dressupdahlia - Tumblr blog

dressupdahlia · 10 years

Text

Playing Dress Up || Dahlia & Sophia

Tagged: Dahlia Winslet, Sophia Lambert

Location: Unknown Wardrobe Room, Horizon Studios

Timeframe: Friday, June 20th. Midnight.

Notes: Dahlia and Sophia reminisce while trying on costumes (and eventually decide clothes are overrated). It's PG though, I promise.

Dahlia: Dahlia's key to Horizon Studios was painted with green nail polish so she could find it easily in the mess that was her purse. The paint was chipping off badly, though, because the key was so often used. She'd come in early or stay late, or come in on weekends when no one was around, probably more often than anyone else. Every once in a while she'd see a studio exec or someone wandering the halls but most of the time it was just her and her music and her costumes. This was her sacred place, and she'd kind of missed it when Mindy had built her one in the house. She turned the key now and smiled at Sophia, taking her hand, wondering if she knew how important it was that she was taking her here after hours. They walked through the quiet halls, the sound of Dahlia's heels echoing on the floor. "It's kinda creepy in here." she smirked.

Sophia: It hadn't been the first time Sophia had gone into the studio late at night. Usually she was very good at forgetting essential paperwork she would need to do the next day, and sometimes, well, work was inevitable. She would sometimes find herself cooped up in her office, answering calls and working towards deadlines until what seemed like dawn. Her office almost seemed separate from the rest of the studio at times. Her office, a little boring and bland, with walls that needed to be wallpapered for sure. The rest of the studio had always seemed much more vibrant to her. So taking an opportunity to dance around in it was perfect. Sophia smiled, squeezing Dahlia's hand tightly. "Is this the moment where some ghost of Unknown turns out to be real and is haunting this very studio?" she joked, but bit her lip still. "Though beware, the custodians here are creeps themselves at times. At least the one I met a month ago. As long as we don't mess everything up though, we should be fine."

Dahlia: Dahlia was almost afraid of actual ghosts in the studio for a second, but then the image of Kat in her ghost makeup popped into her head. "Imagine if the actors were just creeping in the corners waiting for us?" she laughed. "Ridiculous." She almost started walking toward the elevator - her design studio office was on the third floor - but then she remembered that they were going to the wardrobe room instead. To Dahlia, and maybe to everyone, the wardrobe room was the most exciting room in the studio. The actors always told her they never really felt like they were totally in character until they put their costume on. Then suddenly they were a vampire, or a werewolf, or a ghost. They came to her to be transformed. Like magic. "We'll probably make a little bit of a mess. But a clothes-on-the-floor mess, nothing that'll require the studio to be shut down like the time the fake rain wouldn't turn off." The thought of that day almost made Dahlia sad, but the sight of the wardrobe room door made her smile. "Ready?

Sophia: Sophia giggled a little, pulling Dahlia closer to her. "This would be the worst way to ever have a surprise party I think. Just actors pretending to be ghosts popping out and yelling surprise. It'd be a thing of nightmares, almost as if real ghosts were present," she spoke, just thinking out loud. For a moment back in college, Sophia had thought she could be an actress, a comedy actress perhaps. The dream had been short-lived for the most part, but Sophia got to tour the studio back when she was deciding. The wardrobe room she remembered had seemed like the best place ever. Alas, Sophia found herself working in an office instead, still with a lovely job, but no PR rep required a silly costume to wear to work each day. "Ready as I'll ever be," Sophia answered, practically grinning.

Dahlia: Dahlia was practically bouncing at the sight of her wardrobe room. She'd been in it this morning, running around getting actors into costume, fixing last minute rips and making last minute alterations. But it was different when she was alone in it. Or in this case, alone with Sophia. She opened the door with a key (painted pink this time, just as chipped), and switched on the light. Since they were a supernatural show, most of the colors she had to use were dark neutrals, but the array of fabrics and textures, and the silvers and golds glistening in the light, made Dahlia feel like she was floating. "God, I love my job..." she said smiling, and pulled Sophia into the room, closing the door behind them. "Okay let's set music up. I'm in a Janelle Monae mood..." she said, getting out her phone and finding Dance Apocalyptic and turning it on. She danced her way over to a long high-neck lace black gown from a flashback episode featuring 1920s vampires. "What do you think?" she asked, holding it up to herself.

Sophia: Sophia took a moment to stand in the front of the wardrobe room, soaking in the sights. She never thought one room could fit as many costumes as it did. She ran her hand across the dresses hung up beside her. "This is lovely. I've only been here once or twice before but never like this you know. How do you not play dress up often? I think I would with a wardrobe room like this," Sophia replied, an energetic smile on her face. As the music started to play, Sophia almost grew shy, finding herself simply nodding a little to the music. Dahlia, on the other hand, looked completely in her zone. What Sophia had always loved the most about Dahlia was how the girl could light up an entire room, as cliche as it sounded. She loved the energy, the feeling that her life would be going somewhere. She watched Dahlia dance over to the gothic looking dress, letting herself laugh off the nervousness. This was Dahlia. Dahlia. Her Dahlia. She moved closer towards Dahlia, shimmying her shoulders a little, still laughing. "I love it...very...trendy in like, a scary way," Sophia answered, giggling "Obviously, I'm going to be great in design."

