“Alexander.”
Alex turns at the sound of his full name, his eyes landing on Eliza, who’s a few paces away; without breaking eye contact, she pulls something off the clothing rack she’s standing next to.
“What do you think of this?” She asks, holding it up. It’s some sort of women’s jacket: the torso and sleeves are too short, and it’s covered in an odd, feathered fringe. Even with Alex’s subpar sense of fashion, he can tell it’s an ugly item of clothing.
He grins, incredibly endeared by her. “I love it.”
She grins back at him. “I think you should get it.”
“I think I should,” Alex agrees. “I think I should wear it and nothing else at dinner tomorrow night.”
Eliza giggles, placing the ugly jacket back on the rack. “That would certainly make an impression.”
“The only impression I’m interested in making,” Alex says. Walking back over to her, he adds, “You do know I’m planning to seduce your father so he’ll let me keep dating you, right?”
Eliza laughs harder, which makes Alex’s heart flutter; he lifts one of her hands and kisses her knuckles, then drops it at the flustered look on her face and stuffs his own hands into his pockets.
“Um,” he says, looking away, “You’re gonna have to tell me what to look for. I’m kind of out of my element.”
Eliza tucks a strand of her hair behind her ear. “Right,” she says, and leads him by the hand through the store; she picks a gross, rust-colored hat up off a display and hands it to him. “First you have to put this on and let me take a picture of you.”
“What? Why?” Alex asks, taking the hat but not moving to put it on.
“Because I’m paying for you, so I want to take a picture of you with this weird hat on,” Eliza explains, as though it were obvious.
Alex toys with the hat. “I can pay for myself,” he says, knowing damn well he can’t afford a single thing in this store.
Eliza gives him a look that tells him she knows this as well, then says, “How about you buy me lunch afterwards?”
Alex starts to shake his head, still ready to refuse her offer, but catches her glance and immediately thinks better of himself. “Okay,” he says.
“Now hat up,” Eliza says, taking her phone out of her pocket.
“Hat up?” Alex asks, grinning at her.
“Shut up and put the hat on,” Eliza says, smiling.
She takes his photo and he tosses the hat back on the display. Eliza leads him across the store again, coming to rest at a rack of fancy looking clothes. She starts shuffling through them while Alex stands behind her, waiting to be handed things.
“You definitely don’t need, like, a suit,” Eliza says, pulling something off the rack to inspect it before handing it to Alex. “But you do definitely need a nice blazer and slacks and a button up that matches.”
“I have button up shirts,” Alex points out.
“But I’m going to get you a nice one,” Eliza points out sweetly, handing something else off to him. “What size shoe are you?”
“I don’t need shoes.” Alex tells her seriously.
“Are you going to show up in nice clothes and tennis shoes?” Eliza asks. “That would be a look. I’m sure my sister would love that.”
Alex hesitates. “Eight and a half.”
She sends him to the changing room with three outfits, and goes to find him a pair of shoes.
“Alexander?” she asks when she enters the changing room, unsure which stall he’s in.
“Yeah?” Alex answers, and she’s pretty sure he’s in the middle one, but she bends down to checks anyways. She recognizes his mismatched socks—one decorated with blades that he stole from his best friend, John, and a pink one he found in the common room and decided to keep. She grins, placing the box on the ground and sliding it under the door.
“Try these on, too,” she tells him, standing back up. “And come show off your outfits for me!”
“Okay,” Alex says, chuckling a little bit, and she leans against the wall to wait for him.
He comes out after a moment in the first outfit, and Eliza hums thoughtfully. He seems to read the look on her face. “I look bad.”
That was what Eliza was thinking, but she winces at his bluntness. “I wouldn’t say you look bad,” she tells him, and when he looks at her skeptically, she quickly adds, “You’re a very attractive person, Alexander, it’s just that this outfit makes you look bad.”
He looks in the mirror for a moment. “It’s—,” he starts to say, but Eliza latches onto the same thought while looking at him and they finish in unison, “—the pants.”
They look at each other and laugh. Eliza looks at him up and down. “Yeah, the pants are a weird cut on you. How are the shoes?”
Alex hesitates. “Honestly, really nice,” he admits.
She smiles at him. “I’m glad,” she says. “Try on the next one.”
Alex reappears a few moments later, dressed in the second outfit. She pulls a face, and Alex frowns. “I think it looks nice,” he comments, inspecting himself in the mirror.
“The cut looks great on you,” Eliza agrees. “But the color is… not.”
She studies him for a moment. “Yellow isn’t a good color with your complexion,” she notes. “Try on the last one. If it doesn’t work, we’ll keep looking.”
