Vanilla 20, Chocolate 8, Strawberry 10: Missed Connections
Title: Missed Connections
Main Story: In the Heart
Flavors and Toppings: Vanilla 20 (drinking), chocolate 8 (appreciation), strawberry 10 (mask).
Word Count: 745
Rating: PG-13, for sexuality.
Summary: Eyes meet across a crowded room... and nothing happens.
Notes: Concrit's fine if you want to give it. If not, I'll still be glad. Also, Gail is Aaron's stepmother and Ivy's mother.
The girl was leaning back against the bar when Gina saw her.
Afterwards she was never really sure what caught her eye. The tumbling red hair, perhaps, falling away from her face like a curling flame, or the curve of a pale throat as she threw her head back in a laugh. Maybe the plain black dress she wore, simpler by far than anything anyone else wore in this club. Or the casual, confident way she leaned back, claiming the bar and the space around her without saying a word, even though she didn't really fit in the picture that was this place.
Gina envied her that confidence, that certainty, and wondered where it came from. Not, certainly, from any great beauty or dangerous curves. The girl was thin as a rail and her face was too sharp, her cheekbones too prominent, for true beauty. But she wore no masks, that was certain. She didn't hide herself the way Gina always had to. She didn't have to be angelic with her parents and nothing but sex with her girlfriend, all business at work with her colleagues and all pleasure out with her friends. She didn't always have to think about who she was.
The girl looked in Gina's direction just then, and even from this distance her eyes were extraordinary. A deep, endless blue-grey, eyes the color of an ocean under stormy skies, they softened her whole face and bearing. Eyes like that could make a girl forget herself.
Maybe she didn't quite fit, but it didn't seem to matter, either.
Gina looked away then, unable to watch any longer. She was supposed to meet Vanessa here half an hour ago, and still no sign of her girlfriend. Maybe she should go wait for her outside.
Shame, though. That girl really had lovely eyes.
Ivy felt eyes on her and turned away from Aaron to scan the crowd. The only person looking in her direction was a woman in a red dress, one of those annoyingly perfect creatures who never had to tug down their high-riding skirts or touch up their makeup after a hard dance. They just danced and danced and danced until the stars faded and they departed for home and boyfriends, never a bead of sweat marring their lovely skin.
This particular specimen had long, lovely legs stretched out by red heels, and platinum blonde hair too pale to be natural. Looked good on her, though, with those crystal blue eyes and clear, flawless skin: sex in a blood red dress.
Ivy sighed a mixture of lust and envy.
"Hey, Ivy!" Aaron reached around and snapped his fingers twice in her line of sight. "You still in there?"
"Fuck off," she said, conversationally. "I'm ogling the ladies."
He grinned at her. "Going to tell me which one so I can ogle too?"
Ivy tipped her head towards the woman, now heading for the door. "Red dress, blonde hair. Her."
She could tell when Aaron spotted her: his eyebrows went up and he let out a low whistle. "Damn. Gonna go make a move?"
"No," Ivy said. "Too perfect for me."
"Hey, now," Aaron said, slinging an arm around her shoulders and squeezing quickly. "Nobody talks about my little sister like that. You can get any girl you want."
"Sure I can," Ivy said, humoring him. She knew full well she wasn't very pretty, and her personality was too abrasive for most women to take. The ones who liked it... well, they were usually looking for an imitation man, and Ivy was not that, never that. Oh, she had faith that she'd find somebody someday, but "someday" felt an awful long time in coming, sometimes.
She sighed abruptly. Enough self-pity. "Hey, Aaron, be a sweetheart and buy me a beer."
Aaron pulled his head back and looked at her over the rim of his glasses. "You're only twenty, kiddo."
"That's why I asked you to get it." Ivy put on her best pouty face. "Please?"
Aaron snorted. "Yeah, right. Another year won't kill you. Whereas if I buy you a beer Gail will kill me." He turned half away to lean casually against the bar again, waving at the bartender. "Rum and coke for me, and the lady will have milk," he said, and winked at Ivy as he did.
Ivy stuck her tongue out at him, and threw one last glance at the woman in red. Too bad. She really was gorgeous.
