Shay and Wren were in a constant loop of everything happening in my life. It was getting more and more difficult to tiptoe around the fact that I was currently living with Lincoln.
"You guys sound like you get along really well," Shay said leaning over the counter.
Wren stood on the other side of the counter, wearing a raincoat, umbrella in hand. The weather was miserable today. I leaned beside the cash register.
"And he seems so nice," Wren added.
"He is," I smiled. "He's right fun to be around, and we never run out of things to talk about."
"I'm so happy for you Aerie, your whole aura is just beaming!" Shay cooed.
I blushed. "I am really happy."
"So are you guys on the path to... you know," Wren asked, leaning over, wiggling his eyebrows. "Dating?"
"I don't know, we get along well and he takes good care of me, but I don't think we're there," I confessed, truthfully. I didn't know what status we held in all honesty, we'd never really gotten to talking about it.
"Well don't rush things, you don't wanna scare each other off," he continued.
Shay laughed. "And here I am thinking it was just a fling!"
Wren laughed. "Well I best be off, before the rain really starts coming down. See you tomorrow Shay."
"By lovey, get home safe!" She called, blowing a kiss. Once he left, she turned to me, smirking. "Alright, girl talk!"
"I already told you everything, and Wren hears everything you do. He's a part of girl talk, you know that!"
"Oh sure, but I wanna know the grimy details!" She said raising her brows. "Come on, don't hold back, tell me everything!"
"What do you wanna know?"
"Have you guys kissed, or shagged, how was it, girl talk!" She exclaimed.
"No and no," I said, laughing lightly. "Shay, we've only been seeing each other maybe two weeks, and we just met."
"So, do you like him?"
"Liking him doesn't automatically make me wanna sleep with him," I stated, finding myself getting a bit annoyed with Shay's assumptions. I would never judge her for wanting to go and sleep with strangers every week, but she didn't have to go on thinking that that was the only way the world worked for everyone. "Besides, I don't know what he thinks of me."
"Well he's sticking around so that's gotta mean something."
Her words were like needles poking my skin, just taunting me. Sometimes I just wanted her to shut her mouth. She always had something to say, but nothing she ever said was encouraging in any way, shape or form. I'm not like you Shay, stop treating me like I am.
"Anyway, you have any plans after work?" She asked.
"Yeah, nothing fancy, just going out with some friends," I quipped, turning to straightening the sign for our new cookies.
I stood before the mirror, tilting and turning, looking at the piece together of clothes I'd formed into an outfit for night two with the crew. I'd surprised myself with even thinking up this fit, looking at myself in the mirror. Tan wrap t-shirt with a low cut neck, very daring, with oversized high waisted houndstooth slacks and chunky white sneakers. This was the most color I'd worn at the same time in a long time. Not a shred of black on my person. I did my best at curling my hair, but it ended up just back to its wavy mess of red locks anyway. I couldn't be bothered, because for this first time ever, I found myself looking in the mirror in the first fit idea I'd come up with and I hadn't thought twice or changed even once.
