She was not running – ladies do not run. However, she will admit she was struggling to keep up with her dog in his excited state wearing such high heels. The Bichon Frise knew exactly where they were going, and although he would heel like a good, obedient boy at her command, Evie let him have his moment of freedom. The jingle of Carlos' collar and the tip-tap of his little manicured claws against the pavement were jovial, and Evie concentrated on the rhythm in order to take her mind off of her mother.
Her day had been going well. All morning, during her beauty regimen of course, she chatted amicably with her best friends Audrey, Lonnie, and Jane. Due to the projected sunny and scorching forecast, the girls quickly decided that they wanted to go swimming at the beach together later. Her excitement was quickly dampened by the echos of her mother's voice traveling up to her bedroom, loud and clear even though Evie knew she was downstairs. On a typical day, her mother was passive aggressive but endurable. Today, however, her mother was extra stressed about leaving for a business trip, and apparently the help was not helping to her standards. Evie's stomach twisted when her mother treated people that way. Over the years, she had learned that there was nothing she could do to stop her unless she wanted to be literally locked in her bedroom for hours, days, or even weeks with no company save the help directed to bring her three square meals a day. She let out a sigh and told the girls she would talk to them later. Her friends did not question her abrupt departure, having heard the muffled yelling over the phone. They knew better than to bring up her mother on days like this. Before long, Evie had her bikini on under her dress, Carlos' leash in her hand, and she was leaving the front door.
Evie's thoughts were interrupted by the boom of an alto bark. Looking up, she found an alert Afghan Hound standing up against the dog park gate. Carlos did not appear deterred by the much larger dog and continued excitedly to the gate. Obviously, it was not uncommon to find other dogs and their people at the dog park, but this was the first time she had seen an Afghan Hound outside of one of the many dog shows she was required to attend with Carlos every year. A quick scan around the park revealed a leather-clad and purple-haired girl sitting at the only shaded picnic bench in the park. Evie concluded she must be the mystery dog's owner.
As she opened the gate, she sternly told the Afghan Hound "Back!" so that she and her dog could get through. That did not do much, as the large dog simply traded standing against the gate for standing against her body. She soon found herself face-to-face with the tall canine and honestly a little nervous. She told it "Back!" again, but the look she received in return from it was almost condescending.
"Jay! Leave her alone!" came from the distance, and immediately, the Afghan Hound trotted off towards the purple-haired girl. Evie brushed the dry dirt off of her dress and secured the gate behind her. When she turned around, Carlos was patiently sitting and watching her with barely-contained excitement. His little white paws were dancing in place and he looked as though he may wag his tail right off. She smiled at him before bending down to release him of his leash.
"Yeah, yeah, go have fun," she told him, and the curly, white dog bolted off to meet the other occupant. "Thanks!" she yelled to Jay's owner, but the other girl did not reply. She seemed busy, likely writing or drawing from the looks of it. Evie put her hands on her hips as she contemplated what to do. She had not brought any dog toys, but it seemed Carlos and Jay would occupy themselves. Clearly, the other girl did not want to chat. Evie's pride was a little hurt, wondering what about her would be off-putting. She quickly shook the negative thoughts out of her head. After all, she came here for peace and quiet, so she should be happy that is what she got.
She eyed the large fountain in the middle of the park. The edges were wide, and she knew she could easily lay there and tan in the warm sun, the mist from the falling water keeping her relatively cool. The thought became too tempting to deny, and she made her way over to a nearby bench. It did not take her long to strip out of her heels and dress and neatly place them on the bench. Now clad in only her bikini, blue to match the streaks adorning her brunette locks, she lowered herself onto the edge of the fountain and found a comfortable position to tan in. Soon enough, her stress melted away.