Main Story: In the Heart
Flavors and Toppings: Vanilla 20 (drinking), chocolate 8 (appreciation), strawberry 10 (mask).
Word Count: 745
Rating: PG-13, for sexuality.
Summary: Eyes meet across a crowded room... and nothing happens.
Notes: Concrit's fine if you want to give it. If not, I'll still be glad. Also, Gail is Aaron's stepmother and Ivy's mother.
The girl was leaning back against the bar when Gina saw her.
Afterwards she was never really sure what caught her eye. The tumbling red hair, perhaps, falling away from her face like a curling flame, or the curve of a pale throat as she threw her head back in a laugh. Maybe the plain black dress she wore, simpler by far than anything anyone else wore in this club. Or the casual, confident way she leaned back, claiming the bar and the space around her without saying a word, even though she didn't really fit in the picture that was this place.
Gina envied her that confidence, that certainty, and wondered where it came from. Not, certainly, from any great beauty or dangerous curves. The girl was thin as a rail and her face was too sharp, her cheekbones too prominent, for true beauty. But she wore no masks, that was certain. She didn't hide herself the way Gina always had to. She didn't have to be angelic with her parents and nothing but sex with her girlfriend, all business at work with her colleagues and all pleasure out with her friends. She didn't always have to think about who she was.
The girl looked in Gina's direction just then, and even from this distance her eyes were extraordinary. A deep, endless blue-grey, eyes the color of an ocean under stormy skies, they softened her whole face and bearing. Eyes like that could make a girl forget herself.
Maybe she didn't quite fit, but it didn't seem to matter, either.
Gina looked away then, unable to watch any longer. She was supposed to meet Vanessa here half an hour ago, and still no sign of her girlfriend. Maybe she should go wait for her outside.
Shame, though. That girl really had lovely eyes.
Ivy felt eyes on her and turned away from Aaron to scan the crowd. The only person looking in her direction was a woman in a red dress, one of those annoyingly perfect creatures who never had to tug down their high-riding skirts or touch up their makeup after a hard dance. They just danced and danced and danced until the stars faded and they departed for home and boyfriends, never a bead of sweat marring their lovely skin.
This particular specimen had long, lovely legs stretched out by red heels, and platinum blonde hair too pale to be natural. Looked good on her, though, with those crystal blue eyes and clear, flawless skin: sex in a blood red dress.
Ivy sighed a mixture of lust and envy.
"Hey, Ivy!" Aaron reached around and snapped his fingers twice in her line of sight. "You still in there?"
"Fuck off," she said, conversationally. "I'm ogling the ladies."
He grinned at her. "Going to tell me which one so I can ogle too?"
Ivy tipped her head towards the woman, now heading for the door. "Red dress, blonde hair. Her."
She could tell when Aaron spotted her: his eyebrows went up and he let out a low whistle. "Damn. Gonna go make a move?"
"No," Ivy said. "Too perfect for me."
"Hey, now," Aaron said, slinging an arm around her shoulders and squeezing quickly. "Nobody talks about my little sister like that. You can get any girl you want."
"Sure I can," Ivy said, humoring him. She knew full well she wasn't very pretty, and her personality was too abrasive for most women to take. The ones who liked it... well, they were usually looking for an imitation man, and Ivy was not that, never that. Oh, she had faith that she'd find somebody someday, but "someday" felt an awful long time in coming, sometimes.
She sighed abruptly. Enough self-pity. "Hey, Aaron, be a sweetheart and buy me a beer."
Aaron pulled his head back and looked at her over the rim of his glasses. "You're only twenty, kiddo."
"That's why I asked you to get it." Ivy put on her best pouty face. "Please?"
Aaron snorted. "Yeah, right. Another year won't kill you. Whereas if I buy you a beer Gail will kill me." He turned half away to lean casually against the bar again, waving at the bartender. "Rum and coke for me, and the lady will have milk," he said, and winked at Ivy as he did.
Ivy stuck her tongue out at him, and threw one last glance at the woman in red. Too bad. She really was gorgeous.