Everything comes back to you -J.MARIANO

[1.33]

ꪻwo weeks later, Taryn found herself back in the diner for lunch with Tas. He had commandeered her out of bed that morning, had practically forced her to get ready, then dragged her out of the door. He said he just wanted to go out but she knew, deep down, that her parents had called the classic Tas intervention. She hadn't touched her sewing machine or any of her works since getting all the letters. In fact she had packed it all up in quick, fluid motions and placed all the boxes in the downstairs cupboard where they kept the Christmas decorations and everything else that didn't need to be used very often. The sewing machine was still bolted to its desk and her Dad refused to remove it, no matter how much she asked him to.

Tas and Taryn sat at the counter and quickly ordered when Luke came over. Taryn wanted to get this over as soon as possible so she could return to the escapism of literature and not have to face what had happened too deeply. Ten minutes into their wait, after they had received their drinks, the bell on the diner door echoed through the room and Taryn found herself cringing in immediate regret as her gaze met Miss Patty's. She had been avoiding her for days. "Taryn honey!" the woman grinned as she approached the two teenagers.

"Oh hey Miss Patty, everything okay?"

"I was just wondering if you were making the kids costumes for the festival this year?"

She swallowed deeply, "Oh I-"

"Only Taylors increased the budget so I can either pay you a good wage or get someone who wouldn't do as good of a job from somewhere," Patty continued without so much as noticing the look on Taryn's face. She wondered, for a second, whether Patty was blatantly ignoring her on purpose for that split second. But her furrowed brow softened as she removed her hand from the side of her coffee cup, it seemed the words had finally sunken in.

"You'd pay me?" she repeated gently and Tas smiled to himself as he noticed the smallest flicker of joy within her eyes. A childhood dream fulfilled would be the best way to strike up her adoration for designing, he knew that for definite.

"Of course honey, now we have the budget. Plus who else am I going to get to do it?" Patty almost laughed at the mere idea of having anyone but Taryn make the costumes. This year would mark the fifth year that she had made them, free of charge, for the community and the practice that making so many costumes gave. 

She shook her head, remembering her hatred for the mere idea of sewing the second she pictured her sewing machine in her head, "I appreciate it Patty but-"

"She'll do it," Tas interrupted before Taryn  could decline, earning instant evils from his best friend.

"Great! I've got the measurements in here somewhere," Patty smiled brightly before she started to dig through her bag, searching for a specific glitter covered pink file that she knew like the back of her hand.

Taryn turned to Tas, her gaze fixed and threatening as she rapidly signed. ^Tassilo!^

He rolled his eyes, ^She's going to pay you.^

^I can't.^

^Get over yourself. Sit at the machine and get to work, don't let the decisions of some stupid posh people who were likely men get the better of you.^

She scoffed inaudibly, checking that Patty was still looking for the file and not waiting for her. She didn't want to be rude. ^Using feminism against me?^

He shrugged, ^It always works.^

She rolled her eyes and tried desperately to ignore the surge of love she felt for him then. She could not, however, ignore how grateful she felt to know him - even if, at this particular moment, she partially hated his guts. ^You're such a man.^

Patty pulled out the file just as Tas started to laugh to himself. She handed it over to Taryn  with a smile and an overexaggerated wink,  "I'm sure you'll do an excellent job as always."

-

Another two weeks passed and she was back to being fully immersed in her usual world. It took effort from Tas, a metaphorical slap to the face and finding a specific fabric in the store to reignite her passion. Whilst shopping for the costumes, she had come across the most perfect piece that she could not put down from the second her fingers touched it. The material was enough for a dress and with prom coming up, it was perfect timing. She brought the fabric without thinking twice about it, along with the material for the costumes, and sketched the design the second she picked up a pencil. It took her a while to get fully into the sewing aspect. She spent hours sat at the machine, rethreading and procrastinating before she began. Taryn found herself glad that Patty had asked her so early as it gave her plenty of time for the procrastination and the mini breakdown caused when she messed up for the first time. It was a tiny tiny mistake and she knew it was an overreaction but somethings just can't be helped.

After just finishing the bodice on the prom dress, which was perfect down to the beading and the bright yellow stitching on the inside (her bold signature), Taryn and Jess went for a walk. Due to their busy schedules, with him working and Taryn's general busy life, they hardly had a moment together for weeks. So they made the effort to 'book in' at least twenty minutes a day where they would walk or sit down to eat or talk whilst he was on shift at the diner. Those minutes were incredibly important to the both of them, though one person would never admit it.

As they walked past the school, Taryn  smiled at how the fliers for prom had suddenly been populated on nearly every surface in their path. She just had the image in her head of someone meticulous placing all of these posters onto the walls and it was a rather hilarious thing to imagine. "You want to go, don't you?" Jess asked after she had become suddenly so distracted that she hadn't heard the answer to her previous question.

"No," she responded, having sensed his tone, unable to make even the slightest speck of eye contact with him.

"Tee..."

"Fine maybe I do," she divulged reluctantly with a great sigh, whilst he remained to chuckle under his breath. "But not if you don't want to. It's not that big of a deal. Just a stupid dance."

"It's just a stupid dance?"

She cleared her throat, "Exactly."

"Did you already start making your dress?"

She turned towards him as they walked and suddenly found herself unable to lie. She sighed softly, "Yes but I can unpin it and make it into something else really easily. It's not a big deal."

He paused, a hesitation full of extreme deliberation, before he replied, "We'll go."

Her eyes widened in surprise as she met his eyes again. "Are you sure? Means a suit."

"I'm aware."

She smiled and leaned up ever so slightly to press a kiss to his cheek, "You'll look hot."

"Funny."

"I'll stash you a change of clothes in the car, deal?"

He draped his arm over her shoulders and gently pulled her chin towards his face. He kissed her somewhat gently, baring in mind that they were in public, before whispering against her lips, "Deal."