"Tam, what do you think?" Biana sidled up to her boyfriend of eight months, the light pink silk of her ballgown swishing around her hips. "It's perfect for our ball, isn't it?" She struck a dramatic pose and waited expectantly for a compliment.

Tam raised his eyebrows at her, contemplating. Finally, he shook his head. "No. Not that one. It's not that pretty."

Biana gaped at him. There was a tense silence as Linh, Maruca, Sophie, and Wylie all looked at each other.

Tam looked at Biana for a long moment, the corners of his eyes crinkling. "It's gorgeous," he corrected. A smile graced Biana's features as a collective round of awws went around the room.

Marella rolled her eyes from her spot in the corner. Tam and Biana hadn't even been dating for a full year, and already they were full-on couple-y. With anybody else, it would be cute, but with Tam…

She shoved the thought from her mind. Shut up, mind. We pretend it doesn't exist, remember? There was no way she'd be able to keep her cool if she thought about her feelings for Tam while she was around him. If she wanted to maintain her calm exterior, she had to pretend that they didn't exist.

But… sometimes she couldn't help it. When he looked at her that singular way of his, a crinkle between his brows and- Aughh! Mind! Shut UP!

Marella frowned at her inconsistency and turned to look at the dress hanging behind her, trying to ignore Sophie and Linh as they giggled over "Bam" and gushed over Biana's "breathtaking" get-up.

She was effectively distracted by the dress she turned to admire, which happened to be Marella's favorite style. It was unobtrusive and practical with absolutely no ruffles or frills whatsoever, yet it had an air of elegance about it that was sure to turn heads. The light autumn colors would set off Marella's gold-red bush of hair perfectly, and the small touches of gold thread caught the light in a way that could only be described as artistic.

Marella was so absorbed in running her hand over the silky fabric of the matching cape that she was thoroughly startled when a voice commented from behind: "Girls and their gaudy dresses."

Marella whirled around and found herself not four inches away from the person she'd been intentionally avoiding throughout the entire outing.

"T-Tam," she stammered, bright red flooding her face.

"I scared you," he teased, poking her arm.

"No you didn't," she said defensively, folding her arms stubbornly.

"Huh." Tam turned and examined the dress she'd been admiring, an unreadable look on his face. "What is it with girls and dresses?" he asked, rephrasing his former comment.

Marella discreetly stepped away from the dress she'd been admiring and shrugged condescendingly. "I don't know. It always seemed kind of shallow to me, I guess," she said casually, sneaking a look at Biana, who was proudly displaying her new dress to the other girls.

Tam shrugged noncommittally. "I don't know; it always seemed kind of cute to me."

Why couldn't I have known that before I opened my big mouth-

Tam casually interrupted Marella's metal tirade with a gesture at the dress she'd liked. "That would look really good on you, Mar." With that last earthshaking observation, he strolled away, and Marella's dive into despair suddenly did a one-eighty and rocketed into breathless excitement. He thinks that dress would look really good on me! Not just good; no, really good. Marella could barely conceal her satisfaction at that choice compliment.

The salesman, who had been lurking near her since she'd begun admiring the dress, knew a good opportunity when he saw one and asked hopefully, "Will you be taking this dress, ma'am?"

But Marella didn't hear him, for she was caught up in planning when she would wear it, and how Tam's face would light up when he looked at her, and he'd realize that she was actually the one he loved-

Marella's wild imaginings were somewhat soured by reality, however, when she looked at the price tag.

"Maybe if I cut out all my flavored air for the next few years," she mused. But when she thought about the look on Tam's face when he saw her glide into the room with the dress he had thought looked phenomenal on her (for her mind had already translated his words into more than they were), it was all worth it.

"I'll take it," she said with satisfaction.