The Fairy Lights Under Phoenix City

Chapter 11

Aphmau was out of the hospital and back to work. Still nobody was visiting the small art store. But that was fine. That gave Aphmau and Vylad time to discuss her date with Aaron later that night.

"It's not a date." Aphmau insisted one last time.

"Honey, don't even lie." Vylad said. "I see right through you. You like him!"

"I do not!" Aphmau cried.

"What are you going to wear?" He asked.

"Probably the same dress I wore the last time we went out." She said.

Vylad rolled his eyes at her. "You can't do that." Vylad said. "You have to put an effort into your appearance! He's going to notice if you wear the same damn thing to your date."

"Well that's the only "date worthy" thing I own." She told him.

Vylad grinned. "Leave it to me!"

He ran off to the back room. Aph had never been back there. There was never a need. After all, they didn't do anything. She waited patiently while crashing sounds and swear words floated out of the open doorway.

A few minutes later Vylad emerged with a beaten up cardboard box labeled clothes.

"Why are you keeping clothes here?" Aphmau asked.

"I'm homeless, remember? I kind of camp out here. Use it as storage. Whatever. It's empty space anyway. Not like we're using it."

Aph nodded. Leaning forward to peak over the edge of the open cardboard flaps. Vylad had a lot of clothes in the box. Scarves and socks. Lingerie and dresses. Fancy business suits and old sweaters.

"Where the hell did you get all of this?!" Aphmau cried, amazed at the sheer amount and variety of his possessions.

"Garage sales, hand-me-downs, some of it I found in dumpsters." Vlad said carelessly. "Not important. What is important is that I have something gorgeous in your size!"

He pulled out a flowy black skirt with a pale pink top. The blouse had short sleeves and was softer than silk, but not as shiny. The thin pink fabric was decorated with small sparkling beads and embroidered roses.

"Wow." Aphmau breathed. "Where did you get this?"

"Well, it's not from a garage sale. I can tell you that." Vylad chuckled. "It was my mother's. I sort of stole it on my way out the door. She hardly wore it anyway. Now it's yours."

"What?!" Aph exclaimed. "I can't take this! It was your mother's!"

"But it would look so good on you!" Vylad whined. "And it doesn't fit me! If you don't take it it's going to sit in this box forever and probably become the nest for something unpleasant. Please. I want you to have it."

Aphmau extended a hesitant hand to take the outfit. Vylad smiled as she took it.

"You know what the best news is?" He said.

"What?"

"That top has a matching pair of shoes."

—•♤♧♡♧♤•—

Aaron sighed. Straightening his tie one last time. He was now cleanly shaven and his hair was back in order. But he was still self conscious of the way he had looked the last time Aph had seen him. He wanted to kick himself for showing up looking like that. She looked better than him and she had been in the hospital for a week. Now he felt as though she could never see him as the cool, composed man he had been before.