No, it wasn't love at first glance. It wasn't even the little gut feeling that you like somebody but couldn't admit it to yourself. It started off as partners in school pranks like filling Justin's locker with whipped cream or gluing everybody to their seats. There was the best friend line between the two of them since detention that summer day.
"What do you need a dress for?" Stevie yelled across the shop as she picked up a sparkling pink dress. She dropped it disgusted and turned back to Alex.
"I told you already. Some lame Justin thing." Alex was scratching her back with her wand. She did a little spell on the dresses so they could show them self instead of her trying each and every one. Stevie joined her in the dressing room, sitting on the other end of the sofa, across from Alex.
"This one will look good on Justin." A blue dress covered in books and pens pattern was walking down the walkway. It looked like something Harper would make. The dress gave a little twirl and disappeared when Alex waved it away in disapproval.
Stevie gave a soft chuckle, it really would suite him. She shifted her legs, tangling them with the other wizard. The dresses varied in textures and colors, different lengths and patterns in front of them, all carring across the floor like being worn by a supermodel. Her eyes drifted to chocolate brown curls, caressing the soft skin of her neck, catching a glance of pink lips curling at the edges for a good dress, hazel eyes turning her way to seek approval.
"What if I find a spell that would turn Justin into a troll? I bet that would get me out of going to whatever its name was!" Alex was waving her wand around, sparks flying everywhere, accidentally turning one of the manikins green. Stevie chocked on her laughter.
"How about this - you sit this one out." A few mumbled words and the manikin was back to normal. Stevie turned to look at Alex, her horrified expression forced out a couple more chuckles.
"Think about it, when you do nothing, your parents will think you've already done something." Stevie paused, letting it sink in. A devilish smile was spreading over Alex's face mirroring the one on Stevie's.
"That way they will always be on the lookout." Alex went to grab one of the dresses. "They wouldn't be able to enjoy the benefit and all I have to do is strut around and look smug." The dress was a rich bordo color with one black shoulder strap, falling to the floor and tight around the chest.
"Stevie, you're brilliant!" Alex tossed Stevie the dress. The other ones were looking sour coming to the realization that they were dumped. Starting to complain and make a racket for not being chosen, they were closing in on the wizard whining in protest, twirling this way and that, showing their backs and lace collars. The dresses demanded to be picked, starting to shout as they tripped one another to be in front, closer to Alex, to list the advantages of wearing them.
All of the uproar was leaking out of the dress room, getting the attention of the salesladies. Looking at one another to figure out whose turn it was to check on naughty customers, they couldn't figure out why people didn't behave in stores.
A blonde head picked in between the velvet curtains, a polite smile gracing her features. She looked around the mess on the floor. Half of the dresses the store owned were thrown on the ground with two red-faced girls in the middle.
"At least they let you buy the dress." Stevie was doubled over laughing. Alex grabbed her by the hand and flashed them in her bedroom, falling on top of the bed.
She moved her head to the side, her gaze falling over Stevie's closed eyes, following the lines of her plump lips opened to let out giggles, to a little swirl of an earring caught in a strand of hair. Alex got up to put the dress away. She leaned on the closet's door, Stevie was leaning on her elbows, their eyes meeting as silence fell over the room.
"I think you should get ready." Stevie suggested finally breaking the tension. She reached for her wand in her boot.
"See you tomorrow?" Alex asked before Stevie could flash out.
"Yeah!" Stevie left with a poof of smoke behind her.
Her breath would halt and stop just for a moment with the feeling of her hand on her shoulder, her heart would quiet its deafening roar in her ears for a second when she speaks her name. Goosebumps cover her whole body when she feels a hand brush against her hip, a moan threatens to slip out when she moves close enough to fill her breath against her lips. She never meant for it to get this far. They were friends and that was all they should remain. She was never prepared for the explosion of feelings that was always there but hiding deep inside.
"Stevie, what are you doing here?" Alex looked surprise.
Stevie turned around to face Alex, opening her mouth to explain and for a second nothing came out of her mouth. She looked incredible. Hair up in a messy bun, a couple strands falling down the side of her face, smoky black eyes and red lipstick to match the dress paired with black high heels. Stevie tried to swallow, willed her heart to stop missing every other beat, her eyes fallowing the curve of the dress down to the hem. She forgot what she was here for. Maybe it was something important, something urgent but it all faded to the background. She took another breath in and allowed herself one last glance. The silence in her head was fading, everything was coming back and that one thought of Alex in this red dress was disappearing in a flash.
"You look ridicules!" Stevie finally managed to snort out, her hands busing themselves with her wand. "Somebody was trying to break in your lair." Her eyes left the girl on the doorway as she moved to lean on the window ledge.
Alex looked surprised. The lair was the safest place in the house, nobody could break in, her dad made sure of it – only people who were invited could go in.
"Wait, how do you know?" Alex raised an accusatory finger at Stevie. Maybe she tried to go in without permission while they were gone and do something evil.
"I …" Stevie didn't think that far ahead. She couldn't explain to this girl that the magic inside of her was attracted to Alex. It searched and felt its way to her, tried to find her wherever Stevie went, wanted to feel the other girl's presence. It bended to its own will until it senses Alex makes sure she is happy and protected. The magic stormed inside of her, pushed her to Alex's side when she is sad or angry, wants to destroy the cause of her distress. The pull of it so strong it alerted Stevie to everything happening around Alex.
"I forgot my phone inside. Remember I told you to go grab it but you didn't?" Stevie was lying. Honesty wasn't a card to be played right now. Alex looked like she was figuring out if it was true or not.
"Oh, I remember something about a phone. Yeah, you guys need to stop relying on me for the important stuff." She laughed it off. "I think the responsible thing would be to go tell my dad or Justin." Alex offered, dwelling between telling them or not. Kicking her heels of she moved to sit on the bed and produced a jar of pickles from under it. It wasn't affecting her directly, so, who cares?
"Hey, Stevie, wanna stay over?" Alex took s bite out of a pickle. "And we could do all that girly stuff, like braiding each other's hair and gossip about boys?"
"Russo, you would rather burn somebody's hair than braid it." Stevie laughed at the false innocence. Alex looks at her in hopes she does actually stay and Stevie can't help the tug of her heart and goes to sit next to her.
"You should have seen Justin at the benefit. By the end when he was giving his speech his eye was twitching and he was all sweaty and he started pulling at his hair and he ran away from the stage crying." Alex was saying as she magic herself in some PJ's laughing at the memory. Stevie tuned out the rest, her gaze lingering on those beautiful eyes, loosing herself in the sound of her voice, in the smell of her perfume.
At some point in the night they got stuck on watching some old horror movie, the volume low and their bodies tangled in the sheets. Stevie turned over on her side. Alex was half asleep the TV reflecting in her eyes, a lazy smile covering her lips. Her hand slid across the sheets picking on slender fingers and toying with the rings there. Alex shifted her head, her eyes falling on their intertwined fingers. She readjusted slightly watching their hands together.
It was soft and gentle, the touch sending little hot jolts up their arms, hearts beating faster. Her breath stilled as she looked up Stevie's face. This had to be a dream. She exhaled slowly and leaned in, foreheads touching. Stevie's hand had stilled, squeezing on hers, a nervous tremble running through her fingers. Maybe they could pretend this was just a dream. Their lips brushed against each other, slowly and barely touching. A hand ran along Stevie's cheekbone, lips pressing harder against hers and stealing her breath.
Alex leaned back from the kiss. The cool breeze was playing with the wind chime placed near the window and the horror movie was still going on in the background. Their hands were still together.