Alex emerges from the dressing room with the final outfit on, and Eliza almost purrs. Alex catches the look on her face, but he doesn’t quite understand what it means. “What?” he asks, turning to look at himself. “I thought this one looked good.”
“It looks very good,” Eliza agrees. “Can you give me a spin?”
Alex looks at her, a sheepish smile on his face. “What?”
Rather than respond, Eliza simply raises one of her hands and gestures with her finger for him to spin.
He laughs lightly and twirls around once, quickly. “Happy?”
“No,” Eliza says coyly, “Go slower. I need to make sure you look good from all angles.”
Alex grins, catching on, and spins again for her, slower. She makes sure to check out his figure in the slacks before he turns back to her. “Can I get a rating out of ten?” he asks.
“Eleven,” Eliza says immediately, and Alex blushes. For extra measure, Eliza tacks on, “You look quite sexy.”
Alex’s face flushes. “Is that the vibe I wanna give your parents?”
“Well, you are trying to seduce my dad, right?” Eliza asks, and Alex laughs.
“Fair point,” he says, looking back at himself in the mirror again. “If you like it, I like it.”
“I like it a lot,” Eliza assures him, leaning forward and giving him a quick kiss. When she pulls away, she says, “Hand me the other two
and I’ll put them back while you change.”
Alex hesitates, holding her arms lightly. “You really don’t have to buy this for me.”
“I want to buy it for you,” Eliza insists. “Besides, you can use this when you’re doing stuff at school. Finish out law school as the sexiest lawyer in the courtroom.”
Alex chuckles, but he doesn’t seem entirely persuaded. “Your willingness to spend large amounts of money on me never ceases to amaze me,” he says softly.
“Well, you’re buying me lunch,” Eliza reasons.
“I love you,” Alex tells her.
“I love you, too,” Eliza says warmly.
“I promise I’m not just saying that because you’re spending money on me,” Alex adds quickly. “I really do just love you so much.”
“I know, hon,” Eliza says, smiling. “You tell me every thirty minutes. Go change.”
Alex turns at the sound of his full name, his eyes landing on Eliza, who’s a few paces away; without breaking eye contact, she pulls something off the clothing rack she’s standing next to.
“What do you think of this?” She asks, holding it up. It’s some sort of women’s jacket: the torso and sleeves are too short, and it’s covered in an odd, feathered fringe. Even with Alex’s subpar sense of fashion, he can tell it’s an ugly item of clothing.
He grins, incredibly endeared by her. “I love it.”
She grins back at him. “I think you should get it.”
“I think I should,” Alex agrees. “I think I should wear it and nothing else at dinner tomorrow night.”
Eliza giggles, placing the ugly jacket back on the rack. “That would certainly make an impression.”
“The only impression I’m interested in making,” Alex says. Walking back over to her, he adds, “You do know I’m planning to seduce your father so he’ll let me keep dating you, right?”
Eliza laughs harder, which makes Alex’s heart flutter; he lifts one of her hands and kisses her knuckles, then drops it at the flustered look on her face and stuffs his own hands into his pockets.
“Um,” he says, looking away, “You’re gonna have to tell me what to look for. I’m kind of out of my element.”
Eliza tucks a strand of her hair behind her ear. “Right,” she says, and leads him by the hand through the store; she picks a gross, rust-colored hat up off a display and hands it to him. “First you have to put this on and let me take a picture of you.”
“What? Why?” Alex asks, taking the hat but not moving to put it on.
“Because I’m paying for you, so I want to take a picture of you with this weird hat on,” Eliza explains, as though it were obvious.
Alex toys with the hat. “I can pay for myself,” he says, knowing damn well he can’t afford a single thing in this store.
Eliza gives him a look that tells him she knows this as well, then says, “How about you buy me lunch afterwards?”
Alex starts to shake his head, still ready to refuse her offer, but catches her glance and immediately thinks better of himself. “Okay,” he says.
“Now hat up,” Eliza says, taking her phone out of her pocket.
“Hat up?” Alex asks, grinning at her.
“Shut up and put the hat on,” Eliza says, smiling.
She takes his photo and he tosses the hat back on the display. Eliza leads him across the store again, coming to rest at a rack of fancy looking clothes. She starts shuffling through them while Alex stands behind her, waiting to be handed things.
“You definitely don’t need, like, a suit,” Eliza says, pulling something off the rack to inspect it before handing it to Alex. “But you do definitely need a nice blazer and slacks and a button up that matches.”
“I have button up shirts,” Alex points out.
“But I’m going to get you a nice one,” Eliza points out sweetly, handing something else off to him. “What size shoe are you?”
“I don’t need shoes.” Alex tells her seriously.
