by Mira Toria
Evey shot her a quizzical look, but the tables were turned because now she was the one that adopted the tone of caution “What do you mean?”
Lyris snickered and raised her eyebrows. “You were very vocal about what you wanted.” Evey flushed and Lyris continued gleefully, “If I didn’t know any better, I would’ve thought you were being murdered.”
“Oh my God.” Evey turned away, completely mortified that Lyris heard her that night. “Oh God, no.”
“That’s pretty much what you said,” Lyris chuckled. “But you said yes a lot more than you said no.”
“You can stop now.” Evey grumbled as she wiped up the last of the crumbs.
“I don’t think it was no,” Lyris said, shaking her head like she was trying to figure something out. “I think you told him not to stop.”
“Lyris!”
Lyris blew a kiss at Evey. “Point for me. Even though, you know, you were the one that scored last night.”
Evey let out an embarrassed laugh, her feet tapping against the floor quickly as she tried to cover it up. “I swear you’re enjoying this far too much.”
“Trust me,” Lyris said seriously, “I didn’t want to listen, but the two of you were freaking loud.”
This time it was Evey that grinned like a cat that caught a prize canary. “It’s not as if I could’ve helped myself.”
Lyris shivered, the mental image too much for her to handle. “You know how we say we love sharing everything, Evey? This is something you can keep to yourself.”
“Just trying to be a good friend,” Evey snickered. “And Ly, you brought this up. I’m just adding to the story in case you wanted something more tangible.”
“Oh God!” Lyris groaned as Evey threw her head back laughing. The bell to the café rang as someone slipped into the store, and Lyris felt relief flood through her. Thank goodness she was saved from another play-by-play from Evey.
“Speak of the handsome devil.” Evey got up and kissed West swiftly on the cheek. “Hey you.”
West laughed out loudly before kissing Evey on the nose. His playful grin reached his brown eyes as he tucked his phone into his jacket, turning his attention to her. “Just because you do that doesn’t mean I’m giving in to your scheme.” He tapped Evey’s nose as she made a face at him. “Come on sweets, I know you well enough to know when you have that voice.”
“Some days I wonder why I keep you around, but then you say clever things like that and suddenly there’s hope again.” Lyris high fived West, relishing in her victory, because it wasn’t very often the two of them beat Evey.
“You can pay me back by getting me out of this fashion show. This might be as bad as watching The Notebook with you girls. It might possibly be worse.” He looked pained as it dawned on him. “I can’t actually pass out in the audience.”
“You said you liked the movie!” Evey slapped West on the shoulder, looking genuinely surprised at his confession.
“Give me a break Evey, you really thought he liked the movie?” Lyris laughed and patted her friend’s head affectionately. “You poor thing, that’s like saying I like the blind dates I’m set on.”
Evey didn’t look defeated as she narrowed her eyes at the two of them. “Twenty dollars and a day of pampering if I’m right,” she wagered.
“Right about what?” West put an arm over Evey’s shoulder, his expression at ease like he was used to her inability to give up.
“I’m trying to get Lyris out of her shell, and it’s going to be worth it,” she said. The determination set in her eyes was almost frightening. “I’m not saying it’ll be love or anything close to it, but I truly believe that there’ll be something. A crush. An infatuation. Anything.”
“Your cupid senses have passed their expiration date.” Lyris stuck out her hand and a slow smile pulled at her mouth. “I cannot wait to be pampered.”
“Please,” Evey scoffed. “I have faith that the universe is going to side with me that night.”
“What makes you so sure?”
“Because as much as you pretend it isn’t – love is important to you. Otherwise you wouldn’t find so many excuses to avoid it.”
Going home from work and switching gears to get ready for the fashion show was a little hectic. Both of them were trying to make sure they would be there a little earlier as moral support for Leon.
Throughout the week Evey hadn’t brought up the show as a topic and Lyris spent her time trying to forget what Evey had promised. She welcomed exhaustion that came with work, knowing that it was a sure way to keep her from dreaming at night.