Evie did not know how long she lay there. Apparently, she lay there long enough to become thirsty, despite now being coated with a thin layer of water. She carefully sat up and stretched, as her muscles had become stiff from lying on the concrete for such a long time. The dogs approached her, excited by her movement, and she took the time to pet each one until they were satisfied. Her feet automatically started the walk past the purple-haired girl and over to the drinking fountain, but she kept her eyes on the grass, knowing better than to not watch where she was stepping in a dog park, of all places.
The jolt of cold water splashing against her lips was an incredible feeling in the heat of the morning. After a long, refreshing drink Evie made her way back towards the fountain. As she passed by the other human occupant of the park, something caught her eye. There, fully rendered on the sketchbook page in front of the girl, was an image of herself sunbathing. Evie unconsciously leaned closer to see it better. The detail was astounding; she could even make out water droplets littered along her skin.
A sudden squeak made her heartbeat spike. Instead of admiring the drawing, she was now admiring how green, blue, and grey could work together so beautifully.
"Oh my god, this is creepy. I know; I'm so sorry! I should have just brought a book to read, but I just finished all of mine and I didn't want to have to reread one so soon or walk all the way to the library and-" the purple-haired girl ranted, cheeks growing pink against her pale skin.
Evie found herself chuckling at the girl's obviously flustered state. She placed her hand on a studded leather shoulder in consolation. "Hey, it's okay. This is absolutely incredible; you're really talented!" she commented earnestly.
It was unclear whether the other girl's seemingly frozen state was due to physical contact or the compliment, but she seemed to have forgotten how to speak. It gave Evie the time to study her face. The girl was kind of unique looking, but definitely in a beautiful way. Her green eyes were round and her lips were pink and plump. She looked soft despite her edgy clothing. Evie wondered how on earth the girl was wearing so much clothing and not sweating; it was starting to make her hot just looking at her. The girl took a deep, shuddering breath and managed to eventually say "Thanks!"
"No problem," Evie said with a wink. "Oh, sorry I'm getting you all wet," she apologized, eyeing the water that had dripped off her hand and puddled in the crevices of the girl's leather jacket. She realized too late the possible implications of what she said, but opted to not explain herself right away just to see what happens.
"What?" the girl asked, muscles tense and eyes wide once more.
"I guess I'm still damp from the fountain," Evie explained, nodding her head at the décor she was using as a lounge chair.
"Right," the purple-haired girl replied, visibly relaxing.
Evie could not help but smirk, wondering if the girl was this awkward with everyone or just her. She selfishly hoped her presence was the cause. "Aren't you hot? Leather is a little much for today's weather," she commented.
"Oh," the girl started, looking at her jacket as if she did not know she was wearing it. "I guess," she decided on. Evie raised an eyebrow. "I've been here since before the sun came up, and it was cold then," she continued.
"I didn't even know the dog park was open that early," Evie commented offhandedly.
"Oh, um, I guess it is because no one's yelled at me about it before?" the purple-haired girl replied uneasily. "I only moved here a month ago, so I didn't even think to look up, like, ordinances and shit…"
Evie brightened at that. "Well welcome to Auradon! Are you liking it here so far?" she asked, moving around the table to sit across from the other girl.
"Honestly, I don't really like to talk to people. The guys here have been really forward and the girls have seemed really…um…fake?" she explained slowly, carefully choosing her words.
Evie nodded knowingly. "No offense taken; I know a lot of girls are a little prissy and uptight here," she assured. "I'm Evie, by the way!" she introduced, extending her hand.
"Mal," the girl said, taking Evie's hand and enjoying the softness she finds there. After the exchange, she sighed like a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders.
"So what have you been doing since you moved here?" Evie inquired, curious as to why she had not seen her around yet.
"I've been working a lot so I can start saving up for the crazy-expensive tuition at Auradon University. My mom moved here for work, and now my wallet must suffer the consequences," she mumbled.
Evie visibly winced; she knows the tuition is a nightmare and that she is lucky her mother takes care of her financially. As fast as the wince appeared it was replaced with a blinding smile. "I go to Auradon University! I'm a junior, but I wouldn't mind showing you around once the semester starts!" she offered excitedly.
