Becoming Rory

chapter four

"So, our first official date," Rory said, excitement lacing her tone. They had decided to go to an upscale restaurant, somewhere they hadn't been yet. In theory, every dinner they had together could be viewed as a date, but they wanted their first one to be memorable, and not just a plate of cheeseburgers and fries – though that would have been fine for Sadie.

The restaurant's décor was very chic. The lighting was dim, which providing a romantic ambiance. There were many dark pieces, things that made the brightness of the light elements pop. From the moment they entered, Sadie couldn't help but feel underdressed.

Sadie Copeland knew how to dress for social situations. She was a lawyer, and a good one, at that. She had tons of experience with social norms. Yet, Rory made her nervous. Logically, she knew that the black dress that she had chosen, specifically because it hugged all her curves and hid the extra bit of skin on her tummy that she resented so much, was the ideal attire. She couldn't help but feel, though, like she was embarrassing her girlfriend.

Rory stared at the woman in from of her, completely in awe. She was the most beautiful woman Rory had gotten the pleasure of seeing in her entire life. Sadie's curly dark hair flowed down her back, creating a carefree look, even though Rory had seen her wrestle with hair products for an hour before they left. The glow of the light above their table casted shadows onto the many tiny freckles lining her nose and cheeks. Sadie's dark brown eyes swirled with amusement, throwing Rory into memories of hot cocoa on snowy, cold days.

Rory readjusted the spaghetti straps on her own dress. The fitted navy dress hugged her body, along with her lack of curves. She loathed the fact that she couldn't wear strapless dresses, since she had no chest to hold them up. Shopping for clothes was an absolute nightmare, being taller than average at five-foot-eight and skinny as a rake handle. People often commented on how she needed more meat on her bones or how she couldn't be eating enough. Rory often commented on how that wasn't any of their business.

Soon, a server returned to take their drink order. They both ordered, then resumed talking. Sadie and Rory talked through everything, they talked about everyone. There wasn't a single lull in conversation, something that had never happened to Rory, nor Sadie.

They never ran out of discussion points, so by the time their food arrived, it felt like they had only been waiting for a minute. They knew it wasn't the case since the waiter apologized profusely for the wait. They quickly told him that it wasn't a problem since it truly was anything but.

They were both falling fast for each other, yet all they could do was hope that they wouldn't get hurt. Rory had never felt this way before. The closest she had ever gotten was her relationship with Noah, which she now and, subconsciously, always knew, was only platonic love.

Rory didn't trust herself to make decisions anymore. She knew that the way she felt about Sadie – intense passion – would surely influence anything she did. She had lost trust in something that had always been hers – her mind.

Sadie had been in love before, but never like this. Never had she ever had a relationship that moved so quickly, with an odd amount of trust, given the length of the relationship and the overall circumstances. This was all new to her. She didn't know what point in the relationship they had reached – ever – because they skipped all the landmarks. Her relationship with Rory was like driving down a deserted road, without a GPS, in the dark. She didn't know where she was going, and she couldn't really see what she was doing, but she just had to trust that they would make it out again. This seemed like an odd analogy to use for a relationship, but, for them and them alone, it certainly fit.

They shared funny childhood anecdotes, as well as covering controversial topics. They brought up difficult clients that they had worked with, along with ridiculous cases that they had worked on within the firm. They both learnt much more about each other than they would have thought possible in one date. For anyone else, it would have been impossible.