The Date ~ Story Time

Finally another story! I know, I've been pushing this story for months, literally. First, because I wanted to have some furniture for the photos, but then when I realized I wouldn't get it, I tried to think on another idea for the photos. And then, I decided that I needed to use this as an excuse to learn to knit, and made knitted parts of outfits for both of them... which took me a month and a half to finish, with my mom's help.

So, oh well... next week is going to be a dress-up and full of anecdotes of me doing the outfits, because I have to share those! And I hope you will laugh with me (or at me) with some of them.  Also, I need to give a special thanks to Daggry_Saga (check her blog here) for beta reading this chapter and giving me valuable input! Thank you!! :D

But for now, the story! Have a photo here, and more under the cut.

Chapter 6: Coco's and Venezia's Date

The place had been perfect: soft music, quiet people, fast service and an amazing day behind them. Yet still, this was one of the hardest decisions Venezia had to make. What to choose? What to do? Which one would be better? She felt the clock ticking and pressing her for what felt like an eternity, but probably was only a couple seconds, and she still was not sure about her choice.

How could anyone expect such a decision from her, with only a couple seconds to thoroughly analyze the possibilities? How could she pick just one when the waitress offered both cheesecake and tiramisu to accompany her coffee? It was not fair, and it was not something she was prepared for. She would have had both of them, but then would look bad for a model… and maybe bad for Coco too. She could only wonder if she could get both and take one for later, but that would look even worse.

After some deliberation and the fixed polite smile on the waitress’ face, she had picked the tiramisu. Maybe it was just too much coffee but she didn’t care: it was simply perfect. Coco had been kind enough to entertain the waitress for a couple seconds while she took this very difficult and life-changing choice.

However, and now with the tiramisu in front of her, Venezia was feeling a little envy regarding Coco’s cheesecake. But she paid no attention to it, as she would have felt the same had they requested the opposite desserts. Sweet pastry like this was her doom, and she knew it. She had to at least show some self control, even if it was faked. Coco did not had to be aware of that.

“This place is great, and the desserts…!” she finally said, while preparing a little piece of tiramisu and eating it. The taste was perfection. The right amount of sweet and coffee, with a touch of decorative cream and a cherry to crown it. “Perfect!”

Coco nodded, smiling ever so slightly, while she finished another bite of cheesecake. There were many other desserts that also looked delicious, like the lemon pie, but she had been thinking on the same two. Maybe those were her favorite too? Venezia would have to find out how to ask that, as she did not want to be intrusive, and in that moment, she could only think on how gorgeous Coco was. She felt a deep admiration and even attraction, as each and every one of her gestures only made her look more stunning. Venezia bet she would look gorgeous with (or without) any make up, and any outfit. Of course Coco was be one of MOMO’s Dolls with that face, elegance and…

“Do you want to try the cheesecake?” Coco’s voice shook the dark-skinned women out of her thoughts. Of course she wanted! But the question had taken her by surprise, and wasn’t sure how to reply… and also, getting distracted by other ideas was not helpful at all. Nevertheless, Venezia did her best to push those thoughts aside: although she wished to be friends with Coco, they were only acquaintances, and after all Coco had done today, it would not do to hit on her… specially because Venezia was not even sure that Coco was into women.

“Only if you accept a little of tiramisu” a good answer finally came to her, and she felt proud of herself.

A small and quiet laugh crossed Coco’s lips, as the retort took her by surprise. She was having fun and enjoying the time spent together, as it was different from having to keep a façade active all the time while working. And in that moment, Venezia understood her. She was not how the media pictured her at all, not how the people on MOMO described her: Coco was kind, funny, and even had an aura of loneliness around her.

“We have a deal!” Coco agreed, and both girls started preparing a little bite of their desserts on their spoons. Venezia offered the tiramisu first, and then Coco gave her the cheesecake. She closed her eyes, savoring it, tasting it. What could she say? That cheesecake was delicious. The perfect mix of vanilla crust and the cheese-cream mix, with amazingly tasty red fruits. She was lost on her gourmet thoughts when she left her wishes be spoken. “I have to come here again. Their desserts are perfect!”

