Chapter Two: A Tween Would Find It Easier To Resist Velour Tracksuit Bottoms-1

Chapter Two: A Tween Would Find It Easier To Resist Velour Tracksuit Bottoms "You made it!" Beth is smiling from ear to ear as she greets me and Cole the next day at a cafe a couple of blocks away from my apartment. "You seem surprised." I lean into my boyfriend, who wraps his arm around me and tucks me into his side. "Yeah well, I honestly thought you would be otherwise occupied." She winks and laughter rumbles from Cole's chest. Beth gets up to hug him as it's been a while since they've met. Since college, or rather after we left school it's been getting harder and harder to meet up regularly. Still now, at least I'm closer to Travis and Beth. But on the downside? Even though I'm closer to my family now, Cole is farther away than ever. Just a few more years, I remind myself, just a few more years. Travis gets back from getting coffees for all of us and greets Cole enthusiastically. They've come a long way from being two people who never really could stand each other. "How long have you guys been planning this?" I ask, taking a sip of my sugar loaded hazelnut macchiato. "Since you finalised the day you were moving." Beth grins, "What? You thought your boyfriend was getting out of doing all the heavy lifting?" "I think all those shoes might have permanently damaged my back." Travis groans theatrically and I chuck a napkin at him. "Don't worry Tessie, I'll take care of the rest of it and not even complain like this wuss right here." He slides his arm around the back of my seat and in turn I shift closer to him in the booth. I've realised that we've become that very couple that I used to make fun of while ignorantly single. I'd wondered why it was that two people couldn't bear being apart for that short while that they were in public. My naive fifteen year old perhaps couldn't see that when you're that in love with a person, you need to have contact with them in some way possible. And it's the smallest touches, the lingering of his hand on the small of your back, a kiss on the cheek, a caress of his fingers down your palm, all the things he does without even thinking about it that tells you that a guy is absolutely devoted to you. I look at Cole and bite the inside of my cheek. It shouldn't still feel like this, this crazy emotion that sweeps up inside of me whenever I think about him. What's that they say about the honeymoon period? I'm pretty sure we've surpassed whatever time period you're supposed to stay in that phase and to be honest? I still feel as in love with him as I was five years ago. Nothing has changed for me, no feelings have diminished. If anything, with time our relationship has grown, evolved into something that I consider the most important thing in my life. "So how long before you have to fly out?" Travis asks him and I feel his eyes on me as he asks the question. The concern he feels is palpable. I know he doesn't like the fact that I live alone and well, my history of self doubt means that I'm not to be trusted to do well with long distance relationships. I like to thing that that's changed. "I'm here till Monday night." I see Cole gritting his teeth "Technically I don't need to attend Tuesday's session but the professor's being a hardass. But at least I'll be able to see you off to your first day at work." He grins at me and I feel a mixture of elatedness and nervousness. Work, actual adult life and responsibilities that I may or may not have been avoiding in the previous years. I'd interned here and there but imagining myself in a situation where I'd be at a desk from 9-5 and be responsible for something huge, well it gives me the slightest bit of a panic attack. The interview process had gone smoothly and as I'd applied to several publishing firms, but in the end when I'd gotten a job as an assistant to a beauty magazine editor, I had of course been taken aback. My dream job had always been to go into publishing, to find books and to find writers whose stories deserved to be told. I wanted to bring out the most magical and unforgettable books that would stay with the reader forever. I wanted these books to play as big of a part in someone else's life as the books I read as a child had done for me. Now I'd be writing about lipstick, yeah it'd been a bit of a surprise. Realistically I knew I could work my way up, that this job is just the beginning. I could work here for some time before looking for a position elsewhere. The job itself on paper is great and could help me save up for the future but in my head, I'm definitely walking into a Devil Wears Prada situation. "Hey you okay?" Cole nudges my arm slightly and breaks my thought process. I look around to see three very concerned faces. "You're going to be okay Tess. Don't tell me you're still worried about fitting in?" Beth gives me a pointed look. She's obviously concerned that her pep talk hasn't worked on me. "I spent the past couple of days subscribing to all these beauty channels on YouTube. Do you realise how complicated makeup's gotten?" I turn to Cole, "Baking is not what Nana Stone does on Thanksgiving, it's something you do to your face. You bake your face. How is that supposed to make sense?" He looks slightly horrified, "Uh,so you rub flour all over your face then?" Beth snorts, "You're close enough. But Tess, stop worrying. There's nothing you don't know already and if you don't know you can always Google it. That's what I do." "It's just…I never saw myself working in the beauty industry. I had to buy all these fancy clothes and work outfits when all I ever wanted to do was work in some up and coming publishing house where they let you come to work in sweatshirts." I groan. "You'll get there Tessie, I have faith in you." My boyfriend rubs my back comfortingly, "But for now you gotta bake that face." *** After breakfast we go our separate ways with plans for a night out tomorrow. I'm too exhausted from the previous day's move and I know Cole must be feeling pretty rough after his flight so the plan is to take a quick nap before going on a date later this evening. You say we're boring, I say we're in a stable relationship. "To think, I'm slumming it in an apartment that has no heating or hot water and always smells of Chinese takeout." He groans as he falls on my bed. I laugh and settle down next to him. "Hey you chose to slum it. You can afford to stay in a better area but I have no idea why you're doing this to yourself."