The Nerd and the Cellist

by HAKDurbin

Chapter 7

The rest of the first week of school went by very smoothly compared to how it started. Octavia and I met up with Starlight Glimmer after school again on Thursday and Friday to work on homework. Afterward, I walked Octavia home, which we decided to be a regular thing whether we stay after school with Starlight Glimmer or not. Best of all, I didn't see Adagio again for the rest of the week, and it seemed like I didn't have to worry about her since Sonata didn't give me any new information about her sister pursuing me. All in all, it looked like I didn't have any drama to worry about for a good long while.

Come Saturday, I started the weekend playing video games on my laptop while my parents were out. I hoped I would be able to do something over the weekend with my group of friends, but no one was able to. Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie had to work at their jobs, Rainbow Dash and Soarin were hosting tryouts for the sports team at school, Applejack, Big Mac, and Caramel were working at the Apple's family farm, and Starlight Glimmer had things to do with her father. So, that left me to play video games or watch tv at home like I always did on weekends even back when I was living in Appleloosa.

And yet, while my eyes were glued to the screen, my thoughts were on Octavia. I couldn't help thinking of the time I had spent together with her throughout the entire school week. I felt I was already making some great memories with her even when it was just us doing homework with Starlight Glimmer, hearing her play her cello, or me walking her home. I was thankful for how I was able to be around her more when I started school, expecting to only see her once so that I could return her ring. The way fate was playing out, I began to hope that I could be her friend for more than a few weeks. Maybe she could convince Blueblood to ease up and let her have friends like me and Starlight Glimmer permanently. It sounded like a longshot given how Blueblood was so obstinate, but I hoped I could talk with her more and see her smile at me while looking at me with her mesmerizing violet eyes as opposed to only seeing her from a distance at English class. Either way, I couldn't wait to see her again.

Fortunately, as I was playing my video game, I heard my phone vibrating from my nightstand. I paused the game and picked up my phone, expecting to see a call from Pinkie Pie or Soarin or anyone else from the group, but my heart skipped a beat when I saw it was actually a call coming from Octavia. I stared at the screen, unsure if I was looking at my phone right before I answered the call.

"Hello?" I asked.

"Hello, Rough Draft? It's me, Octavia," Octavia said from my speaker.

I smiled at the sound of her voice and said, "Hi, how are you?"

"Doing well," Octavia answered. "Actually, I'm wondering if you're busy."

My eyes widened, and my mouth opened slightly. I paused for a moment before I said, "Not at the moment."

"Good," Octavia said. "I'm asking because I have some errands to run, and I would like to have my 'assistant' with me."

"Oh? Do you need me to hold your bags and stuff like that?" I asked.

"Indeed," Octavia replied. "Do you think you could meet me at the mall?"

"What time?" I asked.

"How about we meet at the main entrance at one," Octavia said.

"Sounds like a plan," I said.

"Excellent. See you then," she said.

"Looking forward to it," I replied.

With that, she hung up, and I paused for a couple of seconds before I started beaming with glee. I checked the time on my phone to see that it was half-past eleven, so I decided to use that time to take a shower and find a black polo shirt so that I could look nicer than just my regular t-shirt. After having a light lunch, I walked over to the mall, making it to the main entrance with a couple of minutes to spare. I started playing a game on my phone until I saw someone standing next to me from the edge of my eye and looked up to see that it was Octavia.

"Again, I find you on your phone, having arrived at our meeting spot rather early," she stated. "I'm beginning to think you're showing off."

"What can I say? I like being punctual," I replied. "Besides, it would be poor form for an assistant to be late when his lady tells him to arrive at a specific time."

"Indeed," Octavia giggled. "Seems I know how to pick them."

"Lucky me," I said.

The two of us chuckled for a moment before Octavia noticed my polo shirt and smiled.

"Mmmm. You look nice," she complimented. "Black suits you nicely."

I felt my cheeks heat up, and I looked away, making Octavia giggle again.

"Honestly, Rough Draft, have you really never had a girl compliment you on your looks before you moved to Canterlot?" She asked.

"Not once," I answered while still looking away from her. "Remember, everyone there thought I was a freak."

Octavia shook her head, still smiling as if she heard me say a silly joke.

"Well, I suppose it's up to me to help you get used to it," she declared.

