"Oh no no no no!" Caroline exclaimed, "you are not going on a date dressed like that!"
Chell glanced down at her faithful hoodie and jeans, then back up at Caroline.
"It's not really a date, and what's wrong with-"
"It's a date," Caroline wagged her finger, "and you are absolutely dressing for it."
"It's only to get to know him, I'm just following your advice," Chell said with a shrug.
"That's not the attitude! You need to woo him!"
"I… Would rather not."
Caroline rolled her eyes. "Wait here."
Caroline ran into her bedroom and Chell grew increasingly concerned with every crash that followed.
"I'm not a big fan of all these flashy, neon colours everyone's wearing," came a muffled shout from the closet, "so I've not got anything terribly recent, I'm afraid."
Chell thought back to the horrendous, multi-coloured explosion that was 80s fashion and felt tremendous relief wash over her.
"Here," Caroline finally emerged from her room, "try this!"
She threw a dress to Chell, ushered her into the room and firmly closed the door.
Chell was never a fan of dresses; they were a little too impractical and often far too frilly for her tastes, however she had to admit that this one, a fairly plain button-up with a neat collar, wasn't too bad. She pushed the door open a sliver, allowing Caroline's eager eyes to catch a glimpse of her outfit.
"I've not seen that dress for years, but wow! It really suits you!" Caroline exclaimed, pulling the door open wide.
"Thanks, uh," she pulled at the skirt as if to elongate it, "but isn't a little too formal for going out for coffee?"
"Nonsense, my dear, you look lovely. Now, I've got the perfect heels for that dress lying around somewhere."
"Uh, we don't have to do heels if-"
Caroline picked up a pair of plain, black heels and forced them into Chell's arms. "We're doing heels."
As with dresses, Chell was also not terribly fond of heels. Though the long fall boots had made the sensation of balancing around on her toes a rather familiar one, heels were far less stable, much more difficult to walk in and no help whatsoever in the 'surviving fifty foot drops' department. At Caroline's insistence, however, Chell put on the shoes and rose unsteadily to her feet, causing Caroline to clap her hands together in glee.
"Perfect! Now, you don't want to keep your sweetheart waiting any longer!"
She winked, and Chell cringed inwardly.
"No, he's really not my-"
Chell was cut off by a gleeful giggle from Caroline as the latter herded her out of the door.
As Chell wandered around in pursuit of the agreed cafe, she felt herself tugging at her skirt as if convinced that it had shrunk within the five seconds since she'd last tugged at it. The clicking of her heels seemed to ricochet from the surrounding buildings like earth-shattering gunshots, and if it wasn't for the jagged concrete underfoot, she would have long since removed them and continued on with her day barefoot.
She couldn't shake the feeling that each and every person in the bustling street was staring at her. Perhaps the outfit really was far too flashy, or, oh god, perhaps someone had figured out that she was from the future. She nervously swept her gaze across the street, and then she saw him, bringing her thoughts back to the main event of the day.
Wheatley was neatly unkempt as usual, fidgeting with his hands as he stood outside the cafe that Chell very nearly walked straight past, and his expression quickly melted into a relieved smile upon seeing her.
"Ch-Chell! You, uh, you look wonderful! Absolutely stunning!"
He dropped his gaze as soon as it met Chell's, and she could have sworn that his cheeks were just a little bit pinker.
"Oh, uh, thank you. It's one of Caroline's dresses." She tugged at her skirt once more. "You look great too."
"Thanks!" He paused. "Great cafe, this is. They do some nice cake here, y'know."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
A brief silence washed over the pair, neither entirely sure how to proceed.
"Should-" They both began at the same time.
Chell gestured for Wheatley to continue.
"I was just gonna say, um, should we… Should we go in, then?"
Chell nodded, following Wheatley into the store.
Wheatley sauntered up to the counter and leant against it as if trying to be somewhat cool.
"Hey there, could I get a cake and some coffee for me and," he smiled, "the lady?"
Chell resisted the urge to shove him, and instead settled for an eye-roll.
"Of course!" Replied the lady behind the counter. "What type of cake would you like?"
Wheatley froze, somehow not expecting this question.
"I… Uh…" He looked around as if the ceiling or walls would hold the answer.
The lady laughed softly at Chell's exasperated expression. "The black forest cake has been pretty popular recently."
Wheatley's eyes lit up. "Thank you," he sighed, his voice dripping with relief. He cleared his throat in a futile attempt to appear composed once more. "I mean, uh, yes, we'll take some of that then, thank you."
The two of them handed the lady the money, then, once they had their order, sat down at a table in the corner.
The cafe seemed to exude warmth in every way possible. The tables were close together yet cleverly arranged to allow for more than enough room, and the worn wooden floor served as proof of how well-loved the place really was.
"So... " Wheatley began, "what brought you to Aperture?"
"Caroline. She's a friend of mine." Chell took a sip from her coffee.
"Ah! A long time friend?" Wheatley tried to do the same, but flinched as the hot liquid touched his mouth.
Chell took another sip as she averted her gaze. "Yeah. Something like that."
