The First Date

Choosing an outfit for an event that one is nervous about attending is among the more arduous tasks any person can perform. Other more arduous tasks that a person can perform include open-eyed sneezing, licking one's own elbow, and removing your number from a telemarketers' list. 

Cara, having chosen an outfit, stared at herself in the mirror, twisting this way and that to see every angle. The dress did not fit perfectly. She could not decidewhy. Cara tugged the skirt down, then pulled the top back up. She shifted the spaghetti straps. She stood on her toes. She did a clumsy spin. 

"What dress are you wearing?" The call came from her roommate in the hallway.

The voice was exhausted, barely full enough to permeate through the door. 

"The blue one!" Cara called back, twisting again to look at the back of her dress. It was unchanged.

"I suggested that one an hour ago!" Cara huffed and rolled her eyes as she picked up one shoe and then shifted to reach the

next. The air was rent by a loud tearing noise. The dress fell lose in the back. With a shriek, Cara stood straight, snatching her hair over her shoulder and again twisting to see the back of her dress in the mirror. 

Cara's dress had torn down the side of the zip. Her pale skin was visible through the rip, framed by torn edges like a piece of conceptual art. Some fabric held the back of the dress together at the nape of Cara's neck. Cara released a string of profanities. 

"Cara?" Her roommate exclaimed. "What's wrong? Cara?"

Cara ignored this and impatiently gripped the zip. Her arms twisted and flailed behind her back. The zip was now wild, whipping around with the enthusiasm of a prison escapee as Cara tried to pull it down. Then it would not go down any further. Cara swore again. The zip was stuck. 

"I need help!"

The dress did not come off without a fight. Each roommate bore the marks of their victory. Cara had small scratch and a blossoming bruise on her back caused by her roommate holding her down on the bed to remove the fiendish zipper from the dress in a last-ditch attempt to free Cara from its suffocating hold. Her roommate, however, broke one of her acrylics off during the altercation. Cara

thought this the greater sacrifice. 

"This is not going well," Cara murmured as she held the tatters of her dress.

Cara glanced around at the mess of her room. There were garments strewn everywhere, hiding the floor from eyesight. One shirt even blanketed the lamp on her bedside table, making it look odd and misshapen. 

"Cara," her roommate tsked. "Just get dressed, Louis will be here soon." 

It seemed at that exact second that the doorbell for the intercom rang. Both roommates instantly sprang into action, with Cara darting for a red dress she had spotted and her roommate rushing for the door. The apartment was a whirlwind of activity. Cara threw on the dress, which ended up being a shirt. Then she scrambled to find some jeans. Cara pulled them on anyway, jumping in them until

she could close the waist. The jeans had rips in the knees.

"He's here!"

Heart beating erratically, Cara pulled the stilettos onto her feet and stumbled out of the room. Her roommate met her outside. Her eyes slid to Cara's outfit, the smile dropping from her face. 

"Is that outfit going to be ok?"

"He said it was just casual," Cara threw over her shoulder. 

Cara wobbled over to the mirror, hanging innocently above the hallway table. She scooped up her purse, threw it into her handbag, fought the strap over her shoulder, and flicked hair out of her eyes. It was a mess. She glanced at the mirror. Her wide eyes nearly spooked her and she had to turn away to breathe properly. Then she was at the door all too soon and a knock was sounding just

as she reached it. 

Cara took a deep breath, hoping it would be steadying. It was not. Instead, her hand shook as she gripped the door knob. She tried again. Deep breath in and out. Her heart beat continued quickly in her chest. Cara pulled the door open anyway.

Louis was standing there, a broad grin stretching across his face. He held a bunch of flowers in his hand. He was a little too tall and he had to look down at her a fair way. Then Louis' eyes slid down to Cara's outfit. Cara's eyes did the same to him. Louis was in a full tux; everything wrinkle free and steamed to perfection. He even had a tie. Cara felt a sinking feeling in her stomach and swallowed.

"I can go change." Cara turned around to do just that, but Louis rushed forward, stopping her. 

"No, no, no," he waved his arms, the flowers flopping violently. An errant petal came loose. "I did tell you 'casual', I should have warned you or something."

Cara stopped and turned back around, watching him for a moment. Louis was smiling in a supportive - but mostly sheepish - way. The silence stretched between them.

Cara fiddled with her bag strap. 

"OK," Cara mumbled. 

Louis nodded too rapidly, still grinning. His cheeks were beginning to redden, his light freckles seemingly highlighted, and he ran his fingers through his hair, messing it. Then he remembered the flowers. He thrust them into Cara's hands with muttered nothings under his breath. Cara took them and, seeing that they had a card, reached for it. She plastered a smile on her face as she began to

read aloud, "'I hope these find you well. You were always her favourite person. Condolences for your loss'," her voice had

quickly lost its fervour as she spoke. "'Karl.'"