I turned my head to face her and said, "I'm not sure that's possible."

"Nonsense. You are a cute, caring guy, and you shouldn't have had to wait until now to hear it from girls your age," Octavia said.

My blush grew, and I asked, "You really think I look cute?"

"Of course," Octavia said with a friendly smile. "It's like I said at the Tasty Treat; it's frivolous that you were alone just over the things you like. It seems to me that the girls there missed out on admiring a good-looking boy."

I felt my face heating up even more, and my heart melting from her compliments as I said, "Thank you, Octavia, but you don't have to try to make me used to that."

"Perhaps, but I want to," Octavia said. "Besides, you've already been a good friend for me, so I see no reason why I can't do the same for you."

I felt a pinch in my heart from Octavia addressing us as friends, but I brushed it off and gave a grateful smile. She smiled back, and we looked at each other in silence before Octavia snapped out of her daze.

"Right. Let's get down to business," she said. "We have a long afternoon ahead of us."

"We do? How so?" I asked.

"Well, for one thing, I haven't gone in a shopping spree in some time," Octavia admitted. "And for another thing, I'm looking for an outfit to wear for a wedding that's in a couple of weeks."

"Oh, how nice," I said. "Who is getting married?"

"Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna's niece, Cadance," Octavia answered. "Blueblood and I were invited since he and Cadance are cousins. Now, obviously, Blueblood is unable to attend anymore because of the accident, but I plan to go anyway on his behalf. Plus, I am a part of the music band for the wedding."

"Cool," I said. "Have you ever performed at a wedding before?"

"No. This will be my first," Octavia said. "That's why I'm going to look for a new dress for it. It's going to be a huge wedding with a lot of high-class people, so I need to look my absolute best as both the cellist in the wedding band and as the bride's cousin's girlfriend."

"When you put it that way, there's an awful lot to be expected from you," I commented.

"Indeed. It comes with dating the 'Prince of Manehattan' I'm afraid," Octavia said. "On the plus side, dating Blueblood also means I get to borrow his credit card."

"Nice," I chuckled. "Hope you're not planning to take too much advantage of that when you're not shopping for the wedding."

"l wouldn't worry about that, Mr. Draft," Octavia replied with a mischievous smirk. "Blueblood and his family are so wealthy that he won't even know that the money is gone. Besides, as far as I'm concerned, he owes me this and more for his failures as a boyfriend of late."

I frowned and asked, "You mean like with not coming to your concerts lately?"

"Right you are," Octavia said. "Now, let's get started. There are some new clothes and accessories I want to get before the stores run out of them. I hope you're ready to carry a lot of bags for me."

I smirked and took a bow, saying, "At your service, my lady."

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For the next two hours, Octavia and I went to every store in the mall that contained clothes or accessories. The gray girl happily browsed through the products like a child in a candy store while I carried her shopping bags and gave my opinion on various clothes she tried out. Before long, my arms were beginning to tire, and I was running out of space with my hands to carry the bags. By the time we were done, and Octavia decided for us to get a snack from the food court, I was using my arms to carry some of the bags. I struggled to keep holding the bags as Octavia and I were waiting in line at the pretzel stand.

"Are you alright?" Octavia asked.

"Well, I feel like I should have put gloves on or something to protect my hands," I said, forcing a chuckle. "Do you normally have Blueblood do this for you?"

"Oh, heavens, no," Octavia replied. "I don't usually need to buy so many things since I don't go out an awful lot when I'm not with Blueblood or have something like the wedding to worry about. Plus, Blueblood always has one of his security men carry my bags for me."

"Huh. Forgive me for being critical, but that doesn't sound like he does much for you by doing that," I said.

"It's not the most chivalrous thing a boyfriend can do, I grant you, but it's handy since his security men can handle holding so many bags easily," she replied. "Plus, it makes Blueblood able to be by my side, holding hands, or giving me a side hug as we walk from store to store. It's one of my favorite things about going out with him."

I shrugged back at Octavia as a way of saying, "Fair enough." As soon as she turned her back on me, however, I silently groaned, reluctantly giving Blueblood credit for making romantic gestures like that while having his lackeys do the hard work. It was disappointing to hear her say that, really. I rather enjoyed hearing nothing but how Blueblood lacked as a boyfriend. I guessed he had to have some qualities that warranted him dating Octavia besides having used to come to her concerts.

