There was a time when Remy often found herself in situations similar to the one she currently faced, in entirely unfamiliar territory and scared out of her mind as she wondered how she'd managed to get herself into such a mess. The last time it happened was an hour after she'd arrived in Violet Meadows, when she was sitting in a motel room that she'd spent nearly the last of her savings renting while coming to the realization that, after months of running, she'd finally run out of road. It was an exception, though, and had become an almost fond memory. She'd poured everything she had into finding work and, after being offered a job stocking shelves in a nearby grocery store after only three days, Remy finally began to see herself as being capable of caring for herself, entirely independent of the conditional love and acceptance that she'd believed for so long was the only thing keeping her alive. It was the beginning of something beautiful, a life she could actually see herself living. It was hardly the glamorous existence she'd been conditioned to expect, but working a job she didn't mind while surrounded by people who actually cared about her was every bit as precious by virtue of its rarity alone.

Thinking about it again, Remy wondered if this was also the beginning of something beautiful. For all of her anxiety, she'd chosen to be there more than once. Over the past several days, there was time to come to terms with the fact that her reluctance was based on some powerful emotions, but a lack of desire was nowhere among them. Kate had been adamant about making that point as many times as was required for Remy to start believing it and, as reluctant as she was to admit defeat, there was no denying that Kate had made her point. Of all of the arguments Remy had made against her own interests, none of them stood up to any scrutiny. She was nervous, which Kate said was to be expected. She was also afraid, which Kate told her was understandable given the circumstances. Still, none of that changed the fact that not only did Remy want this, but there was no reason that she shouldn't. Try as she might, whether out of self-destructive habit or morbid curiosity, Remy could come up with no counterargument. She wanted to be there, and no amount of lack of familiarity with wanting could change that.

Sitting on a bench in the Square, Remy did her best to continue following Kate's advice and keep her attention on her appearance. Though she'd said that it was for the sake of not making any last minute mistakes that would ruin makeup or stain clothes, Remy suspected that it had more to do with just giving her something to occupy her thoughts to keep them from taking a turn for the worse. As often as it had happened—especially over the last several days—it was a reasonable concern. Even as she approached her destination, Remy was so busy fighting herself to either believe in Kate or believe the worst that she'd nearly turned around and gone home purely for fear that she couldn't endure the strain. It was only the pain that came with the thought of being anywhere else that kept her moving forward until she'd found her seat.

Remy felt fortunate to not have to think about where to wait for Allison to arrive, the location essentially chosen for her by a strange encounter. The day after agreeing to the date, she found herself speaking with a customer she remembered having met once before who had apparently asked for her by name this time. Just as the first time, her appearance was concerning; her long black hair was a tangled mess, her clothes looked as if she'd slept in them and she smelled strongly of liquor, but not the stale smell Remy expected from a late night out the prior evening. The aura of alcohol she radiated couldn't have been more than a few hours old, something that gave Remy cause for concern at nine in the morning.

Also mirroring their first encounter, the woman defied all expectations by having what was, on its surface, a largely normal conversation. Remy expected nothing short of a tirade during their first encounter, but she only seemed interested in locating produce that was several months out of season. The only thing that was odd was that the woman kept asking questions and then studying her intently, as if gauging her responses. Relieved that she'd seemed satisfied enough to leave, Remy put her out of her mind and hadn't thought about her again until coming to the customer service counter to find her waiting. This time, the conversation quickly shifted from out of stock produce to the wisteria tree in the Square. She sang the praises of the tree as if she was writing poetry, something that stood out as so strange and beautiful that Remy couldn't help thinking about it again when speaking with Kate about appearances. The speech about the wisteria tree painted a picture in her mind of seeing Allison sitting there and waiting for her and, without hesitation, Remy decided that if she could inspire a fraction of what she was feeling in Allison, then there was no other choice to be made.

Remy checked her watch and saw that she still had ten minutes to wait. She groaned, for the first time cursing herself for her habit of being early for fear of being late. She initially only thought to arrive reasonably early to ensure that Allison wasn't waiting for her and assumed that, as with any other important appointment, twenty minutes would suffice. She hadn't taken into consideration that it would mean twenty minutes of being locked in a cage with her own thoughts, something that again drew her attention back to Kate's suggestion of focusing on her appearance. It was a strange thing for her to think of doing as she very rarely gave it any significant thought, typically at most giving herself a cursory glance in the mirror in the morning on her way to work. Then again, if it would fill a few minutes with anything other than trying to control her breathing, it seemed worth trying.

