After She Said Yes. Kaya Gravitter

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СКАЧАТЬ what?” Tessa said.

      “Sad.”

      “Come on, Aurora.”

      Aurora looked at herself again and lifted up her shirt and saw that one of the old bruises Gannon left was finally gone.

      “You know what,” Aurora said. “I just don’t feel beautiful today.” She tried to put her hair behind her ears.

      “You are gorgeous!”

      “You are just saying that because I am your best friend. So your opinion is biased.”

      “It may be biased, but I am not wrong,” Tessa said. “How about this? I do your makeup and your hair tonight and we can go to that Korean place tonight!”

      “Okay. Fine,” Aurora said. “You win.” This will be the first time I eat an actual meal in God knows how long...

      “No, we both win. I promise you will have fun tonight.”

      “Okay then. I have to get back to work.”

      “Okay!” Tessa said. “I will see you after work.”

      --

      Aurora got home from work and saw Tessa on the couch. Above the couch, there was a collage of Aurora and Tessa on the wall. Aurora was cheesy, so she loved to get cheesy gifts like that for people. Tessa owned a small two-bedroom townhouse in the outer suburbs of Madison. The kitchen was at the entrance. Also by the entrance was the kitchen table, which Tessa and Aurora used as a makeshift shelf to place their things. It was just far more convenient than getting an actual shelf to hold their keys and purses. Tessa loved to sit on the couch in the small living room after work and watch Gilmore Girls while sipping on a cup of coffee. Tessa was always so relaxed but peppy at the same time, and she didn’t even smoke weed. However, Tessa was also very blunt.

      Tessa said in her peppy voice as she saw Aurora come through the front door, “Heyyyy. Excited for tonight?”

      “Ecstatic.”

      “Really?” Tessa asked.

      “No. Not one bit,” Aurora said as she took off her jacket. “You should know my sarcasm by now.”

      Aurora set down her things on the table and sat on the couch. “I don’t know what to wear tonight.”

      “This is exciting!” Tessa said.

      “Really?” Aurora said. “Well, of course it is for you! You love choosing outfits for people to wear.”

      People dressing was a hobby of Tessa’s. It could have been a profession for her because she was so good at it, but she said she would rather be a dentist because she “loves teeth.” She had a nice bright white smile, too. Aurora didn’t know how Tessa’s teeth never stained from all the coffee she drank.

      “Okay,” Tessa said. “Just don’t get used to it.”

      “Do you have any black shirts?” Tessa said.

      “Maybe like one. I always wear blue,” Aurora said. “You know that.”

      “Okay, you can borrow one of my shirts. You should always have at least one black shirt. I’ll even do your hair, but you have to do your own makeup.”

      “Uh… But I haven’t worn makeup in months.” Aurora used to love doing her makeup before Gannon made her stop. She thought it always expressed who she was without her having to say a word. “You know what. It will be fun to do my own makeup. Though I am sure if I do winged eyeliner it’ll look more like more like squiggly lines a child drew.” They both laughed.

      “That is what I like to hear. You are at least happy to do your own makeup,” Tessa said. “Now let us go pick out one of your outfits.”

      “Okay, mom,” Aurora said, and then Tessa rolled her eyes at her.

      Tessa did a blowout to her hair and Aurora’s. Aurora was worried she looked like she was some model you’d find from an old 80’s magazine. They both had on jeans and black three-quarter-sleeve shirts. They both looked hot. Aurora had put on gold eyeshadow and winged eyeliner. Nonetheless, Aurora was feeling pretty and feeling herself that night.

      Aurora and Tessa decided to have dinner first before going out. They drove into the city and parked next to Aurora’s office. They walked to their favorite Korean restaurant. They tried to walk everywhere as much as possible since it was a cheap form of exercise and burning off the huge amount of food they would eat. Aurora ordered the bibimbap, which was her favorite dish. She hadn’t eaten it in so long, so it tasted amazing to her. Tessa would get her usual, the chicken katsu.

      After dinner, they went to their favorite club in Madison called The Old Fashion. The décor reminded you of a speakeasy from the 1920s. There were leather booths and mahogany-colored curtains draped over the windows. The dance floor was made out of wood. They knew the drinks were always good and there were good-looking guys, which was the welcomed distraction Aurora needed. Aurora didn’t really drink because it didn’t mix well with her recent PTSD medicine she started taking, but seeing some hot men was just what the doctor ordered. The club was the hotspot for staffers from the state capital and lawyers from around town. This was the perfect place for successful and good-looking men. So Aurora and Tessa knew that there was no doubt Gannon would not be there.

      Tessa and Aurora sat at the bar. Aurora’s first drink was a virgin mojito. Tessa’s drink was an old fashioned because that was the specialty at the bar. Frank Sinatra's song “The Way You Look Tonight” was playing in the background. It was swing music night.

      Aurora and Tessa sat and talked with each other for a while about life while they scoped out the attractive men, though their talking seemed more like screaming because it was so loud inside. Aurora kept stirring her drink with a short black straw.

      “Do you think that guy over there is cute?” Tessa asked. Aurora looked up.

      “Really? To be honest?” Aurora said. “I am not interested in looking.”

      “Just look over there!” Tessa said. “It will not hurt you.”

      “Fine,” Aurora said as she turned her head and locked eyes with the guy. She started to laugh. “Ha! Do you mean Mr. Jersey Shore over there?”

      “Don’t stare, Aurora!” Tessa said. “I meant the blonde guy next to him.”

      The two guys were now staring at Aurora and Tessa.

      “Is Jersey Shore really walking towards us?” Aurora and Tessa looked at each other with deer-in-the-headlights looks. “Great. I unchained the beast.”

      “Crap!” Tessa said. “Let’s pretend we didn’t see him.”

      “Tessa, he looks like a guy who spends a couple of hours a day at the gym but definitely misses leg day.”

      He was attractive, but his bulging muscles overshadowed his face as if he had no neck. Aurora wondered how he could fit his arms through the shirtsleeves.

      Aurora said СКАЧАТЬ