“Okay, what are we doing today?” Mark began. “I mean, i guess I wouldn’t mind watching more of those movies on netflix, but I don’t imagine that you are trying to stay inside all day.”
“That’s for sure! What would you like to do? Want to go to the gym to show off that new ass?” Julia asked, smirking.
“No and no and no! God, if the guys at the gym saw me.” Mark said, running a hand down his sideboob abesntmindedly.
“Tell you what - we go out to where there won’t be any guys. Or at least an straight and single ones.” Julia said.
“Where is that?” Mark asked.
“Paisley Street!” Julia said, excitedly.
Paisley street is a shopping district in the old mill area of town. What once was a center of industry was now a center of consumerism. Boutique furniture stores, art galleries, coffee shops, and women’s clothing stores were all over the place. Mark had only gone a couple of times and never really enjoyed it. Everything seemed overpriced and nothing really fit his aesthetic. He was grateful on one longer trip to have found a wine bar that was showing a football game and had canned beers.
An hour later, a blue Honda fit parallel parks on a street spot on Paisley Street. As the door opened, a black knee length boot with a modest heel popped out and stepped out. “Honestly, why couldn’t we park in the 2 hour spots that were literally right there?” Mark asked, fluffing his hair. He stood up, after grabbing his purse (no real pockets in jeans, you see), and straightened out his brown, grey, and off white striped sweater. He secretly really liked this outfit and the idea of wearing Julia’s sexy black boots was something that he couldn’t pass up.
He looked down at his feet and wiggled his toes again, smiling just a bit.
“Because, two hours is never enough!” Julia said, still rummaging around and grabbing her purse and putting away her phone and some cosmetics. She was wearing the black doc martins that she liked, as well as some black jeans and a corset as a top. She pulled on Stephanie’s black leather shearling jacket.
As she closed the door, she looked at her reflection. “I’m second guessing this grunge aesthtic thing. I mean, sure it looks cool with the black hair, but you look really cute in that outfit.” Julia said.
Mark, enjoying the compliment, put on his mirrored aviators. “You look great babe.” He said, ushering Julia over to the coffee shop.
Once in the coffee shop, he began to order his normal black coffee, but then noticed a sign with some cute snowmen. “Sugarplum Cream latte?” He asked, finally looking at the barista, a relatively attractive man in his early 20’s.
“Yeah, it’s pretty popular around here.”
Mark got a flirty look on his face. “I’ll bet that’s not the only thing that’s popular around here. What do you like to taste?” he asked.
“I mean, I like black coffee myself but sometimes the pumpkin stuff is pretty good. I don’t know, i’m just here cause it’s near my classes. So you want the sugar plum latte?”
“I guess so,” Mark said, a little frustrated. Julia came up behind him, chuckling, and paid for sugarplum lattes for both of them.
They left the coffee shop with cups in hand, and walked out onto the street. Mark took a curious sip and his eyes lit up. “Do all of these taste this good? Holy hell I’ve been missing out. I thought I didn’t like these!” He said.
As they walked down the street his eyes landed on a white upholstered chair. “Oh my gosh i’m in love!” He exclaimed as they walked in the door. He ran his fingers across the back of the chair and went to go sit down. He noticed that the seat was too long, so he couldn’t really sit up and the armrests are too low so he couldn’t really rest his arms.
“Isn’t this the best chair you’ve ever seen?” Mark exclaimed.
“It’s pretty great!” Julia replied, smiling.
After 15 minutes and some conversation with the salesperson, they decided to walk on, with Mark stealing another glance at the chair in the window. Julia walked into the candle and scents store that used to make Mark’s eyes water.
“Do we have to?” Mark asked.
“You got to look at your chair! It’s my turn.” Julia said smiling. Picking up and sniffing a candle, Julia said: “Ooh, smell this one!”
Mark reluctantly took a sniff and then had yet another revelation that day: Those candles smelled great! He walked over to the table with a sign that said “Shades of Vanilla” and went to town, imagining that he could smell the difference between Cottony sunrise and Fresh linen.
After 30 minutes of smelling, he and Julia walked out of the candle shop with a couple of bags.
“That was so much fun! I never thought I would enjoy that so much! Where too next!?” Mark asked. “I mean, I’m having such a good time!” He said as he fluffed his hair in the reflection of a shop window. As he began to make a face, he stopped.
“Babe, why am I having so much fun. Why did I enjoy the candle shop? I can chalk it up to different noses and such but that chair? It wasn’t comfortable, and it was white, which you can’t keep clean, but it was so cute…”
Julia lowered her eyes a bit. “ Okay, so you know about all of the physical changes. But… Stephanie and I might have had a thought…”
Mark “Melted” a bit onto a bench processing what Julia was telling him. She explained that he now had Stephanie’s interests.
“So that’s why I was into the rom coms? I’m into girly shit now? Am I into dudes!?”
“Well, not exactly on that one.”
Mark cut his eyes over at Julia. “What the fuck does that mean?”
“Well, did you notice how you interacted with that cute barista? You’re a flirt now too but I promise you are not gay or bi, unless you were before or something.”
“I’m not okay with this - I didn’t want to have my head fucked with! This is weird and a bit violating.”
Julia pulled Mark into a hug. “I know, and I’m sorry. We can go back and change it back. I’ll find us some money for a quick change.”
Mark, picking up on the money comment said “No, you know what? You want a girly Mark and you got one. You want a flirty mark - you got one. I feel like you did this to fuck with me so here’s the deal. We aren’t girlfriend and boyfriend anymore - i mean - I hardly qualify as a boyfriend anyway.” He took a moment. His angry face changed to more of a mischievous smile.
“For the next 6 months we are friends - or friends with benefits too if you like. I saw how you were acting with Stephanie. Well, if you want to fuck her, or some other dude from the IOC go for it, and I’ll be sleeping with their girlfriends.”
Confused, worried, and a bit aroused, Julia asked - “So are we breaking up?”
“Well, look at it this way. We are taking a break from being in a relationship but I could really use a Bestie right now and I think we could both use a wingman.” Mark said, with a determined gleam in his eye.
“So my boyfriend is now my lesbian Bff?” Julia asked
“Sounds like it. Now, I have an idea of what we will do tonight.” Mark said, opening his car door.
