Beautiful Stranger (How I Met Your Mother)

02. Morning after

"Lilly, I can't find my Joey Buttafuoco pants!"

"Oh... baby, did you look in the bottom drawers?" Lilly asked, looking up at her restless husband on a Saturday morning.

"Yes, I have looked everywhere. Oh no, did you hide them again? You hid them, didn't you?" Marshall inquired. Lilly stared apologetically.

"They are in the trunk." Lilly nervously chewed a finger nail.

"Why do hate them so much? You think I can't pull them off?"

Lilly tittered. "You really don't know the answer to that?"

Marshall gaped in disbelief. He headed for the trunk to find his pants he had planned on wearing to a costume party from work that Sunday.

Ted was in the kitchen making his famous pancakes.

"Hey Ted, did you make extra coffee?" Lilly asked.

"I sure did." He replied, not looking back.

"Well could I get some? And when are those pancakes gonna be ready?" Lily asked in desperation.

"In a minute."

After not less than five minutes, Ted joined Lily for breakfast.

"Wow Ted, these pancakes are one of your best works. It's like... I'm eating little bites of love." Lily looked satisfied. "Speaking of Love, have you decided on this whole Robin thing? Are you gonna go after her?"

Ted could only smile. After last night's date with Nisha, he hadn't once thought about Robin.

"I don't know Lily. Look, to tell you the truth, I want to see how things go with Nisha. You know her, right? Marshall's batch mate?"

"Oh, right. You had a date with her? How was it? Hey, how come Marshall didn't tell me you went out with her?" Lily looked puzzled.

"It happened after you both took off. I haven't told anyone yet... well, except for Barney." Ted gave his usual muted laugh. "You should have seen the look on his face when I left the bar with her."

"So, how was she?"

"Only the best. Lily, I know you will lecture me if I tell you that I think she's the one. But the truth is, I can't stop thinking about her. I mean, I don't remember the last time I had difficulty sleeping because of a girl, except for maybe that time when Caren made me do sit-ups in bed."

"What?"

"Nothing." Ted took a deep breath. "The point is, I think I might be falling for her."

"You have to do that to yourself, don't you?" Lily rolled her eyes.

"Do what?"

"Mistake your attraction toward somebody as love and keep believing it until it's too late and you are hurt?" Lily said, finishing her share of coffee. She was worried for her best friend. He had been down this road far too many times. Everyone knew how it was all going to end.

"I am not going to argue that. And I promise I won't rush into anything. Besides, I would like your opinion before I do anything stupid. I will bring her with me to the bar. How about tonight?" Ted had a strong feeling his friends were going to love Nisha.

"Tonight? Did you forget about our high school reunion?"

"What? Oh! It's tonight! But I already asked Nisha out on another date. Lily! I don't wanna cancel on her. I really want to meet her." Ted psyched at the idea of not seeing her again.

The sight of Ted's hopelessness soothed Lily. She couldn't help but smile.

"What?" Ted asked, getting a hold of him.

"It's nice."

"What's nice?"

"Nothing. Never mind."

"Be careful, Ted."

It made him feel content knowing Lily was always going to have his back.

"Anyway, tell me about this girl. How was the date? Did anything happen?"

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