In any case, we made it to the end of the line, and grabbed some pretzels and sodas before finding a table to sit on with Octavia carrying the food. I put down all of the bags and started rubbing my hands and arms as I sat down. Octavia smirked in amusement as she handed me my pretzel and soda. As I kept rubbing my hands before digging in, Octavia took a small bite out of her pretzel and let out a cheerful "Mmmm," with her eyes closed.

"I take it you like soft pretzels?" I asked, smirking.

"You have no idea," Octavia replied as she opened her eyes to give me a blissful look. "None of the stores in Manehattan had a food court."

"Seriously?" I asked in disbelief. "I didn't go to the mall much in Appleloosa, but even their one-story mall had a food court where my parents and I would get pretzels whenever we went there. The idea of going to the mall without having one soft, salty pretzel feels wrong."

"You're telling me," Octavia said. "Most of the malls Blueblood and I would go to were for high-class people. They had the kind of clothes and accessories where you had to be about as rich as people like Blueblood and his family. Not exactly a place where you can get some delicious snacks like this. I probably was the only soul who wanted to try things like that anyway."

"Clothes and accessories for people wealthy like Blueblood, eh? Sounds like you tend to take advantage that you date him a lot when you go to the mall?" I said with a teasing smirk.

"Uh, well, you could interpret it that way," Octavia admitted sheepishly. "My family is well off as well because my parents are famous musicians, but it's not the same as running an extensive cooperation. I think most of my possessions now are from after I started dating Blueblood."

I gave her a small nod before I glanced at her ring and asked, "So, what makes your ring stand out from your other accessories? I may have only known you for more than a week, but I've noticed that you don't wear other any other jewelry besides that. Is it just because it was for your first anniversary or something?"

Octavia held up her hand to look at the large sapphire on her ring fondly and said, "That's part of it, but it's mostly because I love sapphires, and I adore how he went out of his way to find a ring with the most beautiful sapphire that can be put on a band. It was the first gift he had ever given me too, so naturally, I love how he knew to give me something that I greatly value."

It took a lot of willpower to keep myself from looking sad as she happily talked about the significance of the ring. It hurt how much I couldn't compare to Blueblood with giving valuable things the gray girl loved. Not even if I became a successful writer like I dreamed of being. I started robotically to eat my snack in silence while Octavia went back to eating small bites of her snack, enjoying each one. I was halfway through my pretzel when I noticed Octavia looking at me, concerned.

"Rough Draft, are you alright?" She asked.

I looked at her confused before I realized that I must have stopped hiding my feelings while I was deep in thought. I shook my head and said, "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" Octavia asked.

"Absolutely," I claimed with a smile. "Just lost in thought about something. That's all."

"Is it something that has to do with Appleloosa?" She queried.

"Uh, yeah. Yeah, it is," I fibbed. "I, uh, was just thinking how I had never gone to the mall with someone my age before."

Octavia gave me a sad smile, believing my lie and placed her hand on top of mine. I felt my misery disappear as my cheeks heated up again at her soft touch. I smiled and squeezed Octavia's hand, feeling better before she let out a chuckle.

"You know, it's kind of funny," she said. "I'm from a big city while you are from a small apple farming town, and yet it's in a suburb where we can do things like try some snack food at a mall or to have friends to hang out with or do homework with."

I gave her statement some thought and said, "I guess that's true. Though if we're being honest, I'm a little jealous of you."

Octavia tilted her head and asked, "What do you mean?"

I answered with a sigh, "Well, it's like I told you before; I want nothing more to be in a close relationship like you do with Blueblood. I was used to not having friends back in Appleloosa, but I thought I could be fine with that if there was that one person who meant that much to me, and she felt the same. I can't say I'm a fan of your boyfriend, Octavia, but hearing some of the good things he's done for you makes me feel jealous that you have that one person."

Octavia frowned and said, "And you think I'm not envious that you have a whole group of friends?"

I looked at her befuddled until I remembered Applejack and Pinkie Pie telling me about how possessive Blueblood was of Octavia. I looked down, ashamed as I asked, "Is that something you've always wanted?"

