Shelby found that the rest of her morning flew by. After Penn left, and she had shooed away the audience that had gathered outside her office to watch the two of them kiss, Shelby shut her office door firmly and tucked thoughts of Penn aside. Back at her desk, Shelby immersed herself in some work, before getting up and leaning thoughtfully against the side of her desk, near the closest whiteboard.
Three hours passed uneventfully, and it took several knocks at the door before Shelby was torn from her thoughts. Distractedly she opened the door and was greeted by Hailey and Rajni, both of them sporting Cheshire Cat smiles. Hailey flickered up an eyebrow and slid past Shelby, seating herself atop the desk. She swung her blue, spandexed legs and continued to grin. Rajni took a seat in one of the guest chairs and Shelby took a deep breath.
"Yes?" She finally asked them, impatience creeping into her tone. Hailey glanced over at Rajni and then back to Shelby. "So, we were walking to Rajni's office this morning and overheard Larry Winkle talking to Beth Kripke," Hailey said, leadingly. Shelby raised her eyebrows and turned back to her whiteboard, jotting down a couple things as she spoke. "I'm not sure what response you are trying to elicit, Hailey. As you've worked here for years, I'm certain you've heard them conversing before."
Rajni giggled and Hailey said, "Shelby! Give me a break!" Shelby turned around and Hailey's eyes were wide, "Are you going to make me drag it out of you?" Shelby blinked and her mind went blank. She honestly could not imagine what Hailey was fishing for. "Beth said she saw you and a gorgeous guy going at it in your office!" Hailey finally exclaimed. Shelby blinked and then her whole face twitched.
"We were hardly 'going at it', it was simply kissing," Shelby replied calmly, refusing to allow her voice to rise in indignation, "And there were enough nosy parkers gathered in the hall watching us, that I'm certain the truth will prevail." Rajni laughed and Hailey smirked. "Ok, whatever," Hailey said, sliding off the desk and strolling over to Shelby. She leaned in closer to Shelby when she was next to her and said, "You dog, you!"
Shelby rolled her eyes and stepped away from Hailey's closeness. She may be getting better about physical contact with Penn, but the notion certainly did not extend to anyone beyond him. Taking a seat behind her desk, Shelby clasped her hands together in front of herself. She decided it was time to change the subject.
"Are you excited for your upcoming date with Bernard, Hailey?" She asked her small friend, a smile in her voice. Hailey's face lit up and a big smile spread over her features. She perched on the desk again and nodded, her large eyes starry. "Yes!" She and Rajni cried at the same time.
"We are getting ready to go shopping, so I can help Hailey pick out a new date outfit, we wanted to check and see if you wanted to pick something up too?" Rajni continued. Shelby shook her head. "No, thank you. I will be using my "Family Dinner" outfit for the evening," she explained. Rajni's face twisted in displeasure. "No way, Shelby! That is the ugliest outfit I've ever seen!" She protested.
Shelby sat back in her chair, thinking of the brown corduroy skirt and white blouse she saved for dining with family, either when they came to visit her in Pasadena, or if she went back home to Texas. "It's not ugly!" She insisted, feeling her bottom lip stick out in an indignant pout. "You look delightful in anything you wear, Shelby, I've told you before, you've been blessed with heavenly skin," Rajni soothed, completely serious, "But that outfit is outdated and ugly."
Shelby pursed her lips in displeasure and tapped at her laptop, bringing the screen to life, trying to distract herself from what felt like worry, growing in her chest. Rajni rounded the desk and leaned against it, next to Shelby. "Hailey said that Bernard texted her, to tell her where you would all be eating this evening, and it's not a casual place - you're going to need to dress up," Rajni explained. Hailey shimmied a little on the other side of the desk.
"I'm thinking slinky and sex-y," Hailey growled, her voice striving for seductive. Shelby bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing at the girl, and turned back to Rajni. Her friend's dark brown eyes were warm and sincere and Shelby sighed, defeated. "Fine, fine, I'll go with you and allow you to assist me in choosing an outfit appropriate for the evening's activities," she conceded the win to Rajni, who accepted it happily, clapping her hands and dragging Shelby from her seat. She just managed to grab her purse on the way out the door.
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"I'm in hell," Shelby muttered, ripping off the pink, frothy concoction that Rajni had attempted to convice her looked 'stunning'. She carefully re-hung the garment, ensuring it looked perfect before moving to the next item. She eyed it on the hanger and immediately knew it was going to be fitted; she hoped she wouldn't scandalize the other patrons of the department store. Sliding it on, she twisted around and managed the zipper. Looking down, she paused, her immediate desire to hate it momentarily squashed. The color was sedate, a charcoal grey, the fabric soft and thick, but somehow not stifling.
