Cassandra sat waiting at the café slowly drinking her milkshake. One sat untouched across from her and the waitress placed two slices of cake on the table and left silently. This place had a much more refined feel to it than their usual spot but she wouldn’t be able to meet with Bel for the weekend and so they had agreed to spend some time somewhere special.
Her long frilled skirt and ornately embroidered blouse gave her the appearance of someone who was dressed for a special occasion but Cassandra enjoyed the way she felt in such clothes and dressed with the same style even if they were meeting at that burger restaurant Bel loved so much.
The sound of a door opening was heard and her peace was interrupted by a voice calling out
"Sorry I'm late Dra, I got lost and had to ask for directions" she spoke loud enough to turn all the heads in the cafe, and Cassandra saw her friend Bel wearing jeans cut into shorts the length of which almost made her blush to look at and a black t-shirt again cut away but with care taken to avoid damage to the unreadable logo of a band's name.
"Isabel! How many times have I told you not to call me that? I've already ordered so please sit down and stop making a scene!"
Cassandra saw the subtle relief across Bel's face. She always felt embarrassed about getting lost and tried to hide it. Using that silly nickname was her way of moving the conversation to something else and Cassandra was gracious enough to let it pass.
Bel was packing her bag for her holiday. Cassandra had arranged to go see some idol concert again but that wasn't something Bel was interested in. She had been convinced to go to see them last year with a group of friends and her belief that she wouldn’t enjoy it was proved right. But her friends were enthusiastic and she found it difficult to say no where they seemed to want her to come along so much.
The whole group for that trip had bought the same luggage so that they would all match. She hadn't thought to put a lock on her case for when it was out of her sight at the airport and Cassandra had lent her a spare out of her set. She hadn't known Cassandra that well before the trip and thought it funny that they could unlock each other's luggage. Now she found it endearing.
She had known Cassandra wanted her to come to this year's concert too. Going to the same city, seeing the same group, one year later, to celebrate an anniversary. Bel had pretended not to notice or remember and Cassandra wouldn't say something like that in a straightforward manner. So in the end Cassandra arranged to go alone. And Bel had arranged to go alone too.
She would have to disguise herself at the airport, but a pair of uncharacteristic sunglasses and a tracksuit would be enough to not be seen where she wasn’t expected. Once there she'd hang around the airport then head to the hotel so they wouldn't be in the foyer at the same time. Once at the hotel she'd send Cassandra a message saying she was bored and ask to meet up. She smiled to herself thinking of the lecture she'd receive at that and then how her face would light up when she'd say she was waiting at the hotel bar. She knew she wouldn’t enjoy the music at the concert, but even so it would be perfect.
Cassandra picked up her luggage from the carousel. The flight had been uneventful and she was looking forward to getting to the hotel. She checked her phone and frowned, she hadn't heard anything from Bel, it seemed she had forgotten. She quickly put the phone away. She had made sure Isabel knew when she was landing, so if she hadn’t heard anything after she had checked in she would call her and tell her exactly what she thought.
As she left the airport she saw the bench outside and thought back to the day twelve months ago. She'd come here with a group of friends including Bel. For their flight back everyone had arranged to meet at this bench. As the time of the flight arrived her friends went to catch it but Bel still hadn’t arrived. Cassandra found Bel interesting, she clearly enjoyed the company of her friends but not the activities they had decided on.
It had been cold and she was worried she would miss the flight when Bel eventually arrived. Cassandra had worried about many things while waiting so when Bel arrived Cassandra got up and ran to her. Bel must have been worried too because she ran into Cassandra's arms. It was at that moment they understood their feelings for each other. It was that moment they had their first kiss.
Cassandra shook the thought from her head, frowned at the absent Bel for forgetting the importance of today and started to walk to the hotel.
Bel loitered around the airport. She didn't want to risk bumping into Cassandra while collecting her luggage and figured this would be the best way. She went looking for somewhere to get a drink but the airport wasn't laid out very well. After a while she gave up but by the time she found the luggage carousel it was empty.
She found a member of staff and explained what had happened. The lady was clearly in the middle of something but stopped and after Bel gave the description of her bag she went away to look. After a few minutes Bel took to leaning against the wall while she waited and bemoaned the fact she had decided to put her phone in her luggage.
Her bag eventually arrived and the lady she had been speaking to returned to what she was doing. Bel looked in horror as she put up a "wet paint" sign on the wall she had been leaning on. The woman noticed Bel’s face and then saw the paint over her tracksuit and in her hair. The lady began to apologise and wanted to help however she could. She offered the use of the staff showers. Bel was happy enough with that and said the clothes didn't matter as they were just for travel, she intended to change anyway. She picked up her bag and was led to the showers.
Cassandra arrived at the hotel. Checking in was easy and she headed to her room. As she was almost there she saw someone heading towards her on the way to leave. She thought she recognised her but couldn't quite figure out from where. As her mind was elsewhere she fumbled the room key and it clattered to the floor..
The woman looked her way and Cassandra realised she had been staring. Her face turned red and she hurriedly bent down to get her key. The woman rushed over to help but all Cassandra could think about was how awkward it had been to be caught staring like that. She grabbed the key and made a break for the door before the woman could offer help. However Cassandra had misjudged just how close she was.
