"Not Yourself Lately"
Fancy-O Restaurant (7 pm)
Limo's POV
As we wait for our dinner to arrive, I'd watched Kale slouch against red velvet chair cushions, her expression relaxing too much. When I brought up our date tonight, Kale sounded rough. She accepted, yet I wondered if she forgot our conversation two days ago. What's off-putting was how she behaved. Before getting acquainted, Kale struggled to walk in high heels and mumbled about how girlish the dress was.
It got me worried, but I wouldn't want to ruin our time. The waitress came with two plates of steak. She placed them on our table and asked if we ordered drinks. "Two glasses of water, please." Once she walked away, I saw Kale stuffing the steak into her mouth. Her hands were dripping with grease and seasoning. "Uh, Kale? There are utensils." She shifted her sight on me, those teeth biting hard through tender meat.
I grew silent, as my mind raced for other questions. Like, why is she like this? A few minutes later, the waitress came back with two glasses of icy water. I thanked her and gulped my quarter of chilled relief. Kale swallowed her glass quickly, almost as if she set a world record. "Ah, that hit the spot!" She patted her rounded stomach, her greasy lips curled into a grin. I guess a conversation should ease the awkward tension between us.
"So, uh I've been thinking. We've been together for months. Since I'll be promoted to vice assistant under Janet's watch, a thought popped in."
"Yeah, what is it?"
"We should live under one roof."
"Huh?"
"You'd brought up how straining your relationship with Caulifla has. How she distracted herself with training and ignored your friendship. It made me believe you need more company. You were the first one to accept this version of me."
"..."
"Terrance and his goons belittled me, said I wouldn't find anyone who loved a chubby nerd. I wasn't this large to begin with. Janet tested a muscle growth serum on me and it backfired."
(Kale kept talking about Limo and how honest he was. Man, and I'm supposed to act like her.)
"If you accept living with me, that'll make me a happier man. I don't care if you act out-of-character or don't believe in yourself, I won't judge. All I care about is our trust."
Kale's eyes widened after hearing my confession. My cheeks shifted red, heat exploded underneath them. I waited for a response, then Kale opened her mouth. "Do you think Caulifla's a good friend? To me?" I rubbed my chin, digging deep into my brain for answers. From what Kale shared, Caulifla sounded like a bad influence. However, Kale has praised Caulifla for standing up to her. "Even though, you can't stand her thuggish personality, how lazy she is, or aggressive she acts towards people, Caulifla will do anything for you."
This widened her eyes bigger, her back leaned deep into the cushions. I didn't know what happened, but Kale cried. Tears dripped from her eyes as she faced the other direction. "Did I say something wrong?" She extended her palm, sniffed, and searched for the napkin dispenser. I slid it towards her and she grabbed three sheets in one sweep. After wiping off her tears, Kale glanced me. "I'm sorry. I was… thinking of someone. Your decision? I'll think about it."
Her smile lifted my spirits. We continued our date until 10 pm. As we strolled down the sidewalk, three silhouettes noticed us. Oh no, it was Terrance and his crew. Why me? "The chubby nerd and his 'wife' are here. Did you popped her cherry or crushed her pelvis, Lardo!" The joke spread bombastic laughter from them. Every time I hear those jokes, my heart sank and spirits were lowered. I didn't wish to bring Kale into this situation again, but she approached them with a serious stare.
"Oh, your girlfriend is serious. Aw, what are you gonna do?" Under thirty seconds, Kale knocked out Terrance and his friends with one punch to the gut. They fell on the concrete sidewalk, clenching their waists and blue spread across their faces. Last time, Kale scared them, but now she beat them without breaking a sweat. "You shouldn't worry about them. They won't be getting up soon." Her grin showed mischievousness, which was rare. Whatever our date did, Kale felt more confident than ever. We went our separate ways, and I headed to headquarters, thinking of what my life will be with Kale by my side.
Sucrose Lane (Twenty Minutes Later)
"The date went well between you and Limo?"
"Yeah. He was jittery and off-spoken, like you."
"Hehehe. Nice to hear."
"Then, he told me what you shared. About how neglectful I was."
"Oh, did he?"
"Yeah. Look, I'm sorry for what I've done. My goal overshadowed what our friendship meant."
"I forgive you, Caulifla. Once our programs are done, we can bond as sister in arms."
"You got a deal."
"Good night, Caulifla."
"Good night, Kale!"
