Chapter 13
Six and half hours and ten makeovers later, Michelle was ready for her date with Oliver. Kelly had experimented on her by using makeup to make her look like a fish, a hooker, an eagle, and she had practiced various methods of the smoky eye, contouring, and even did some work with prosthetics before settling on light, medium and dark brown eye shadow, black liner, brown mascara tipped with black mascara, and light pink lip stain. Looking in a mirror, Michelle figured she was ready for a red carpet event.
"Wow," she breathed, smiling ear to ear, "I look awesome."
"That's why makeup by hand will always beat makeup by magic," Kelly crossed her arms, stepping back to admire her work. "Now we need you to get dressed. We have half an hour before Oliver picks you up. Oh shoot…"
"What?"
"Where is Oliver picking you up? Here or at your house?"
"I…don't know. I would think my house, because…that is where I live. But he really doesn't like Cecily. If you were Oliver, where would you pick me up?"
"Probably here," Kelly shrugged. "It's where I would have seen you last."
"That's true. I guess we'll just wait here and see."
"Yup. We only have twenty minutes left. So you better get dressed!" Kelly held the dress out to Michelle. She took it, going to Kelly's bathroom to change. She returned a few minutes later, wearing the dress and holding her normal clothes. Kelly grabbed the jewelry she had transfigured for her, walking behind her to clasp the necklace. Michelle took the cuff and slipped it onto her wrist and, when Kelly was done with the necklace, stooped down to put the shoes on.
"Oh my god," she stood up immediately, "We forgot my hair."
"Frick," Kelly gasped. "We'll just have to do it with magic." She pulled out her wand and waved it around, muttering a spell that Michelle wasn't familiar with. She glanced in the mirror and saw her hair move on its own, straightening and twisting into a messy- but chic, as Kelly described it- half up style. When the spell was finished, they still had fifteen minutes until Oliver would be there.
"We should practice before Oliver gets here," Michelle said, turning to Kelly.
"Practice what?"
"Practice…flirting. I'm not very good at it, and if I have to convince Oliver I like him, I'll definitely have to practice.
"Okay. I'll be Oliver then," Kelly widened her stance and waved her hand down, passing her face, her eyes closed and taking a deep breath. "I'm ready."
Michelle cleared her throat and stepped toward Kelly, "Good evening, Oliver." She batted her eyelashes.
"Evening, babe. I'm glad you changed your mind. Cuz tonight, it's about to get blown," Kelly nodded, shifting her weight to her left leg.
"Okay I can't do this," Michelle shook her head, turning around.
"What? Why not?"
"This is ridiculous! Number one, I don't like Oliver so pretending to like him is almost impossible. Number two, you make a terrible guy!"
"I do not," Kelly gasped, her eyebrows furrowing together as she evened her stance.
"You do too! I have never met a guy who talks like that," Michelle crossed her arms, widening her stance.
"Well how do you suggest we practice? You want me to kidnap some random guy off of the street to hit on you?"
"Kelly, that's just rude."
"You're right," Kelly sighed.
"Not to mention illegal," Michelle added.
"Details," Kelly waved her hand.
"At least give me some tips before he gets here. Conversation starters, compliments, things like that."
"I can't just give you a stack of note cards, Michelle. They'd never fit in your purse. Purse!" Kelly shrieked.
Michelle took a step back at her friend's outburst, "What purse?"
"Exactly! In all the excitement I forgot to give you a purse!" Kelly ran to her closet again, digging through her purse bin.
"Why can't I use my purse?" Michelle inquired, glancing at the small over the shoulder bag she'd left in Kelly's room earlier that day.
Kelly stuck her head out of the closet, "Don't insult me, Meech. I got that awesome ensemble together, I'm not letting it be ruined by a purse. You need something that matches," she returned to her search. Michelle rolled her eyes. If she and Kelly weren't such good friends, she wouldn't be able to put up with her. But beyond her slightly abrasive exterior, Kelly was a total sweetheart and fiercely loyal. And apparently she was a werewolf, too. Maybe that explained the fiercely loyal and abrasiveness…
"I have it!" Kelly emerged from the closet, slightly disheveled, but holding a small, ruffly handbag. It was hot pink with a golden clasp and chain. The pink wasn't the same shade as the dress and shoes, but that was what magic is for. With a wave of her wand a couple of words, the handbag matched perfectly and Michelle was set.
"Perfect," Michelle glanced at herself in the mirror. "What time is it?"
As if on cue, Kelly's mother knocked on the door. Kelly answered, and exchanged a few hushed words with her, before closing it and turning to Michelle.
"He's here," she grinned.
Michelle stepped slowly down into the café, followed closely by Kelly. As she came into the room, she could see Oliver dressed in a suit, probably designer, definitely expensive.
"Thank you," she whispered to Kelly, who nodded her approval of the couple's attire. She turned back to Oliver, "So where are we going, anyway? I'm lucky Kelly's so quick to play dress up otherwise I would be completely underdressed next to you." She knew she was supposed to be flirting as hard as possible, but she couldn't help but spit out that last comment.
"I had a feeling I could trust she would get excited and dress you up. You look ravishing, by the way," he stepped forward, hands in his pockets and his chin dipped slightly but maintaining eye contact.
"You still haven't said where we're going," Michelle shifted her weight onto her left leg, moving away from Oliver ever so slightly. Her move did not go unnoticed, as Oliver stopped his advance and tilted his chin up slightly.
"I found this restaurant in downtown London. The Gilded Lantern. Shall we?" he held his arm out.
"Yes," Michelle stepped forward and took his arm, glancing back at Kelly to make sure she had heard the name of the restaurant. Kelly nodded again, and feeling assured, Michelle followed Oliver out of the café. To her surprise, the keeper led her to a limousine.
"A limo? Really?" she stared at him.
"The Gilded Lantern is a muggle restaurant," Oliver opened the door for her, following as she climbed into the back seat. The door closed behind him, and soon they were off.
"So…How's Quidditch going?"
"Well we're in the pre-play-off break. We've been training a lot, though."
"I can tell," she shrugged. Her eyes widened when she realized what she had said, and she looked away, blushing.
"Yeah?" Oliver leaned back in his seat, spreading his arms out on the seat back next to him. A smirk had grown on his face, and it didn't look like was going to be leaving for a while.
"Well, yeah," she shrugged again. "You're…muscle…y…"
"Always a good thing to hear," the smirk grew. Michelle glanced over to see he was staring intently at her. She sat with her spine as straight as possible, her handbag in her lap, knees together and ankles crossed. Her fingers played absent-mindedly with the golden chain on her purse as she stared out the window, watching the city pass by.
"If you could be any kind of tree, what kind of tree would you be and why?"
This question caused Oliver to lean forward, his elbows on his knees, "Pardon?"
"If you could be any kind of tree, what kind of tree would you be and why?"
"That's what I thought you said," he chuckled, leaning back. "Is it because my last name is 'Wood'?"
"No. I don't think of lumber and trees as the same thing," she shrugged.
"You shrug a lot," Oliver observed.
"I do? Oh. I'm sorry?"
"No," he laughed, "It's cute."
"How is shrugging cute?"
"You're doing it," his eye contact was intense and sincere. Michelle felt her cheeks grow warmer, and turned away to look at the floor.
"You're cheesy," she muttered.
"And you like it?" he ventured, leaning forward again.
Michelle flicked her eyes up to meet his gaze, "Maybe a little," she whispered, a smile lifting the corners of her mouth.