Emily ran her hand down the rack of clothing, her dark brown eyes unfocused in idleness. Green, blue, red. Small, medium, large. The girl counted the number of sleeveless shirts, the backwards hangers, crumpled price tags while she waited for her friend's reappearance. She heard faint rustling. No doubt it was buttons being undone, fabric sliding over fabric, over skin.
"Hey, Em?" Allison's voice called from behind the changing room's curtain, "Could you give me a hand?" Emily turned to see Ali's face peeking from behind the curtain for a moment, just long enough to notice the girl's blonde hair was tied into a messy bun. Several curls hanging down, loosened by the billowing wind as they had driven there, windows down, sun pouring like caramel over Allison's skin. And she had been laughing. The kind of laugh that brought life into her blue eyes, crinkling the edges in an earnestness Ali would never know she was capable of.
The dark haired girl pulled back the curtain and slipped inside just as her friend eased a blue blouse over her shoulders. Pale skin, a beauty mark just below her ribs, a line of lace where her underwear stuck out from her jeans. Emily caught herself and looked down at the floor.
"What are you waiting for?" Allison asked, meeting Emily's eyes in the reflection of the mirror, her lips fitting perfectly around the words that gushed between them, "Kiss me."
"What did you say?" Emily stammered, her cheeks flushing pink, her heart hammering in her chest.
"Zip me," Ali repeated with exaggerated slowness, rolling her eyes as she turned back to the mirror.
"Right," The dark haired girl muttered, forcing a small laugh as she zipped Ali's blouse. Em stepped back and ran a hand through her black hair, trying not to watch as Allison turned to the side and fit her hands into the back pockets of her jeans.
"It's nice, right?"
"You look great," Emily murmured, hardly aware of her stare following the blonde girl's hands. Hands running down the curve of her waist, slipping under the lip of her jeans as she tucked the shirt in.
"I know," The blonde girl replied, engrossed in her reflection. After a moment, Ali's eyes lifted, her brows gently furrowing as she noticed where Emily's gaze still hung. A smirk slipped between Allison's lips and she slunk into the game without hesitation. Her fingers slowly pulling the fabric from her jeans and up over her stomach, breasts, head. She dropped the shirt and watched her friend's almond shaped eyes, coasting from the dimples of her lower back up to the gentle swoops of shoulder. "Would you get my blouse, Em?" Ali's eyes now bright with fresh understanding, with mischief.
The dark haired girl snapped out of her daze and removed the white blouse from the peg on the door. When she turned back to the mirror Ali was closer, hands at her sides, her face relaxed but her eyes searching her friend's. Emily's eyebrows drew together and she looked away, handing the blouse to Ali blindly.
"I want you to do it."
Emily's face grew hot. She bit the inside of her lip out of nervous habit. She could feel her pulse thundering in her veins. The girl came closer and shook out the fabric before lifting it above Ali's outstretched arms. Allison took a step forward as well, closing the space between them. Her eyes shut as the shirt glided down over her silky blonde hair, her arms slipping through the holes one at a time. Emily's hands guided the material over Allison's breasts down to her waist, any polite comments meant to break the silence caught in her throat.
"There," Em breathed. The space between them felt like nothing, their faces only inches apart, Ali's perfume smelling of vanilla. Her hands hovered over the girl's waist for just a moment too long. Allison's painted lips curved into a smile as her friend's touch dropped away and she remembered herself.
The light haired girl touched her lips to Emily's. Her hands embraced Ali's shoulders hesitantly before latching on tighter, leaning further into the kiss. When they came apart there was only the sound of the breath thundering in and out of lungs. The blonde girl smirked at the sound of her friend's breathlessness, at the color she had brought to her full lips. She lifted her chin and admired her handiwork, tongue running along the edge of her teeth. Emily smiled down her, hands returning to the girl's waist, drawing her in closer and kissing her again, harder. Allison's smirk fell away. She brushed Emily's hands off and took a step back. Her blue, doll's eyes no longer glinting with mischief and rather returning to their stony default.
"I'm sorry," Emily started, her cheeks flaming for a different reason than before, "I didn't mean to-." Allison's laugh cut her off, her eyes narrowed. The blonde girl took her purse from the chair and slung it over her shoulder, making her way for the exit. Em's throat tightened with sadness as she realized that the kiss had meant nothing to the girl. Just Ali having fun. No concern for the repercussions. She struggled for words to make things normal between them again, anything to fill the silence in the room.
"Are you going to get the shirt?"
"No, I don't think so," Allison said, smoothing her blouse absently, "One of those things I liked the idea of better than actually having it." Emily watched as her friend wiped her mouth and then reapplied lipstick. She snapped the compact mirror shut and smiled, "You know what I mean. Don't you, Em?"