Six Days Later…
Caulifla's POV
Morning sunlight flashed my eyes as I tossed my head around. I sat up, feeling a slight ache in my lower back. A few rubs down under and I realized I'd returned to my body. My room didn't have pink walls or neat dressers. Ah, the spell wore off. The better part was my backache feeling less painful. Kale must have stayed at the hideout and did casual hobbies. As if she was still Kale. Right, I forgot about Limo's decision to have her live with him. After washing up, I'd entered the living room, where Olive and Pumpkin discussed today's schedule. I asked Olive where Kale went and she pointed to the kitchen. The smell of bacon, sausage, and pancakes lingered from the area, my stomach rumbled on cue.
I noticed Kale smiling while flipping greasy, meaty goodness. It was off for her to show excitement, unless it was something important. The girls marched in, sat around the dining table, and waited for breakfast. For me, I kept watching Kale express that calm grin. My mind predicted she knew about Limo's 'moving out' situation. After eating a hearty breakfast, I walked to Kale and tapped her shoulder, startling her. "Do you need anything, Caulifla?"
"I forgot to tell ya about what Limo said. He thought about you living with him." Kale's eyebrows raised from the description. Then, she smiled and patted my shoulder, startling me. "Oh, I get it now. We discussed these days ago. I didn't want to upset you, because of how close we are." Ever since Renso saved Kale from the West City invasion five years ago, we've been best friends.
The thought of letting Kale go to independent things hasn't passed my mind. Until now, at least. My meeting with Lavender wouldn't start until 9 am, so I'd let Kale got to her therapy session. Forty minutes later, I visited Lavender's tea shop and entered her office. I understood what 'stepping into Kale's shoes' meant. That tea blend showed me how Kale was doing without my guidance. She has a boyfriend and her emotions are stable. "I'm happy to hear the progress, Young Caulifla. Now, let's begin the second to last lesson in our program. Here's this week's blend."
She planted a big box of tea mixture on her desk. For seven days, I need to reduce my pride. Because of her elderly mentor role, she didn't hint about what the blend will do to me. I guess I'll know when I get home. After leaving her shop, I strolled down the sidewalk. When I turned right, he was there. Dequan leaning against a wall, doing nothing. His black eyes caught mine, a smirk spreading quick. "Hello, doll face. You're the girl I'd met two weeks ago. What was your name again?"
He flicked a toothpick from his teeth and trudged forward. My heart beat faster, blood boiling under my skin. He leaned over my chest, his stubbled chin nearing my neck. "C-Caulifla." If he remembers who I am, then he'll arrest me. Well, I can kick his ass, but my instincts told me not. Aw, what the hell was wrong!? "Oh, the headquarters mentioned a girl with a criminal history. You're Caulifla? North City's infamous thug?" He rubbed his chin, scanned my figure, and nodded.
"My predictions were offtrack. In my mind, a tall, muscular woman with scars was the image. What I'm looking is beauty. Is your favorite music punk rock?" His voice trembled my nerves. It triggered nervousness, a sensation I rarely express. I cupped my cheeks to hide signs of shyness. "Uh, I must be going." I sidestepped over Dequan and ran, picking up speed. That was stupid of me.
Anyway, I returned home and brewed a cup of tea. While chugging it, my mind couldn't erase the interaction with Dequan. His dreads were wild, like my hair. Then, I realized how love-struck I was and snapped out of it. Enough of the lovely nonsense, Caulifla. You're here to better yourself, not find love. I headed off to bed, slept, and imagined another weird dream. This time, everything grew bigger. It wasn't getting to me, but earthquake tremors rocked my bedroom. My giant door swung, revealing a mountain-sized Kale and Olive.
They walked around in search of me. I stood near the pile of dirty socks, trying to get their attention. My voice was high-pitched, almost like a goddamn mouse. Kale heard it and approached my direction. However, her foot fell on top of me. Suddenly, I woke up from the experience. "Aw, another dream. Huh? My voice?" Chills vibrated my body as a shocking discovery showed itself. The mattress and bedsheets were a football field.
"CAULIFLA!"
Rhythmic footsteps shook the bedroom, as I struggled to stand up. Kale stepped inside, now as a seventy-foot giant in a pink gown. She searched the area until landing her sight on me. Compared to her, I'm a mere doll. "Kale! Over here!" She sped-walked to a bedside, blushed upon noticing me not having clothes on, and cupped my nude body. "Don't worry, Caulifla. I have doll clothes in my closet." Great, I have to wear action figure clothes all week.