Chapter 64 : Dawn of a new era (Totally not-a-date I said!)

 

The Stacy’s flat living room, the Stacy’s flat, Whitestone, Queens, New York, 5th of May, 10:55, in Gwendolyn Stacy’s mind

 

Not for the first time since her change, Gwen bemoaned her rather special relationship with time for the nth time.

 

Sitting on the family couch while distractedly watching some TV news report, the blond was acutely aware how agonizingly slowly the seconds ticked away while she waited for Aria to pick her up.

 

She had been extremely happy during yesterday’s lunch when she had realized that the two would spend the day together at first.

 

Then she had started to second guess herself, her thoughts running in circles about how she was supposed to handle the whole situation.

 

Intellectually, Gwen knew that it wasn’t supposed to be a date. She knew Aria’s stance about the both of us, she still remembered their ‘deal’ after all, yet…

 

If it looks like a duck, behaves like a duck and quacks like a duck…

 

Feeling a blush rising to her cheeks, Gwen quelled that particular line of thoughts for the nth time in almost a day real time, roughly ten days' subjective times.

 

A particularly long span of time to freely agonize over the fact that two friends could totally just go shopping without any romantic undertones and it shouldn’t mean anything more.

 

She had even been too distraught to go on one of her ‘artsy outings’ yesterday night, a fact that she now regretted since it could have helped blow off some steam.

 

Gwen checked her polished and painted nails to distract herself.

 

As she ran out of things to distract herself from her semi-constant jitterings this morning, she had spent an excruciatingly long time in her bathroom prettying herself up.

 

She absolutely refused to acknowledge the traitorous part of her mind that had pointed out on several occasions that it was totally unnecessary, since, after all, it wasn’t a date.

 

It had made her both feel better and also a bit self-conscious.

 

But she couldn’t really help the latter, Aria was always dressed to the nine and she wouldn’t have been able to live with it if she hadn’t even tried to put some effort herself.

 

The results were freshly clipped and shiny carmine red nails to go with the red and white polka dots dress she has chosen to wear today. The cut was rather simple, with a peter pan collar, puff shoulder pads and thin shiny black faux-leather belt, and trailed the fine line between young and lady-like.

 

She had, after all, bought it out in secret during a previous solo shopping trip for an occasion just like that one.

 

Gwen had even ditched her favorite deep green hairband in favor of two red hair clips to go with the ensemble. She had only used a light touch of eyeliner on her eyes and left her face otherwise bare though.

 

She even had a slightly brilliant yet masochistic idea on how to use her magical silk earlier in the bathroom to do her legs. It had been marginally better than wax.

 

Still hurt like a monkeyfricker.

 

She had tried to balance the outfit with a pair of very basic yet pristine white sneakers to downplay her overly dressed look. With mixed results.

 

Gwen was still not sure if she had ever put that much effort in an outfit and failed to recall having done so on any occasion.

 

Blessedly for her, it was now too late for her to flee to her room to change her outfit in favor of the ones she used to wear every day at school.

 

The door’s bell has just rang, after all.

 

As she rose herself in her world of slow motion, Gwen realized that her heartbeat had just marginally increased.

 

It got even worse by the time she had made her way to the flat’s entrance because her mother had apparently beaten her to it and was already engaging in conversation with her own frickin’ crush.

 

“...very pleased to meet you, Mrs. Stacy.” She heard Aria saying with a genial and polite tone as she rounded the corridor’s bend.

 

Gwen was acutely aware that she should’ve picked what the two were saying from afar already if her heart wasn’t beating so loudly to her own ears.

 

“The very same,” Helen answered good-humoredly as her daughter finally got a look at the scene, Gwen’s eyes landing on her mother’s back, “My daughter has been talking a lot about you.”

 

“Only good things, I hope?” Aria answered good humoredly in her pleasant and rich alto voice.

 

“Oh, yes, but I’m afraid she quite downplayed how pretty you were, young lady.” Gwen’s mother smoothly answered.

 

Gwen cringed a little and intentionally made her steps louder.

 

The blond saw the nearly imperceptible head twitch Aria made when she heard her coming, her own mother looking over her shoulder in her direction.

 

“And here she is.” Helen commented offhandedly, stepping aside.

 

Gwen’s mother probably said something after that.

 

She didn’t hear any of it as her eyes landed on Aria.

