Growing Up and Other Tall Tales

Chapter 41

"Shit, shit, fuck, fuck, shit,"

Diana pokes her head out from the kitchen with a bowl in her hand, clearly and very unsurprisingly unimpressed. She sticks her hand inside the bowl and shoves it back in her mouth slowly and dispassionately.

"How late?"

I hesitate before realizing that I probably will need her help. "He's coming to pick me up in half an hour?"

Diana pins me down with a deadened look in her eyes before hollering for Kathy and I am already stripping down, gathering my clothes wherever I took them off and running into the shower.

"Don't get your hair wet!" I hear Hye-Rin scream and Diana mumbles something under her breath that makes her girlfriend pinch her side

I don't think I've taken a shower this fast ever but then again, that is exactly what I say every time I have to go on a date. The shower is a fantastic place to come up with creative coining of curses followed by too many slips and—fuck, Kathy is going to kill me for using her body wash.

Stumbling out of the shower with my towel wrapped around my like a bodice and dripping wet everywhere, I find myself with a faceful of Kathy who tells me to go back into the shower and wash off the soap on my nose that I had missed without even looking at me.

And then Diana brings out the blow dryer, because I've gotten my hair wet, still munching on whatever she was eating earlier. Hye-Rin sits at my feet and tries to scrub off the scattered remains of nail polish on unkempt fingernails with the last bit of polish remover we have left.

Kathy is exclusively in charge of makeup.

And I wisely, after learning the hard way, had chosen something to wear the night before.

"Absolutely not," Kathy says holding up my sweater. Diana just facepalms with a groan of exasperation and even Hye-Rin smiles up at me nervously

"Fine," I blow a strand of hair that had fallen into my face. "Something comfortable, Kathy or I'm going nude. Or even worse, in that sweater."

It takes a while and somebody had to go answer the door and tell my lovely date to wait ten minutes. Obviously we sent Hye-Rin.

"He has flowers, Lye." she beams

"What kind?" Diana demands

"Lots of different kinds. He said he didn't know what your favorite was so he took one from all,"

All three of them swoon around me and I pry off their fingers which have reached to squeeze my cheeks and swirl my hair.

"Do any of you want to go on a date with him?"

"No, he's all yours," Kathy smiles letting me peer into the mirror to see her handiwork

Diana whistles and circles an arm around Hye-Rin, "Lucky dude,"

"I need a new brush," Kathy muses looking at my face and frowning a little

"I need a new face," I comment lowly but Kathy had done wonders with the face I already have and if there ever was a miracle worker, it's Kathy, "It looks great, thanks." I tell her and she shrugs nonchalantly but she preens at the praise

I get up to do a twirl for the girls making them hoot silently.

"Flowers, huh?"

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"This is me," I tell Liam and turn around staring up at the apartment block

"Yeah, I know. I picked you up, remember?" he laughs and I kick him for being a smartass

It's a little silent. It's not awkward. Just a silence.

"I know that I'm supposed to wait before asking you out again but..." he brings the front of his jacket closer together awkwardly

I wait for him to continue.

Liam looks up and rolls my eyes at my questioning stare, "Do you want to go out again?"

I took a deep breath and he cuts in before I could say anything.

"Okay that says a lot." He says and then forlornly, "It's a no then."

I frown and knock my knuckles into his forehead making him wince and pout, "I'd like to go out again but if you promise to get more dumplings,"

The way his face lights up reminds me of Nick and the massive mood transition looks positively playful on his demeanor. He clasps my hands without entirely realizing out of excitement and only until after he registers my look of surprise that he lets go immediately.

"Shit, sorry. Do you like not kiss on a first date or—"

"Shut up,"

He smiles, leans forward and kisses me. It's a short affair purely due to logistical issues. It's too goddamn cold outside to kiss for a long time and I would hate for the girls to come downstairs and find me making out with someone. They'll never let me live it down.

He pulls back, eyes still closed but smiling. He is always smiling.

"Next week? Same time? More dumplings?" he asks without pulling away entirely. I smile and nod.

"I'll see you in school then," I say and he places one last loud kiss on my mouth and pulls away

"Bye Lyra," he waves walking backwards watching me walk into the warmth of the building

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"What are you doing here?" I ask carefully as I take off my jacket watching Nick sit between the girls suspiciously

"I didn't want to miss out on anything," he says like it is obvious and Diana who had sprung up from her seat when I came in called out from the kitchen

"If you guys start without me I will kill you,"

"Wouldn't dream of it," Kathy deadpans, "No but seriously. Did he mention your cheekbones?"

"What did you do to her cheekbones?" Nick asks horrified

"He didn't," I say helpfully

Diana runs in with the wine and coddles five glasses in her arms and dumps them unceremoniously but safely on the table. She waves her hand asking me to start talking. I sigh and sit taking off my shoes.

"So, he brought flowers..."