Octavia's face softened, and she turned to a table on the other side of the food court where a group of teenagers were happily eating and chatting with each other.

"It is," she answered. "My old school isn't what you might consider a lively place in regards to students socializing. Most interests any student has with each other comes from how that other person could benefit you when you're all out of high school, and will become successful in whatever career they will pursue."

"So, basically, you're only socializing enough just to make the right business connections?" I asked.

"Precisely," Octavia said. "That's what made Blueblood different. He wasn't just being polite or anything like that. He showed a real interest in who I was. He devoted so much time to me and never asked for anything in return, apart from never taking off my ring. He's not perfect, I know, but he never showed to have an agenda behind being my boyfriend."

"But that still made him the only one who was like that," I said.

"Indeed," Octavia said sadly. "So, please don't think I have everything when you were blessed with several friends practically the moment you stepped foot in this town."

I looked down at the table, abashed by how I had forgotten about Octavia's own desire to have friends. Nothing but the chatter from the people around us was heard as we looked away from each other. After about a minute, I found myself chuckling, and Octavia turned to me, bewildered.

"When you say it like that, it sounds like we've had one thing we want hand-given to us while still lacking the other between love and friendship," I said.

Octavia continued to look at me funny for a moment before she realized what I was saying and chuckled.

"I guess so," she said.

I smiled at her, happy to hear her laugh again. Just then, my eyes lit up, and my smile grew after coming up with an idea.

"Well, if a group of friends is what you want, I think I can help by introducing you to more of my friends," I said.

Octavia gave me a small smile and said, "That is sweet of you to offer, Rough Draft, but you can't expect me to instantly be friends with all of your friends like you did."

"Maybe, but you've already befriended Starlight Glimmer, so we just need to find opportunities for you to meet my other friends," I suggested. "And I think I know how we can do that today."

"You do?" Octavia asked.

"Yup," I said. "You still need a dress for the wedding, right?"

Octavia's eyes widened, and she let out a loud gasp.

"Oh my goodness, that's right. We didn't find any dresses in the entire mall that are suitable for the wedding, did we?" She said.

"We didn't," I confirmed. "Fortunately, one of my friends works at a boutique and has a passion for making dresses. She used to live in Manehattan too. I bet she could make a dress for you that's perfect for the wedding."

"Really? That sounds great," Octavia said. "Do you know where it is?"

I opened my mouth to answer before I chuckled in embarrassment and said, "I guess I should send her a text about that."

Octavia stared at me for a moment before she covered her mouth, trying not to laugh at me. I felt a light blush as I took out a phone and sent a text to Rarity, asking where the shop she worked at is. I put my phone down next to my food tray, and Octavia and I went back to our pretzels for a minute before my phone vibrated, showing Rarity's reply on the lock screen.

"The place is called Carousel Boutique," I said.

"Ah. I've seen that place," Octavia said. "It's a few blocks from here just past my house. We can drop off my new stuff along the way."

"Uh, how far away is your house from here?" I asked as I glanced down at the many shopping bags.

Octavia couldn't stop herself from giggling while feeling sorry for my misfortune.

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I was rubbing my hands and arms again as we were making our way to Carousel Boutique, having only dropped off Octavia's things at her house about ten minutes ago. Octavia offered to carry some of the bags so that I wouldn't have to carry so much all the way from the mall, and I gratefully accepted. Even so, my arms were sore after carrying so much throughout the afternoon. If Octavia didn't usually buy that much stuff when going to the mall, I wondered how much Blueblood's men really had to carry compared to what I had just gone through.

Regardless, we made our way to Carousel Boutique. It was a fancy-looking shop with the outside of the building painted in pretty shades of blue, pink, and purple. When we went inside, Octavia gasped as she looked around the store to see the various dresses, shoes, and jewelry. She walked over to one of the windows where a lilac dress with mulberry lines on the edges and a blue rose attached to the center of the chest area was on display.

"Now this is more like it," Octavia said enthusiastically. "No wonder we couldn't find the right dress at the mall. It seems like all the creative talent in making dresses dwells in this shop."

I couldn't help but chuckle at her excitement as I said, "I'm glad this is to your liking."

"Hello?" I heard Rarity call out from the second-floor staircase on the other side of the room. "Is that you, Rough Draft?"