"Well, welcome aboard! There's not a dull day in Aperture, I'll tell you that now." He chuckled to himself. "Tell ya, Mr. Johnson once ordered twice as many potatoes than he needed, and you know what he did with them? He had us all making potato batteries. Toys. For children."
Chell put her cup down with a rather loud thud, her grip tightening around the handle.
"You okay, luv?" He asked delicately.
She nodded.
Wheatley stared at Chell, trying unsuccessfully to read her expression.
With an inwards sigh, he grabbed a fork and took a small bite of the cake.
"Whoa! This cake is brilliant! You have to try it."
He broke off another piece with the fork, leant over the table, and fed it to Chell.
Her face lit up. "You're right! It's-" She broke off, only just realising what he'd done.
Wheatley, who was still leaning over the table, violently flushed red and sat back in his seat. "I'm sorry, I, uh, didn't think. Did not think there. I'm-"
"No, it's… It's okay, really." Chell averted her gaze once more as warmth prickled her cheeks. "It's good cake," she added.
After a pause, Wheatley spoke. "Say, uh, do you fancy going out into town after this? It's just, I mean, it's a nice day and it'd be a shame to waste it and all…"
"Sure, why not."
Once they'd finished at the cafe they headed back to the street.
"So," Wheatley began as he stretched against the early afternoon sunshine, "what do you wanna do?"
Chell shrugged. "Whatever you think, you know the area better than I do."
"Hmm… Oh, I know! Why don't we…" The faint sound of music caused Wheatley to trail off. "Hang on, was that today? Oh, you'll love this, c'mon!"
He grabbed Chell's hand and took off running, Chell's legs working overtime trying to keep up with Wheatley's colossal strides.
As they ran (or in Chell's case, got pulled) through the alleys, the music got louder and louder until they emerged into the town centre. Classic 80s hits were blasting from heavy-looking speakers that littered the square, rigged with more wires that Chell recalled ever seeing in all her time at Aperture. People were scattered around, all dancing together without a single care in the world. She then looked back at Wheatley, who stood with his hand extended towards her.
"Shall we dance?"
Chell rolled her eyes, then placed her hand on top of his.
Wheatley pulled her close and clasped her free hand with his, then immediately began to swing and spin her around with the music. Each note of the upbeat music fluttered around in Chell's chest, making her feel lighter and lighter until it was almost as though Wheatley's grip was the only thing keeping her from flying up and away with the breeze.
How ironic, Chell thought.
"Little town party," he shouted between spins, "they hold a couple every year, y'know, just for a little community get-together."
Chell nodded as she gazed around at the ever-growing crowd, feeling a slight pang in her chest as she noticed how close everybody seemed to be.
"It's lovely," she said in a voice just loud enough to be heard over the noise. "It really is."
They spent most of the afternoon there, either dancing or sitting to the side and chatting over a drink. It was only once they noticed the golden hues of sunset that they decided it was about time to head home for the night.
After a solid day in heels, Chell could quite confidently say that she did not see them returning in any way, shape or form to her wardrobe in the foreseeable future. Her feet felt like blocks of lead that were on fire. She was lagging behind Wheatley considerably, as his excellent combination of sensible footwear and long legs quite literally put him a step ahead of her. Or several, in this case.
Wheatley soon noticed; the loud stomping really gave it away, and in one quick motion he turned around and swept Chell up into a bridal carry.
"Teamwork, eh?" He said, clearly very proud of his idea.
He carried her until they got to a point rather close to Caroline's where their paths split, then he let her down with a less than elegant thud.
"Uh, thank you… For agreeing to come with me, I mean. It was fun." Wheatley said, blushing slightly.
"Ah, uh, no worries. I… I had fun too," she replied.
They both stood there silently for a moment, until Wheatley hurriedly spoke up.
"Well, I'll see you tomorrow, then."
"Yeah. See you tomorrow."
With a few cheery waves, they both turned and walked away.
Still smiling, Chell entered Caroline's house, closing the door gently behind her and heading towards the front room where Caroline was sat on the couch.
"Chell!" Caroline greeted her excitedly. "How was it?"
Chell laughed. "I'll tell you everything later."
"Everything?"
"Everything."
The twinkle in Caroline's eyes was frankly terrifying.
"So," Chell began, "what did you get up to today?"
"Ugh, we stood around waiting for Mr. Johnson's delivery all day."
"Did it come?"
"Eventually." She sighed and shook her head. "We caught it just as we were leaving. I came home but Mr. Johnson said he was gonna stay and play with it for a bit. Like a child on Christmas day, he is." She tutted as she leant back on the couch.
"What even is it?" Chell asked with a laugh.
"Moon rocks," Caroline said with a roll of her eyes, but her face fell as soon as she saw Chell's pale expression.
"Caroline," she said quietly, sitting down next to her. "Caroline, promise me you won't go near them. And for the love of god do not touch them. Please, Caroline, promise me." She grabbed Caroline's hands tightly.
"The.. Did something happen? In the future?"
Chell nodded stiffly.
"I… Then yes I promise. I won't go near them. I trust you."
Chell loosened her grip on Caroline's hands, her posture relaxing somewhat.
"But Chell," Caroline added, "Mr. Johnson… It might be too late."