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Holly dragged the brush through her hair, trying to get it as neat as possible before Briar’s arrival. It typically took her hours to brush it out, but she’d been so busy getting everything ready that she’d hardly had the time. A table was set up in the corner of her tower room, lit by candlelight and covered with food. She’d wanted to do something special for Briar, so she’d made dinner from scratch: alfredo and freshly baked bread and a lemon cake. Whenever Briar took her out, they always ended up eating a fast food dinner on the fly before they did something crazy like skydiving or swimming with sharks, but Holly had wanted to do something different tonight.
Her hair wasn’t going to be perfect, but she’d had the time to change into her prettiest dress, which was teal and covered with delicate sparkles. Holly slid a tiara into her hair to partially cover up the fact that it was still frizzy, and her look was done. She was starting to get a little harried now that it was almost six o’clock. Had she actually remembered to put the lemon in the lemon cake? Had she prepared enough food? Did she need to make something else really quickly, like a salad or appetizer or something? And, of course, her lurking biggest fear: would Briar be bored with just a dinner date? It wasn’t exactly a wild and fun activity. Before she could even decide what to tackle, Holly heard a cry from below her tower, and she raced to the window.
“Holly, Holly, let down your long hair!” Briar shouted up, the equivalent of ringing a bell or knocking on the door at Holly’s place. Holly leaned over and dropped her hair out, feeling a slight tug as Briar began climbing. Briar was very skilled at scaling hair from all of her years of experience rock climbing, and she was at the window in seconds. Holly extended a hand to help her in before she paused to take in Briar’s appearance.
The princess was stunning. She was decked out in a hot pink dress with a skirt that puffed out like rose petals. Silver thorn bracelets laced up her arms, and rose jewelry adorned her neck and ears. She made Holly feel unsophisticated even in her own house. But before Holly could even finish taking in Briar fully, the girl had already leaped onto her, crushing her in a hug. Holly laughed brightly as she stumbled backwards, clinging to Briar just as tightly. When Briar finally let go, she looked all around the room, soaking in the ambiance Holly had created.
“Oh, Holly,” she sighed, clutching the girl’s hand. “This is so beautiful.”
Holly blushed. “You don’t think it’s too boring? It’s just dinner at home, and you dressed up so nice.”
Briar was already shaking her head. “No, this is perfect. You’re amazing, Holly. This is just what I needed.” Then, always one to follow her nose, she sniffed loudly.
“Is that… lemon cake?” she asked, drooling a little bit. Holly nodded, laughing, and she tugged Briar to the source of the smell. The two girls sat down at the table together, and later, when Holly was munching on alfredo and laughing at one of Briar’s stories, she knew that despite the fact that her evening plan hadn’t been anything too fancy, it was just right for the two of them.