“You look gorgeous, Sadie,” Hikari insisted as she did…whatever it was she was doing with Sadie’s current dress. She must have been doing something to the bodice because poor Sadie was looking increasingly uncomfortable.
“I’ll be a gorgeous corpse if you don’t stop suffocating me,” Sadie griped. She did, in fact, look a little red in the face. Marianna, stifling a smile, stepped forward to rescue her.
Hikari made an indignant sound as Marianna shoved her to the side, but went willingly enough. She crossed her arms, looking vaguely offended as Marianna struggled to adjust the dress so that it was no longer restricting Sadie’s breathing.
Marianna must have been doing it wrong because a nearby saleslady was giving her a wary look.
Shopping for graduation dresses, Marianna decided as another girl swept past them and into the change room, was an absolute pain.
A dark shape appeared at Marianna’s side, brushing past her as Alna stepped forward to assist Sadie. She bent down, her dark hair creating a curtain around her face as she observed the back of the dress.
To be fair, it was a rather nice dress. It was floor length and shaded a dark black that matched Alna’s black hair. The neckline was trimmed with various fake diamonds that sparkled with every little movement. At first glance, all the diamonds appeared to be white, but if you looked closely, or stood at the right distance, you could see the blue and purples nestled within.
None of this affected Alna, as was apparent by the disapproving look on her face. She loosened the waist of Sadie’s dress, muttering, “This is not the eighteen hundreds and you are not attempting to attract a spouse with a cinched waist.”
The flushed look on Sadie’s face faded. She drew in a deep breath.
“A corset is completely unnecessary,” Alna concluded, stepping back. The disgruntled look on Alna’s face smoothed out a moment later. With slow, even steps, Alna made one circle around Sadie, looking the dress up and down. Sadie stayed still, waiting for Alna’s verdict.
Marianna knew Alna wasn’t too happy to be out dress shopping; that she would have preferred to be home, working on whatever online course she was currently working on. Nonetheless, when she suggested it, Alna had accepted readily enough. For that, Marianna was grateful.
“This dress appears well made,” Alna announced. One of the salesladies looked a bit offended at that, probably thinking all of their dresses were of the highest quality. Considering the outrageous prices, Marianna hoped that was the case.
Gesturing to Sadie’s neckline, Alna continued, “The embellishments seem to be secure; it is unlikely they will fall off unless you are rough with it. The black means any stains you get on it will be less apparent.” She glanced down and Marianna could see her frowning in thought. “I would advise you to have it hemmed, however, unless you think your high heels will prevent you from stepping on the ends.”
Sadie nodded along with everything Alna said. This, Marianna thought, was the reason she had invited Alna. As much as she enjoyed the extra time with her girlfriend, having Alna’s keen eyes look over their selections was proving to be helpful. This way, Marianna and her friends ran less of a risk of buying a damaged or poorly made dress or getting ripped off.
“It suits you,” Alna added. It sounded like an afterthought.
With that, Alna walked past the three girls (pausing when Marianna pecked her cheek) and went to sit in the waiting chairs next to Blaze. He was about as thrilled as Alna about coming here, but the two of them seemed to get along well enough, which was good. Marianna saw him show Alna something on his phone, to which she cocked an eyebrow.
Turning back to her friends, Marianna fixed her gaze on Sadie.
“What do you think, Sadie?” Hikari asked before Marianna could. “Is it the one?”
Sadie didn’t answer immediately, instead picking up the skirt of the dress and rubbing the fabric between her fingers. She had a contemplative look on her face. Behind her, a girl emerged from her dressing room, doing a twirl for someone Marianna assumed to be her mother.
“I think so,” Sadie said, dropping the skirt. She turned to Hikari, who was the fashion expert in their little group. “What do you think? Does it look good?”
“Give me a spin,” Hikari ordered, twirling her finger. Sadie did so, causing the skirt to flare out around her and show her smooth legs and bare feet. Marianna smiled appreciatively.
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
Hikari placed a hand on her chest and said, “In my professional opinion: Sadie Fischer, you absolutely have to get that dress.”
Giggling, Sadie reached out and pushed against Hikari’s shoulder. In response, Hikari rocked back a bit before steadying herself. She looked pleased with herself.
“You’re the fashion expert,” Sadie declared, eyes dancing. “Obviously, I should listen to you.”
Hikari tossed her hair over her shoulder. “My wisdom is beyond compare.”
They all laughed, drawing some looks from people nearby.
Leaning forward, Marianna gripped Sadie’s arm with both hands and murmured in her ear, “Ashleen will think you look hot.”
