"You look different."
I look down the stairs, taking each step carefully so I don't tumble down. The handrail is my savior as I depend on it to safely make it down. I'm slow, but I am uninjured.
"Daddy has a new girlfriend. He wants to go out to dinner so we can meet her. It's serious, or something," I say, making it down the last step. I straight the hem of my dress, pulling down the bottom. "Why? Do I look like a stripper?"
Vylad stares at me for a moment. He's right on the idea that I look different. I normally don't sport tight black dresses, but it's surprisingly modest enough that my dad hasn't kicked my ass yet.
"No. Not at all. Just. . . different."
I nod my head. "I can't stay long. I only stopped by to borrow Kandi's heels. Cadi thought they'd look better than my own. Can't borrow her shoes because she's got huge ass feet."
My dress is simple. There's not much going on with it, so everything else makes up for its simplicity. Kandi's shoes are an open toe black heel and pearl strap. There's a ribbon like bow on the back. My hair is pinned back slightly from my face with pearl pins.
"Wait." Vylad stops me from walking towards the door. The two of us dare at one another for a moment, and I question what he is doing when he inches closer to my face. My heartbeat quickens its pace. His hands go to the side of my head to adjust the clip. "I wanted to fix that before you left. I know it'd bother you if you saw it was crooked and no one told you."
°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°
Laurance's eyes are locked on the road in front of him. He hums, drumming the steering wheel to the beat of what's being played on his aux. It's everything he likes, so he appears to be in a good mood.
Cadenza is coming straight from Meteli, so she will meet us at the restaurant. Dad is coming straight from work. That leaves Laurance and I together as he came back yesterday after class.
"Did you know that Garroth is seeing someone?" Laurance's tone is awkward as he speaks. He stumbled through the sentence.
There's a weird feeling inside of me, but it isn't jealousy. Not too long ago he acted like me moving on was the worst thing on Earth, but he is in another relationship.
"No, I didn't know. I'm happy for him, though. I'm glad he was able to move on."
Laurance glances over at me for a second and gently pats my knee. There's a slight frown on his face, but I can tell he's trying to contain it.
"Are you saying that because you think that's what the world wants to hear?" Laurance asks.
"No. No, I'm glad Garroth is in a good place," I say. "No use in wallowing around because of a high schooler."
°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°
Kandi is standing at the door in her pajamas when I come back later that night to return her shoes. The dinner went well, and dad seems pleased about how our interactions with Lisa went. From the feeling I got, he's serious about her. I think this dinner only helped him decide if she was fully worth pursuing.
We're getting older. I'll be off to college next year, and I'm the baby of the family. We're not out of his life, but he wants us to be a part of this. He wanted it to go well. I hope, for him to no longer be alone, that this works for him. He hasn't had someone to be his wife in so long.
"Thanks for letting me borrow them," I say, letting the heels hang in my hand. "I don't believe I made them too sweaty. I wish you would've given me a warning on how much these hurt though."
She reaches for the heels, grabbing onto this and inspecting every inch. I know she could care less about how sweaty they are. She has a million in her closet.
"Beauty is pain," she responds. "But it's worth it."
We engage in small talk a little while longer. It's normal: school, college applications. I go to turn around shortly after but stop myself. Laurance can wait.
"Oh, um, do you remember the last time Garroth came by?"
Kandi lifts an eyebrow at my question. I can tell she's thinking the entire "I'm over your brother" conversation was a lie. "Yeah, it was the first day of school. Why?"
I slowly nod my head. "You'll be proud. I am over him," I start. "Laurance says he's in a new relationship. That news hurts me less than I thought it would've."