Coco shared another small laugh, nodding in agreement. “I love this place” she confessed. Of course Venezia could agree with that statement: everything had been perfect. “If you want to share another coffee and sweet desserts, you have my number” Coco finally added, and silence fell upon them. But it was comfortable and full of understanding, even when it took Venezia a moment to realize that maybe she was not the only one hoping for a friendship. Or maybe Coco was simply being too polite.

“I had a great time” Venezia finally added. “Thank you for putting up with me, and not getting mad at all the postponing of the date!” This time, Coco made a disproving grunt, while finishing a sip of her latte. Venezia almost frowned, but the other girl rushed to clarify herself. “You were accepted on MOMO and had interviews and meetings to do. I understand that, I’ve been there. You should be celebrating, not apologizing!”.

Venezia’s face lightened and she felt a weight lift off her shoulders. “I still cannot believe it!” she confessed. It was living her dream, starting to do everything she had hoped for on her life, and knowing all the possibilities and doors this job could open for her, it felt… overwhelming. And even more, she still could not believe she was hanging out with another model, talking like if they were childhood friends. ‘I hope… I do wish her offer was sincere, and that we can repeat this…’ she longed on her thoughts, thinking on how much fun they had during the day.

First, they had met during the morning and walked through one of the most popular streets for fashion stores. That is how she came to know that Coco had irrefutable passion for high heels that compelled her to stop on each and every storefront displaying footwear. That passion also made her comment on the materials, shape and manufacturing of her favorite shoes, also qualifying the color and materials as if she was a movie critic studying a film. And honestly, though she was not able to understand that passion, Venezia accompanied Coco and shared her not-so-expert analysis.

After all, the black haired women wore heels daily when working, either modeling or attending events, and had even a contract with a brand that offered nude shoes for every skin tone. But on her house and not forced too, she chose sneakers and comfy footwear all the time. However, Coco had a different idea. She even wore them with her comfortable clothes! Venezia doubted that, given the chance, Coco would even use them at the gym. And because of her how lack of interest and endurance, she admired the seasoned model for loving that kind of painful footwear.

And so, after a couple hours of window shopping, Coco had finally caved on a pair of velvety Jimmy Choo pumps, on a pale dior rose color. Venezia had to agree that her taste in shoes was undeniable exquisite and refined, to say the least.

In all that time, Coco did insist on Venezia trying some shoes, and even pointed at some that would have undoubtedly looked good on her. Venezia agreed, but she simply did not want to spend money on them. After a while, when she got into the Jimmy Choo store, the employee rushed to her side, apparently recognizing her. He had then proceeded to offer a wide range of exclusive shoes that tempted the model and drived her thoughts away from Venezia.

However, after all those stores, there were also fashion boutiques and Venezia had found her purchase of the day: a perfect pair of well-tailored black velvet leggings, which also had sizeable pockets. Apparently, it was the velvet season as every storefront had something made on that fabric. Venezia was not keen on velvet, but that quality of construction, and those pockets had convinced her otherwise. Finding women legwear for her hip size, in a high fashion store and with pockets was a miracle, and she was not willing to let it go so easily. Plus, she considered it a gift to herself for finally getting the job of her dreams.

But something had made her uncomfortable. Though she walked with Coco, and she treated her like an equal, Venezia was sadly aware of their differences. The light haired model was, apparently, a regular client on many of these stores and had modeled and walked for several of their brands. As a consequence, on every store they got in, an employee would rush to their sides, showing Coco a preference over the other customers. Most of that time, they ignored Venezia and in the others treated her as Coco’s personal assistant.

But to Venezia’s surprise, in each and every store any of this happened Coco took a special moment to introduce her as a friend to the employee, which usually caused a completely flip of treatment, and occasionally an apologize. And thus, after an unfortunate comment on the size, followed by a frown from Coco, the employee had produced the correct size for the black velvet leggings, which also included an apology, a considerable discount and a platinum membership for the store.

