note: this story includes a sample from the Freesound library courtesy of Emanuele_Correani. apologies to ABBA.
dressing for your date
Which lipstick looks best? Rayika stood in front of her mirror, paralysed by the choices laid before her from the new Range of Rouge collection. She’d tried a couple of the light reds, but they seemed a little excessive with her mascara. The darker shades looked too gothic though. She didn’t want to look like she was taking the mick.
Which lipstick? Rayika thought about it so hard, it took a heart-stoppingly loud shout of ‘Ray’ and a knock on her room door to jolt her out of her paralysis.
‘Open up! What are you doing in there? Open up, lass!’
Rayika went to open her door to find her flatmate Helen, fully made up and dressed to the nines, for a night out.
She started gabbling before Rayika’s eyes could even take her all in. ‘Eyy! There you are! I knew you’d be in there — don’t you ever get bored, holed up in your room all the time, hmmm? I just wanted to let you know that me and the rest of the girls are going to hit the town later –’ and as she pulled out a bottle from behind herself, added, ‘and we’re gonna have a couple cheeky glasses of Lambs before we head off! Actually, who am I kidding? Cheeky bottles, am I right? Funny how we call it Lambs when it turns us all into mutton anyway!’
Rayika laughed. Helen was always irrepressible when in this mood. ‘Well, I hope you have a good one,’ she replied, thinking she’d brought the conversation to a natural close. But Helen lingered at the door for a moment, eyes loaded with the thing she really wanted to say.
‘Look — I know I always ask, but, is there any danger of you joining us? Not for the drinking of course, I meant going out! I’ll buy your softies anyway, you know that girl! I’ve got ya back!’
Rayika declined. ‘No thanks, I’m busy tonight.’
Helen playacted her annoyance, as she had done countless times before; it was all part of the dance. ‘Whatever you do in here –’ she poked her head into Rayika’s room – ‘you should do less of it, y’know. Let your hair down a little. I do wish you’d come out to play, Ray. I reckon you’d be a wicked dancer. I’ve just gotta feeling!’
‘Haha — you’d be right! It’s my mother hips, I’ve got,’ Rayika said, playfully pinching her precious family heirloom at both sides.
‘Okay, well, if you change your mind… ABBA, you know what I mean!’
‘Haha! Oh I do,’ said Rayika, and at that, they fell into a mini singsong, and that really would have been the end of the conversation, except for the fact that Helen caught sight of the lipstick set. ‘Err, why can I see a Range of Rouge set on your bed?’ she asked. ‘Have you, er… have you got a date?’
Rayika’s eyes flickered and her lips curled upwards, as though to say ‘maybe’.
Helen grinned. ‘You dark horse! Kept that under wraps, didn’t you? I should have guessed; your face looks a little too done up for reading! Who’s the lucky fella then?’
‘Some guy.’
‘Oh yeah? Anyone I know?’
‘Sort of.’
‘Ok, you’re playing coy, I get it,’ Helen said, ‘but is it the real reason you can’t come out to play?’
‘Well,’ Rayika mumbled, ‘you’ve gotta look good for your date, haven’t you?’ And with that she shut the door before Helen had a chance to respond. In her room, Rayika steadied herself toward Qiblah, drew a deep breath, covered her Satr, and began to make her Intention…
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