As she glanced down at herself, Remy had to admit that Kate had outdone herself. As Remy had little interest in fashion, she'd never gone out of her way to bring it up in conversation but, apparently, Kate had an eye for such things. Remy gave up immediately when it came to questioning Kate as she held up her phone with pictures of various clothing items while looking at her, then either smiling or shaking her head before continuing her search. It took more than an hour for her to look satisfied and, after having sat there for so long, Remy agreed immediately for fear that any argument or question might lead to more searching. It wasn't until earlier that afternoon that she finally found out what she would be wearing. She looked down at the form-fitting light blue jeans that she'd struggled to squeeze herself into, surprised that she'd managed to become comfortable in them. She couldn't say quite as much about the off shoulder ivory top, the low neckline coming dangerously close to showing cleavage. It was a slightly unsettling thought as even her shoulders were more than she was accustomed to showing. Luckily, the taupe flats were simple, familiar and comfortable.

With the exception of getting used to showing quite so much of her skin, Remy was surprised to find herself largely comfortable overall, the entire outfit not being far removed from things she likely would've picked out for herself. She briefly worried about how casual it all was, but Kate shut down the concern immediately. She said that being comfortable was far more important than trying to impress, especially if that's not how you normally dress. What was important, however, was highlighting the qualities of what was normal that attracted Allison in the first place, and then sparingly adding a little extra to draw the eye to them. It initially seemed to Remy that the explanation was too convenient, but Kate had certainly stuck to the strategy through the salon appointment. While intimidating at first, Remy had to admit that she'd misjudged the experience when she finally saw the relaxed and welcoming atmosphere for herself. Her last salon appointment was years earlier when she was still being regularly dragged there by her mother, and the experience had no relation whatsoever to the events of that day. Back then, it was being forced into chairs by cruelly gossiping strangers to be turned into something unrecognizable while her own feelings about her own body were summarily dismissed as soon as they were heard. Several hours earlier, Remy had to put conscious effort into not letting her mouth hang open in shock when a stylist asked for her permission before even touching her hair. It was difficult to remember that Violet Meadows was clearly nothing like any place she'd ever lived before, but the reminders were certainly pleasant.

Overall, Remy was quite pleased with the day's efforts. Her outfit was simple, the most dramatic change to her makeup was adding a small amount of eyeshadow and lip gloss to her usual eyeliner and foundation, and the biggest change to her hair was not pulling it back into a ponytail and letting it fall freely to the middle of her back. Everything else was just taking an extra step that she usually didn't have the energy or patience to take herself. She definitely looked noticeably different, but she still looked like what she expected to see in her reflection, not a twisted version of herself wearing someone else's face.

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I just hope it isn't for nothing.

One nagging thought that Remy hadn't quite managed to dispel entirely was the fear that, somehow, she'd managed to misinterpret Allison's intentions after all. While she was long past the point of trying to argue that Kate was right in that all of the signs pointed to the evening's plans being a loose justification for a date, there was still no confirmation that a date was Allison's intent, much less that she saw Remy in a remotely similar way to how Remy saw her. All of the evidence was circumstantial. She'd stopped voicing the concern for fear of making Kate think that she didn't appreciate all that she was doing for her or that she disagreed with what Kate was saying, but the lack of hard evidence made it difficult to simply dive right in. It brought to mind thoughts of preparing to jump without inspecting the bungee cord herself; no matter how unlikely it was that she would be proven wrong, she couldn't justify the risk of moving forward blindly when the damage was so easily prevented—and likely irreversible. Ironically, she found reasonable justification to be hesitant just in time for it to not matter. She had already made the decision to move forward, and more than once. The pain she felt when considering turning back earlier that day made a point far better than any other: No matter how far this road went, Remy was determined to walk until she came to the end of it.

I've run out of road before. So far, it's been working out pretty well for me.

Just as Remy was having the thought, her resolve was immediately tested. The evening breeze picked up and brought a familiar scent her way, something delicate that was reminiscent of pears and jasmine. She began to smile peacefully as she was flooded with warmth when recognition finally came to her. It was a perfume that she'd encountered before, but only in one place and only with one person.

Allison.

The serenity that washed over her was short-lived. Lost in a peaceful haze, it took some time for her fear to find her again and, when it did, its urgency was all the greater. Just as quickly as she'd begun to peacefully drift away, she was snapped back into the present and dropped straight into a state already bordering on panic. It took several seconds to come to her senses but, when she did and the threat to her sense of calm finally made itself apparent, reality seemed to collapse in on itself with her at its center.

Wait...Allison?