Sadie blushed, and the two girls laughed at her.
***
The house was empty when they got home. Marianna looked around, wondering where everyone could have gone. It was Saturday, so Aiden wasn’t working. Walking into the kitchen, Marianna saw a note resting on one counter, bright sunlight falling on it. She picked it up.
“Tori got called into work,” Marianna announced to Alna, referring to Alna’s mother. It had taken some time, but eventually Marianna had agreed not to call Victoria and Aiden by more formal titles. The familiarity was nice. “I guess your dad took the boys grocery shopping.”
Alna, who had followed her into the kitchen, frowned. “She has been working too much of late.”
“Is she ever not on call?” Marianna wondered, bending down to open the cupboard under the sink. She tossed the piece of paper into the recycling and stood back up.
“Rarely. She is a good doctor,” Alna said. Marianna’s eyes followed Alna as she walked across the kitchen. Now that the weather was much nicer, Alna had taken to wearing less heavy clothes and Marianna wasn’t afraid to admit she liked the look.
Alna wore long jean shorts, complemented by a black tank top with a silhouette of Sherlock Holmes on it. Marianna had gotten it for her a few weeks ago when she and her friends had gone to Comic-Con together. The shorts meant that the scar on Alna’s right leg was on display for all to see, but Alna seemed unbothered by this. She was never really the self-conscious one in their relationship.
“Yeah, but still,” Marianna muttered
“I’m not disagreeing with you,” Alna was quick to point out. “But being good at one’s craft can be a curse, at times.”
Marianna nodded, pulling a jug of iced tea out of the fridge. Real iced tea, not the powdered stuff sold in stores. She held it out to Alna in silent inquiry, who nodded. Pulling a small container of sugar from the cupboard, Marianna went about making her and Alna’s drinks according to their preferences, while Alna took a seat at the kitchen table.
It was rather nice out today. There were barely any clouds in the sky, allowing golden rays of sunlight to touch every available surface. Even now, as Marianna prepared the drinks, she could see clusters of birds flying over the house. They looked like geese to Marianna. She smiled, enjoying the warmth of the sun, before turning away from the window.
“Would you like to go for a walk tonight after supper?” she asked, setting Alna’s iced tea in front of her before taking a seat.
Alna, who had been looking at something on her phone, glanced up at the question. Her eyes darted to the window before settling on Marianna.
“Of course,” she agreed. “If the weather stays somewhat decent.” She brought the cup to her lips, taking a sip before giving Marianna a slight smirk. “Would you be up for practicing your lock picking today?”
Marianna let out a groan at that, slumping into her chair. “I guess.”
Alna smiled at her, not looking all that sympathetic. Marianna rolled her eyes.
Once their drinks were gone, the two girls retreated to their room, where Alna watched as Marianna fiddled around with a simple padlock. In little time, she had it open.
“Thirty-seven seconds,” Alna said approvingly, stopping the timer on her phone. “You’re improving.”
“I’d hope so,” Marianna huffed, her lips twitching upward. “I’ve been practicing long enough.” She had even broken into a few people’s houses––the Holt house twice, for practice, and someone else’s house, for her and Alna’s investigation. Each time, she was a little faster. Just hearing the click of the lock disengaging sent a thrill of satisfaction through her.
Sure, it might not be the most vital skill in the future, but it might help her if she ever locked herself out of her house. Or her car.
Not that she owned either at the moment.
In a show of sudden courage, Marianna tossed the lock onto the bed and grabbed Alna by the front of her shirt. Dragging her forward, Marianna crushed their lips together.
Alna, initially surprised, was all too happy to return the kiss, falling onto her back. She let out a satisfied little hum, smiling against Marianna’s mouth.
They didn’t do much more than that, as Marianna found she still wasn’t ready to go all the way. This didn’t seem to bother Alna in the slightest, who skimmed her hands up Marianna’s back, before burying them in her golden hair. Marianna giggled a bit, pulling back for a quick breath.
One might have thought they’d be over the honeymoon phase in their relationship. Apparently not.
When they finally ended their make-out session after what must have been at least five minutes, they were both panting. Marianna grinned, resting her forehead on Alna’s, blonde hair creating a curtain around them.
“I love you, Ms. Holt,” Marianna said.
Alna reached up, pushing some hair over Marianna’s shoulder. It fell back into place immediately.
“And I, you, my darling Whitlock.” She pecked Marianna’s lips once more. “Now let’s go make supper before everyone gets home.”
