❦❦❦
ONCE they distanced themselves from the group of girls, who were stamping their feet in frustration, Vincent finally paused. There happened to be an unoccupied bench nearby, so he lowered himself onto it.
Huh? So…why did he look at me like he wanted me to stay? Oriana was sure he’d been imploring her to drive the girls off, so she was a bit dejected about not being able to fulfill that duty for him. And here I was, excited because I thought he was relying on me as a friend.
Vincent pinched the hem of her robe between his fingers and tugged. With his other hand, he patted the empty spot beside him.
“Uh, I should probably excuse myself,” Oriana said. “From the sound of things, you must be really busy.”
“I’m not the least bit busy.” Even assuming he’d been making excuses by claiming otherwise a second ago, there was no way he wasn’t busy at all.
Oriana burst into laughter.
“What is it?” Vincent asked.
“Nothing. I was just thinking, you probably are too busy to go to the city with them, anyway.”
“…If it were with you, I would go.”
“With me? Is there something you need to buy?”
“…Yeah, there is.” Vincent nodded slowly.
Oriana hesitated. I guess if we’re friends, going to town to shop together isn’t that strange, is it? It didn’t seem like it would be. Surely not. No, it had to be perfectly normal.
Oriana slowly nodded to herself. “All right, then. Let’s go together.”
“Yeah, agreed. Let’s do that.”
For whatever reason, they both wore meek expressions, using the most clichéd responses imaginable.
“Oh, um, are you going to invite Miguel along too?” Oriana asked nervously.
It would be strange not to invite Miguel if they were going together. She resented some part of herself for even bothering to remember him, as much as she felt guilty about it since he’d said before that he enjoyed it being the three of them.
“I figure he’s probably busy,” Vincent said.
“O-Oh, all right then. I guess that’s just how it goes.”
“Yes, that is how it goes sometimes.”
“Right.”
“Yeah.”
Uh-huh. Okay. Yup.
The two continued their awkward, perfunctory replies, their plans to go out tomorrow now solidified.
✦ ✦ ✦
❦❦❦
“IT’S really not a date?”
“It’s really not a date!”
Their words were the exact same, but the tone changed the meaning completely; Yana sounded skeptical of Oriana’s claim, while Oriana was insistent.
“I mean it,” Oriana said. “We’re just going out shopping. This is most definitely not a—”
“It is a date,” Yana interjected.
Oriana covered her face with her hands. “You really think so?”
“I don’t care what anyone else tries to tell you, that is a date.”
As the rays of sunlight spilling into the room dimmed, Oriana held her breath. She flopped around on the floor, as if forgetting how to properly inhale. She kept her hands over her face and curled into a ball.
“Seriously? Oh God. Is this actually happening?”
A date… She never dreamed a day would come when she’d actually go on one with Vincent. No, realistically, Vincent merely thought of tomorrow’s trip as a normal outing. But regardless of his intentions, it could still be classified as a date.
“What am I going to do? Now I’m so nervous,” Oriana mumbled.
“You needn’t do anything special. After a bit of yoga, we’ll do a lymphatic massage.”
“Ugh, but that’s super painful!”
“If you were mindful enough about doing it daily, it wouldn’t be that painful. For as much interest as you have in beauty, you certainly do slack off on the work necessary to achieve it.” Yana shot her an exasperated look. She was a pro among pros when it came to pursuing and maintaining beauty. Massages and yoga were practically an Ete Kariman specialty.
“Urk… Well, I’ll start putting more effort in. I do want to be cute.”
I’d at least like Vincent to think I’m cute. Though she was too embarrassed to say as much, that was undeniably how she felt. It was only because she’d convinced herself not to abandon her love for him that she’d come to think this way to begin with. As Yana had advised her, Oriana let her love grow. She wanted to look good in front of Vincent, which was why she dedicated herself more to her studies, helped him out when she could, and was even trying to earnestly devote herself to yoga and massages despite hating them.
“What should I do about my clothes?” Oriana wondered aloud. “Maybe I should ask Kai or Lucian what kind of outfits guys prefer.”
“Are you seriously considering asking an infamous virgin like Lucian?” Yana stared at her in disbelief.
Oriana shrugged. “Well, virgin or no, he’s still a man! I have faith in him!”
“Hold it right there. If that’s how desperate you are, let’s enlist Azraq.”
“Wha…?”
Azraq? The man who had feelings for a mature woman in her thirties? Oriana had no confidence she could pull off an outfit suiting someone like that. Seeing the grim look on her friend’s face, Yana must have sensed Oriana’s apprehension.
“Basically, you need to find what suits you best,” she said.
Oriana hopped to her feet and threw her closet doors open. Outfits she used on holidays and the weekends were lined up neatly inside. She glanced over the selection, eyes unblinking as she said, “I need to find the best possible outfit combination. I don’t want to be too chic, though. And it needs to fit the mood. I can’t seem too feminine, but at least enough to rouse his interest. I have to be careful that it’s not too casual, though. It has to be perfect!”