Mal softened at the sight, and offered a small smile. "Yeah, that would be great, actually! What's your major?"
Evie clapped her hands in anticipation. "Fashion and design," Evie easily replied. "I've always loved making clothes, and nearly everything I wear is made by me!" she smiled proudly.
Mal's eyes raked Evie's clothing, or lackthereof, pointedly.
"Well, not this, but the clothes I had on before were all Evie exclusives," Evie assured her. "What year are you? Do you know what you're majoring in yet?"
"Freshman. I'm hoping to at least minor in art, but my mom's pretty set on me majoring in business," Mal answered solemnly.
"If she's not paying for your schooling then why should she have a say in what you pursue?" Evie asked before realizing it might be insensitive. "I'm sorry, that was kind of rude of me," she apologized.
"No, it's okay. Um, she's just always been really controlling. She wants me to take over the family business someday, so I get where she's coming from. It pays well, so I might as well. I can always do art on the side," Mal explained.
"My mom's controlling, too," Evie admitted. "She's always wanted me to be a pretty face with all the skills of a lady so that a man can take care of me someday…"
Mal's nose wrinkled in distaste.
Evie chuckled sadly. "Yeah, I know. While I do love the clothing and the parties, she's never taken my feelings into consideration. I'm more like a project for her to complete. If she wasn't paying my way through schooling I'd love to major in a science; I've always loved chemistry," she mused. "Well, enough about me," she deflects. "Where do you work? Maybe I could visit you sometime!" Evie continued animatedly.
A mirthless chuckle escaped the purple-haired girl. "Yeah, I don't think so; I work at the mausoleum," she admitted, fingers tracing the woodgrain of the picnic table.
"That's cool!" Evie replied, eyes lit up in wonder.
Mal's gaze lifted to assess the other girl's reaction. She then leaned back a little in astonishment.
"What?" Evie asked, suddenly self-conscious.
"Nothing, it's just - I think that's the first time anyone's ever said that and non-sarcastically," she replied.
Evie chuckled. "We went there for a field trip in my Sacred Art and Architecture course. We did a scavenger hunt where we looked for our names and birthdays and stuff and took etchings as proof; wow, that sounds pretty morbid now that I think about it," she said, blushing a little.
"No, that actually sounds pretty cool. I might do that to kill time on my next shift," Mal replied.
The girls' conversation was interrupted by a surge of barking. They both watched as their dogs played together, running in the grass. Jay made a show of being tackled by Carlos, and it was clear he was letting the smaller dog think he was winning their play fight. The dog owners laughed at the debacle that unfolded in front of them.
"So," Mal drawled, bringing Evie's attention back to her. "Do you normally wander around mostly naked in public?" she inquired with a smug grin.
Evie scoffed good-naturedly and shook her head. "I know you're new here, and you haven't checked the ordinances, so I'll let that slide. In Auradon, it's entirely normal to walk around mostly naked," she joked.
"Is that so?" Mal asked, crossing her arms but playing along.
Evie nodded seriously. "Mhmm. You are entirely overdressed; you're going to stick out like a sore thumb," she playfully informed the other girl.
Mal hummed. "Are you sure this isn't a ploy to get me naked?" she asked, eyebrow raised.
Evie gasped in mock-offense. "I would never! We, the people of Auradon, just like to be prepared for impromptu activities such as tanning and swimming when it is unbearably hot out!"
"That makes sense," Mal agreed with an amused smile.
"Speaking of, do you like swimming?" Evie inquired, attempting to be nonchalant.
"No, I, uh, I actually can't swim," Mal answered, a faint blush creeping across her cheeks in embarrassment.
"We'll I'm going to the beach with some friends soon if you want to tag along anyway? You could look for shells, draw things, I could teach you how to swim, or you could just stare at me for a few more hours," Evie suggested with a smirk.