Louis gulped. His cheeks burned brighter. Cara looked up at him, open mouthed. A small frown was etched between her eyebrows. Louis mouth flapped open and closed for a moment before he was able to squish out, "This is... obviously… not what I …"

Cara, unable to articulate understanding, watched as Louis scrambled for an explanation. He stumbled over his words. Some of the words blended together and, to Cara's warm ears, sounded as if he was speaking a different language. 

"So…," she gave him a sideways look when he was finished. "You think you just picked up the wrong bunch?" 

"Yes," Louis grinned with relief. He ran another hand through his hair. 

Cara looked down again at the flowers and pushed her nose in among the blooms to smell them. "What note did Karl's friend get?" 

Louis went white. His mouth dropped open again and a small frown creased his brow. He snapped his mouth closed a moment later, and eked out a feeble, "Well, I hope it makes them laugh."

"Did you write something funny?" 

Louis shook his head vigorously, a slow smile spreading across his face. "No, but they might laugh thinking about who got this card that was intended for them." 

Cara paused for a moment, Louis watching her for a reaction. Realising she had to react in some way, Cara let out a polite chortle that she hoped sounded enough like a laugh. She did not understand what he had said until halfway to his car. She

thought that it was too late to tell him that she got the joke by then. 

Louis pressed the button on his keys. The lights on a car down the drive flashed - a red car with a sheen so bright that even in the fading light of day, Cara could tell it was worth something. Louis glanced at her, his eyes raking her face to gauge her reaction. Cara belatedly threw Louis a smile, and murmured a forced,

"Cool car." Then she cringed inwardly at the fake tenor in her voice. 

Louis did not seem to notice. 

He puffed up his chest and opened the door for Cara. Cara, playing her part, pranced into the car, making sure to touch his hand lightly in a reassuring way as she neared him. The contact instead zapped Louis with a loud snap of static and Louis jerked away. An uneasy smile that didn't reach his eyes broke across his face. Cara mumbled an apology. It caught in her throat. 

Cara made a face to herself in the side view mirror as Louis rounded the car. She shifted on the leather seats. There was an unpleasant squeaking noise. Catching her reflection in the mirror again, she tried to smooth down the lump in her hair.

Her finger got caught in a small tangle of fine hairs. Louis opened his door and, panicking suddenly, Cara wrenched her fingers from her hair. A clump of hair came too. Cara, wincing in pain and now holding a large clump of hair, scrunched it up in her hand and tried to push it into her pocket to hide it subtly. 

Louis had climbed in and sat down, pulling the door closed behind him. He smoothed down his own hair and then, flicking a lazy grin to Cara, turned the car key. The car sputtered. Louis' smile faltered. The key turned again. The car made a longer angrier sputter, then lay idle. Louis turned to frown at his steering wheel. The car was unperturbed. 

Louis mumbled something incoherent, then stepped out of the car quickly. As soon as he had his back to the door, Cara reached for the small comb in her handbag and tried to brush the tangle from her hair. Cara reached for the lipstick next and began to apply it. Cara was halfway through texting her roommate to ask for

advice - and arguing about whether or not the date was cursed - when Louis returned to the car. 

Cara rubbed her lips together as delicately as possible while he told her that roadside assistance was three hours away. Cara nodded along without comprehending the dilemma. Her mind was still on arguing with her roommate whether the date was cursed or not. It seemed feasible. Then she suddenly realised what Louis was

suggesting. 

"So, you want to end the date here?"

"Well," Louis ran a hand through his hair and paused, scrunching his hair in his hand, his elbow leaning against the car. His cheeks were a light pink again.

"Yeah. Don't you think?" 

Cara paused for a moment. Then said, "Well, if they're going to be three hours, do you want to go get a bite to eat at the restaurant down the road?"

Louis' slow smile answered her question and she jumped out of the car quickly to join him on his side of the car. Cara teetered a little on the uneven ground. Louis quickly joined her, his eyes taking in her shoes. He ran his fingers through his hair again. 

"I'm so sorry," Louis began. "This has never happened to me before." 

"Me either," Cara laughed. "My roommate is saying we're cursed." 

"Bella?"

Louis asked, his grin matching Cara's. "Yeah, she would say that." 

"Yeah, she's a little superstitious, I think." 

"Are you?" 

"What?"

"Superstitious?"

"Yeah, a little bit. Are you?" 

"No."

"Oh."

They fell silent. Cara fidgeted with her bag, a lump forming in her throat as the silence continued. Louis was at a loss for words, biting his tongue contemplatively.

The sound of their footsteps on the footpath was the only noise. 

Cara turned to Louis, her mouth open but, upon seeing him, could not think of anything to say. He met her gaze and smiled. The smile faltered when he, too, tried to say something and nothing came. They both turned to face the direction they were headed.  

Louis cleared his throat. "I have been meaning to ask you out for a long time…" 

Cara nodded thoughtfully, trying to think of how one sounds coy. "Why didn't you before?" 

