Worth More Than a Sapphire

Chapter 7: The Special Day

You didn't mean to, but you slept in kind of late. Not really a great idea when you had to work. Around 9:30, your eyes opened sharply, as if your body had just remembered, "Oh! We should be out by now!"

    You ate breakfast as you got ready, practically ran to work, and sat down to work out the activities of the day. Luckily for you, by now it was only 10:15, and nobody seemed to notice you slinking in shamefully. You tapped away, helped your coworkers, and found your mind drifting off into an abyss every ten minutes or so. It was pure luck that no one needed you for anything serious today, because you were really only partially here. Time dragged on like a snail leading a race, still continually moving, but stopping every now and then just to torment you.

    At last, the workday ended, and you were left with two hours to get ready. You quickly made your way home, already planning your hair and outfit, already letting your mind fly off into possibilities about how the night could go. You didn't allow yourself to worry, only focusing on optimistic thoughts. By the time you opened your door, you had mentally set out your entire garb for the evening.

You took a quick shower, wrapped yourself up in the softest towel you had, and made sure to set your hair in a way that it wouldn't be too difficult to fix up later. The cold closet was a shock after leaving the warm bathroom, so you quickly grabbed one of the few nice dresses you had. It was a deep red, but not too bright and garish, snug on your waist but open and flowy where the hem met your mid-thigh. You mostly chose it because it had short, capped sleeves, so as long as you remembered your coat, a sudden wave of hot or cold weather wouldn't bother you. You weren't about to let some weird meteorology troubles spoil your fun, not now. You grabbed some black flats that had been hiding under untouched sweaters before closing the closet and sprinting back to the bathroom. Hanging up the dress, you hoped the remaining humidity would be enough to crease out the tiny wrinkles, and you began to work on your hair.

Nothing too special. You knew where you were going, and while it was nice, it wasn't ridiculously fancy. You simply dried your hair, brushed through it enough to give it a nice bounce, and found yourself grinning like an idiot in the mirror. You put on just enough makeup to reflect the importance of the night, and it made you realize something bizarre. Zenigata had only ever seen you in your work clothes and the old t-shirt 'n jeans combo. You knew better than to ever accuse him of being shallow in the first place, but it made you chuckle thinking about how he'd react seeing you trying to look attractive. At the same time, though, the idea that he'd really fallen in love with your personality only served to make your heart jump more at the date ahead.

Once you were happy with your new look, you reached into the drawer under the mirror for some tights, wiggling your legs into them. You stood and lifted the dress off its hook, sliding it over your head, and pinching the front ahead of your face to make sure you didn't get anything on it. In all honesty, you didn't look very elegant putting it on, but wearing it was different. You stepped back, looking in the mirror head to toe. The goofy smile had yet to leave, and it seemed to brighten the whole outfit.

You left the bathroom, checking the time. Only ten minutes left!

Wait.

Only ten minutes left?

You almost shrieked. You hopped into your shoes, stuffed your phone into your purse and bolted out the door.

When you got there, you didn't immediately see Zenigata, which made you nervous. You went to the counter, and asked the man if he'd seen someone come through, probably wearing a frumpy trench coat, about this wide and this tall. He paused before smiling discreetly, and you imagined Zenigata had probably made himself known somehow.