They were almost always the same. No matter what was happening, he would always be in it. He would always be with her.
“Lyris, can you help?” Evey interrupted her thoughts and held up a part of her hair. “I can’t pin my hair while making sure it doesn’t lose the oomph I want.”
Lyris cocked an eyebrow, not wholly believing that Evey needed any more ‘oomph’ to catch attention. As requested by Leon, both of them were in dresses he had created and Evey was nothing short of breath taking. Her blonde hair looked even brighter against the blue cocktail dress and because of how Leon placed the darts on the dress, every time Evey took a step, people would catch a glimpse of her leg – but the glimpse was all they would get.
Making sure she wasn’t ruining Evey’s hair, Lyris carefully placed the pins. “Teasing all the boys at the show,” she teased. “What would West say?”
“I don’t need boys,” Evey grinned. “I already have a man.”
“Careful now,” Lyris reminded her. “I have pins in my hand and hearing stuff like that is frightening. The last thing we need is for an accident to happen.”
Finishing off with her lipstick, Evey threw it into her bag. “Ly, if we’re talking about accidents, you really shouldn’t be wearing that dress.”
She tried not to laugh as Evey shot her an I-told-you-so look. Like Evey, she was wearing a dress that Leon had made. Her red dress was longer than Evey’s, compensating for the low neckline that dipped just above her belly button.
“My dating history might be similar to that of a nun, but it doesn’t mean I have to dress like I belong in one.” Lyris finished with Evey’s hair and took a step back, admiring her handiwork. “Eat your heart out, West.”
“And so will everyone else when they see you.” Evey tossed her a lipstick and a dangerous glint brightened her eyes. “We’re not wasting that dress tonight.”
She knew that no matter how disastrous Evey might have been setting her up on dates, it wasn’t because she didn’t have her best interest at heart.
“I’m not saying no to the prospect of meeting new friends.” Lyris kept her grin in check when Evey all but growled in protest. “I still remember our bet, don’t worry. I’m just saying I’m keeping an open mind.”
“And I’ll keep the open eye.”
“No,” Lyris said firmly. “I feel like a loser every time you drag someone over. Being subtle isn’t really your strong suit and I feel as if they automatically get a there’s-something-wrong-with-this-girl vibe with how freakishly impulsive you can be. You don’t usually sell something with that much enthusiasm unless there’s something faulty about it, and that’s not really the impression I want people to have when they first meet me.”
Evey looked as if she were about to say something, but someone downstairs interrupted them.
“Are you guys ready?” West asked, effectively putting an end to their conversation.
Shooting her a look that told Lyris the conversation was far from over, Evey walked down to meet West. She’d been with them long enough to know it would be in her best interest to wait a while before going down herself. As often as she teased both of them, she would never want to get in the way of their relationship.
Heading downstairs, Lyris saw West peppering tiny kisses on Evey’s cheeks while she pretended to squirm away. There was something about the two of them that was as endearing as it as nauseating. Seeing how
happy they made one another reminded her of what Evey said to her a few days ago.
Because as much as you pretend it isn’t – love is important to you.
After complimenting Evey, West turned his attention to her. “I already knew that Evey was going to look amazing, but Ly, looks like there was a girl underneath after all.”
Anyone else and the quip may have bothered her, but it was West after all. She hadn’t grown up with him next door without learning how to take them with grace. “And I suppose some sloths look alright in a tux after all,” she shot back, smiling sweetly.
They continued to poke fun at one another in the car - with the occasional ‘you guys’ and eye roll from Evey – until they pulled up to a building with music blasting loud enough to be heard outside.
Walking to the building was like walking into another world. Leon spared no expense and Lyris felt as if she were walking on clouds because of the snow trapped beneath the floors.
Despite how loud the music was, Lyris heard wings flapping above them and she looked up just to see a bird landing onto one of the decorative trees with fake snow on its branches.