Louis frowned as he responded with, "I don't know." 

"Well," Cara paused at the curb, checked and then stepped off as she said, "I'm glad I accept-" the sentence cut off with a shriek as there was a loud crack! and Cara toppled sideways. Louis made a grab for her hand but she had already, miraculously, caught herself. Cara bit her tongue to avoid her usual swears. 

"My heel just broke," Cara was dumbfounded. Louis and Cara paused for a moment to look at the heel, both sets of eyes glazed over in thought. Louis was wondering how the heel hadn't snapped previously, given how thin it was. Cara was deciding that, perhaps, her roommate was right when she had called the date cursed. This was such a pervasive thought that Cara said it out loud. 

Louis, immediately breaking from his thoughts, looked down at her with another one of his broad grins. "Nonsense." 

Cara grunted and began to hobble across the street. She could feel a foul mood descending upon her shoulders. Before she could make it halfway across the road though, Louis came from behind and pulled her up into his arms, holding her like a newlywed

bride. Cara let out a little shriek. 

"What are you doing?"

Louis shrugged, jostling Cara. "For old time's sake."

Cara felt a laugh bubble up in her throat. It wheezed out of her, in a hysterical sort of way. She nearly choked on her words. "You mean, when you had to carry me home from that party like two years ago?" 

"Yeah, that's the one," Louis grinned down at her. "You were singing all the way there, too."

"I was not!"

"You were," Louis had carried her right across the street and a little way down the path now. When he turned to grin at her, their noses almost touched. He paused. When he next spoke, his voice was breathier. "It was awful." 

Cara, suddenly fascinated by the raw look in his eyes and by his overall closeness, leaned her head forward, anticipating a kiss. 

"Louis, is that you?" 

Louis' head snapped around and he hurriedly lowered Cara to the ground. Cara stumbled on her broken heel and nearly fell again. "Sofie?" 

"Long time no see, Stretch," the beautiful blond reached for him to pull him into a hug. Louis, his mouth hanging open in shock, shot a mortified look in Cara's direction. Cara tried to flatten her hair. She glanced around. There were too many people on the footpath. She looked to the ground instead and rubbed her lips together anxiously. The lump in her throat never came but a tightness in her chest made itself known. Cara put the strap of her bag over her shoulder again and held her limp hand in her wrist, scratching at the back of her hand with one finger. 

Louis was still talking, saying nothing in particular when the girl reached to hug him again. He patted the girls' back. Then he abruptly pulled away. "I have to go. I have a …" 

Instead of finishing his sentence, Louis just grabbed for Cara's hand and steered her away up the street. Cara let herself be pulled along, her uneven steps making the journey particularly uncomfortable. She wondered what Louis had been about to call their date.

As soon as they rounded the corner, Louis deflated by letting out a jet of air and leaning against the wall. Both of his hands made it into his hair this time. The permanent smile that normally appeared etched into his face was now long gone. 

"That was my ex," Louis told Cara. His eyes were told wide. Cara was watching him as she took her shoes off. She did not say anything. Louis, with feverish fingers, pulled the tie around his neck loose and left it hanging. He undid his top button. He was breathing heavy through his mouth, looking off into the distance the way they had been headed. Everything that came next was entirely

unprompted. "We didn't end on good terms. She told me she wanted to see other people. I told her that I didn't. She still left. I've managed to avoid seeing her for about three months up until today." Louis sounded miserable; his eyes were glazed over. He looked horrified as he breathed, "This date is cursed."

Cara nodded, pursing her lips together. She waited. Louis ran his fingers through his hair again then glanced back over his shoulder the way he had come. His mouth opened and closed helplessly. "Well, I broke a heel and tore a dress, I want to get dinner out of this at the very least. The restaurant is just here." Cara pointed to the door behind Louis. Louis blinked up at her with a frown. Cara suppressed the urge to roll her eyes and politely gestured towards the door again.

Heaven knows what the poor waiter thought when the two of them walked inside. Cara, with her broken heels hanging from one hand, in ripped jeans and a shirt. Then Louis in a full suit, his tie loose and hair incredibly mussed. Both wore a miserable expression. Louis' eyes were glazed over, a haunted expression over his face and his cheeks slightly pink. Cara was pretending to look nonplussed but

her eyes were narrowed slightly and darted around the restaurant as Louis muttered about "tables for two" and "menus, please". They

were certainly not the normal clientele. Nevertheless, the poor waiter politely seated them both, taking care to hand them their menus immediately and to seat them outside on the restaurants' veranda - away from other guests. 

Cara and Louis plopped down in the seats opposite each other. Cara let out a huff. Louis remained silent. Neither looked in the others' direction and both took the menus gratefully. Then they both hid behind the menus, Louis having to hunch his lanky frame forward to hide himself better. Both shivered as they realised that the date had only just begun.