"It's been two months, darling." Rarity chides you gently as she takes your measurements, her tape measure gliding effortlessly around your waistline and down your leg. "Two months! I'd have thought that you would have come to a decision by now."
She hums distractedly as she jots down some notes on a piece of paper hovering in midair next to her. "Hasn't Twilight asked you about it again?"
You were at the Carousel Boutique, where Rarity was taking down your measurements to create some custom-made apparel just for you. Finding clothes that fit your human figure has proven to be a challenging endeavour, but luckily, your dear friend Rarity is more than willing to help.
You let out a long-suffering sigh. "Yes, she's asked me again."
"And?" Rarity tilts her head curiously, waiting for an answer.
Defeated, you reply, "I... I don't know."
"Oh, for goodness' sake, Anon! It's been too long!" Rarity exclaims, waving her hoof in the air.
"Rarity," You say, feeling your face flush. "I know I've been taking a while. But I just... I'm not sure if I'm ready." Your words trail off, the weight of your uncertainty pulling them down.
Rarity raises an eyebrow at you, scanning you with an air of impatience about her.
"You can't keep a mare waiting forever, Anon. Twilight's already stressed enough as she is, and she could really use a sense of closure, no matter what it is."
You shift uncomfortably in place.
"I know, I know. It's just... this is all so new to me! Twilight's my best friend, and... I don't want to hurt her." Your voice cracks at the end of your sentence, betraying your nervousness.
Rarity hums thoughtfully as she slides the tape measure underneath your armpits and around your shoulder blades.
"Well, how do you feel about her? And don't spare me the details, Anon. Be descriptive."
"I..." You can feel yourself growing weary with the conversation, as you already lost track with how many times you had to repeat this subject with one of Twilight's friends. They had all interrogated you, one by one, about your feelings for the purple Alicorn, but you could provide no satisfactory answer.
"... I don't know, Rarity. I really don't know." You sigh. "Twilight is... she's special to me. She gave me a life, a new start, and... well, a family. And that's huge! I owe my life to her. But... when it comes to her feelings for me? I... I don't know if I feel the same."
Rarity's ears droop at your words, the disappointment evident on her face. But after a moment, her ears perk up again, and she turns to look at you with a look of curiosity on her face.
"You don't know?" Rarity repeats, clearly trying to keep the incredulity out of her voice. "What do you mean, Anon?"
"I-I..." You stutter. "I don't know how I feel about Twilight, Rarity. That's what this is. I don't know if I see her in that way, if that makes sense."
"Have you thought about it?"
"Of course I have. What do you take me for?" You sigh wearily, recalling all the sleepless nights you spent pondering over Twilight's confession. "I'm not some... insensitive prat, or whatever."
Rarity huffs, looking away as she rolls the tape measure into a neat little coil. "Could've fooled me."
You groan, placing your head in your hands.
"Rarity... please. I've been thinking about her a lot, okay? It's just a lot to take in. Me and Twilight are two different species, and the idea of being in a relationship with her? It's a lot to process. It just feels so... wrong." Your voice trembles. "I'll admit, there were times when I couldn't help but feel like we could be something more. But every time I entertain that thought, there's always this feeling that holds me back, and I can't explain it! I feel like I'm going crazy..." You sigh in defeat.
"Look. I'm sorry if I can't provide an answer for her right now, but I'm trying my best to, believe me. I'm trying. It's just... I'm scared, okay?" You look up at Rarity, whose eyes have never left your form.
"Oh, darling," Rarity responds, her voice gentler now. "It's a big decision, I get that. But at some point, you have to make it." She stands up and approaches you, resting her hoof on your shoulder. "You know Twilight better than anyone else. And she loves you. She's waiting for you."
Her words hit you like a punch to the stomach. Twilight does love you. She made that abundantly clear when she had confessed to you two months ago.
But could you return the feelings? You didn't know. You didn't want to let your friend down, and the last thing you wanted was to break her heart. It would surely break yours too if you had to see your friend fall apart right before your very eyes.
Rarity notices your blank expression and wraps her hooves around you in a hug.
"It's okay," she says firmly. "You'll figure it out. I know you will."
You walk out of the Carousel Boutique, waving goodbye to Rarity as you make your way down the lane in the direction of the apartment building just a few blocks away. You're lost in thought, pondering Rarity's words.
"She's waiting for you."
As you wander down the lane, you can't help but repeat those words over and over in your head. It's an idea that you've entertained many times before, but Rarity's words have breathed new urgency into it.
The words echo in your head as you weave through the crowds of ponies, their voices and faces blending into meaningless noise as you walk. When you catch sight of the apartment building up ahead, you feel a small surge of relief wash over you. You're almost home.
Eventually, you reach the stairs leading to the entrance of the building. Without further ado, you push the door open to let yourself in.
As you enter the building, the cool air conditioning hits you like a gust of wind, and you take a deep breath, feeling the tension in your shoulders ease. The elevator is already waiting, but you opt to take the stairs instead.
After a few flights of stairs, you eventually reach the fourth floor and walk down the hallway, taking a left turn at the end. Number 417 is at the end of the hallway, and you pause for a moment as you fumble around in your pocket for the keys.
As you enter your apartment, you're greeted by a thick haze of smoke and the scent of something burning. It would seem that in your haste to get to Rarity's, you had left the stove on.
You quickly rush over to the stove and turn it off, waving your hands in front of your face as you toss the charred remains of whatever it was you had cooking into a nearby trash can. Outside, a few ponies can be seen sticking their heads out of their doors, wondering about the source of the foul smell now permeating into the hallway.
You quickly open the windows, hoping to air out the apartment before the smell attracts any more attention than it needed to. You set about scrubbing the stove, which had accumulated quite a bit of grease and burnt remains of food in your absence. Once that was done, you step back and collapse onto the couch, exhausted.
You lie there on the couch, feeling the weight of the day's events settle over you like a thick blanket. The smell of burnt food and smoke still lingers in the air, even with the windows open, and you wonder if you'll ever get used to the smell. You close your eyes, trying to push back the fatigue that's threatening to overcome you.
She's waiting for you.
Damn it, Rarity.
You sigh in frustration, your gaze settling on a notebook laying on the table next to you. It's glowing.
You quickly stand up, grabbing a quill from a nearby pen holder. You head over to the table, your heart pounding as you open the notebook to the latest page.
There, fresh on the paper, a series of words are being formed, as though an invisible hand was writing upon its surface.
Hi, Anon!
I was wondering if you're free tonight... maybe we could, I dunno, go see a movie at the theatre downtown? I mean, if you have nothing else to do, of course. No pressure!
You smile in spite of yourself. Twilight had given you this special notebook last month as a gift, which you supposed at the time that she had given you as a friendly gesture. You eventually found out that it was a means to keep in contact with you, even though you were apart.
She had been writing to you for the past few weeks, usually to check in on you and ask about your day. Occasionally, she would invite you out for "non-dates", which usually involved the two of you going out to some place to spend time together. Just the two of you. Alone.
Yup, definitely not a date.
You think for a moment as you place the tip of the quill to the paper, before beginning to write back:
Hey, Twilight!
Sure, I'd love that. And yeah, I'm free. I'll pick you up at 7?
Not long after you finish writing, the notebook begins to glow once more.
Great! See youuu! <3
You stare for a moment at the heart. You chuckle. Twilight may act all sweet and flirty on paper, but in real life? She's an awkward mess.
Just like you.
Maybe that's why the two of you get along so well...