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Vi reaches her hands above her head in a stretch. She holds them there for a moment, feeling the strain in her shoulders and back before relaxing with a long sigh. She pushes her glasses up into her hair and rubs her eyes.
Soft, classical music plays from hidden speakers and the afternoon sun shines through the large window spanning the front wall of the shop.
“Okay,” Vi mutters to herself, pulling her glasses back to the bridge of her nose. “Lemme just—” She stands and rounds her desk, head twisting this way and that, eyes locked on a sketch revision that she’s been working on for the better part of the hour.
One of her regulars had referred a friend. Said friend had requested a simple blazer. As a result of many many changes, said blazer is no longer simple.
“Well,” Vi twirls her pencil between her fingers and nods. “That’ll do just fine, I think.”
The bell above the door jingles and the clack clack clack of heeled boots sound behind her in the otherwise quiet tailor shop.
Vi turns at the sound and her eyes widen as a familiar blue haired woman comes into view.
“Miss Kiramman!” Vi greets, smiling. “Back again already?”
The woman returns the smile. “Yes, I’ve…got another event.” Her cheeks flush.
Vi guides Caitlyn towards her desk, moving the sketch revision out of the way and pulling out a new, blank sheet of paper.
Vi tucks her pencil behind her ear. “You must be a very important woman. How many times has an event brought you into my shop now?” She holds her hand out to help Caitlyn up onto the fitting platform.
“Enough for you to just call me Caitlyn, I’m sure.”
“What are we thinking for this one?” Vi asks, avoiding the unspoken request. “Suit, dress, traditional, modern…?” She trails off and looks up at Caitlyn, who’s eye has narrowed, a pout dancing on her lips.
Vi huffs and shakes her head. “Ah, what am I supposed to do when you look at me like that?”
Pretty pink lips part and Caitlyn lets out a small gasp, face coloring with surprise.
Shit, Shit, Shit, Vi thinks. She hadn't meant to say that part out loud. Her heart rate shoots into the stratosphere as she searches for what to say next.
“I mean— you win, hah,” Vi adjusts her glasses on her nose, just to have something to do with her hands. “Caitlyn it is. Just don’t, um, don’t tell the owner I’m callin’ you that. ‘Cause— you know, professionalism and all…” She trails off with a weak laugh, hoping her ears aren’t as red as they feel.
Caitlyn’s brow furrows. “Aren’t you the owner?” Her eye darts to the shop’s window where backwards lettering spells Violet’s Tailoring and Formal Wear.
Vi freezes. Fuck. “If I said no, would you believe me?”
Caitlyn bites her lip, and Vi knows she’s trying not to laugh. “If I said yes, would you believe me?”
Vi glances away and rubs the back of her neck. “Guess not,” She concedes.
“A suit, this time,” Caitlyn says, putting Vi out of her misery. “Double breasted. Navy.”
Vi walks a slow circle around Caitlyn, eyes roaming all over the taller woman’s form. Fabric unfurls in her mind's eye, draping and folding over Caitlyn’s figure.
“You look good in navy,” Vi mutters under her breath, mentally noting down the measurements she’ll need to take. Oversized. Wide leg. Maybe a sweater underneath? Turtleneck? “How formal is this event?” Vi tugs her tape measure from around her neck. “Arms up, please.”
Caitlyn complies. “It’s a glorified party,” She answers. “I’m just there to look nice and pretend I’m having a good time.”
Vi pauses, measuring tape held in midair. “You don’t enjoy them?”
Caitlyn grimaces. “I don’t…don’t enjoy them,” She says.
“That’s a yes, then,” Vi decides. She records a measurement and tucks her pencil back behind her ear.
Caitlyn chuckles. “They can be quite dull, yes.”
“There’s not a single part you like?” Vi wraps the measure around Caitlyn’s waist.
“Well— uhm—”
“Done, thank you.” Vi steps back toward her desk to jot down another measurement. She looks over her shoulder at Caitlyn for her answer.
Caitlyn lowers her arms and readjusts her sleeve. Fiddles with the hem of her sweater. “This part is nice.”
“Hm?” Vi tilts her head and walks back over.
“Coming here. Seeing you.”
“Oh,” Vi says, softly.
