Cara P.O.V.
I let out a sigh of relief. I was so happy that I was back home in my apartment. Today was too exhausting for me. I took a long and hot shower just to relax. It felt good to be clean after being in that awful store. I quickly dressed and laid my towel around my neck as I cautiously stepped out of the bathroom. I hope that Amanda had left. I could not take another minute with her. Hannah was sitting on the sofa, looking at her phone.
"Is she gone?" I slowly approached the sofa.
"Yes, she's gone." Hannah glanced up at me with a smile. She looked relieved that her sister had left.
"Thank you." I looked toward the Heavens with an appreciative smile before I took a seat next to Hannah.
"Do you want to talk about what happened?" Hannah placed her phone down on the coffee table.
I wasn't sure if it was because I just got out of the shower and that is why I felt hot or because of what happened with Amanda. Just thinking about it made me feel embrassed. "Did Amanda say anything?"
"Not a lot. She said you guys saw Jack and you ran into a store to hide."
I nodded. I wonder if Amanda told her about the other stuff that happened. I really didn't want to bring it up. It made me cringe, just thinking about it. "No offense, but your sister kind of scares me."
"Yeah, she's a lot to handle," Hannah agreed.
"When I first met you, I expected you to be like her," I admitted.
"What!" Hannah turned toward me, completely shocked at my revelation.
"I just assumed models were like that," I said slowly.
"Like what?" She was leaning against her elbow as she watched me. "Wild? Parties a lot?" Her pink lips turned into an amused grin.
I nodded. "I'm glad I was wrong." It was a pleasant surprise. One that I was thankful for. I couldn't help but smile.
Hannah had her hair tied up in a bun and she was wearing one of the t-shirts I bought. She looked beautiful. Whoa Cara, what are you thinking?
"I exceeded your expectations then." Hannah nudged my arm playfully.
"Yeah," I chuckled. It felt so nice and comfortable like this. I didn't realize how wonderful it was to be with Hannah. It was a great difference compared to Amanda.
"Did... Amanda do anything to you?" Hannah spoke so softly that I almost didn't hear her.
I pulled the towel closer to my face. "I don't want to assume anything, but I think your sister might like me." I grimaced at my words. I hate assuming things like this because it is hard for me to read people. "She got a little too close and... I don't know what she was trying to do. She wanted to get close? Whatever that means. We were as close as two people could get."
Hannah's jaw was clenched as she waited for me to finish.
"I may be overthinking." She wasn't trying to kiss me right? She was... I don't know what she was trying to do. It's not like she liked me or anything, so why would she even try to kiss me? It didn't make any sense. I didn't realize I was tapping my foot until Hannah placed a hand on my knee to stop me.
My attention was completely taken by Hannah's hand.
"She was trying to...ugh..seduce you." Hannah slowly removed her hand from my knee when she realized where it was.
"Huh....why?" I stared at Hannah in confusion. "Is she into girls?"
"I...because I...I don't know," Hannah replied. "I'm sorry for the way she acted."
"It's not your fault." I didn't want Hannah to feel apologetic for something she couldn't control.
"I should have known better than to leave you alone with her," Hannah said. Her lips were pursed tightly.
"It's okay, you wouldn't have predicted it. I know I wouldn't."
"She's just so strange. I want to trust her, but I find it hard to," Hannah explained. "She plays too many games."
Hannah looked so sad and conflicted. I didn't know what to say. I wasn't the best at comforting someone. I wasn't sure how to. A part of me wanted to hug her, but I couldn't do it. It was too personal for me. Maybe someday, I could. I took a deep breath and I slowly reached out and held her hand. I've never held someone's hand before and I felt awkward doing it. I wasn't even sure how long I should be holding it. I need some kind of rule book on human interactions.
Hannah looked at me in shock, before a small smile graced her lips. Her hand felt soft and warm against my own. Other than my own awkwardness, it didn't feel bad.
"I...uhh...I don't know how long hand holding should last, so you might have to tell me."
Hannah chuckled softly. "I'll let you know."
I didn't realize how close we were until she laid her head on my shoulder. Somehow it didn't feel strange to me. It felt natural.
"Thanks," I said. "Oh, I remembered. I have to pay you back for lunch."
Hannah's eyebrow arched in confusion. "No, you don't. It's my treat."
"No, no, no. That's not how it works."
"And why is that?" Hannah lifted her head from my shoulder and tilted it to the side.
"Because...it goes against the rules." The explanation sounded strange once I said it out loud.
"And whose rules are they?" Hannah was still holding my hand and it made me wonder if hand holding was supposed to be this long.