 

The first thing she noted was what the taller girl had pulled up her hair in a lazy yet artful puffy bun tied with a purple tie that revealed more of her face that she had ever seen aside from those short moments when Iris retracted from her features after a training session.

 

Now that Gwen had more than a few tenths of a seconds to appreciate it, she was once again reminded how unnaturally breathtaking and symmetric her features were. Like an obsessive god of beauty had given it their all to make her face as beautiful as they could.

 

That would make Iris a deity though, and Gwen wasn’t really keen on inflating the fashionista symbiote’s ego that much.

 

Now, the simple yet effective change of hairdo would have been enough to entrance Gwen’s attention for the whole day if it had been all.

 

It wasn’t.

 

Aria's baby blue eyes were highlighted with a very dark shade of purple, transforming her look into a smokey one which made Gwen’s already erratic heartbeat skip a step in its regular schedule as soon as her own eyes met hers.

 

And it did not end here.

 

Gwen had never seen nor thought that she would’ve seen the other girl dressed like that.

 

Aria was wearing a dark and relatively sharp suit, which treaded a fine line between masculine and feminine cut.

 

The jacket was short, with sleeves stopping mid forearms and a length that ended above her waist. It was left open, showing underneath a burgundy see through lace top with a high collar that somehow managed to show nothing inappropriate of her assets.

 

Her pants were puffy at the hips yet hugged the rest of her shapely long legs impeccably, culminating in a pair of matte white heels to go with the white suspenders embellished with tiny little burgundy flowers that suspiciously looked like irises that Gwen could see through the opened jacket.

 

As a final addition, Aria had a white and purple purse lazily hanging in the crook of her elbow.

 

Faced with that unexpected, and admittedly mouth-watering, sight, Gwen’s thought process completely halted.

 

Oh my fucking god!

 

Why the hell is she even hotter than usual today of all things?!

 

Is she taking me on a date?!

 

Am I misunderstanding something?!

 

Why is she so handsome and gorgeous and pretty and hot and dashing and…

 

Gwen’s eyes must have roamed over the girl, the woman, that haunted her dreams for at least five real full real seconds as her thoughts halted, resumed, and halted again in rhythm as she busied herself swooning, bemoaning her lack of self-control and gorging herself on the captivating view.

 

When she finally stepped next to her mother facing Aria, she was still at a loss for words, only sheer will preserving her to flap her mouth impotently like a fish starved for air.

 

Aria’s smile waned a fraction as she took Gwen’s countenance and a light blush rose to her cheeks as her eyes left hers.

 

“Hi, Gwennie.” The noticeably taller girl said a bit demurely as her arms folded accross her chest in a protective gesture.

 

So cute!

 

It took Gwen a full real time second to process she had been addressed to before she was able to stammer a response.

 

“Hello, Aria.” She answered, stuttering a little to her shame.

 

In the corner of her eyes, Gwen noted to her growing horror that her mother had definitely picked up that something was happening right there.

 

Oh my god, please no.

 

“Right, I'm leaving you two to your little outing then, girls,” Helen smoothly said, her smile slowly growing with each word, “I hope you’ll have fun!”

 

Inwardly screaming and groaning her dismay all the while, Gwen didn’t stop her mother from physically pushing her out of the family flat, barely paying attention to Aria’s urgently answers of a  ‘have a good day too, Mrs. Stacy’.

 

The door shutting behind her with a resounding clack, Gwen barely managed to catch herself with her supernatural balance before falling into the taller girl’s arms.

 

The two stared at each other for a moment, the silence stretching heavily around them.

 

Aria’s elegant chuckle broke the awkwardness as her eyes crinkled in amusement.

 

“Well, your mother seems to be…Something?” She jokingly said while unfolding her arms.

 

Gwen’s mouth flapped open a few times as she got back to stand on the balls of her heels.

 

The blond finally sighed, a hand coming to rub one of her temples.

 

“In case it wasn’t obvious,” Gwen drily commented, “That was totally her trying to push me onto you.”

 

“I may have noticed.” Aria answered, her purse sliding the length of her arms as her hands joined in front of her, “To be fair, you did make quite an obvious display in front of her.”

 

The tone was teasing, yet Gwen could only sputter in outrage.

 

“Why did you have to come dressed like this, you look so…” She started to hiss before catching herself.