"Yeah, I'm down here, Rarity," I called out.

I heard Rarity walking down the steps, and she immediately spotted me as I walked over to greet her. She gave me a cheerful smile as she pulled me into a hug that knocked the wind out of me. I let out a groan in pain as she squeezed me before breaking the hug to look at me.

"Darling, what a surprise," she said. "Why didn't you tell me you were going to visit when you texted me?"

"Well, I thought I'd surprise you," I said.

"Well, then consider me pleasantly surprised," Rarity said. "And may I say you look lovely in a black polo shirt. It looks exquisite on you."

"Thanks," I said with my cheeks turning pink. "Octavia thought so too."

Rarity's joyous face disappeared into a look of confusion, and she asked, "Octavia?"

Octavia snapped out of her gaze on the dress after hearing her name and turned to Rarity with a smile. The white girl stared at the gray girl flabbergasted as Octavia walked over to her.

"He means me," Octavia answered for me. "I'm Octavia Melody. And you are?"

Rarity kept staring at Octavia for a moment before she snapped out of her daze and said, "Rarity."

"Pleased to meet you, Rarity," Octavia said before turning to the dress she was looking at. "Tell me, did you make that dress."

"Huh? Oh, yes, I did," Rarity answered, still shocked by Octavia's presence.

"Incredible," Octavia said. "I've never seen such an amazing dress in my life."

Rarity was still in shock for a moment before she shook her head and chuckled with a demure look.

"Oh, please. You exaggerate," she said.

"I most certainly do not," Octavia said. "You clearly put a lot of passion into this dress. Tell me, how did you come up with it."

Rarity stammered for a moment, feeling flattered while still dumbfounded that Octavia was there before she answered, "Uh, well, you see, I went to see the musical, The Tale of Flaming Arrow and Silver Gleam, in Manehattan with my family last month and, well, one of the scenes took place in a castle garden."

"Oh, I love The Tale of Flaming Arrow and Silver Gleam!" Octavia exclaimed. "Are you talking about when Flaming Arrow first meets Silver Gleam, not knowing that she's the princess?"

"That's the one," Rarity answered with a small smile, happy that Octavia knew the play. "Anyway, the garden had such gorgeous flowers in many hues that I felt so inspired to start designing a new gown as soon as I got home."

"Amazing," Octavia praised. "You are an artist."

Rarity's smile grew, touched by Octavia's compliments before she cleared her throat and said, "Yes, well, what can I do for you?"

Octavia and I looked at each other and chuckled sheepishly, realizing we had forgotten why we were there in the first place.

"Right. So, I require a gown for a wedding that's in a couple of weeks," she explained. "You see, it's a very high-end wedding, and I'm going to be performing there as the cellist in the wedding band. It's my first gig for a wedding like this, and I want to look spectacular for it, especially since I'm also the bride's cousin's girlfriend."

Rarity's eye twitched at the word, "girlfriend," making me feel uneasy as she kept a bright smile and said, "Oh my, sounds like you need quite the dress for such a big occasion."

"Indeed," Octavia said. "Now I looked all over the stores at the mall with Rough Draft, but none of the dresses came close to what I need. But then, Rough Draft told me about you and how you make dresses and are from Manehattan like me, and after looking at your dress, it sounds like you're the person to come to for the perfect gown."

Rarity's head snapped toward me, and I became more uneasy as she secretly glared daggers at me behind her cheerful face. Octavia turned to me, noticing that I was afraid, but before she could ask, Rarity took my hand and stepped between Octavia and me.

"Do forgive me, dear, but could I borrow Rough Draft for a bit?" She asked.

"Um, yes?" Octavia answered.

"Lovely," Rarity said with a forced grin. "Please feel free to look at the other dresses. See if any of them fit what you are looking for."

"Uh, sure," Octavia said.

Without another word, Rarity pulled me by the hand to the staircase, leaving a confused Octavia to browse the store. The white girl dragged me up the stairs to the second floor, where she forced me into an office, locked the door behind her, and her smile turned into a menacing glare.

"How could you lead that wicked cow here?!" She snarled.

"What?" I asked. "What are you talking about?"

"You know perfectly well what I'm talking about!" Rarity growled. "Why would you bring the person I hate most here and have her ask me to make a dress for her?!"