Her heart hammering, Remy slowly turned her head until her eyes fell on Allison. The birds above and the idle chatter around went silent, and the residents and tourists walking through the area vanished. In that moment, there was only Allison; even as the observer, Remy's existence paled in significance by comparison.

"Sorry...I'm staring. It's just...you look really nice tonight. I wasn't ready for it."

Allison's voice was usually a cause of Remy's dazes, but the significance of her words turned them into a guiding light leading her out of this one. It was the only thing serving as a reminder that she was just as guilty. "I...can relate. You look amazing."

It was a testament to Remy's restraint that she managed to not say any more than she did. Even after returning to her senses, just looking at Allison thretened to send her mind off into the clouds again. Everything about her appearance was new to Remy. Her aqua hair, usually pulled back while she was working, was flowing freely in gentle waves past her shoulders. Instead of her chef coat and pants in the café's colors, she was wearing a white spaghetti strap dress that fell to the middle of her thigh with a pale lavender floral print and a low neckline that tested Remy's restraint even more. Even her shoes were completely unfamiliar, her usual ballet flats replaced with kitten heel sandals with lavender straps. Remy struggled to restrain a smile when she realized that she was witnessing Allison's flair for the artistic at work, remembering the picnic theme of the new menu she was showcasing and recognizing that the fact that she looked ready for an elegant garden party couldn't be a coincidence. At the same time, though, there was a certain allure that was a step beyond even Allison's usual charm that Remy found slightly overwhelming. She couldn't help wondering if it was deliberate...and perhaps for her benefit.

Remy didn't manage to pull herself away from her musings until she realized that the silence had gone on a little too long. She looked up to see Allison's face turning a deep scarlet, making Remy wonder if the simple compliment had been enough to cause it.

No...no way. She's got to be used to hearing that all the time.

Before Remy could fully convince herself that her words had no meaning, Allison cut through her thoughts. "If you're going to keep flustering me like that, then I should sit down. May I?"

Struggling to process exactly what she'd just heard, Remy nodded enthusiastically as she searched for appropriate words. She rushed to pick up the chocolate leather clutch on the bench next to her and place it in her lap. Allison took a seat, looking a little unsteady on her feet as she made her way to the bench. Remy's breath caught when she realized that, despite all of the available space, there was only a hand's width between their shoulders. She felt electricity coursing through her skin, warmth spreading from her shoulder throughout her entire body. Allison, her hands on her lap and fidgeting, cautiously turned to Remy with a nervous smile.

"Mind if I'm honest?"

Still trying to force her brain into gear, Remy stalled for time by shaking her head. "N—no...no. Honest is good."

Looking somewhat encouraged, Allison gave an uneasy laugh. "I know it's not helping me look particularly impressive tonight, but...I'm a little nervous. I'm not the best at this."

Several questions occurred to Remy at once, and she had some difficulty in choosing one to start with. "Not the best at what?"

There was a long pause and a deep breath before Allison continued. "D—dating, I mean. I can't even remember the last time I went on one, and I've never been the one to ask before so this is pretty much new territory for me." Suddenly, her expression began to take a turn toward worry. "I...guess I never really came out and said it, did I? What I had in mind, I mean. If you're not into that, I totally underst—"

"No!" Remy could feel the heat rising to her face as she saw Allison's startled expression, but she didn't care. In that moment, all she could think was that this conversation was taking a turn she didn't want...and one that didn't need to be taken. She had to stop it. "I mean...no, that's not it. I'm just...surprised. I've been sitting here for the last couple of days and hoping it was, but..."

Again, Allison's expression shifted, now looking split between excited and hopeful. "But...?"

Remy was beginning to feel self-conscious now that her plan to redirect the conversation had succeeded, but she refused to let the opportunity go to waste. "It...seemed like too much to hope for."

Allison looked down at her hands, smiling widely. "I'm starting to get the feeling that we've got two very different ideas about each other." She took another deep breath, then looked up at Remy, her aquamarine eyes sparkling. "Well, I guess we can start clearing up misunderstandings with this one. Yeah...I was definitely asking you out on a date. Since you don't seem to mind that idea, well...may I?"

Remy nodded without having any idea what she was agreeing to allow. Allison moved closer, closing what little distance there was between them before slowly moving her hand toward Remy's. Remy froze in place as if watching a bird and fearful of scaring it away, struggling to keep her hand from trembling as Allison's wrapped around it. With a touch more delicate than Remy ever would've thought possible, Allison's hand slid into hers, lacing their fingers together before leaning against Remy's shoulder. Somewhere in the sea of thoughts shouting over each other and demanding Remy's attention, one rose above them all.

I hope this road never ends.