"It's just because it's the rules." Maybe my childhood messed me up, but that was the rules. You were supposed to pay for the meal. It was about pride and generosity or maybe it's because it felt unbalanced like you were in debt if you allowed someone else to pay for the meal. This sounded so wrong now that I thought about it, but it was a type of mindset that I grew up with and it would be hard to change.
"If you feel that bad about it, why don't you take me out to dinner tomorrow," Hannah suggested.
"Oh...okay." That was a plausible replacement.
"Good, it's a date then." Hannah grinned as she gently squeezed my hand before releasing it.
"Yes, date." I slowly got up from the sofa. "I need to get some sleep because of the long day I had. Have a good night." I quickly ran to my room and closed the door behind me before she could say another word.What did she mean by date? Do friends go on dates? Why couldn't I be normal? I just wish I had the ability to understand people. I need to ask Jane.
****************
I knew I was going to be grumpy. I had a rough time sleeping because all I could think about was the date with Hannah. Could I call it a date? She called it a date. Jane was coming to the apartment to help me. I was so thankful for her. Luckily by the time I got up, Hannah was out of the apartment. She had a note on the fridge that she would be at fitting and wouldn't be back until 4 p.m. I grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge when I heard a knock at the door. I placed my water on top of the island and went to open the door. Jane grinning at me and in her hands were two drinks in a carrier.
"I am so proud of you." Jane walked in while I shut the door behind her.
"It's probably nothing." I took the carrier from Jane while she took off her heels.
"I got you an Assam tea," Jane said when she saw me glancing at the cup. I knew the other cup was her's. She always drunk an Iced Americano, except when it was super cold out and by super cold, I mean below twenty degrees.
"You're the best." I walked over to the kitchen and placed the drinks on the island. I gratefully took a sip of my tea. I really needed the caffeine.
"What do you mean it's nothing?" Jane followed me into the kitchen as she took a sip of her iced Americano. "She said it's a date."
"Yeah, but it doesn't mean that it's a date-date. It could be just a friend date," I explained.
"As far as I know, straight girls don't call going out with another girl a date," Jane stated. "We would probably call it a girls night out." She took a seat at one of the stools.
"Do you really think so?" I felt so excited about Jane's explanation. Maybe there was hope that she liked me. Ugh, why did I care? It's not like I liked her in that way right? She didn't like me like that either. Why would anyone like me?
"I'm ninety-five percent sure," Jane said confidently.
"I feel even more nervous now." I was over thinking this. The word date meant nothing. It's just dinner. You're just having dinner with your roommate. It's just like any other time. I took another sip of my tea. The strong malty flavor warmed me up.
"Does this mean you like her now?"
"Ugh, can we not talk about feelings right now? It's too early." I leaned against the island as I buried my face in my arms.
"It's almost one o'clock," Jane scoffed.
"I...I"m just not good with feelings," I mumbled. I lacked the skills to understand feelings.
"Think of it as a story. Write down the feelings or actions and just analyze them," Jane suggested.
I slowly raised my head up as I looked at Jane like she was the smartest person I've ever met. It was like a light bulb moment went off in my head. "You're a genius."
"I don't like to brag but yes I am," Jane smirked.
"That's exactly what I should do to understand my feelings for Hannah," I said. "What about this situation between us made me nervous when I am around her? What mechanism between us is causing these emotions?"
"Yes, go do that, but one important question is...."
I stared at Jane in confusion. What other questions were there?"
"What are you going to wear?"
"Why is that important?" I stared quizzically at her.
"Cara, Cara, Cara." Jane shook her head as she crossed her arms against her chest. "It's a date, you have to wear something that looks good."
"Everyone has different opinions on what looks good," I replied.
"Please don't tell you thought about wearing jeans or a hoodie."
"What's wrong with jeans? Of course, I wouldn't wear a hoodie. What are you trying to say?"
"Nothing is wrong with jeans, but its best to dress well," Jane tried to explain.
"Like formal wear?" I tried to imagine what people would wear on a date. Dresses, skirts and suits?
"Not exactly," Jane grimaced. "Just show me what you were thinking about wearing."
"I haven't really thought about it." I walked toward my room. I could hear Jane following behind me. "I don't let people in my room normally."
"Except Hannah," Jane teased.
"That was one time," I argued. "Just don't touch anything."
"Okay, I won't." Jane held her hands up in the air in mock surrender.
I sighed as I led Jane into my room and toward the walk-in closet. Everything was organized based on type and color. I had one side for jackets, sweaters, dress shirts, skirts, dresses, pants, and jeans.
