Chapter 21 : Forced Date 1
Eiden had a few guesses on what, who, and why Lyra had suddenly asked him to hang out. The most likely reason he could think of was Crysty that little devil messing around with Lyra’s phone again. Maybe she forced Lyra to write the message. Or worse, maybe she replied for her. Hmph, did Lyra even know? Or was it just another one of Crysty’s solo operations?
"Anyways, I’ll find out tomorrow," Eiden muttered, rubbing his head. "But first... outfit planning." He stared at his wardrobe like it was a boss battle. "I can’t treat the hangout tomorrow like I do with Sasha," he said to himself. "With Sasha, I don’t need to mind my clothes, but this... this is the first time I’m hanging out with a girl that isn’t Sasha. I can’t appear as a sloppy mess. Especially not when I don’t even know what her preferences are!"
He stood up, paced twice, then paused again in front of his wardrobe. "Alright, safest choice of clothes... nothing too strong, nothing too weak." Eiden pulled out his phone and searched the internet for advice. "Safest fashion choice for a casual date," he whispered as he typed, then suddenly paused. "Wait... date?"
He repeated the word again. "Yeah... date. It’s basically a date, right?" A weird chill ran down his back. But also... a tingle of anticipation.
Still, the search results didn’t help much. Then he remembered something. "Oh, right." He opened his drawer and pulled out a black shirt, a pair of plain white pants, and a thin black jacket. The combo Sasha had gifted him on his last birthday. They were a bit expensive, definitely more fashionable than anything else he owned, and Sasha clearly knew more about fashion than he ever would. If a girl picked it out, surely it would work on another girl... right?
He nodded in satisfaction at his choice, folded it carefully for tomorrow, changed into sleepwear, and got into bed. Thoughts of what might happen tomorrow buzzed in his head like gnats. But eventually, his eyes closed, and sleep took him.
A few minutes earlier, in another room, Lyra sat alone. Crysty had gone home, leaving her to her own storm of thoughts. She stood in front of her own wardrobe, arms crossed.
What should I even wear tomorrow? "It’s just a casual hangout," she told herself. "Not a date. Definitely not a date." She repeated that several times... until even she stopped believing it. She stared at her wardrobe, her options much more plentiful than Eiden’s. She tried to pick one, then stopped. Tried again. Stopped. Why am I worrying so much?
"It’s Crysty’s fault I’m in this mess anyway," she whispered bitterly. She clenched her fists, exhaled a long sigh, and tried to relax. Eventually, her eyes landed on a soft white one-piece dress, simple but elegant. She smiled and whispered, "Got it."