Venezia felt like being on a tornado of emotions. Surprise, heart-warm and admiration were one of the many things. On her previous jobs, the other models would not even talk to her, or even comment on her size, her prominent breasts, or even how tanned she look. And here was Coco, so much famous, known and well-paid that all of those women, and yet still… she treated her like an equal. Was she aware of how many doors she was opening for Venezia by introducing them to the people on those stores? Or was she simply doing it out of selflessness? After so many years of being treated so badly, Venezia had to mentally reprimand herself for always thinking the worst of people.

And it was not an economic or opportunistic desire what droved Venezia either. She had always longed for a fair treatment and when she got it, she did not want to let it go. Coco was stunning and beautiful, both outside but also as a person. She had only got a small glance at it, but she was humane, understanding and never referred to her as less than a friend or a work colleague, even if they were not equal at all.

But the walk did not end there. After the fashion street Coco had suggested to go to a couple bookstores. They got into one which redefined the concept of ‘big bookstore’ Venezia had, and she immediately rushed to the Holmes-inspired section and the young-adult books. She did not realize she had lost track of Coco, and allowed her mind to focus on the summary she was reading on the back of a book: apparently, the girl in question had just found she was a dragon, and now the government was after her. She was so consumed and flowing on her imagination, that almost dropped the book when she felt a soft touch on her shoulder.

She turned to see Coco near her, now also holding a purchase bag from the bookstore. Venezia was about to ask, but then the other model moved the bags towards her back, changing the subject with a question. And the black-haired girl knew better than getting in other people business. Maybe someday Coco would feel good enough to share her purchase contents with her.

“So… what do you want to do now?” Coco’s voice draw Venezia out of her thoughts one more, but also brought a small sting of sadness to her, as she did not want the date to end. If it was in her power, she would be glad with freezing the time in that moment.

“I don’t know. Any ideas?” she answered.

Coco nodded. “Well… I did post my cheesecake to Instagram, but that is not enough. Do you want to go to the chrome wall and take some selfies?” she asked, casually, as it if was something common… which it was, but not for Venezia.

Thus, the offering rendered her speechless, and her surprise must have been notorious, despise her best efforts to hide it, as Coco quickly attempted to clarify herself. “If you want of course! I will tag you… or we can do something else”. Her voice had a different tone now. It was a mixture of uncomfortable with not wanting to offend Venezia.

Coco had thought it would be a nice touch to end the day, and maybe ask Venezia’s Instagram account indirectly… but now she felt bad. She was not kin with people, and definitely enjoyed her alone time way too much, but the loneliness and the desire to share moments with a friend overwhelmed her. Maybe she was pushing it too much, maybe Venezia wanted nothing more than a hang out, and she was escalating things on her mind. However, it had been months -or even years- since she had enjoyed a casual day out with an acquaintance, and she already felt fool enough for wishing they could be friends. Perhaps she had made Venezia uncomfortable on the fashion stores, but she could not tolerate people treating her so badly… and even less because she knew that treatment by first hand.

“No, no! Please! I’d love to!” Venezia answered, hurried to avoid any possible misunderstandings. She was aware of that subtle change in Coco’s voice and the least she wanted was making her feel bad, after the amazing day they had shared. “It is just… that I don’t know what the chrome wall is…” she confessed.

Coco’s face subtly changed, but now it was radiant and full of joy. She nodded, smiling and agreeing with her. It was those moments that told Venezia that there was so much to Coco than meets the eyes.

“Oh!” she finally said, her voice full of realization. “It is just a white wall on the side on one of the big parks on the city. Years ago it was painted black, but now it is full of graffiti, all painted in black” Coco explained, while hailing the waitress to bring the ticket. “I love that place, and I think it is great for a couple selfies!”

“I couldn’t agree more” Venezia confessed, preparing her things, as she was determined to not let Coco pay for them both. She would at least pay for her own side. “Plus, I’d love to see it!”

They shared a smile. After all, it had been one of their greatest days.

I'm so sorry it went on for so long! The first sketch was shorter, but then I wanted to add so much more! I already have three more sort-of chapters thought: Halloween party, Xmas party and Venezia's bday. I do hope to make them all in time!

Also, I wanted to edit that last photo as a paparazzi magazine or something, but all my edits came awful, just please imagine a paparazzi took a photo of them taking a selfie xD Maybe an Instagram edit would have been easier for the selfie. Oh anyways