 

Fucking gorgeous, to die for, to turn heads when you walk by…

 

Gwen could only blame her lack of subtlety as her cheeks started burning in full force.

 

Aria lightly sighed as she closed her eyes.

 

“Iris' choice, not mine.” She admitted, “I’m afraid I may have miscalculated when I surrendered my wardrobe into her hands all those months ago.”

 

Gwen huffed, crossing her arms as she looked away.

 

She didn’t shake Aria’s hands away when it softly alighted on her arms in a comforting manner.

 

“If it makes you uncomfortable, I’m sure I can coax Iris into…” The taller girl said with a light squeeze.

 

“No!” Gwen squeaked out before she could catch herself, her eyes snapping back to Aria’s.

 

Another beat passed as neither of the girls uttered a sound.

 

Frick it!

 

“You…” Gwen started, the tip of her ears burning, “You look beautiful like that.”

 

Machinaly putting a bang that couldn’t have slipped out of her hairdo behind her ear, Gwen carried on, her eyes shifting away from Aria’s captivating smokey blue orbs.

 

“It would be a shame…” She softly admitted.

 

Aria’s genuine laugh at her bashful admission made Gwen look up at her once more.

 

“Thank you Gwennie.” She answered with an easy smile, her hand gently tucking a strand of stray hair that did get properly loose behind the blond’s ear, “And I think you’re quite pretty today too.”

 

Surprised by her crush's casual admission and unabashed display of affection, Gwen’s thoughts stopped working for a second.

 

In her world of slow motion, she warred with herself not to lean in Aria’s touch for a moment that seemed to stretch forever.

 

In the end, she settled for simply displaying the overwhelming feeling of happiness that the comment had raised in her.

 

“Thank you.” She brightly answered, the hammering of her heart finally starting to quiettens.

 

“I speak only the truth, Gwennie.” Aria bantered back with a wink, “Now, what about we get a move on? Those clothes won’t buy themselves without our help, after all.”

 

Gwen chuckled lightly.

 

“I’ll admit though,” The blond said as she stepped next to the taller girl, eyes roaming onto her figure one last time, “I’d never thought I would see you wearing…”

 

She hesitated, not really knowing how to describe Aria’s clothes as they started to walk down the hallway.

 

“Anything other than overly girly clothes?” Aria answered with a little smile, “While I do enjoy them and have a preference for outfits that tend to raise some eyebrows due to their incongruity, I used to wear more handsome-ish outfits on occasion.”

 

Gwen ‘hmmed’ at that, her eyes spearing the taller girl’s own.

 

Aria diverted her eyes, scratching her cheeks awkwardly.

 

“Let me guess.” Gwen started, a smile curling up the corners of her lips, “On dates?”

 

Aria’s sputters was all the answer that Gwen needed.

 

She laughed softly before boldly snaking her arm into Aria’s.

 

Aria looked at her archly once her countenance was restored.

 

Gwen said nothing, only leveling a challenging gaze at the taller girl.

 

Aria sighed softly as they reached the elevator.

 

“In for a penny I guess…” She said with a light smile.

 

Thoughts rapidly churning, Gwen couldn’t help the little laugh that escaped her lips when she realized something.

 

“Flash has been insufferable about it, I’d wager.” She teased.

 

“Like you wouldn’t believe!” The taller girl drily answered with an eye roll as she called the elevator, “I swear I was this close to punch his smug face before I left.”

 

“You can’t really be mad at him for getting back at you given your constant efforts to annoy him.” Gwen pointed out amusingly.

 

“I totally can,” Aria huffed, “It’s only proper for me as the older sibling to show him up after all.”

 

Gwen snorted as the elevator dinged.

 

As the two girls made their way into it, Gwen’s eyes finally landed onto Aria’s purse.

 

It was a little white thing with purple basket handles, with a drawing of what looked suspiciously like Iris' own face, her two hands forming a heart-shaped gesture and an exaggerated wink. The sentence “Aliens invaded us to get hugs” was written in elegant cursive under the drawing.

 

Gwen couldn’t help it and laughed.

 

The picture winking back at her finished her.

 

Amids her laughing fit, Aria gazing at her amusingly, Gwen reasserted her pronostic for the day as she squeezed the taller girl’s arm a bit tighter.

 

It could only be a lovely outing, after all.

 

No matter what everyone or even themselves would think.

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