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"Are you sure you don't want a smokey eye? Or some eyeliner? I think it fits your whole vibe."
Ever since the news of Aaron going on her first serious date with Katelyn spread, Allison, Renee and Dan saw it as their responsibility to get Aaron ready for it. The official reason given was that Kevin, the person who basically lives in gym wear, should not be the one giving any kind of fashion advice to Aaron. Even if nobody has said it out loud, Aaron saw that as some sort of girlhood ritual. Things has changed a lot; Kevin is no longer her only friend, Katelyn is genuinely interested in her, hell, even Andrew started acknowledging her existence again. All too good to be true, but she decided to not dwell on it too much.
Allison waves the eyeshadow pallette in front of Aaron's face. "I mean, if you don't want to, it's alright. I think you already look good."
"I mean… Won't I look stupid?"
"As if we would let you look stupid. I know what I'm doing. But it's up to you."
Aaron looks between all of them, nervously chewing on her bottom lip. She trusts Allison's skills more than her own, there is a reason why she never bothers with make-up after all. The eyeliner wouldn't hurt, surely? She's been told she has pretty eyes.
"Alright. But only if you'll tell me if it looks bad on me."
It doesn't look bad. Quite the opposite. Aaron still can't see herself in make-up, but it's a nice change of pace. And it does fit her whole vibe, or whatever they said. The girl who is looking back at her in the mirror seems a bit lost, but ultimately ready for a first date. The jewelry is doing most of the heavy lifting, as Aaron's wardrobe is mostly plain black clothes at the moment, but her friends made it work.
Dan slips a bright red lipstick into Aaron's hand and Aaron just stares at it, startled. Wouldn't that be too much? The color is beautiful, but…
"Uh, um, thank you, but I don't know if I should—"
"Take it with you." Dan smiles at her and Aaron just slips the lipstick into her backpack, even though she's sure it's going to stay there for the entire date.
She leaves the dorm with enough good luck wishes to last her two lifetimes, yet she still feels so nervous. As she walks to the park they decided as their meeting spot, Aaron tries to think about every single thing that could possibly go wrong. Since they're having a picnic, the possibilities seem endless. What if Katelyn doesn't like what Aaron made? Maybe she has allergies that she never told Aaron about, even if that sounds ridiculous, even to Aaron's stressed mind. Aaron can always just spill something. Trip while holding food. Accidentally put the blanket over a bunch of angry ants.
Aaron takes a few deep breaths that don't help at all when she enters the park. This can't be so bad, surely. She's probably as nervous as I am— Oh.
Aaron spots Katelyn from far away, her hair so bright she stands out among the rest of the people. Or maybe it's just that Aaron's knees get weak every single time she sees her. She's wearing the prettiest summer dress Aaron can imagine, the baby blue frills contrasting nicely with little yellow flowers woven into her curls.
"Hi." Aaron forgets everything she wanted to say, cutting it short before she can embarrass herself. Her ears burn, and she's pretty sure her face is already bright red too. "You look, um, pretty. That's a nice dress." Aaron scolds herself internally for how dry the compliment was, but Katelyn smiles at her and it's like staring right into the sun.
"Aw, thank you, darling. You're looking good yourself." Katelyn plays with Aaron's necklace for a moment, fortunately stopping before Aaron spontaneously combusts.
Once they set up their blanket (it doesn't look pretty enough for a 'perfect first date', but it will do) and actually sit down, Aaron is still so stressed she can't sit like a normal person. She's stiff as a board, there's no way Katelyn hasn't noticed. Fuck, and what if Katelyn now realizes Aaron is not worth her time?
"You said you made those cupcakes yourself?" Katelyn puts her hand over Aaron's, her question snapping Aaron out of it.
"Yeah. I'm not really, like, a baker or anything, I can barely cook, but… I found this one recipe and it looked easy enough."
"I'm sure they're at least okay. I burned two batches of cookies before I got it right." Katelyn points to the container of absolutely delicious looking cookies and it somehow makes Aaron feel better. Lighter.
From that point on, their conversation slowly slips into that effortless stage where Aaron just talks instead of overthinking. They complain about their classes, Kate brings up new anecdotes about what happened in the café recently, Aaron shyly brings up her new friends. Katelyn holds her hand the entire time. The feeling is electric.
"Hey, it's getting a bit cold…"
In a very sudden surge of confidence, Aaron slipped her jacket off her shoulders and put it on Katelyn. She's had that jacket since forever, it's the one thing she can never get rid of, no matter how much her style changes. It has a bunch of patches she sew on it throughout the years and smelled faintly of her new favorite fruity perfume. It is getting colder, but Aaron also just wants to see Katelyn wear it.
"And they say chivalry is dead." Katelyn smirks, but her cheeks are tinted pink. So are Aaron's.
It seems Aaron's luck has run out, because when she tries to subtly shift closer to Katelyn, she loses her balance and lands on her backpack. Most of its contents spill out, along with the lipstick Dan gave her. Kate helps Aaron put everything together again, but stops when she spots it.
"It's not mine." Aaron has no reason to be so defensive about it, really, but old habits die hard. "Uh… a friend gave it to me, but I don't think I'd even look good, you know?"
"Have you tried putting it on, or are you just saying things?"
Of course Katelyn would be the one person to see through her. Of course.
"I haven't, but— It's hard for me sometimes, okay? I feel like I'm just wearing a costume. And wearing it incorrectly."
"Okay, let me rephrase that. Would you like to try it on? You don't have to like how it looks. You don't have to be into the whole make-up thing."
"I… I honestly don't think I'll ever be. But I guess trying it on won't hurt." The feeling that makes Aaron's chest feel heavy deflates a little. Maybe she can really just try, say she doesn't like it and move on.
It takes everything in Aaron to not stare as Katelyn slightly opens her mouth in concentration. She also tries not to think what she'll see once Kate's done. But given the pocket mirror is not horribly distorting the image, Aaron looks… simply good with the lipstick on. She thinks the eye make-up with the lipstick is an overkill for her, but she could get used to doing one or the other for special occasions.
Her silent excitement must be pretty evident, because Katelyn smiles at her. "Your eyes literally sparkle. It's cute. You like it!"
"…I do. But not with the eyes. It's a bit too much. It's better than I thought it would be." Aaron allows herself to smile as well.
"I think I want to try it on too."
Aaron is about to give Katelyn the lipstick, but before she can even reach for it, Katelyn gently grasps her chin and—
The kiss hits Aaron stronger than a hundred shots of espresso.