Just Friends

10

⊱𝙻𝚎𝚟𝚒⊰

My nose scrunches as I inspect the shoes the guy at the front slid over to me. He told me to tie them tight, but I'm honestly not even sure how I'm supposed to tie such long shoelaces.

I glance across the room at a lady who's tying her shoes too. She wraps the laces around her ankles a few times before she begins to tie them normally.

I look down at the shoe in my hand, assuming that's what I'm supposed to do with such long laces.

I hold off on it for now and look towards my phone. With a quiet sigh, I pick it up to check the time. It's two fifteen.

For just two seconds, I wonder if Tess is actually going to come. I dismiss the thought quickly, knowing that one: she said she was going to. And two: it has only been fifteen minutes from the time we agreed on.

Three: I get a text from her while I'm checking the time.

'Are you here?'

I text her back when I open up her message, telling her that I'm already trying to figure out these damn shoes. She doesn't reply.

She doesn't need to. Just a moment after I send my text, I hear my name being called. "Levi!"

My attention shoots up, spotting her almost immediately. She's smiling as she jogs over, the little ball of yarn on the top of her beanie bounces as she goes.

I watch in horror as she jogs with ice skates in her hands.

Yeah. Shoes with literal blades on the end of them. Why the hell did I ask her here when I could've asked if she wanted to roller skate?

"You shouldn't run with those in your hands." I blurt, my eyes stuck on the blades she just so casually holds in her arms when she makes it to me.

Tess snorts. "Here for a good time, not a long time, right?"

My eyes dart up to hers, but I don't answer her. Instead, I blink when I notice something new. A lot new.

Not only is her hair shorter, but it's blue.

I feel myself start to smile. "You dyed your hair." I dumbly point out.

Tess smiles as she sets her shoes to the side on the chair beside me. "Yeah," She runs her fingers through it, tilting her head to the side when she does. "Just last night." She adds on a hum.

"Cut it too?"

She looks surprised. "Just a trim."

I smile wider. "I like it." I decide. Though, I doubt she really cares if I like it. "It's pretty." I quietly add.

Tess laughs. "Thank you." She starts sitting down beside her shoes. "Sorry I'm kinda late." She adds absently as she starts toeing her sneakers off. "I did the bleaching last night. It's not great for my hair, but I dyed it this morning." She scrunches her nose like she isn't happy about it.

"It's okay." I assure, looking down as I begin kicking my shoes off too. "I, uh...Was thinking more about this earlier,"

"Mhm?"

I grimace and pause to look at her. She looks back at me curiously. "I feel like maybe ice skating wasn't the best idea for right now." I mutter.

It's freezing outside. It might even rain soon. I seriously don't know why I didn't choose roller skating.

Tess laughs at that. "Yeah," She murmurs as she starts slipping into her skates. "But I like ice skating. I haven't been in a while." She continues on absently, tying her long laced with ease. "You know how?" She asks.