An Immortal's Favour

Jack- Blue-Eyed Boy

*

I drove back through the hidden path behind us and travelled down another discreet road, skirting the suburbs of Rachon, as we headed to the commercial part of town. Leaving and taking the motorway to the next city over would've been ideal, but my stomach had other ideas. And it wasn't alone.

"You're hungry, too?"

Gale only grinned sheepishly in response, patting her belly.

"Guess it's time for a midnight snack." I paused, glancing at her clothes. "You might need to get changed, though."

"Why?"

"We're going to eat somewhere a little upscale, but it has the best food, hands down. It's not far from here, The Haven."

"Oh. And you?" She tugged at her old, cotton dress, but I caught the glimmer of excitement in her eyes.

"I think my slacks and button-down shirt are decent enough for the occasion."

"Okay. But I'll need somewhere to change."

"There should be a few shops open. Let's look around."

"Have you been to this 'Haven' before? With a lover, perhaps?"

I let my eyelids fall halfway over my eyes and clicked my tongue. "I'm five-foot-three with skinny arms and a face that hasn't changed much since I was fifteen, which- might I add -wasn't my best year. Most girls I've met don't go for that."

Gale scoffed. "You had a lover, I know."

"Keyword: 'had'."

"So? You had one. And stop talking about yourself like that. There's nothing wrong with how you look, and it's what's-"

"-Inside that matters. Yeah, that's kind of hard to believe when you've been stood up more times than you can be bothered to count."

"You're such a pessimist."

Rolling my eyes, I stopped behind another car. "I'm not a pessimist; I'm a realist."

"No, you just have a bad attitude. That's what girls don't like."

"Of course you'd say that since you are one. You can't speak for every woman."

"Perhaps not, but I can speak for myself."

Eventually, I parked on a side street. Gale climbed out as I tossed my keys at her and she hauled her bag from the boot before disappearing into a small shop on the edge of the street.

As she walked back up the pavement, I couldn't make out what she was wearing until she'd come to the car. Her hand dropped to her side and the skirt of her dress fell back around her feet. She tossed what she'd been wearing before onto one of the back seats and slipped off her black cotton shoes after getting inside.

Her- well, Mother's -new dress was made from kente fabric and was white, with gold accents. Just above her elbow, the sleeves fell, spreading wide over her arm. Gale wiggled in her seat, pinching the top half of the dress' skirts, the fabric hugging her thighs tightly. Finally, she settled. She looked good, almost regal, with her dark hair fanning over her shoulders and down her back.

A camera clicked in the distance.

Wasting no time, I pulled out of the street, arriving at our destination just as she finished securing her hair into a low bun with a scrap of white ribbon.