The Nerd and the Cellist

Chapter 7

"Again, I find you on your phone, having arrived at our meeting spot rather early," she stated. "I'm beginning to think you're showing off."

"What can I say? I like being punctual," I replied. "Besides, it would be poor form for an assistant to be late when his lady tells him to arrive at a specific time."

"Indeed," Octavia giggled. "Seems I know how to pick them."

"Lucky me," I said.

The two of us chuckled for a moment before Octavia noticed my polo shirt and smiled.

"Mmmm. You look nice," she complimented. "Black suits you nicely."

I felt my cheeks heat up, and I looked away, making Octavia giggle again.

"Honestly, Rough Draft, have you really never had a girl compliment you on your looks before you moved to Canterlot?" She asked.

"Not once," I answered while still looking away from her. "Remember, everyone there thought I was a freak."

Octavia shook her head, still smiling as if she heard me say a silly joke.

"Well, I suppose it's up to me to help you get used to it," she declared.

I turned my head to face her and said, "I'm not sure that's possible."

"Nonsense. You are a cute, caring guy, and you shouldn't have had to wait until now to hear it from girls your age," Octavia said.

My blush grew, and I asked, "You really think I look cute?"

"Of course," Octavia said with a friendly smile. "It's like I said at the Tasty Treat; it's frivolous that you were alone just over the things you like. It seems to me that the girls there missed out on admiring a good-looking boy."

I felt my face heating up even more, and my heart melting from her compliments as I said, "Thank you, Octavia, but you don't have to try to make me used to that."

"Perhaps, but I want to," Octavia said. "Besides, you've already been a good friend for me, so I see no reason why I can't do the same for you."

I felt a pinch in my heart from Octavia addressing us as friends, but I brushed it off and gave a grateful smile. She smiled back, and we looked at each other in silence before Octavia snapped out of her daze.

"Right. Let's get down to business," she said. "We have a long afternoon ahead of us."

"We do? How so?" I asked.

"Well, for one thing, I haven't gone in a shopping spree in some time," Octavia admitted. "And for another thing, I'm looking for an outfit to wear for a wedding that's in a couple of weeks."

"Oh, how nice," I said. "Who is getting married?"

"Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna's niece, Cadance," Octavia answered. "Blueblood and I were invited since he and Cadance are cousins. Now, obviously, Blueblood is unable to attend anymore because of the accident, but I plan to go anyway on his behalf. Plus, I am a part of the music band for the wedding."

"Cool," I said. "Have you ever performed at a wedding before?"

"No. This will be my first," Octavia said. "That's why I'm going to look for a new dress for it. It's going to be a huge wedding with a lot of high-class people, so I need to look my absolute best as both the cellist in the wedding band and as the bride's cousin's girlfriend."

"When you put it that way, there's an awful lot to be expected from you," I commented.

"Indeed. It comes with dating the 'Prince of Manehattan' I'm afraid," Octavia said. "On the plus side, dating Blueblood also means I get to borrow his credit card."