, even when they were on their own, even when their Daddies were woefully missing. Lily was a Little, but she was mighty for it. Her softness, the gentle way that she moved through the world, was not a weakness because, for all the difficulties presented by the world, she still dared to be soft, to be gentle, to be Little.
And that was a precious thing. She would not waste it on a Dom who wasn't worthy of such a gift, and that meant that her heart was most definitelynot broken. Lily's gift was that she could continue to be soft, and she would not part with what made her Little even if it had been treated carelessly by someone else.
She was a Little, and that meant she was far stronger than she knew. Lily just hoped she didn't have to find out exactly how stern the stuff she was made from was.
