Dama's POV
And hour after breakfast, we were all in the backyard doing our normal routines. Nick and Kyle were in the pool, splashing each other and being idiots. Mom was in a lawn chair reading Shakespeare while randomly repeating quotes that she liked out loud. While everyone else seemed to be relaxing and having a good time, Daddy and I were training.
"Relax your wrists a bit, Damayanti. It allows more movement." Daddy told me while dodging my punch. I did as he asked and jumped over his leg as he tried to kick me.
I whipped my body around in a roundhouse kick and made a frustrated noise when he ducked. I sighed and relaxed my body putting up a finger in the universal 'just a minute' gesture. He nodded and grabbed his water bottle off of the ground, taking a long gulp. When he finished, he looked at me.
"You're distracted today, putrii. What's wrong?"
"Nothing, Daddy. I just didn't get much sleep last night."
I knew he didn't believe me, but before he could say anything I felt my phone buzz in my pocket. I pulled it out. "Hello?"
"Hey baby!" A voice cried through the speaker.
I giggled at my best -and only- friend's antics. "Hi, sweetheart. What's up?"
"Oh, nothing. Just on my way to your house in my rusty old truck."
"Why, may I ask?"
"Because it's the last day of summer vaca and we are going shopping!"
"Shopping?" I asked doubtfully.
"Well, that's just our cover. Technically we are going to the mall to eat greasy pizza at the food court and stare at hot guys."
I nodded in understanding. "So you want me to be your wing woman."
"Yep, pretty much. I'll be there in five. Go change, I am not taking you shopping in gym clothes."
I blinked. "How-?"
"I know you, Yanti. You can't fool me."
I rolled my eyes and hung up. "I have to go change." I told Daddy. "Lex will be here any minute."
He chuckled. "Let me guess. Last minute plans that you are not allowed out of?"
I nodded. Everyone in my family knew Lex. At least, everyone I knew about. Daddy didn't ever talk about his family and all I knew about mom was that her parents died when she was my age. I had Aunt Jennifer, Aunt Rebecca, Uncle Sammy, Mike and Sarah. But I didn't see them very often and I didn't know anyone else. Did Daddy have any family left? If so, did he miss them? I never got straight answers to these questions.
Shaking away these thoughts, I rushed inside to change. I hadn't been in my room two minutes before there was honking from out front. "I'm coming!" I shouted, grabbing my bag.
When I got downstairs, Lex was already at the door. Dark brown eyes met mine and a grin soon followed. "About time! I've been waiting for a whole ten seconds!" He scolded.
I laughed. Lex was short for Alexander. He hated the name, so everyone called him Lex or Lexa. "It's not my fault. I had to change."
He looked me up and down. I was wearing black skinny jeans and a black, oversized t-shirt that had a picture of a white Bengal tiger on the front. Completing the outfit was a pair of worn out tennis-shoes. Though it was my normal attire, I should have put more thought into it. Lex was a fashion freak sometimes. "Nu uh. Girl, let me show you how it's done."
He stalked past me and up the stairs, not even bothering to ask permission. HE was here so often he didn't need to. I followed him wordlessly.
My clothes were already strewn around my room by the time that I got there. He was in the back of my walk-in closet looking through what few dresses I owned. "I knew you owned more than gym clothes and jeans." He smiled and tossed me a pile of cloth. "Get changed. We are already late."
If you hadn't already figured it out by now, Lex was gay. And he had been my best friend since grade school. That meant that I was not at all uncomfortable when I took my shirt off and started unbuttoning my jeans. "Late for what? It's just the mall."
"Yeah, but the mall is more packed around lunch time." He smiled as I pulled on a pair of white leggings.
"More unsuspecting guys for you to prey on?" I guessed, zipping up the back of the dress.
"Exactly." He moved behind me and started messing with my hair, pulling it up into a simple pony tail and leaving a few curls down to frame my face. "I assume I won't be able to force you into heels."
"You know me so well." I went over to the few pairs of shoes I had and picking out a pair of plain black and white converse. Tying the laces, I stood. "Better?"
"Much."
The clothes he had picked out for me were a pair of plain white leggings that stopped mid shin and a blue dress that brought out my eyes. The dress hugged what little cleavage I had and had an open zipper in the front. It was tight until about an inch above my naval before becoming loose and flowing down to mid-thigh. Underneath the dress I wore a black cami so that the open zipper did not reveal anything I wanted to keep covered. Though stylish, the dress was comfortable. And I had to admit it looked good.
"Alright, you got me into a dress. Can we go now?" I whined.
"Not just yet." He walked over and opened the door to my bathroom. Somehow, he knew where I kept the makeup used only on special occasions.
"No." I said instantly.
"Yes." He countered calmly. When he pulled out a tube of lip gloss, I opened my mouth to scream. Before I could make a sound, however, he cupped his hand over my mouth. "If you wear it I will buy you a hot fudge brownie sundae on the way back from the mall.
I raised my eyebrows and he sighed. "With chocolate ice cream instead of vanilla."
I pretended to ponder it and he gave up. "And extra fudge."
I grinned and he rolled his eyes, pulling his hand away. "Now hold still."
Five minutes later, I skipped downstairs happily. Nick, who had been in the kitchen with everyone else, dropped the bag of sugar. Luckily it was unopened. "How in the name of… how did you get her to wear makeup?"
I winked and Lex grumbled. "Hot fudge brownie sundae with chocolate ice cream and extra fudge."
Daddy chuckled and Mom shook her head, mixing a bowl of what looked like cookie dough. "Chocolate peanut butter?" I asked hopefully.
Kyle smirked. "Someday you're going to blow up like a balloon."
I glared at him. "I'll still be able to kick your ass."
"Language, Damayanti." Mom said without looking up.
"He started it!" I exclaimed.
Lex grabbed my arm. "Let's just go, Yanti."
I was still glaring at Kyle as Lex dragged me out the door.
I don't own TC