Caitlyn avoids her eyes and Vi lets her. Twirls the tape measure in her hands and kneels to get Caitlyn’s inseam.
“I’m glad,” Vi speaks to the numbers on the tape. Registers Caitlyn’s sharp inhale when her fingers brush against her thigh. Recontextualizes all of their interactions in her head. “I’ll, uh, I’ll do my best to take care of you, then. Today,” She cringes internally.
A voice in Vi’s head sounding suspiciously like Jinx echoes, “If you don’t ask her out the next time you see her, I’m going to eat your tape measure. The good one!”
“You always do, Vi,” Caitlyn’s low, accentented voice drifts down from above.
Vi glances up and gets caught in Caitlyn’s ready gaze. The piercing blue of her eye pins her to the floor.
Vi tries and fails to speak twice before succeeding. “Just—” She clears her throat. “Just let me know what you might need. I’ll make it good for you.”
Caitlyn’s eye grows wide and Vi jolts, realizing how her words might sound.
“The fitting, I mean,” Vi scrambles to her feet and flushes at the fact that she still needs to look up. “I’ll make it fit right— your suit!” She squeezes her eyes shut and wills herself to stop talking.
“Actually, there is one thing,” Caitlyn begins.
Vi opens her eyes, clutching at the change of topic like a lifeline. “Yes! Whatever you need,” She rushes to say.
“I’d like you to make another suit. Matching mine. In your measurements.”
Vi adjusts her glasses again. “Pardon?”
Caitlyn smiles. “Come with me this time. Help me enjoy this one. For longer than a fitting,” Her eye searches Vi’s, gaze hopeful.
Vi’s breaths come to her in short, quick bursts. Thoughts like, ‘holy shit’ and ‘aren’t your parties super fancy?’ and ‘Jinx is never gonna let me live this down— oh man my favorite measure—’
On an exhale she says a simple, “Okay.”
Caitlyn’s expression brightens. “You’ll come?”
Vi feels the tension evaporate from her chest. “Yeah,” She laughs, giddy. “Yeah I’ll come with you— I’d love to.”
Caitlyn smiles wide, tooth gap on full display and isn’t that a sight?
It has Vi burying her head in her hands, laughing into her palms. “Man— I’ve been meaning to ask you out for ages. I can’t believe you beat me to it.”
Caitlyn ducks her head. “My brother gave me a pep talk right before he dropped me off today. That’s the only reason I found the courage to ask this time around,” She hesitates for a beat. “I made up at least half of those events just to come see you.”
Vi whips her head up. Her jaw drops. “All those outfits—!”
Caitlyn hides her face in her shoulder. “I was hoping I could wear them on our dates. I imagined with each one what we would do.”
“Oh,” Vi says, speechless for the second time in as many minutes. She sifts through every item she’s ever made for Caitlyn.
The silk dress. Lavender. Backless. A nice dinner, a dance in her living room. The overcoat. Heavy. Gold buttons. Drinks, a walk afterwards, people watching. The linen blouse. A day at the beach, bike rides, ice cream.
Vi clears her throat. “It seems like I’ve got some catching up to do.” Ideas run rampant in her mind. “Gotta make sure I look good next to you. That we match.”
“That’s not something you have to worry about. I always think you look quite handsome,” Caitlyn casts her gaze around the shop. “And it’s no question whether you dress well.”
“Thanks,” Vi breathes. “You too. I mean—” She holds out her hands, gesturing at Caitlyn. “You’re very pretty. Not that you’re not handsome, though! You are. Handsome, I mean. And pretty. You’re both— It’s like— Like if a man and woman had a baby.”
Caitlyn opens her mouth and closes it, biting her lip.
“Yeah, I heard it,” Vi sighs.
“Okay.”
Vi takes a deep breath. “Do you still want to go out with me?”
“More than ever.”
“Cool, um” Vi checks the time. It’s just past one in the afternoon. “Wanna get lunch?”
Caitlyn smiles. “That’d be lovely.”
Vi grins. She holds a hand out to help Cailtyn off the fitting platform and swings around her desk to grab her keys. After locking up, she shyly offers her hand again and the way that Caitlyn takes it with no hesitation sends her heart aflutter.
“My dad owns the diner down the road,” Vi suggests.
Caitlyn’s eye glimmers. “Lead the way.”