“I wonder if Leon took into account that birds crap without any warning.” West looked up at the ceiling in confusion before he grinned wickedly. “Fifty bucks says Lyris will go home with bird crap in her hair.”
Lyris returned his grin and pointed at his mouth. “I’ll take the bet. In fact, I’ll bet that they’ll probably drop one in your big ass mouth instead because of how much you talk.”
Evey ignored them and continued to survey the room. “Leon has always been more of a person that just goes for it and then deals with the consequences as they arise. But this,” Evey laughed airily and bounced on the balls of her feet, “this is amazing! Can you see that huge crystal display he has near the runway? I think he could’ve been an interior decorator or an event planner if he didn’t want to do fashion.”
“Please don’t tell Leon that, he’ll want to redecorate the house – again.” Turning around, Lyris saw a man with dark blonde hair walking towards them. “It’s been a long time.”
Lyris rushed forwards and gave him a kiss on the cheek before hugging him. “James!” She pulled away from him slightly and saw that he was still as handsome as he usually was. His blue eyes looked almost too bright as he grinned back. “I don’t think it’s fair for you to look this good while being a lawyer. You have to be losing hair or something to balance out how bad you make the rest of us look,” she complained.
“I got rid of the muffin top because you moved out of our house,” James laughed. “And as for losing hair – I tend to opt for running instead of ripping my hair out when I’m stressed.” He shook West’s hand and leaned into to kiss Evey on the cheek. “You girls look beautiful and you clean up pretty well, West.”
West brought Evey close, his arm around her waist. “Ah well, it’s not fair to compare me to these two ladies. At least not Evey anyhow – she’s stunning. Lyris on the other hand – OW!” Lyris whacked him on the arm before blinking innocently like she was daring him to continue. “It was a joke, Ly. A joke!”
Lyris casually fiddled with her clutch and nearly laughed out when she saw West eyeing it almost warily. “You looked as if you crawled out of a rat hole when you were in high school,” she reminded him. “Just in case you’ve forgotten about that.”
Before the two of them could really have a go at it, Evey frowned and tapped Lyris on the shoulder. “Looks like Leon’s out for blood.”
Leon was on his phone, his suit looking immaculate as he strolled towards them. Even from afar, the stress from the event was evident as he rubbed his eyes in agony. “I obviously didn’t think about that! If I had, do you really think I’d be on the phone with you? I should be in the back, fitting my models but instead I’m trying to get my damn runway cleared!” The person on the other end must’ve said something because Leon’s eyes went wide before his mouth thinned to a line of impatience. “I don’t care how you get it off, just get it off!” Hanging up the phone, he turned and attempted a smile at the group before it dampened with stress.
They all tried to avoid Leon’s glower as he came closer and both Lyris and West nudged Evey’s foot to get her talking, but she only shot the both of them death glares.
“You both cannot team up on me now,” she hissed. “You guys are terrible!”
“You’ve always wanted us to get along,” Lyris said, trying hard not to laugh.
“We’re just doing what you want,” West added. His attempt at not laughing failed and he let out a quiet chuckle before giving Lyris a thumbs up out of Leon’s line of sight. “So here we are, agreeing on something – that you should be the one talking to Leon.”
Evey rolled her eyes. “This is definitely not what I had in mind.”
There was a chance James sensed that the three of them were far too cowardly to approach Leon while he was in a mood, or perhaps he felt obligated because he was Leon’s boyfriend, but he spoke up first. “What’s wrong with the runway, Leon?”
Leon looked like he was about to have a meltdown but he put a finger between his eyes and let out a heavy breath. “It didn’t even cross my mind that the birds would be taking a shit on the runway. A complete miscalculation on my part and now I have to work around it.”
“Do you want a drink?” Lyris suggested. She was at a loss for words because while she could appreciate how the time and stress that was put forward for a fashion show, she didn’t have any advice that would do Leon any good. What he needed was time with James so he could get himself together before he went back to help the models.
