Alianna
22:44: maybe we could go there again sometime.
He pondered what she meant by ‘there’. The archway? It was entirely possible that this was metaphorical. But, whatever she meant…
Rionan
22:45: It would bemy honour.
Alianna
22:47: you speak like an old-fashioned knight in a fairytale.
Rionan
22:47: I can only assume that is a positive thing. Would you like to have dinner with me tomorrow?
Alianna
22:48: dinner? where?
Rionan
22:48: Why not come to The Rinniel? You speak about this place like it’s a palace made of gold. The food is rather nice. It’s only fair that, after you treated me to homemade mimosas and strawberries, I treat you to dinner. 7pm?
Alianna
22:50: it’s a date. See you tomorrow xo
13
Rising Tensions
Natasha had her legs slung across Alianna’s sofa, lying back against the cushions, as Alianna entered her living room in the eighth dress that she had tried on.
“I like that one. It’s sultry, elegant, and says ‘take me to bed’ without saying take me to bed,” said Natasha. “You’d need some heels to go with it. Maybe a necklace, but nothing dramatic. Keep it simple.”
“I kind of liked the last one. If I eat too much bread before the main courses come out and I get bloated, which often is the case, then it won’t cling to me like this one will.”
“Do you have any others?”
“I have one more. Hang on…”
Alianna exited the room and returned to her bedroom. Shadow lay on her bed, near her pile of discarded dresses, watching her as if to say,“you’re going out again?!”.
“I know, boy, I know,” Alianna said, unzipping her dress and letting it fall to the floor. She stepped out of it and returned to her wardrobe, pulling out a black satin dress. It had a high neck, so the necklace Natasha mentioned was out. The dress itself was backless, so a bit more risqué than she was used to. Otherwise, the dress was simple, would cling to her curves in the right places, and stopped just aboveher knees. “You always have a great time with Auntie Tash, Shadow. I know she lets you sleep on her bed all night.”
Alianna zipped up her dress and went back out to her living room, giving Natasha a twirl.
“That is the one. Don’t change again. We need to get you some shoes, a little clutch bag. Can I do your hair?”
Alianna sighed and smiled. “Alright. Black heels?”
“Black heels. Do you still have that sequin clutch you haven’t used for about two years?”
“I do.” Alianna went to dig it out of her cupboard and select a pair of shoes, as Natasha turned on her curling iron and began to lay out some makeup across the counter.
When Alianna was ready, even she had to admit she looked pretty good. Natasha had curled her hair, combing most of it out but leaving a few tighter curls as they were. She had pinned these curls back elegantly. The hair that was not pinned in place fell down Alianna’s bare back, drawing attention to the skin beneath. She had swept a subtle coating of brown eyeshadow on her lids, complimenting the hazel of her eyes, added blush to her cheeks, and applied a deep red lip stain that she had promised was “wine proof, dinner proof, and kiss proof.” Alianna had rolled her eyes at this.