There was a bump, Cassandra fell to the floor and the woman jumped back with a fright. The drink she was carrying was not so lucky and landed with a splash in Cassandra’s lap. The woman tried to talk but Cassandra couldn't deal with the situation.
"Don't worry it's fine this is my room don't worry about it it's fine" she called out in one word before she disappeared into her room.
She looked at her clothes, they had taken the worst of it and if she got them soaking in water now she knew they wouldn't stain. She filled the bath with water, undressed as it filled and placed her clothes in to soak. After a bit of care they were fine, but they would take a while to dry.
Bel got out of the shower. Her short hair was quick to clean and would dry without much fuss. She headed over to her bag, unlocked it with the key she took from her ruined tracksuit before she threw it away and expected to see her phone and the directions to the hotel sat on top of her clothes. Instead, there was, careful and neatly folded, a sky blue dress.
She recognised the dress immediately. It was Cassandra's and it was the same one that she had worn on their trip here. Bel had been convinced to join them even though it wasn't really something she had been interested in. As expected she hadn't really enjoyed the show but she had enjoyed the company. There was something contagious about the fun they were all having.
Bel snapped out of her reminiscing to consider the situation. The bag looked like hers, but they had all got matching cases for that trip so Cassandra would have one too. Her key worked in the lock but that was given to her by Cassandra on the previous trip too. It seems Cassandra must have taken her bag and she was left with Cassandra's.
Then the full weight of the situation began to set in. She needed to wear something but the only clothes here were Cassandra's. She considered her options but only one came to mind. She would have to wear Cassandra's dress and get to the hotel. Once there she'd explain everything and sort this all out. She would just need to get there without a map.
After getting changed she left the staff area and began to head to the exit. As soon as she stepped into the public part of the airport she felt her knees go weak. She self consciously ran her hand through her short hair and wondered what everyone would think? This wasn't her style, she looked out of place. She felt self conscious and as if everyone would be looking at her. She wondered how Cassandra was able to go anywhere dressed like this and she meekly headed towards the exit to begin her journey.
Once she was sure her clothes would dry well Cassandra went to get dressed. She opened her bag and was surprised at what she saw. A map, a phone, a purse? None of those were hers. It only took her a moment to realise what had happened. These were Bel's things. Sneaking here to surprise her was exactly the sort of thing Bel would enjoy doing, but the happiness that thought caused soon faded as the worry entered her mind.
Would Bel be able to find the hotel without the map? With no phone or money would she be able to get help? Cassandra was worried and she wouldn't be able to just sit and wait to see if it all turns out for the best. But she needed clothes.
She carefully arranged the contents of the bag to see what her best option was. She selected the longest skirt available which was far too short for her tastes and a crop top that had been made from a t-shirt with some sort of yellow smiling face icon. She looked at herself in the mirror, the amount of skin on show, it wouldn't have been much worse if she had just headed out in her underwear. But this wasn't the time to worry about that. The thought of Bel lost in the city was worse so with a crimson face she headed out onto the streets.
She looked around at the people passing by and her heart began to race. She knew there was nothing wrong with what she was wearing, Bel would wear this all the time and never had any problems. But she couldn't help but think it wasn't what she would wear and the extra skin on show, her legs and midriff in particular made her very self conscious. Her every instinct was to hide inside her room but she had to press on.
Bel sat down. The city was too big, she had no directions and couldn't even remember the name of the hotel to ask for some. She'd been to the hotel before but even then she had gotten lost. She'd nearly missed her flight and made Cassandra miss it too.
And she couldn't help but think about how she would look. Wearing a gown more suitable for a ball and she was sat on a bench. She had none of the poise that Bel had wearing this and she couldn't help but think about how out of place she looked.
The embarrassment combined with the lack of hope to find her destination was enough for anybody to give up. Yet Bel smiled as she sat there, hands awkwardly playing with the lace decorations.
The smile turned into a laugh as she looked up and saw Cassandra. She stood and ran towards her and noticed Cassandra had started to run too. They met in an embrace and she felt relief wash over her. Now that they were together they would be able to handle anything.
"I knew you'd be here" Cassandra said, breaking the silence before adding "You look wonderful"
Isabel shifted uncomfortably
"I feel awkward" Bel said softly "but you're looking good"
"I have no idea how you manage to dress like this?" Cassandra answered sharply before adding a quiet "thank you"
"Well I guess my surprise is ruined, though meeting at the site or our first kiss, this might be even better than I planned"
Cassandra smiled at that and realised how well they knew each other. Bel had waited at the location of their first kiss knowing Cassandra would head here. Cassandra headed here knowing Bel would wait rather than risk get lost in the city.
"We should head back to the hotel. I have your bag there and you have mine. We've got enough time to get changed" Cassandra told Bel. Bel's face had a playful wickedness to it and she leaned in and whispered into Cassandra's ear
"We don't have to get changed, let's go like this."
Cassandra blushed and tightly gripped Bel's hand.
"I think I could, as long as I'm with you."
Cute :3