I stared in disbelief and said, "Seriously? You're still going on about that, Rarity? I thought everyone in our group agreed to try and become friends with Octavia."

"I agreed to do that as a group. Not for me to actually be a friend to her," Rarity said.

"Oh, come on, Rarity. That's just being childish," I rebuked. "You looked like you were starting to get along just fine talking about your dress or that musical you two were talking about."

"Uh, well, yes, er, that is to say, I was a little gladdened that she liked my dress, and I always admire another girl who likes The Tale of Flaming Arrow and Silver Gleam," Rarity admitted, rubbing her arm. "But that doesn't mean I'm okay with helping the person I'm jealous of for dating the one boy I love."

"But Octavia needs your help, Rarity," I begged. "You heard what she said. She needs someone like you to make the best dress she could have for the wedding."

"No! I refuse!" Rarity said, turning her back to me with her arms crossed.

"Oh, come on. You're being ridiculous," I said.

"Oh, so you can express detestation against my Bluey, and I can't do it with Octavia Melody?" Rarity challenged.

"I have other reasons to dislike Blueblood than the fact that he's Octavia's boyfriend," I countered. "Heck, you said it yourself that you know that he's not a good person, and you want to change him for the better."

Rarity winced while her back was still facing me and said, "That's….true."

"So, what reason do you have to hate my crush other than the fact that she's dating yours?" I challenged.

Rarity bit her lip and said, "None."

"Would you say she's a very nice person that you have a couple of things in common with?" I asked.

"Yes," Rarity admitted.

"Would you like to talk more about fashion, The Tale of Flaming Arrow and Silver Gleam, and other things in the future?" I asked.

Rarity hesitated before she said, "I suppose it would be nice. Maybe Fluttershy would like to join in."

I grinned mischievously, knowing that I was winning the argument, and asked, "Would you like to create an extravagant outfit for Octavia that will make her smile and amaze so many high-class people in a luxurious wedding?"

By this point, Rarity was struggling to maintain her straight posture. Sweat began to run down her head as she struggled to accept what she had to do. My grin got bigger as I leaned into her ear and made the final blow.

"Won't Blueblood himself want to know who was the beautiful and talented fashionista that made that dress?"

"Alright! Alright! Alright! You win!" Rarity screamed. "Sheesh. You fight dirty."

"Nonsense. I merely just stated the facts," I said matter-of-factly.

Rarity rolled her eyes at me before she smiled and said, "In all seriousness, Rough Draft, I see what both you and Starlight have told me about Octavia. She is a friendly girl."

I smiled at Rarity, glad that she finally admitted it, but then her smile turned into a sad frown, and she said, "I hope you know what you're doing by trying to have everyone in our group become friends with her, Rough Draft. After all, Blueblood doesn't let Octavia interact with anyone else when he's around, and he did say that you're forbidden to see her again once he's healed up."

"I know," I said. "But I want to make the best of my time with Octavia, and not just for me but her as well. She told me that she wishes that she has a group of friends just like I did, and I want to give that to her. Besides, I choose to believe that when the time comes, she will stand for herself and tell Blueblood to stop being so possessive and that he has no say on who can or cannot be around her."

"But that would still make you just her friend and nothing else," Rarity pointed out. "Are you sure you can live with that even though you want to be more? You may be okay with it now, but it may be more difficult when Blueblood is back in the picture."

"More difficult than you getting Blueblood and changing him into a decent guy?" I asked, smirking.

Rarity took a moment to think about it before she chuckled and rubbed the back of her head, saying, "Fair point. I guess in the end, we are both hopeless romantic fools doing what we can while our crushes are still together. Lord help us."

"Lord help us," I agreed.

The two of us let out heavy sighs and looked away from each other in silence. After about half a minute, my phone vibrated, and I took it out to see a text from Octavia.

"Octavia is wondering what's taking us so long," I said. "She wants to get started with discussing the new gown with you right now."

"Well, then let's not keep the lady waiting," Rarity said. "Shall we, Mr. Draft?"?”

I smiled and nodded before the two of us walked back downstairs. Octavia was looking at another dress when she noticed us and turned to face us with a raised eyebrow.

"I was starting to think you forgot about me," she said. "What were you borrowing my assistant for?"

