A Love Triangle Most Unusual (Season 1)

Whose Call Is It, Anyway?

After my time at the Pike Place Market, I spent some time wandering the pier, peering into various souvenir shops. Just for fun, I even stopped by the Seattle Aquarium.

"I'm not touching anything," a girl about my age announced as I walked by the touch tanks. "I'm just going to wash my hands for health purposes. But you guys can have fun touching the anemones."

"How is it?" The boy next to her asked, peering into the tanks where there was a colorful array of starfish, sea cucumbers, sea urchins, anemones, and small brightly-colored fish rapidly darting in and out of the underwater vegetation.

"I dunno. Oh, it sticks to your hand," the boy next to him mumbled. His friend then stuck his hand into the touch tank and screamed loudly, jumping back.

"Oh no, you dropped your sunglasses," the girl mumbled. "You're gonna have to reach back in again."

I spent some time looking at the glowing multicolored glass arch full of jellyfish, which only seemed mildly exploitative, and peering at the enormous tanks full of various tropical fish that glowed an eerie, supernatural aquamarine blue light. As I wandered through the exhibits, so did the three college kids, occasionally snapping pictures and bickering with each other. Must be nice to have friends, I thought to myself. Finally, I exited the Seattle Aquarium and returned to the water front pier, where the sunlight shone on the greenish-gray waters of the Puget Sound.

After some time, I got up and walked back to the Westlake Center mall entrance, a glowing doorway surrounded by glass window panes.

While I had bought a few clothes here before, I did not have any makeup to go with it. Thus, I found myself in a brightly-lit, highly perfumed Sephora.

"Hi! Welcome in," one of the store employees smiled at me, her eyeshadow reminiscent of a peacock's feathers. "Can I help you with anything?"

"I..."

Looking around, I realized that I genuinely had no idea where to start. "No, I'm just looking," I said. "Do you... have any um, lip stick?" I asked dumbly.

Lipstick?

Who the hell is wearing LIPSTICK in this pandemic-entrenched timeline, dumbass?

"Of course! What kind of formula would you like? Matte, semi matte, creamy, satin, or liquid?"

Liquid?

"Uh..." Damn, should have researched before coming in here. "Um, what do you recommend?"

The store employee blinked a few times at me, her three-inch long fake eyelashes fanning the air like the proud plumage of a bird of paradise. I also noticed her store tag said CLARA. "Well, my personal favorites are the Kat Von D liquid lipsticks," she pointed out to me. I nodded and tried not to panic at the price.

"Do you have something more, ummm..." Cheaper? Less expensive? Possible to buy without selling an organ?

"...Affordable?" Clara guessed. I nodded, hoping that was the professional jargon for what I wanted. "Well, we sell Morphe products online if you're interested. We also have the Sephora collection, which is an in-store brand that is-"

Eugh. I don't know what any of these things are, I thought to myself, staring at the rows of strange and wondrous products. Eyelash curlers? Silicone sponges? Strange globular-shaped bright pink sponges? I was clearly in over my head.

"What eyeshadow are you wearing?" I asked, deciding to go simpler.

"Oh! I'm wearing a Juvia's Place palette," Clara said excitedly. "Let me show you-"

I followed her over, moving past the Natasha Denona and Anastasia Beverly Hills section, ending up in front of a display of brightly colored palettes with covers of well-decorated women. "You can't sample any products, but you can swatch the eyeshadows," Clara informed me.

"Um...thank you," I said, not knowing what swatching was. It sounding like 50s slang for vaping

"Here, I'll show you," Clara said, picking up on my inexpertise. She reached into the eyeshadow palette and rubbed some of it onto her finger, then smeared it across her arm. I admired the way the metallic eyeshadow looked, shiny and reflective like a piece of foil.

"Oh, that is pretty," I murmured, wishing I knew what to do with such a beautiful product. But I had no idea what I was doing. "Thank you, I'll think about it."

"No problem. Anything else I can do or recommend for you? Would you like to get a foundation match?"

It sounded like something important, but I decided I wanted to take it easy. "No, thank you," I replied. "I'll just let you know if something comes up. Thank you."

"Alright, wonderful," Clara replied, then stepped away briskly to help another customer.

I decided to spend some time browsing everything. Everything looked extremely expensive for my humble Starbucks barista salary. I decided to pretend I was trying to make up my mind, and then leave once all the sales representatives' backs were turned.

My phone buzzed. I turned it on, noticing that it was a notification. Marie had posted recently on her photography account. I hesitantly hovered my thumb above the photo she had taken of a field of sunflowers. As Dave, I didn't really have a reason to be interacting with any of her photos. It was just weird. But as Jade, who was to say I couldn't like it? I double tapped the photo, watching the heart animation pop up on my screen.

Maybe I should post something too, I thought to myself. I quickly looked around to make sure that nobody was looking at me before snapping a hasty selfie. It was a bit shit, and I thought the angle was weird, but I posted it anyway.

Immediately, my phone buzzed with another notification. Marie had liked it! And, she had also commented on it!

wow! you're so pretty <333

I smiled.

Thanks, I replied awkwardly. So are you!

Just then, my phone rang loudly. The other women began to shoot me annoyed glances. I decided to duck outside and answer it. Once I was outside, I reached into my pocket and picked up the call. 

"Hello?" I asked, confused.

"Oh sorry, is this the wrong number?" A female voice asked. "I'm looking for Dave."