"Shelby, today!" Hailey cried impatiently from outside the door, "You're the one who was harping about being back at the university in time to meet Penn!" Shelby grimaced, remembering that he was picking her up. She took a deep breath and opened the door, stepping out for inspection. Both girls squealed and Hailey reached out for a high five. Shelby stared at the hand until Hailey rolled her eyes and lowered her hand.
"Shelby," Rajni said in a hushed voice, "You look fabulous! This is the dress!" Shelby swallowed and shot Rajni a tense smile. She twisted a little bit, trying to look over her shoulder at the back of the dress. "Well, it is certainly not as short and showy as the other monstrosities you attempted to have me wear," Shelby conceded, admiring the length of the dress, which stopped an inch above her knees.
"You look like a girl!" Hailey said, pleased. Shelby nodded at the armful of bright yellow and blue fabric slung over Hailey's shoulder. "Is that your selection?" She asked her friend. Hailey nodded and sashayed a few steps away before spinning on her heel and heading back over to them. "I'm gonna knock this guy's socks off!" She declared. Rajni smiled encouragingly at Shelby. "This is the dress, Shel," she stated, "Let's find you a purse and some shoes, and you're good to go." Shelby nodded.
When they were safely back at the university, Shelby lay out the garment bag and smaller shopping bag containing the simple black flats and light grey purse Rajni had picked out. Shelby had to admit that her friend had an eye for shades and fabrics that were aesthetically pleasing together. It had cost more than she thought prudent to spend on clothing, but everyone assured her they would last forever, with proper care.
Shutting down her computers at the end of the day, Shelby gathered up her armload of belongings and managed to lock her office door without dropping anything. She turned around to find Dr Winkle standing closer than she felt comfortable with. Disgusted, she stepped back from him and raised an eyebrow.
"May I help you?" She asked politely, but in disinterested tones. Winkle smirked at her. "I didn't realize you were dating a Backstreet Boy," he said snidely. Shelby had no idea what he was talking about.
"He lives on a regular street," she retorted and Winkle chortled. "It's a waste, don't you think? Can he even spell his name?" Winkle continued. Shelby was about to grow angry when she realized by the tightening of his eyes and curl of his lips that he was threatened and jealous of Penn.
Shelby chuckled and shook her head in amusement. "Oh, Dr Winkle," she said pleasantly, "Grow up." She moved past him and walked down the hallway at a regular clip. It was the first time she felt she had actually escaped a conversation with him with the upper hand. Waiting outside she thought about her evening. She worried about seeing Lenore, and further worried about Rajni coming over to help her and Hailey get ready.
I will not be done up like a strumpet, she vowed to herself, already planning her arguments against make-up and ridiculous hairstyles. Penn already knows what I look like, there is no need to paint myself up.
The man in question drove up then and quickly pulled to the curb. He jumped out of the driver's door and took her bags and items from her, loading them into the backseat. "Shopping?" He asked in curiosity, nodding towards the bag. Shelby nodded and heaved a great put-upon sigh. "Rajni and Hailey insisted I join them in picking up a 'date' outfit today," she told him seriously, "They decided my wardrobe was not fitting for any occasion, and forced me to try on garment after garment."
Penn had a funny smile on his face as he stepped towards, kissing her gently on the mouth before opening the passenger-side door for her. "I'm sure it was torture," he responded and she glared at him. "I know mockery when I hear it, Penn," she snapped, narrowing her eyes. He leaned in and kissed the crinkle in between her drawn together eyebrows. "It was sarcasm, Shelby," he told her. She took a deep breath and nodded.
As they made their way home, he glanced over at her and raised an eyebrow. "Are you going to tell me about it?" He asked her, and Shelby shook her head reluctantly and replied, "I wish that I could, but I made some kind of ridiculous pinky-promise not to; Rajni wishes this to be some kind of humiliating grand-reveal." Penn chuckled and pulled into their underground parking area.
"Well then, I won't try and coerce you into ruining the fun," he promised. Shelby smiled at him weakly and climbed out. When they had all her belongings again, they began to walk towards the stairwell. The sound of an engine gunning hard behind them had them spinning around. Lenore's car screeched out of it's spot and rapidly flew up the ramp, exiting the parking garage in a most unsafe fashion.
She glanced uneasily over at Penn, who simply took one of her free hands and drew her back towards the stairwell. I guess I won't need to worry about Lenore this evening.