Mal scoffed. "I think I've had enough excitement for today, but thank you," she politely declined.
Evie's heart constricted at the rejection, but she attempted to appear unfazed.
"Actually, I should probably get going. I'm getting kind of hungry, and I should bring Jay back home," Mal thought out loud. She closed her sketchbook and started gathering her things. Evie's heart raced as she tried to think of a reason to see the other girl again. The dogs ran over, intrigued by their owners' movement.
"Well what about tomorrow?" Evie asked quickly. Mal paused, clipping the leash onto Jay's collar. "I'm, uh, having a party tomorrow night!" she exclaimed, not exactly knowing where the thought came from. "You can come if you want – clothing optional," she teased, scratching behind Carlos' ear as she waited.
Mal smirked in amusement. "I'll think about it," she replied coolly. Mal reached into her pocket and pulled out a pen, gesturing to Evie's arm. As the girl gently wrote her phone number in the tan skin displayed for her, Evie briefly thought about how upset her mother would be if she saw the ink. She hoped she would be gone by the time she got home from the beach. "Text me the details," Mal suggested, clicking the pen closed and placing it back in her pocket.
Evie nodded excitedly in reply. Her heart beat loudly in her ears as she watched the purple-haired girl and her dog leave. It did the same as she got dressed and headed to the beach shortly after.
Evie never really considered herself to be particularly lucky. Yes, she was blessed with good looks, a sharp mind, all the money she could ever want, a loyal dog, and three incredible best friends. However, there were many times in her life she remembered just how unlucky she really was. Growing up in a big, empty house with no idea who her father was and a mother who was overbearingly controlling was tough, and today was no exception.
The entire walk from the beach, Evie had hoped her mother would be gone on her business trip by the time she arrived home. Sadly, she had no such luck. Immediately upon entering the front door she was barraged with criticisms.
"Evie, were you out in the sun all day without a hat? You know how those rays can damage your skin! You better have applied sufficient moisturizer this morning!" her mother's shrill voice parroted. Evie sighed and did her best to tune her mother out while she removed Carlos' leash and hung it up. She managed to ignore her until she heard her mother incredulously asking "What on earth is that?". Evie stopped in her tracks and her heart jumped erratically in her chest. She had hoped the saltwater would have washed the ink from her arm just in case, but the faded outlines of seven numbers were still faintly visible.
"A phone number, mommy. I didn't bring a pen and paper to the beach, what was I supposed to do?" she asked rhetorically.
Her mother's face twisted into a saccharine grin, and Evie's stomach churned uncomfortably at the sight. "A boy's number? Tell me, Evie darling, is he good-looking?" she pried, stepping so close Evie could see the wrinkles she fought so hard to conceal.
"Exceptionally," she replied, trying her best to maintain a bored façade.
"Is he wealthy? Could he take care of a beautiful girl like my Evie?" her mother asked, gaze boring deep into Evie's red-brown eyes.
"Their mother is a wealthy business owner and she hopes they take over the family business someday," she offered, hoping her mother would not question the neutral pronouns. The woman did not bring it up and purred with delight in reply instead.
"Good girl. Now go to the washroom and don't come back out until that filth is all gone," she commanded, vaguely pointing to her daughter's arm.
"Yes, mommy," Evie replied, and quickly made her way upstairs.
She did not go to the washroom and clean off her arm, however. She made a beeline for her bedroom and perched herself on the edge of her king sized mattress before taking out her cellphone. Mal's number was safely saved under the alias of "M", in case her mother was to loom over her shoulder to see who she was texting, as she often did. She had been refraining from texting Mal the details about the impromptu party all day, but she was growing impatient. She decided she had waited long enough.