Leon shook his head but seemed grateful for the offer. “I need to stay sober.” The moment of calm was quickly replaced with frustration as he put two fingers on the bridge on his nose. “Oh sweet baby of lords! Why do I put myself through all of this stress?”
“Oh don’t be so dramatic, Leon.” Evey slipped her arms through West’s when she noticed a few girls eyeing him up. “You know you love the thrill of a fashion show. The show will be fine. you know it and we know it.”
Evey and West had both come a long way from when they’d first started dating. West chased Evey relentlessly in the beginning, despite her protests. Now that she was caught, Evey had no intention of giving him a reason to let her go.
Catching Lyris’ expression, Evey lowered her voice. “I don’t care who looks at West,” she explained, quiet enough so that Lyris would be the only one that caught it. “I know who he’ll be going home with at the end of the night.”
“Oh, then why the sudden arm grab?” Lyris liked seeing the side of Evey that could get a little possessive with the things she loved.
“Look, sometimes I like holding onto his arm, alright?”
“You never were short on confidence,” Lyris laughed.
James and Leon were still talking in hushed tones. Leon looked less hysterical with each thing James was saying, his low voice already the perfect contrast to the shrill pitch of Leon’s complications. “I’ll come with you to the back to make sure everything is going according to plan,” he promised.
With his eyes closed, Leon nodded. “Honeybee, what would I do without you?” His eyes opened and it looked as if James’ pep talk got through because he looked rejuvenated. Waving goodbye to the group, he started to walk to the stage, but then he turned on his heels quickly, high tailing it back, his eyes glowing with a new sort of excitement.
“Oh no.” Lyris knew that look. It was one that was identical to the one Evey got when there was a crazy idea she thought was good. She didn’t even have to know what Leon was thinking because her answer was already at the tip of her tongue. “No, no, no.”
“Evey.” Leon ignored Lyris and turned Evey slightly so she could see who he was referring to. “The dark little devil over there. The one with the blue suit and looking ever so lonesome.”
It was unbelievable how quickly Leon was able to jump around and Lyris hated that this was what caught his
attention.
“No way, Leon,” Lyris said right away. She was not ready to be introduced to someone by both Evey and him. One of them was already enough to handle – putting the two of them together would be disastrous.
As Lyris protested, Evey whooped excitedly and high fived Leon. “He’s stunning!”
West frowned and scoffed at the man in the blue suit. “Stunning is a bit of a stretch.”
Turning back, Evey kissed him softly on the cheek. “Strictly research, West,” she assured him.
“I had no idea research could bring this sort of excitement. You could say he’s average.” West looked almost sullen as his eyes narrowed. “Doesn’t look like he’s much anyhow.”
As West was deviating Evey’s attention to him, Lyris took her escape and moved to the bar. No matter how often she would bicker with West, he came through for her whenever Evey hatched a new plan.
She got to the bar and closed her eyes while crossing her fingers. Speaking to no one in particular, she muttered, “Please, please, please don’t make this night another disaster. I swear I’ll be good, just please don’t make this another disaster.”
“Well since you said please so many times.” Her eyes fluttered opened to see a bartender with an amused smile playing on his mouth as he tried hard not to outwardly laugh at her. “Exactly who are you selling your soul to?”
She laughed despite her embarrassment and took a closer look at him. There was no doubt in her mind that while she wasn’t looking for a hook up, she wasn’t immune to beauty and she would be foolish to dismiss this man because he was definitely something noticeable. To her, it was similar to window shopping and admiring a dress in the window – she didn’t have to purchase something to admire it.
And now I know why people say ‘hot damn.’
His dark hair was cut shorter on the sides but with more volume on top, as if someone had casually run their fingers through it. Her fingers twitched and it crossed her mind that she wouldn’t mind running her fingers thought it. Forcing her hand to stay still, she lowered her eyes, taking in his jawline and admiring how it accented his sharp features in a way that prevented him from being too pretty. When her eyes veered to his mouth, she noticed the smirk deepening with each second she took blatantly and shamelessly checking him out.