Med School Chemistry - 5/? - Dressed for the Occasion
Ok, so it's another quite short post, but I do promise the next one to be especially long to make up for it and to thank you all for all your great comments so far!
“Hey, sorry I’m late, I couldn’t find what I was looking for,” Callie said as soon as Erica pulled open the door to her room, letting Callie in, where the young latina deposited the pile of whatever she was carrying on the bed. She turned to face Erica, who was still cluelessly holding the door open, and hoping her mouth wasn’t too, as she took in the woman in front of her. The black dress that Callie wore, with the slight frills at the sleeves, the deep v neckline and tie around her waist clung to her curves, making Erica’s mouth go dry, and other places start to get wet. The dress along with Callie’s somehow perfect mess of her curls took Erica’s breath away.
“You gonna close that? Unless you want to let the rest of your floor see you getting changed?” Callie laughed.
Erica shut the door, and her mouth, audibly swallowing in her nervous state. Get changed? In front of Callie? Callie, however, seemed not to notice as she started to rifle through the bag of stuff she had brought, which Erica now realised were clothes.
“I didn’t know what you’d like so I just brought a few things. I figured there had to be something in here you liked, and that fitted well,” Callie rambled on, still not looking at Erica, who was still standing by the door, nervously twirling a piece of hair which had fallen down from behind her ear. She couldn’t believe that Erica had nothing to wear, but loved that she was getting the chance to get her out of her jeans and comfy jumpers and into something that would really show her off. “But I did think you might suit this.” Callie turned to Erica, holding up a simple blue strappy dress with a built in empire line and ties which tied around the back of the it. Callie took a few moments to take in Erica’s hesitant appearance and her face fall. “You don’t like it?” She turned back and threw the dress down on the bed. She was trying to make this a good night for Erica and here she was already making her uncomfortable.
“No, Callie it’s not that I don’t like it,” Erica blurted, taking a step forward.
Callie turned back around. “What then, you don’t want to go?” She looked at Erica for a few moments, looking at her more closely than she had before. That was when she noticed it; the fidgeting feet, shifting gaze, hands constantly playing with her hair. Erica Hahn was nervous. “Erica, are you nervous?”
“What? No!” Erica laughed, trying frantically not to blush. She finally met Callie’s eyes and gave up trying to lie, almost. “Okay, so I might be a little nervous.”
Callie turned and picked up the dress once more. “Go try it on. You have nothing to be nervous about. It’s just me and you and few drinks.”
That’s exactly what I have to be nervous about…Relenting against her better judgment, Erica took the dress from Callie’s grasp and slipped into the bathroom, unable to even think about getting changed in front of her. Closing the door she took a few moments to breath before slipping out of her own clothes and into Callie’s dress. To her amazement it fitted, and fitted well. And the colour almost matched her eyes, seeming to make them light up as she looked at herself in the mirror. Arranging her loose curls around her face she quickly gathered up the clothes she had been wearing and threw them into the wash hamper. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door to face Callie.
“I knew that dress would suit you!” Callie grinned when she came out. In an instant she was standing in front of Erica, smoothing out the dress and fixing the straps before adjusting the tie at the back. It was amazing how different she looked out of her big cosy jumpers. Her hair fell around her exposed pale shoulders, and the tie on the dress only served to accentuate the waist that before now Erica had kept hidden away.
“You sure it looks okay?” Erica asked, nervously biting her lip. She forced herself not to betray her bodies reaction to even these light touches from Callie.
“You look great, trust me,” Callie grinned, pleased with her instant transformation. “Now, shoes.”
Erica pointed to where her closet was lying open. “There’s a couple of pairs of black ones…”
“What about these?” Callie asked, emerging from the closet with a shoebox in hand. “Looks like you haven’t even worn these ones.”
“They were a present from my mom, meant to go with the dress she bought me for the last medical ball. I didn’t go in the end…” she trailed off, lowering her gaze to the floor. Why couldn’t you have just lie? Now you look pathetic.
“Why not?” she heard Callie’s voice gently ask.
“Didn’t have anyone to go with, did I?” Erica mumbled, sitting on the edge of the bed and wishing she hadn’t even started to explain why the shoes were unworn.
Callie sat down next to her. “I’m sorry.”
Great, now she pities me. “It’s hardly your fault,” Erica tried to laugh, but it came out rather half hearted. “My own fault I was too anti-social to find a date.”
“What about this year?” Callie asked gently.
Erica sighed. “We have till the end of exams to put our names down, but…” she shrugged, indicating that she wouldn’t be going again.
“You can’t miss your last medical ball Erica, I heard they were meant to be amazing,” Callie said, trying to plead with her.
Erica shrugged again. “I don’t mind, really. It’s not really my thing.”
“What if I came with you?” Callie asked suddenly. Then realised that it sounded like Erica had no possibility of finding someone else. “I mean, um, tonight, if you don’t find my company too bad, how about letting me come with you?” she smiled, hoping Erica wouldn’t take offense at her asking. “And if you find some amazing guy in between I’ve always got my own to go to, right?” The expression on Erica’s face was one she had never seen before, and one she couldn’t read.
If Erica was a woman who liked living in a world of delusion, she could tell herself Callie was asking her because she liked her, and understood how Erica felt, and in some way reciprocated that, but she wasn’t. She clearly heard Callie mention her possible finding a guy in between times, and if she understood any of what Erica was feeling, she would know that Erica wasn’t even entertaining the thought of finding a guy anytime. And so, to spare Callie the disappointment of her saying no, and just to drive herself and her heart a little bit more crazy with longing, Erica smiled and said, “It’s a deal.”
“Well then, you better get these on so we can get moving if I have all this impressing to do,” Callie grinned, handing Erica her shoes.
I'll start writing the next part as soon as I've finished another 3 questions in this damn past paper! Oh, and had something to eat to make up for managing to forget to have dinner last night (I don't know how I managed it either!)