Her deft fingers quickly typed out her message, informing the girl that the party would start at 10:00pm tomorrow and officially end at 2:00am. Alcohol would be provided and a swimming pool was available for use. She knew the other girl would not be making use of the pool, but she wanted to inform her that it was an option anyway. Maybe some part of her wished the other girl would take her "clothing optional" joke seriously. A smirk creeped across her face at the thought, and she quickly sent the message out to not only Mal but everyone who regularly attended her house parties. After throwing her phone back onto her bed, she walked over to her en suite bathroom to shower and begin her nightly beauty ritual. An early night today would give her more time to get ready for her party tomorrow.
When Evie had told Audrey that she was throwing a house party in a little over twenty-four hours just because she wanted to see the pretty girl from the dog park again, she was laughed at. In fact, Audrey laughed so hard at her unfortunate friend that said friend splashed freezing-cold ocean water on her until she squealed. Audrey could not help but think it was funny that her best friend, who was normally so collected and suave, was so smitten with someone she had just met. She thought it was less funny when her phone went off at six in the morning the next day with an SOS text from Evie asking her and the girls to come help set up for the party. In fact, the entire situation became less and less humorous as the day went on.
Even though she had delegated the party preparation evenly between herself and her friends, Evie was frazzled. The thing is, Evie was never frazzled. Apparently, a few hours with a purple-haired girl is all it takes to make Evie's carefully crafted grace disintegrate. She had been running from room to room all day, a noteworthy feat in a house of such grandeur, to make sure everything was perfect.
"What kind of music should I play? Should I play pop because that is, by definition, popular? She seems too edgy for pop; what if she only listens to metal? Oh my god, we can't dance to metal! What if she doesn't even dance? How am I supposed to impress her if I can't dance with her?"
"Just let Lonnie worry about the music, Evie, it'll be fine,"
"What kind of food should I have out? Is pizza too greasy? If we hold hands I don't want our fingers to be greasy! Do you think I can make enough sushi rolls for everybody in time? Is sushi too bougie? What if she's a vegetarian?" Evie ranted, pacing from one end of the kitchen to the other. Jane, who had just arrived back home from the store with snacks, stood stock still with her eyes wide, unsure of how to react to such overstimulation.
"Should I just make spaghetti? Everyone loves spaghetti, right?" Evie asked, rushing to gather the necessary ingredients to prepare the dish. Every unnecessary assessment pushed Audrey closer and closer to an outbreak, and she could not afford to worry about pimples and stress wrinkles right now.
Making the spaghetti seemed to calm Evie down. For a while. "What if she doesn't even show up?" Evie suddenly cried, nearly dropping the "meatball" she was forming out of tempeh. Never great with human interaction, Jane silently pleaded for Audrey to do something. Audrey had tried her best to hold it together for the sake of her sanity, but enough was enough.
"Oh my god, Eves, just shut up!" she yelled, fingers formed into claws in frustration. This time Evie did drop the meatball. She blankly stared at her friend in shock. Jane looked like she might cry. Audrey took a moment to close her eyes and breathe through her nose to center herself, a method she often needed to employ to stop herself from making bad decisions. She then calmly approached Evie and gently grasped her forearms, careful not to touch any food products. "If she doesn't come to the party than big deal; you will spend the night dancing and having fun with your best friends. If she does come, and she's anywhere near as interested in you as you are in her, than you won't need to worry. You're talented, smart, and sexy as hell," she assured her friend, squeezing gently. "It would be nearly impossible for you not to impress her," she added, recalling the countless times boys and girls alike have fawned over her best friend right in front of her eyes.
Evie searched Audrey's eyes for any trace of falsehood and found nothing but slightly annoyed sincerity. She nodded in agreement. "You're right, Audrey. Thank you; I needed that," she said, moving to hug the girl who quickly threw her arms up in defense, eyes trained on her friend's food-covered hands.
"Don't even think about it!" she growled.
By ten o'clock, people were arriving for the party. Some in swimsuits, making a beeline for the pool, and some already clearly intoxicated. Evie at least recognized most of the people attending from school, but house parties in such a wealthy neighborhood were bound to attract curious strangers. Evie did not really mind as long as they did not trash her house or do anything illegal. Every time the door opened, Evie perked up and quickly made her way to the foyer, searching for green eyes and purple hair. Every time, she was disappointed.
