Catching Rainbows

1

I couldn't tell if the beautiful girl with the easy smile was interested or just really friendly. 

I always had that problem. We really needed a sign or a stamp or tattoo or something because I was honestly sick of hitting on straight girls. Gaydar only works so well. 

I was so busy craning my neck to see what genre she was going to check out that I fell off the step ladder, landing on my ass with a lot more noise than was warranted.  

"Of course," I said under my breath, more embarrassed than hurt. Please don't let her have noticed.

Of course she had, and was coming toward me with a look of alarm on her pretty face, reaching out to help me. "Wow, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, really. Just totally humiliated, that's all." I was busy thanking God I wasn't a blusher as I accepted her cool hand. 

"You sure?" She pulled me up with surprising strength. She was about my height, with light brown skin and curves that had me biting my bottom lip. 

She would be straight as an arrow, watch. 

I let go of her hand reluctantly. "Maybe bruised my derriere," I added ruefully.

She took the opportunity to check it out. "Looks good to me," she said, her mouth quirking.

Oh really. 

I raised an eyebrow with a smile of my own. "Can I help you find anything?"

She gestured back toward the section she'd been in. Her clothes were expensive, though casual. Classy. "I know where Stephen King is, just came for the new one. I knew you guys would have it."

"Of course," I said, gesturing for her to follow me. "It's great, you'll love it." As if I knew what she liked.

"Ohh, you already read it? Is there, like, anything really brutal in it?" We'd reached the nook where horror lined the walls. Her auburn hair was wavy and sleek in a way that spoke of expensive salons, and my hands wanted to be in it.

I tried to focus on what she was saying. "Um, oh, no," I stammered eloquently. "Not in this one."

She shook her head at herself. "I'm not big on that kind of thing," she admitted. "I know, we should all be desensitized to it by now probably, especially if you're a horror-reader, but here I am anyway."

"You're fine," I assured her, since she seemed to require it, and pulled the shiny new novel off the shelf where it sat with several identical ones. "Nothing too gruesome in it." I realized I'd just given her a reason to leave. Damn.

"Okay, cool," she said. Was she checking out my boobs? "I like your pin," she added.

Oh. "Thanks, I love orchids." I did, I wasn't going to lie. They'd been my mom's favorite, especially the kind of uglyish lady slippers.

Her face lit up, and I was sunk. "Oh my God, so do I! There are so many different kinds. I love the lady slippers, they're like weird animals or something."

This was a sign, right, universe? Right?? "Are you going to the show this weekend at the Veteran's Memorial Building?" I smoothed my own hair back into its sloppy bun on top of my head. It was mostly pink with some purple mixed in. I briefly imagined how our heads would look together on my pillow in the morning sunlight.

Her eyes widened. It was hard to tell in the hushed lighting of the bookstore but they looked brown. "I just saw the sign they put up. I was thinking about checking it out, though honestly? I'm kind of not good at doing things by myself."

"Well, now you don't have to," I said easily, but my heart was pounding. "I was planning to go Saturday, if you want to join me." Should I have said come with instead? "I mean we could just meet there or whatever. It is going to be pretty exciting," I tried to joke. Stop talking, I told myself sternly. "Being a flower show, and all." For fuck's sake just stop.

But she was laughing. "That would be great, if you don't mind."

"I don't mind," I said too quickly. Why did I have no chill. "I don't have anyone to go with either." Anymore.

"Oh my God, we're like a couple of old ladies," she said, amused. The song switched to Mia's "Paper Planes". "Should we get dentures and walkers before we go? Are we allowed in without them?"

We were interrupted by my aunt calling from the back room. "Luuuna? Are you busy?"

I groaned. "Yeah," I answered. "Sorry," I said to the girl whose name I didn't even know. "I'm Luna, by the way." 

She didn't reference the Harry Potter character, which I appreciated. I had enjoyed the series a lot more before the author had revealed her transphobia. 

"Chloe." She held out her hand and I took it, and we did that awkward handshake thing that's not quite a handshake and then you let go. She had silver rings on four fingers and one of them was an eternity sign.

"Hey, my tattoo," I said casually as I touched the ring. I glanced up at her to see what she thought about that. 

"Shut up, you do not have this tattoo," she said playfully. "Show me."

Want want want. "I mean, I'll have to show you somewhere more private," I said half-seriously, unable to keep the smirk off my own face. 

She laughed again and bent the book back and forth in her hands. We both looked at the door as the bell above it jingled. A tall guy stepped in. I didn't look long or notice much; I don't have any interest in penises. 

He spotted us and waved a little. "You ready, Chloe?" he asked. "We're done shooting pool." 

My heart sank down, down, down. Fooled again. Every time. "Oops, kept your boyfriend waiting too long," I said lightly. "I can ring you up for that real quick." I turned my back on her so she wouldn't see the crushing disappointment on my face and moved toward the register near the guy.

"No hurry, and that's just my brother," she corrected me, and suddenly all was right in my world again. 

"Oh, gotcha," I said, a stupid gleeful smile pasted on my face. 

The door jingled again as another guy stepped in, shorter and more jockish than the first. "What's taking so long, the game's about to start," he said in an annoyed tone, looking for all the world like a yellow potato wearing a Bud Light tank top. 

She put the book on the counter along with her Paris-themed white purse, rolling her eyes. "You guys need to wait outside," she snapped.

Potato Light sneered. "What, you don't want people to know I'm your boyfriend?"

Damn.