"I'm not. This isn't new. He isn't new. It's just been a long time."
"So you haven't been thinking about what you're going to wear?" she asked.
I paused. I had a pretty solid wardrobe. I didn't like spending on new stuff, just getting a couple investment pieces a few times a year. But now that she had mentioned it, I hadn't really thought about what I was going to wear.
"I'll dig something up," I said lightly.
"This isn't a date that you just dig something up to wear.”
"We used to go out together. I'm not trying to make a fake first impression. He knows what I look like with no makeup on in pajamas. I don't need to impress him."
"That's no excuse not to try. You have to make an effort. That is how you keep a man," she said matter-of-factly.
"How do I keep something that isn't even mine?"
"Not with that attitude. First, you need to open your eyes because you still somehow think the two of you aren't getting back together."
"We'll see what happens when it happens," I sighed. I didn't want any pressure. That was one of the conditions of this date even happening. It had to be casual, no expectations more than just talking and shari
ng a meal as two people who had been close in the past.
"You still have to try," she said.
"I will. Tomorrow, I swear I'll wear false lashes."
"I mean for real. Let's go out and buy something."
"A new dress for this? No."
"Come on."
"What’s wrong with what I own?"
"He's seen it all before, that's what," she said, smirking.
"No. Not a good enough reason to do it."
"We could make it a whole day. Shop, get our nails done, it'll be fun."
"I'm not spending money on a new dress."
"You've barely quit working since school let out, and then you'll be right back in class on Monday again."
She had a point. I sort of hated that she did, but class was starting next week and it had been a little while since I had spent money on a manicure. I was happy to do my nails at home since I could save money that way, but it was nice to let people take care of you sometimes. Getting them done today, just before the date with Roman, didn't mean that I was doing it for him. No. I was doing it for me, like Tiff said. There was no shame in doing something nice for yourself when you deserved it.
"I'll come with you, but I still won't spend money on a dress," I insisted.
"That's all I want," she said, popping up to her feet. "Grab a shower, and we'll leave." I resented that she thought I wasn't clean just because I was wearing pajamas, but let her have it. I changed and coaxed my hair into a simple up-do, not really wanting to brush it out into a lion's mane. We took separate cars, starting at the nail salon.
We ended up at the mall next. I didn't want to really buy anything, so I just followed Tiff's lead, following her into a boutique where she claimed she had seen something that she wanted to get. She was tall, long limbed, and willowy, so she could have just skipped the school thing entirely and taken up modeling. Shopping with her was fun, but clothes just didn't sit the same on me. I was slightly above average height, but still three inches shorter than her. I wore a size six, but I wasn't walking down anyone's runway anytime soon.
I kept her company as she looked through the racks, looking a little, too – at least that much was free. She pulled a coral-colored dress off a rack and held it against herself to see how long it would be.
"What do you think?" she asked me.
"A little short," I offered. On a shorter girl it wouldn't have been, but on her, it would border on salacious. She had the legs for it, though. She sighed and put it back on the rack. I remembered her saying she had wanted something specific, but it seemed to me that we were just browsing at this point. I wasn't complaining, just a little suspicious. She had taught me already that she couldn't be trusted when it came to her brother.
"What about this?" she asked, holding out a red one. It had a keyhole cut out in the chest and one similar in the back. It looked about knee length and the skirt had some movement to it.