By eleven o'clock, the party was in full swing. The living-room-turned-dance-floor was teeming with people, the kitchen island was surrounded by people waiting for snacks and drinks, and the pool area was the center of drunken shenanigans. Evie bided her time by watching her party guests with amusement. A flicker of hope remained that her guest of honor would appear.
By midnight, Evie was sufficiently buzzed, having downed some weak shots at Audrey's encouragement. By now, Evie was fairly sure Mal was not coming, but Jane and Lonnie were making sure she still had a good time. With the alcohol coursing through her system, she could not bring herself to care about anything but dancing. That meant being pressed up against a hoard of random people on the dance floor, grinding with whoever was closest to her. Her eyes were closed, and she let the music guide her.
Countless songs later, she found herself a little too aggressively handled. This snapped her back into reality. She spun around to find the cocky grin of none other than Chad Charming, as he had come to be called by many students on campus. Although many girls would have given up their first born children to simply dance with him, Evie was very uninterested. She had had a chemistry course with the boy freshman year and learned he was a total dunce. He had even had the audacity to ask her to do his homework for him in exchange for sexual favors. Unable to effectively escape the unwanted situation, she settled for shoving his free hand away from her body. Unfortunately, that caused his body to twist and his occupied hand to spill his drink. All over her outfit.
Evie groaned dramatically and glared daggers at the boy, making her disinterest very clear. He put his hands up in surrender and turned around to find another girl to take advantage of. Squeezing her way out of the mob of people in her living room was difficult, but Evie finally made it into the kitchen. The air was crisp and cool here, a stark contrast to the hot, sticky environment she had recently emerged from. Her wet clothes and the slight sheen of sweat coating her body only made her feel even colder, so she decided she needed to change into something dry, fast. She did not want to simply disappear, knowing her friends would be worried, so she scanned the crowds of people and quickly found Audrey. The girl was laying on the now snack-free kitchen island with a random guy hovering near her, preparing to take a body shot from her exposed stomach. Evie shook her head at her friend's antics and approached her. Upon her arrival, Audrey's eyes lit up, and she smiled around the lime caught between her teeth. Evie plucked the fruit from her lips with her fingers, earning a couple "aw"s and "boo"s from the small crowd that had gathered around them.
"What the fuck?" the boy exclaimed, gesturing at Evie, who had rudely interrupted his good time.
"It's her party, goblin, you can wait!" Audrey growled. The boy's jaw dropped, and he stood there in shock while the girls talked.
"I'm going to go upstairs and change!" Evie yelled, bent down so that Audrey could hear her over the music pulsing in the adjacent room.
"Okay, sweetie! Are you having fun?" Audrey asked, genuinely concerned about her friend.
"Yeah," Evie replied half-heartedly. "I guess my purple-haired princess charming isn't coming to rescue me," she added.
Audrey's eyes widened. "What did you say?"
"I said I guess my purple-haired princess charming isn't coming to rescue me!" Evie repeated, a little more loudly this time. Audrey's expression of panic did not change. Evie's eyebrows furrowed as she tried to read her best friend. "What did you do?" she asked accusingly.
"Um, I did see a girl with purple hair earlier, but I didn't recognize her and she looked underage so I might have told her to get lost…" Audrey admitted hesitantly.
"AUDREY!" Evie cried.
"I'm sorry! I didn't know that was your girl! You know how bad it would be if the cops busted your party and there were underage kids here! You're lucky your neighbors are ancient and can't hear the music enough to call in a noise complaint!" Audrey quickly defended. She was right, but Evie was still upset. She pursed her lips and tossed the lime back onto her friend's body before making her way to the staircase.
