What Did I Tell You?

Chapter 3

At 19:00 on Saturday, Tarja was in her bedroom, checking her outfit one last time. Was it too fancy? Too casual? Should she have worn a dress and high-heels, instead of black jeans and a leather jacket and boots? Should she wear a necklace? Was the makeup too heavy, or too subtle?

"I think I'm going insane!" she moaned to Floor, who was standing next to her, checking her pink lip gloss in the mirror. Floor turned. She was wearing a short, black skirt, a red tank top, and boots, and her makeup was perfect.

"Chill. Just take a deep breath," she said,  laying her hands on Tarja's shoulders. "You look great."

"Are you sure? Is it too casual? Too fancy?" Tarja asked worriedly, turning to look at herself in the mirror again.

"It's perfect. You're not going anywhere really fancy, so your outfit is just right. Casual, but with a little bit of elegance," Floor said.

"I wish I could be that sure. How come you're not stressing about how you look?" Tarja said. "I mean, you look awesome, but how come you're not questioning every little thing like I am?" Floor laughed.

"First of all, I don't care what anyone thinks of me except for maybe Sharon, and she's already seen me with my clothes off," she answered. "So I figure, she likes me no matter what I'm wearing."

"Not helpful," Tarja said. Floor gave her a sideways hug.

"Trust me, you look great, as usual. Now I gotta go. Have fun!" She hurried out the door, and soon, Tarja was alone. Less than five minutes after she left, however, there was a knock on the apartment door. Tarja grabbed her purse and ran to answer it. Alissa stood outside, dressed in a motorcycle jacket and boots.

"Hey, Tarja."

"Hey, Liss," Tarja answered, trying to calm her pounding heart.

"Ready?" Alissa asked. Tarja nodded. "Alright, then let's do this! I've been looking forward to tonight since Thursday." Tarja smiled shyly.

"So have I," she answered, following Alissa down the hall to the stairs. When they got outside, Alissa led Tarja over to a black motorcycle with electric-blue flame designs.

"Put this on," Alissa said, handing her a helmet like the one she had just put on.

"A...motorcycle?" Tarja asked, bewildered.

"You let me choose, and given the choice, I will always pick this baby," Alissa said, patting the seat of the motorcycle. She threw one leg across it. "Hop on."

"So that's what you meant when you asked if I'd rather have something fancy, but wild, or comfortable, but shabby?" Tarja laughed as she sat down behind Alissa.

"Yeah, my car's kind of old, simply because I haven't bothered to put aside the cash for a new one. I love this thing too much, I guess," the bluenette answered, starting the engine. "Hold on, this could get a bit wild." Tarja wrapped her arms around Alissa's waist, since there was nothing else to hold on to. During the drive, it was too noisy for conversation, which helped Tarja quite a bit, since she didn't have to feel awkward because she couldn't think of anything to say. When they got to the restaurant, Alissa pulled into a parking space and helped Tarja down from the motorcycle.

"Okay, so why do you have an extra helmet?" Tarja asked as they walked inside.

"This guy I knew was selling off all his motorcycle gear, and I decided to buy another helmet, just in case I ever wanted to take someone for a drive," Alissa answered. "You're the first person who's ever used it." For some reason, Tarja blushed at that. A few minutes later, they were sitting down at a table. The restaurant was classy, but comfortable, and Tarja started to relax. Until she caught Alissa watching her above the edge of her menu, and ended up knocking her fork to the ground. She mentally cursed. Alissa giggled and looked away.

"Did you do that on purpose?" Tarja demanded.

"Who, me?" Alissa asked.

"Yes, you," Tarja said. "Who else?"

"I don't know," Alissa answered. Tarja couldn't help but grin. Then she realized that Alissa was doing this on purpose to make her feel better, and her smile widened. She hadn't even known Alissa for three full days, and yet, she already felt close to her.

After dinner, they headed to the movie theater. They arrived early,so they walked around for a little while, looking at the ads for other movies. Alissa posed by a cardboard display for a fantasy, action-adventure movie, holding her hands out in front of her like she was holding a sword like one of the characters on the display. Tarja laughed at the ridiculous expression on her face.

"Oh, it's time, come on," she said, grabbing Alissa's arm. They headed into the room where the movie would be shown and found their seats.

Tarja was a little sad when the movie was over, because she knew it meant that they would have to go home, and she wasn't ready to do that yet. She enjoyed Alissa's company. Even if they were just friends, tonight was perfect, and she didn't want it to end.

"You okay?" Alissa asked, gently touching her shoulder.

"Hm? Oh, yes, I'm fine," Tarja answered. Alissa grinned.

"Hey, I got a place I want to show you. That is, unless you'd rather go home."

"Oh, no, that's fine," Tarja said. "Actually, I was just thinking about how nice this is." Alissa smiled and slid an arm around her waist. Tarja's heart immediately started to flutter as they walked over to the motorcycle and Alissa helped her climb on. When they had gotten their helmets on, Alissa started up the engine and, instead of turning right out of the parking lot, she turned left, taking them toward the edge of town. They drove for about twenty minutes and finally stopped at a sort of park, with a hill, some paths, and a few trees.

"Come on," Alissa said, getting off the motorcycle and helping Tarja down. She took off her helmet and led Tarja to the top of the hill. A lake lay spread out before them, glistening in the light from the stars and moon. Tarja gasped.

"This is beautiful, Alissa." Alissa smiled.

"Thought you'd like it. It's one of my favorite spots." She lay down on the grass, and Tarja lay down next to her. They looked up at the many stars. Tarja pointed out some of the constellations she recognized. Suddenly, Alissa gasped and pointed up at a bright, silvery streak shooting across the sky. "A shooting star! Quick, make a wish!" Tarja watched the silver streak, her lips silently forming words. She hoped with all her heart that her wish would come true. After a moment, Alissa asked, "Did you wish?"

"Yes," Tarja answered softly. She turned her head and found herself looking into Alissa's hazel eyes. Her heart beat even faster. Alissa reached out and took her hand, her eyes not leaving Tarja's for a second.

"What did you wish for?" she whispered.

"I can't tell you, cause then it won't come true," Tarja whispered back.

"On the contrary, maybe it will. Maybe you have to tell me first," Alissa said. Tarja's heart did a flip.

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"Just try it," Alissa whispered. "You don't know unless you try."

"I wished...I wished that things could be like this all the time. You and me, together...and-" She had to stop, because Alissa was kissing her. She kissed back, wrapping her hand around the back of Alissa's head, her fingers tangled in the thick, silky, blue locks. This kiss was even more magical than their first. Tarja's heart was still pounding, but this time, it wasn't from nervousness. It was from joy.