The Pink Dress
Chapter 1: Request
Can you make me this dress? It was a simple request, and of course, he would oblige. Anything to see a smile on her face. When she gave him the patterns, he couldn't help but notice how nice the dress was. It seemed like something one would wear out rather than just casually. He had to wonder if she wanted it made for a special occasion. There were no signs that she told Ichigo his feelings and he returned them, so perhaps she wanted it made so she could tell him.
It wouldn't do to refuse her request. Before he had given her an answer, he already told himself he would say yes. Not to mention, the hopeful look in her eyes made him unable to say no.
He forced a smile. "It's not a problem, Inoue-San. Is there any fabric you'd like?"
Orihime bit her lip. "Mmm… I think anything fancy-like would work. Silk, maybe? Oh, but that's expensive, isn't it?"
He shook his head. "I mean, yes it is quite pricey, but I do have a lot of knits that I haven't used; they should work. Pink, I think would look gorgeous on you." Realizing he had said too much, his own face flushed pink, and he turned his head.
"Pink, yes." She handed him a slip of paper. "Measurements."
"Oh, yes, thank you." He looked at the paper. He just had to feel even more embarrassed to see her bust size in front of him. It wasn't as if he never made anything for her before, but he could never get used to it. "I'm a fast worker, so I can have this done possibly this weekend if my schoolwork doesn't pile up."
Orihime smiled. "It's no rush. Thank you so much, Ishida-Kun." She kissed his cheek and went off to her own desk.
Uryu made sure that he gave himself plenty of time to sew the next few nights. He set the pattern pieces on the fabric and cut them out, relishing in the images of what Orihime would look like. He was also plagued with images of her wearing it while going to Ichigo's to tell himself how she felt. The dress itself wasn't overly fancy, but just enough to indicate that she had something planned. He really didn't want to know what it was.
It wasn't a tough project. Orihime chose something that would be simple even for beginners. The dress didn't call for any additional accessories or decorations—the back of the pattern suggested them, but didn't provide instructions—so Uryu took it upon himself to add some lace to all of the hems. He also added some beading around the neckline that he thought Orihime would especially appreciate.
Once he was satisfied with his work, he studied it on his dress form. The dress fell just past the knees in a pleated skirt that would flow with every step Orihime took. The rose color would certainly bring out the natural blush in her cheeks, and he knew she would look gorgeous.
"Inoue-San?" he asked when she answered the phone. "I've just completed the dress. If you'd like to come over, that'd be fine."
"Oh, thank you, thank you!" she yelled over the phone. "I'll be right there. Thank you!" She hung up before he could say anything. He stared at his phone and smiled softly.
She arrived only fifteen minutes later with excitement on her face. Uryu showed her the dress that he kept in the living room. Her face lit up even more at the sight of it.
"Oh, it's beautiful!" she jumped up and down, and he blushed. "Ishida-Kun, I absolutely love it! The beading is just gorgeous!"
He chuckled. "I'm glad. I think it turned out nicely, if I do say so myself, and I think you'll look magnificent in it." He paused. "Would you like to try it on?"
To his surprise, Orihime shook her head. "There's something I have to do." He was slightly disappointed. She wanted Ichigo to see the dress on her before anyone else. Uryu could understand that, but that didn't stop him from wishing he could see it first. "Thank you again. You're such a good friend."
"You're welcome," he replied. He found it strange that he couldn't shrug off her gratitude, like he did with everyone else. He had to let her know that he understood and appreciated her thanks. He took the dress off the form and handed it to her. "Here you are."
She giggled and took it into her arms. "Thank you. Goodbye, Ishida-Kun."
Uryu watched her leave out his front door, and once she was gone, he sighed and went to cleaning up his worktable.
Once he was finished vacuuming the carpet and dumping the fabric scraps into the garbage, Uryu collapsed onto his sofa. His shoulders were sore, and his eyes were heavy. He wondered how she looked in that dress, and how Ichigo would respond.
That bastard better say something… nice. Uryu yawned and closed his eyes.
When there was a banging noise on his door, his eyes snapped open. His glasses were hanging off his face, so he straightened them before getting off the sofa and heading to the door.
"Hello," Orihime said when he answered it.
"Inoue-San…" She was in the dress, and he was right; she was just as gorgeous as he thought she would be. "What are you doing here? Did you forget something?"
She shook her head and smiled.
He knew what this was. She had just gone to see Ichigo. Did he reject or accept her feelings? She was smiling, but maybe she was hiding her feelings. He couldn't read her, and it was driving him mad. At any rate, she wanted Uryu to be the second person to see the dress.
"What do you think?" She spun, and her dress spun as well.
"You look lovely," he answered.
"Good. Because I asked you to make this for a special occasion." She reached out to grab his hand. Was she going to tell him what happened between her and Ichigo? He didn't want to hear this; all he wanted was to pull away. That was when she said, "Do you want to go on a date with me?"
His brain stopped. "W-what?"
"I know it's short notice, but we can get in someplace nice."
"The dress…" He struggled to find the words.
"I wanted to wear something nice when I asked you."
"Am I dreaming?"
"No!" She giggled.
"What about Kurosaki?"
She cocked her head. "What about him?"
"W-weren't you going to wear that to tell him how you felt?"
"Ishida-Kun… I've moved on. I understand how he and Kuchiki-San feel for one another. And now…" She grinned. "I've found you. So, what do you say?"
"If you were going to do this, why not do it earlier?"
"Because that would've been boring! I had to get all made up and stuff for this, you know. You're the first person to see me in this!"
First, first, first… He felt like he was going to faint. This had to be some sort of dream. But, it wasn't. Orihime really was standing in front of him asking him on a date. Wait; wasn't it supposed to be the other way around? Oh, what did it matter?
"I'd love to," he said softly. "Just let me get ready."
While Orihime waited in the living room, Uryu changed into a blazer and tie. He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror, and he was surprised by the big grin he had. Maybe things were finally looking up for him.
"Ready?" she asked when he returned.
"Oh, yes."