As she ascended the stairs, Evie wondered about Mal. Had the found the place okay? How did she get here? When did she get here? How had Evie not seen her? Had Mal noticed her at all? Did she have a good time while she was here? What would-
Evie's thoughts were interrupted by the telltale sight of light emerging from under a closed door. All of her party regulars knew the second floor of her house was off-limits, but some had the balls to try to sneak away for some alone time. Evie grimaced and steeled herself for whatever sight she was about to walk in on. She quickly opened the door. "Guys, come on, get ou-!" she commanded, but the words died in her throat.
There, relaxing on the bed of one of her many guest bedrooms was none other than Mal. The purple-haired girl was sitting up with her feet out in front of her on the still-made-up bed. In her hands was a book with no writing on the exterior. It was open, and from the looks of it, Mal had been in the middle of reading it. The soft lighting from the bedside lamp cast her in a warm glow. She looked almost ethereal. Her green eyes were bright with alarm, just like they were when the girls had first met.
"I'm sorry. I can leave if-" Mal started, but she was quickly cut off by a desperate Evie.
"NO!" she shrieked a bit too quickly and loudly. "I've been looking all over for you! I thought you didn't come!"
"Well, here I am," Mal said rather awkwardly. "I was asked to leave, but I figured I'd stay because this is your house and you invited me…this is your house, right?"
"Yeah, my friend Audrey mentioned she saw you and told you to go home, so I kind of lost hope," Evie sighed.
"Actually, I'm pretty sure she said 'Get lost, fetus, before you land us all in jail'" Mal recalled, imitating the girl's nasally voice.
Evie winced. "I told her you were coming, but I guess she wasn't listening when I was telling her what you looked like," she defended.
"You were talking about me?" Mal asked, curious smile ghosting her face.
Evie blushed and quickly changed the subject. "So, why are you all the way up here?"
"Well it didn't take long for your watchdog to intercept me, and parties aren't really my scene, so I took to exploring instead. Eventually, nature called. I easily found the bathroom on the first floor, but it was covered in spaghetti, so I figured there was a clean one upstairs. I didn't find the bathroom, but I did find this room, which happened to have a bathroom in it, and there were just so many books, I couldn't resist," Mal explained sheepishly.
Brown and blue locks bounced as Evie shook her head in confusion. "W-wha-wait! That's where my spaghetti went?" she groaned. She had worked really hard on it, and she was more than a little upset her guests were using it as decoration.
"Well, I managed to snag some before some guys took off with it if you're hungry? It might be a little cold, though. I don't really know how long I've been up here," Mal offered, nodding her head to the side table. Sure enough, there were a couple red solo cups filled with spaghetti. Evie's stomach grumbled in encouragement, and Mal laughed at the sound. Her laugher was bright and made the brunette's embarrassment quickly fade.
"That would be great, actually!" she agreed. "I need to go change out of this first, though; I'll be right back!" she assured. Mal nodded and went back to reading the book she had found.
When Evie opened the door to her room, Carlos leapt off of her mattress and happily ran to his owner. "Hey, buddy!" she greeted, bending down to run her hands along his soft, white curls. His pink tongue peeked out in delight and he happily padded along behind Evie wherever she went. When she had gathered all of the new clothing she was going to change into, a realization hit her. Jane had helped her zip up her dress before the party, which meant she needed help getting it unzipped. Shit. She commanded Carlos to stay in her room before she left. Her footsteps barely made a sound as she walked to the occupied guest bedroom.
"Welcome back," Mal greeted upon Evie's arrival. "Wow, are you just so rich that you own two of every outfit?" she asked, pointedly looking at the brunette's clothing, which had clearly not been changed. Evie rolled her eyes.
"No, I need help getting out of it," Evie retorted. Neither girl budged. After a few seconds, Evie rolled her eyes good-naturedly at the other girl's obliviousness. "Mal, can you unzip me?" she clarified.
The purple-haired girl's skin became more pink than ivory as she registered Evie's request. "Oh, um, yeah, sure," she stuttered, setting the book down and slowly approaching the other girl.