"This is so you." Jane nodded in approval.
"Um, thank you?" I looked at my clothes as though it was the first time I've seen them. I've mostly dressed like a tomboy, especially growing up. My style was mostly conservative preppy or athletic leisure.
"Have you decided where you wanted to go to dinner?" Jane walked around the closet, examining every article of clothing.
"No, but I was thinking about getting sushi. I was going to ask Hannah when she came back," I said as I watched Jane cautiously. Please don't touch my clothes.
"Not a bad choice," Jane agreed. "What do you think you will be wearing?"
"Well you said to dress up, so I was thinking about a turtleneck and skirt combo with a leather jacket."
"Not my idea of dressing up, but close." To my surprise, Jane took out a miniature size bottle of hand sanitizer and placed some on her hands. She slipped the bottle back into her jacket pocket and rubbed her hands together. "Permission to touch the clothes."
I nodded as I stared at Jane in awe.
"You really love your turtlenecks. That's a rarity." Jane went through them and shook her head. "You have too many oversized jackets and shirts."
'It's comfy," I defended.
Jane rolled her eyes. "I want something different, surprising."
"I don't think you will find it here." I folded my arms together as I watched Jane go through my clothes. I wondered what Hannah was doing and what her thoughts were about the date. Was she freaking out on the inside as much as I was? Every time I thought about it, I felt like there was an earthquake happening inside my body.
"What... is....this?" Jane pulled out a blue ribbed off the shoulder long sleeve top. Jane's stared at it like it was some newly discovered treasure.
"A shirt," I said bluntly.
"In your closet," Jane said.
"Yeah, so?" I was starting to regret letting Jane in here.
"Have you worn it before?" Jane still couldn't take her eyes off the shirt.
"Well, I've tried it on before. What's the big deal?"
"No, have you worn it out in public?" Jane finally took her eyes off the shirt and walked over to me. She held the shirt in front of me, trying to imagine me wearing the shirt.
"No. Now put that down." I pushed the shirt away from me.
"You don't wear clothes like this. I can't believe you bought it."
"I just thought it looked nice and it was on sale," I replied.
"What a waste. You have to wear it," Jane declared.
"No!" Even though I liked the style of the shirt, I couldn't bear the thought of exposing my shoulders. It made me uncomfortable and I felt vulnerable.
"Come on Cara. It would look so good with a skirt," Jane pleaded.
I rolled my eyes as I went to pick out a skirt. I was thinking of a black circular skirt and I unclipped it from the hanger.
"This and that will be a perfect combo." Jane pointed to the shirt and then to the skirt I was holding. "Don't let this beautiful piece of clothing go to waste. You bought it because you thought about wearing it before."
Jane was right. I did think about wearing it before, but I didn't have the confidence to wear it. Even with some dresses and skirts, I still felt uncomfortable wearing them at times.
"You can wear a jacket over it," Jane added.
"Yeah, true." I let out a sigh. I hate when Jane was right. Well, not hate. More like annoyed that she seemed to find a way to convince me to do things I didn't want to do.
"It's going to look so good." Jane clapped her hands together in excitement. "Second order of business..."
Please be something that is actually important. I waited with bated breath for Jane to continue.
"Did you shave your legs and everywhere in between?" Jane gestured toward my legs and upwards.
"Don't say it like that!" I glared at her.
"It's always good to prepare," Jane said with a shrug.
"I will take your advice into consideration," I said begrudginly.
"My little seedling is blooming into a beautiful flower," Jane said with joy. "I feel like I'm going to burst into tears." She dramatically fanned herself.
"Please don't!" I said in horror.
"Maybe little tears," Jane replied with a grin.
"Oh speaking of flowers, does this look like an orchid to you?" I searched for the Blossom logo and held my phone up for Jane to see.
A look of confusion appeared on Jane's face. She squinted her eyes at the screen as she stared at the logo for a few moments before realization sank in. Her eyes seemed to grow wider and wider with each moment.
"Oh..oh?oh my god!" Jane stared at me with her mouth wide open.
"What?" I turned my phone over and stared at the image.
"Yeah, I think it's best for you to shave in between," Jane uttered as she walked out of the closet.
What did she... I looked down at my legs. I could feel my eyes widen as my phone slipped from my hand on to the carpeted floor. I will never look at a flower the same way again.
Author's note: A big thanks to everyone who has been reading and commenting on the story. This story has grown so much from when I first began writing it. I can't believe I am on chapter 16. A huge thanks to LittleBird317 for giving me the idea about the orchid.