Backstitch

Chapter 19

Lou walked out of the bathroom, a towel draped around his shoulders so his damp hair wouldn't drip on his shirt. He yelped as something was flung at his face. He just barely caught it—a light brown sweater with white trim sewn around the sleeves and undercut. A white collar poked out from the neckline as well. Lou looked up at Nolan, who continued rummaging through his drawer. "What is this?"

"A shirt."

"No duh," Lou laid it out on the brunette's bed. "What's it for, though?"

"For your date," Nolan pulled out a pair of navy-blue pants. "Here," he tossed them onto the bed, "these will look better with it."

The blonde laughed sarcastically, "It's not a date—" Nolan hummed, "—and I'm not wearing this. What's wrong with what I normally wear?"

"Lou, you dress like a million bucks every single day." He shut the drawer, picking up the blonde's shoes and setting them in front of the bed. "Which isn't a bad thing, and considering we can't really tone down the Mr. Perfect look for you, the best is just turning it down a notch."

Lou rose a brow, "Meaning?"

"Meaning you're wearing something more casual tonight in the hopes you don't have the whole restaurant ogling at you the entire time."

"I think they'll have a stroke the second they see me wearing something other than my tux. I can already feel the world turning upside down." Lou held up the pants, scrutinizing them.

Nolan shook his head, smiling, and patted Lou on the shoulder as he walked out, "Get changed, and I'll meet you downstairs. Promptly! Don't wanna keep the lady waiting."

"It's not a date!" Lou called back as the door shut. He huffed and debated putting his suit on anyway. But...it would be a nice change of pace. Maybe a new change in appearance to symbolize hitting the refresh button on his life. Perhaps the other dolls would appreciate the small changes of him veering from his past tendencies. With a final contemplative stare at the ceiling, he tossed the towel on the bed and got ready.

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"Screw you."

Lou scoffed, looking at Nolan with wide eyes, "What did I do?"

They were walking through town, the sun nearing its final stretch across the sky. The streetlights slowly flickered on, and the shops glowed beautifully. The beauty wasn't what caught Nolan's attention, though, it was the stares sent their way. "You and your stupid perfect looks," he muttered with a side glare to the blonde. "I could put you in a trash bag, and you'd still have women fawning over you."

So, his plan to "turn it down a notch" didn't work like he had wanted it to. He was hoping to draw attention away from Lou so that he and Mandy could put all their focus on each other. But the knight in shining sweater beside him wasn't made to blend in with the crowd.

"Hey, Lou." A female Pretty Doll strode by them, giving a wave to the blonde whilst tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Lou just gave her a curt nod and smile.

Nolan looked at him, deadpan. "What?" Lou caught his gaze.

He sighed, "Okay, so, don't tell Mandy I told you this...but...she has some insecurities."

"Don't we all," Lou stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"No, I mean, like...she feels insecure...around you."

Lou did a double take at that, "Around me? Why?"

"Because she doesn't feel like she deserves to even be in the same room as you. Every time one of your little fangirls would blow a kiss at you, Mandy would start comparing herself to them. She always feels like she's not thin enough. Not pretty enough. Not perfect enough for you. And I know you don't mean to, but that feeling gets amplified every time you acknowledge those girls. Every time you flirt back or blow a kiss at them."