"Uh, I just wanted to show Rough Draft some of the new dresses I made," Rarity lied. "They're for some of our friends, and I wanted his opinion before I give it to them for a big event."

Octavia kept her eyebrow raised and turned to me, asking, "Really?"

"Yes, really," I lied. "We took so long because Rarity had to explain a couple of things like how the colors with the dresses have to blend well with the wearer's skin and hair colors. Let's just say it was difficult because I'm not much of a fashion person."

"I see," Octavia said, unconvinced before turning back to Rarity. "Anyway, I was hoping we can get started talking about designing my gown."

"Ah, yes. Well, I have some ideas for that, actually," Rarity said.

Octavia gave Rarity a look of intrigue and said, "Like what?"

Rarity cleared her throat and said, "Well, naturally, we don't want to go with something very showy since the bride of this said wedding should be the center of attention. Having said that, since you admire the dress we were talking about earlier, I think your new gown could have a somewhat similar design that expresses your passion as a...cellist, was it?"

Octavia nodded before she scratched her chin in thought and said, "That makes sense. Though, how similar are we talking about?"

Rarity smirked and said, "I think it would be best if I show you what I'm thinking in my inspiration room back upstairs. I can also take your measurements too while at it. Of course, we'll need to have Mr. Draft stay here while we discuss it."

"What? Why?" I asked. "Maybe I could help?"

"So sorry, Rough Draft, but this is for the ladies to discuss, and you just admitted that you're not a fashion person," Rarity said.

"Indeed, you did say that, Rough Draft," Octavia said.

I opened my mouth to protest, but I stopped myself and hung my head in defeat. Rarity turned to Octavia and gestured her to the staircase. As Octavia walked toward the stairs, though, Rarity walked over to me and leaned into my ear with a teasing smirk on her face.

"Besides, it wouldn't do if you find out how lovely your 'friend' is going to look before the dress is even made," she whispered. "I'm sure she'll want to see the look on your purple face when she wears it for the wedding. I know I do."

I felt my cheeks turn slightly pink as Rarity pulled her head back to give me a wink. I looked away bashfully as Rarity followed Octavia up the stairs to discuss her dress.

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For the next half hour, I waited patiently for Rarity and Octavia to finish discussing Octavia's dress. I paced back and forth across the store before ultimately sitting on a chair and taking out my phone to play a game, accepting that they were going to be there longer than I hoped. I heard them chatter and giggle from upstairs, which made me curious about what they were talking about, but at the same time, I felt hopeful that it also meant that Rarity was taking a real chance at becoming friends with Octavia. Finally, I heard the two of them walking back down the stairs, still happily chatting with each other. Octavia was laughing out loud from Rarity telling a joke before turning to me.

"So sorry to keep you waiting, Rough Draft," she said. "We kinda got lost in conversation."

"It's okay. It sounded like you two had fun," I said with a smile. "Did you two get things figured out with your dress?"

"We certainly did," Rarity chirped. "And I can't wait to get started on it. It's going to be simply divine."

I chuckled at Rarity's enthusiasm as Octavia said, "Indeed, I cannot wait until it is finished, Rarity. I can't thank you enough for your help."

"Think nothing of it, dear," Rarity said with a wave of her hand. "I'm excited to make it for you. Now, given that I do have some other orders to work on, I will do everything in my free time to make sure that it's ready in time for the wedding. I'll have you try it on no less than a few days before so that I have time for adjustments if I need to."

"That's good to hear, Rarity," Octavia said before taking out her phone to check the time. "Now, if you will excuse us, I think Rough Draft should walk me home before my mother starts to worry."

"Oh, yes. Perfectly understandable," Rarity said before turning to me. "Kindly make sure that the lady is brought home safe and sound, Mr. Draft."

I smirked at Rarity and said, "No harm will come to Lady Melody. I assure you."

Octavia smiled at me sweetly before she said, "I hope to see you around school, Rarity."

"Oh, so do I, Octavia," Rarity replied. "See you on Monday, Rough Draft."

"See ya," I said as Octavia and I left the shop.

With that, the two of us started walking down the street quietly to Octavia's place. It didn't take long to get to the house since it wasn't that far from Carousel Boutique, so once we got to the front porch, Octavia turned to me and gave me another sweet smile.

