Mock Dates
The university commons was quiet at this time of night. The cafeteria had shut down a couple of hours ago, and most of the students still looking for food or drink were in the basement billiard room, where a little concession stand stayed open until after ten. A few still occupied tables in the commons, but those studious souls were keeping to the tables around the far edge of the commons, taking advantage of the quiet company without actually interrupting their reading.
Cora settled at one of the tables nearer the center of the wide room, setting down the coffee she’d brought from the cafe down the street. The long-eared Boer Goat struggled for a second to fish the cell phone out of the tight pocket of her denim rompers, nearly dropping it as it finally popped free, and checked the time.
“Worried we’ll be late?” purred a familiar voice at her shoulder as an elegant young Balinese strolled past and slid into the chair across from her. As usual, Sable’s classy, professional attire made Cora keenly aware that the Goat had, in fact, grown up in a barn, and still dressed like it. Sable never seemed to notice, or mind. “It’s barely half past nine. On my worst day I’d be up for another hour. Don’t worry about it.”
“Ha!” barked the Springer Spaniel approaching them in a loud laugh that jolted several of the students around the commons out of their books. “My night hasn’t even started yet! We oughta make this quick, though, or I’ll be late for a real party,” Moxx warned as she thumped down in the seat beside Sable, her spiked and glossy leather outerwear contrasting with the Balinese’s elegant dress almost as starkly as the two-toned neon spikes of Moxx’s hair (blue and green this week). “So what’s up? It’s not like you to call after the dinner hour.”
Cora smiled sheepishly, her hands clasped nervously in her lap. She never would have imagined, when she signed up for that gen-ed chemistry class, that her two lab partners would end up becoming her best friends. She was the opposite of them both in so many ways...from her simple and reserved clothing to her shy nature...that it was a little embarrassing to her every time they let her sit down at a table with them. But that one class had turned into two solid friendships over the last three years, even though none of them had shared a single lecture since then. “I, uh...well...I need your help with something,” she started timidly, cringing at herself a little for how difficult she found it just to talk about things like this.
Her friends both tilted their heads together, giving her curious looks, and waited patiently for her to finish pulling her thoughts together and pushing them off her tongue. They really were kind to her...
“I...um...might have a boyfriend...,” Cora admitted with a deepening blush, hiding her cheeks behind her hands. “His name is ‘Eric’—!”
Moxx interrupted without quite intending to, bursting into a bark of a laugh, and reached across the table to slap the shy Goat’s shoulder in congratulatory fashion. “Well, hey, good for you! So what’s this handsome devil like?” the Spaniel asked, leaning forward curiously with a sly grin.
Sable cast a mildly disapproving look over her shoulder at the Dog. “I’m fairly sure she was about to tell us, if you could kindly avoid interrupting...?”
Moxx just rolled her eyes and returned her grin to Cora, who nodded and cleared her throat and tried hard to sound as excited for herself as Moxx seemed to be. “He’s a Retriever, and really nice. And he is handsome,” she blushed, “He’s in my advanced algebra class. He asked me for help with some geometric formulas a few weeks back. We’ve been comparing notes and checking each other’s work ever since. Yesterday after class...he asked me out. This Friday. We’re going to a movie, I think.”
Sable nodded sagely at the end of each sentence, leaning on one elbow as if growing bored, though Cora knew this was actually the posture she adopted when concentrating. “He sounds nice enough for a classmate. Do you know anything else about him? His hobbies, or work?”
Cora shook her head. “I know he goes hunting in autumn most years, and he plays some military-themed video game with his friends from high school on the weekends...but not much else yet.”
“Ah, that’s fine,” Moxx grinned, waving off Sable’s concerned look, “That’s what you talk about on dates, right? You know, if you care about anything besides the kissy-kissy and belly-rubby,” she snickered, knowing Cora probably cared most about anything but making out, “So what’s the problem?”
The bashful Goat covered her mouth with both hands, as if it had just occurred to her that dates might include physical affection. Even Moxx’s grin crinkled a little at that, like she couldn’t imagine what else her friend might expect to happen. Cora confessed in a voice only barely louder than a whisper, “That...that is the problem! I’ve never had a boyfriend before! I’ve never been on a date! I really want him to like me, but...I mean...I know kissing and stuff comes up at some point, but you don’t just start with that, right?”
“Oh, honey,” Sable sighed, rubbing her forehead, “I know you grew up kind of off in the sticks, but surely teenagers date even out there, don’t they? Maybe they still call it ‘courtship’? You’re not about to tell me all marriages are arranged over in South Verdantgrove,” the Feline frowned dubiously.
Cora shook her head quickly at that. “Of course people date! Just...not me,” she admitted, “I’ve really only ever seen it in movies. And those characters always seem to have a history already...and usually a bad one. I know it doesn’t go like that, usually...”
Moxx’s head drooped, and she shook it so hard her bubble-gum-pink ears flapped. “Oh, no no no no no! I mean, yes, it actually does go like that more often than you’d think, but that’s a terrible base to start from! Sable, we can not let her go to the ball in these shoes,” she turned to the Balinese sitting at her elbow, the peerless planner in their little group, “Help me out here, before she embarrasses herself so bad she goes back to the farm and hides under a hay bale! What are we going to do?”
Sable’s tail swished behind her in agitation as she continued to rub her head. “For starters, don’t be so dramatic,” she suggested with a cold glare at the Spaniel, “Everyone starts somewhere, whether they have good examples or not. Now, let me think...” She sat back in her chair, one finger pressed against the side of her brow like she was holding down a button to keep the machine running, while her fluffy tail swept a clean spot in the floor behind her chair. “Let’s see,” she gave a serious look to Moxx at last, “I’ve had three up to now. How many boyfriends have you had?”
The Spaniel tilted her head and crossed her arms under her leather-clad breasts. “Not that I mind comparing body counts, but how’s that supposed to help? About fifteen, if we can count one-night stands,” she answered with a shrug, “Otherwise, just one.”
“The stands count,” the Balinese assured her Canine friend, “The point is you have experience. So how about this,” she turned her attention directly to Cora now, “Moxx and I will take you out on some mock-dates. That will give you some idea of what to expect, and maybe inspire some ideas for venues. We don’t have time to do much before your first date, but even you can survive one on natural instinct, surely. You’ll be better prepared to set the mood by the second, whatever mood you want that to be. What do you think?”
Cora’s chin was nearly resting on the table. She had no idea what sort of help she’d been expecting from these two, but was quite certain this was way above and beyond anything she might have thought. “That...that would be great, I think,” she nodded hurriedly, “I learn best by example. Thank you! Both of you!”
“Don’t sweat it,” Sable waved off the thanks, though a quiet purr was rumbling deep in her chest as she pulled out her mobile phone. “Alright, I’ll handle the first one. Tomorrow’s Wednesday, so...let me just reschedule this...and that,” she tapped the screen a few times, quickly, “And meet me outside the admin building at six — better make that seven o’clock, actually. Wear a dress, not pants.” Giving a quick glance to Moxx for confirmation, she asked, “Are you in?”
The Spaniel laughed, and actually slapped her back hard enough to rock her forward in her chair. “Wuff, yeah, I am! I am in all the way up to my cotton-candy ears!” she grinned, “Knew you’d come up with something good!” Then she turned a beaming smile to Cora. “Don’t worry. We’ll have you date-shape in no time flat. Eric’ll have to fight the other boys for you,” she winked.
Cora really didn’t think that was likely (or necessary), but greatly appreciated her friend’s enthusiasm.
