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"Is that my shirt?"
Uhura looked down at the blouse she was wearing. “I’m sorry,” she said, turning to her roommate with a smile. “I had one that looked just like this ages ago. I thought it was mine.”
“Honestly, it looks better on you than it does on me,” Gaila said with a chuckle. She crossed her legs and leaned against the side of the bed. “Hot date?”
Uhura shook her head. “Just dinner with a friend.”
“A friend you have an attraction to?” Gaila teased.
“Used to,” she replied. “I...don’t know what we are now. I don’t even know if we’re really friends, honestly.”
Gaila tilted her head and studied Uhura. “Do you want that Vulcan teacher to sit up and take notice? Because if you do, that is not the outfit to wear.”
Uhura’s eyes bugged slightly. Granted, she hadn’t made an actual move until there wouldn’t be any repercussions against Spock if it were to come out that there was an interest, or there was… “You weren’t supposed to know,” she said.
“You’re talking to a member of the Orion race, Nyota. When it comes to attraction, we know,” Gaila said with a laugh, uncrossing her legs quickly and scrambling to get up off the floor. She headed towards the closet and Uhura followed. The majority of it was filled up with Gaila’s clothing, or the scraps of fabric that was supposed to be clothing. Uhura was about to say this wasn’t a place that was too formal or fancy but still required decency when Gaila came out with a long black halter dress made out of a chiffon type material that wasn’t form fitting but was low cut in the back enough to be daring. “I do have stuff that doesn’t show off every inch of my skin.”
“This is gorgeous,” Uhura said, touching the material.
“You can have it, as long as you promise to invite me to the wedding,” Gaila said with a wide smile. “And introduce me to all the groomsmen.”
Uhura chuckled as she took the dress from her. “What if there isn’t a wedding?” she asked.
“First kids, cute cats...name one after me and I’ll consider it a worthy trade.” Gaila tilted her head. “Dangly earrings, definitely. And a chain around the waist. And killer makeup.”
Uhura let Gaila move her to the seat in front of her desk, which she had turned into a vanity, and began flitting around her. By the time Uhura’s hair and make-up were done and the jewelry was added, she thought she looked every inch the African queen her father had always said she was. She turned to look in the full-length mirror and then went and gave Gaila a hug. “I owe you,” she said.
“Stay at his place tonight,” Gaila said before pulling back. “Or at least stay out late.”
Uhura smiled and nodded. “Deal.” Gaila handed her a pocketbook and Uhura added a few things to it before slipping on a pair of heels and heading out the door. It didn’t take long to get to the restaurant and she saw Spock was already there.
His eyes grew wide as she approached, and he quickly stood up to pull out her chair in a show of human manners. “Nyota,” he said.
“Thank you,” she replied.
“You look...stunning,” he said as she sat down and he gently pushed the chair in.
“Advice from a friend helped,” she said, a faint blush settling on her cheeks. It had been a little while since the incident in the classroom, and she had almost said no to dinner tonight. Now, she was glad she had agreed. “How is everything?”
“Do you want the truth?” he asked as he went back to his own seat.
“You’d give me nothing less,” she said with a soft smile, knowing that even though most Vulcans could not lie, they could evade well enough.
“I have been upset by your absence, and my actions of late have been to see how I can...fix things,” he said solemnly.
“And what did you decide to do?” she asked, tilting her head.
“Apologize for the position I put you in. Ask for your forgiveness. And...ask for a second chance?” He said the last part as a question, which surprised her. Normally he was so sure and confident, and this showed, perhaps, he was quite aware of what he lost, and that he might never get it back.
Which...well, she had missed him. More than she wanted to admit. And since he would never lie to her, that meant he was truly sorry.
She reached over and placed a hand on his. “I think we can see how tonight goes, and decide from there,” she said, grateful to see Spock’s equivalence of a big, bright smile cross his face. Saying yes to dinner tonight may have been the best idea after all...