"Thank you so much for introducing me to Rarity, Rough Draft," she said. "I'm really excited about my new dress."

"You're very welcome," I said. "It sounded like you were having fun talking to Rarity up there. Would you say you've become friends."

"Oh, yes. Very much so," Octavia answered. "It's a relief that we did become friends actually. Before she asked to talk to you privately - well, I'm not sure, but it looked like she wanted to strangle me or something."

"Uh, really? What could have given you that idea?" I asked, with a nervous smile.

"I don't know. Just something about how her eyes were staring at me," Octavia answered. "Ah, well, the important thing is we have things covered with my dress for the wedding, and I've made a new friend. Add that to a massive shopping spree, and I'd say I've had a charming afternoon with you, Rough Draft."

My heart skipped a beat when she said that last part as I said, "I did too. I'm happy that you're happy, Octavia."

"Aw, there you go being so sweet again," Octavia cooed. "Speaking of which, though, I was wondering if I could ask you something."

"Oh?" I asked.

"Well, I thought about it while you and Rarity had your talk, and I was wondering if you could be my date for the wedding," she said.

My eyes widened, my heart skipped another beat, and I felt my cheeks heating up. Octavia covered her mouth to hide another giggle and said, "I had a feeling you were going to react that way."

"Well, needless to say, no girl has ever asked me something like that before," I said.

"Needless to say, indeed," Octavia said. "As your friend, it pleases me to be the first one. Though in any case, I find your company quite amusing and comforting, and honestly, there's not a lot of people going to the wedding that I know very well. So, it would mean a lot to me if you could come with me and watch me play."

The ache of her only referring to me as her friend was numbed by her complimenting my company and saying that it would mean a lot to her if I was her date. To have someone so kind and talented like Octavia be the first girl to say any of those things just made the experience all the more special. But even if she didn't say those things, I already knew what my answer was going to be.

"I would love to be your date," I said. "Though I don't have a suit."

Octavia smiled and said, "That's okay. We can get you one at the suit shop next time. I'm buying, of course."

"Oh, you don't have to do that, Octavia," I said.

"I know, but I want to, and it's important for you to have one for an event like this," Octavia said before giving me another teasing smirk. "Besides, if you look as cute as you do in a black polo shirt, I can't wait to see how you look in a tuxedo fitting for a luxurious wedding."

I turned my back on her to hide my face, but Octavia laughed, knowing that I was blushing all over without seeing me.

"Are you just doing this on purpose to mess with me?" I asked, still looking away.

But instead of an answer, I felt two gray arms wrapping around my chest from behind and pulling me into a hug. My blush grew as I turned my head to see Octavia giving me a cordial look.

"I do find your bashful reactions quite darling," she admitted. "But I mean it when I say I look forward to seeing my best friend looking handsome in a nice suit. The thought of it makes me think of how foolish and stiff-necked the girls in Appleloosa must have been to not see you for the charming guy you are. It's unfair that you've never had that special someone in your life, Rough Draft. I hope you will find her soon, and when you do, I'll help you win her heart. I promise."

I could do nothing but stare at the girl I had feelings for, touched by her words as she held me from behind. Never in my life had anyone speak so highly of me or encouraged me so passionately. I felt uplifted that my dream of finding love will come true with her help, but at the same time, I thought that was less likely to happen than before, for having her say those words to me didn't make me believe that I could find someone other than Octavia to fall in love with. If anything, her kind words, firm embrace, warm smile, and the gentle look in her violet eyes made me wish even more that she could be the one for me and that I would be the one for her. If the way she was acting toward me as just a friend was all I would get, then I wanted her to hold me and look at me like that for all time.

Eventually, I smiled and said, "Thank you, Octavia."

"You're very welcome, Rough Draft," Octavia said before she gave my body one more squeeze and let go. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I best get inside."

I hid my longing to feel her embrace again with my smile as I said, "Of course. I better get home myself. My parents are probably home by now."

"Well, you best not keep them waiting," Octavia said. "Good night, Rough Draft."

"Good night, Octavia," I said before she went inside and closed the door.

With the gray girl out of my sight, I could do nothing but glumly walk home, longing to feel her arms again.

Comments

[jw278]

Thanks for the new Chapter, liked how Rarity interacted with Octavia next chapter should be interesting