Evie spun around and gathered her brown and blue locks so Mal could easily access the zipper on her back. She watched through the mirror on the armoire as Mal cautiously reached for her. One hand feathered gently on her shoulder, and the other grasped the zipper carefully, as if just touching the girl would break her. Once the garment was unzipped, Evie smirked as Mal's eyes traced the contours of her now-exposed back. In a bold move, she let the dress fall to the ground.
Mal choked on absolutely nothing and could not help but stare at the sight in front of her. "What are you doing?" she sputtered, clearly in shock.
Evie shrugged nonchalantly. "It's nothing you haven't seen before," she replied, stepping out of the dress and taking her time removing some uncomfortable accessories. It was true; her matching blue lace bra and panties actually covered more of her body than her bikini had yesterday at the dog park. Sparks of excitement ran through her as she stole glances at Mal through the mirror. The other girl was definitely not acting shy about checking her out now. Perhaps Evie's sudden confidence boosted Mal's. "Like what you see?" she asked coyly.
Green eyes met hers through the glass, and the purple haired girl easily replied "How could I not?"
White teeth sunk into a crimson lip as Evie considered another risky move. "Do you mind if I just stay in this?" she asked innocently.
Mal raised an eyebrow. "You're going to go back to your party mostly naked?" she asked with a chuckle. "You should have charged admission," she added jokingly.
"No," Evie drawled. "I was thinking we could hang out up here for a while," she purred, turning around to speak to Mal face-to-face this time.
The younger girl gulped and attempted to keep her eyes glued to Evie's, but it was challenging with the front of her body now in full view. "W-" she managed to get out before clearing her throat. "What would we do?" she asked, eyes growing glossy.
"Oh, I don't know," Evie began, slowly inching closer to the other girl. "I'm sure you can think of something," she husked.
"We could," Mal said, but Evie's approach was making thought difficult. "We could, um," the other girl was now so close that Mal could feel the heat radiating off of her tan skin. "…read," she finally suggested, squeezing her eyes shut as if she could not believe that was what she decided on saying.
Evie's laugher filled her ears; she sounded like she was right next to them, but Mal did not dare to open her eyes yet. "Sure," she replied. Suddenly, the room got colder, and Mal finally opened her eyes. Evie was no longer in front of her, so she turned around to find the girl comfortably reclined on the bed, holding the book out for her. She took a deep breath and climbed onto the bed next to Evie. The brunette immediately scooted closer, resting her head on Mal's shoulder. The purple-haired girl stiffened.
"It's okay, Mal, I'm not going to bite," she assured. "Unless you ask nicely," she purred.
Mal felt the words more than she heard them. The heat from Evie's skin, the soft puff of her breath on her ear, the vast expanse of exposed skin in her peripheral, Mal was short-circuiting.
"So, what are we reading?" Evie wondered.
"Uh, I'm not really sure, to be honest," she admitted. "There's nothing written on the cover or a title page, it just starts right up…have you ever read it?" Mal inquired. She felt Evie shake her head.
"We have so many books it's kind of crazy," she said. "There's a bookshelf in nearly every room of the house, but I'm pretty sure my mom only ordered them for aesthetics," she laughed. "I used to sneak books about science into my room late and night and stay up reading them until my eyes hurt. My mom would never let me read them otherwise. Anyway, in the morning I'd be so tired and my mom would get so angry with me because I couldn't stay awake and 'ladies don't slouch' and all that," she shared.
Mal nodded, not quite in understanding but perhaps in sympathy. It was such a shame that the girl next to her was never allowed to openly explore her obvious interests. She was not sure the best way to reply to that, so she just asked "Do you want me to read it out loud?" Evie nodded and nestled closer into the other girl. Mal laughed a little and began to read. She fumbled with her words for a few minutes, still significantly distracted by Evie's presence, but she soon found herself more comfortable than she had been in years.