“Are you going to show up in nice clothes and tennis shoes?” Eliza asks. “That would be a look. I’m sure my sister would love that.”
Alex hesitates. “Eight and a half.”
She sends him to the changing room with three outfits, and goes to find him a pair of shoes.
“Alexander?” she asks when she enters the changing room, unsure which stall he’s in.
“Yeah?” Alex answers, and she’s pretty sure he’s in the middle one, but she bends down to checks anyways. She recognizes his mismatched socks—one decorated with blades that he stole from his best friend, John, and a pink one he found in the common room and decided to keep. She grins, placing the box on the ground and sliding it under the door.
“Try these on, too,” she tells him, standing back up. “And come show off your outfits for me!”
“Okay,” Alex says, chuckling a little bit, and she leans against the wall to wait for him.
He comes out after a moment in the first outfit, and Eliza hums thoughtfully. He seems to read the look on her face. “I look bad.”
That was what Eliza was thinking, but she winces at his bluntness. “I wouldn’t say you look bad,” she tells him, and when he looks at her skeptically, she quickly adds, “You’re a very attractive person, Alexander, it’s just that this outfit makes you look bad.”
He looks in the mirror for a moment. “It’s—,” he starts to say, but Eliza latches onto the same thought while looking at him and they finish in unison, “—the pants.”
They look at each other and laugh. Eliza looks at him up and down. “Yeah, the pants are a weird cut on you. How are the shoes?”
Alex hesitates. “Honestly, really nice,” he admits.
She smiles at him. “I’m glad,” she says. “Try on the next one.”
Alex reappears a few moments later, dressed in the second outfit. She pulls a face, and Alex frowns. “I think it looks nice,” he comments, inspecting himself in the mirror.
“The cut looks great on you,” Eliza agrees. “But the color is… not.”
She studies him for a moment. “Yellow isn’t a good color with your complexion,” she notes. “Try on the last one. If it doesn’t work, we’ll keep looking.”
Alex emerges from the dressing room with the final outfit on, and Eliza almost purrs. Alex catches the look on her face, but he doesn’t quite understand what it means. “What?” he asks, turning to look at himself. “I thought this one looked good.”
“It looks very good,” Eliza agrees. “Can you give me a spin?”
Alex looks at her, a sheepish smile on his face. “What?”
Rather than respond, Eliza simply raises one of her hands and gestures with her finger for him to spin.
He laughs lightly and twirls around once, quickly. “Happy?”
“No,” Eliza says coyly, “Go slower. I need to make sure you look good from all angles.”
Alex grins, catching on, and spins again for her, slower. She makes sure to check out his figure in the slacks before he turns back to her. “Can I get a rating out of ten?” he asks.
“Eleven,” Eliza says immediately, and Alex blushes. For extra measure, Eliza tacks on, “You look quite sexy.”
Alex’s face flushes. “Is that the vibe I wanna give your parents?”
“Well, you are trying to seduce my dad, right?” Eliza asks, and Alex laughs.
“Fair point,” he says, looking back at himself in the mirror again. “If you like it, I like it.”
“I like it a lot,” Eliza assures him, leaning forward and giving him a quick kiss. When she pulls away, she says, “Hand me the other two
and I’ll put them back while you change.”
Alex hesitates, holding her arms lightly. “You really don’t have to buy this for me.”
“I want to buy it for you,” Eliza insists. “Besides, you can use this when you’re doing stuff at school. Finish out law school as the sexiest lawyer in the courtroom.”
Alex chuckles, but he doesn’t seem entirely persuaded. “Your willingness to spend large amounts of money on me never ceases to amaze me,” he says softly.
“Well, you’re buying me lunch,” Eliza reasons.
“I love you,” Alex tells her.
“I love you, too,” Eliza says warmly.
“I promise I’m not just saying that because you’re spending money on me,” Alex adds quickly. “I really do just love you so much.”
“I know, hon,” Eliza says, smiling. “You tell me every thirty minutes. Go change.”
Collette, a senior from Memorial Senior High School, states that, "I enjoy writing healthy relationships of all kinds, whether romantic or platonic, and I find myself writing various slice of life stories, just little vignettes of couples' lives, to inspire myself to find something of the same nature."
*Collette's piece was chosen at the Hot Dish Challenge Category Award Winner. Our editors were impressed with her well-written, natural sounding dialogue, her well-developed and believable characters, and her willingness to cooperate with editing suggestions. Congratulations Collette!
*Picture provided by Pexels
*Collette's piece was chosen at the Hot Dish Challenge Category Award Winner. Our editors were impressed with her well-written, natural sounding dialogue, her well-developed and believable characters, and her willingness to cooperate with editing suggestions. Congratulations Collette!
*Picture provided by Pexels