Dahlia: Dahlia laughed, and twirled around, the gown still draped in front of her. "Who says I don't play dress up in here all the time?" she giggled, darting between two rows of hanging gowns and coming back out a moment later, holding up a dress that looked like it had been worn for a hundred years nonstop - exactly how Dahlia had intended for it to look. "You might be too tall for this one. It's from a nightmare scene, but Ashley wore it - Kat, I mean - and she's like what, five foot nothin'?" She smirked and put the dress back, searching through rows of racks of her creations. Finally, she danced back around the corner, holding up a long blue silk dress. "This one hasn't been filmed yet, so be careful. But you'd look gorgeous in this." As she held it out for Sophia to take, she wondered if there was anything Sophia wouldn't look gorgeous in, and had to stare at her shoes to hide her blush. "I, uh... I'd say we could hide behind the racks to change, but I feel like we're a bit past that point, don't you think?"

Sophia: Dahlia seemed to be speaking a million words per minute, so it took a while for Sophia to process everything she was saying, everything that was going on. For a moment, she truly wondered how this could be happening. Back last year when they split, she never would have thought that this...the two of them could happen again. Sophia held onto one of the poles of the clothing rack, looking blindly through dress after dress. Dresses had never been her forte much before as she always felt her best in pants instead, but occasionally she would agree to dressing up a little bit more. She looked back at Dahlia who was holding out the blue dress for her. Reluctantly, she took it out of Dahlia's hands, liking how the silk felt soft underneath her fingertips. Knowing her, the likelihood of accidentally ripping the dress was a more than impossible, but she'd just have to be careful and leave her klutzy side outside of the wardrobe room.

"I...uh...," she started but decided to simply let it go. She smiled shyly but started to unbutton the shirt she was wearing. "No, I can change right here...is that okay with you? I mean, you've seen me in my underwear before right," she added, laughing nervously a bit. Sophia still decided to turn away from Dahlia as she found it awkward to make eye contact with the other girl while changing. "Remember that time when we had to get ready for my cousin's wedding I think? I remember spending forever at the mall trying out dresses to wear. I think that's the closest to dress up we've gotten before with each other," she mentioned, trying to make small talk as she changed. She pulled off her shirt after she undid the last button.

Dahlia: The song changed to What You Know by Two Door Cinema Club and Dahlia smiled softly, still blushing, as she tried not to watch Sophia change. That would be creepy. And thinking now about all the times before that they'd removed their clothes in each other's company was probably creepy too. But what exactly were the rules for a second date the second time around? Was this awkwardness normal or was it imaginary? Should she be able to go over there and grab Sophia by the waist and kiss her if she wanted? Or was taking things slow the best option? Dahlia always hated rules. In fashion, and in life. If she could get away with mixing prints and wearing orange, why couldn't she get away with making out with her ex in the wardrobe room? But in the end, it wasn't any rule that was stopping Dahlia. It was just the fear of pushing Sophia away... or even worse, having her slip slowly through her fingers like sand.

The thought made Dahlia's stomach flip, and she turned away too, slipping the straps of her dress over her shoulders and letting it fall to the floor. She smiled, though, remembering that wedding. Seeing Sophia in a dress was an extremely rare sight, but she knew that she'd secretly had fun with it. Dahlia had primped her up, giving her a cute little french braid on one side of her hair. They'd worn two different shades of lipstick, but by the end of the night, the colors had melted and blended into the same unique shade of raspberry red. That was still Dahlia's favorite color. "I do remember that... I think one of your uncles hit on me at that wedding, did he not? That was all kinds of weird." she giggled, pulling the black lace dress up over her arms. "But I had so much fun that night. ...Hey could, you, uh... zip me up?" she asked, pulling her hair over one shoulder and turning her back.

Sophia: And I can't say it's what you know/But you've known it the whole time/Yeah, you've known it the whole time. Sophia already began to slip on the blue dress, starting to feel it was too fancy-looking for her taste. Perhaps it had been her mother's constant need to feminize her daughter up that made Sophia dislike wearing most dresses. "Uncle Rob I think it was. He did hit on you, but I think--I think I made myself pretty clear that you were mine," Sophia replied, laughing hesitantly. "It was..." she started to say, but her mind was in another place to finish connecting the string of words together. Despite the her habit of forming short-term relationships, despite her fear, despite her insecurities, that night of the wedding, it had been the first time she had looked at Dahlia and imagined the two of them in "forever" territory. "Forever" territory was always the place she turned away from when it came to her relationships. "Forever" territory never was supposed to happen with Dahlia, but it did.

It happened the same way the two of them fell into a relationship, fell in love, in a comfortable state together, being together, moving in together. "What?" Sophia replied, waking herself up from her daze. "Uh, yeah, I can zip you up," she added, pulling herself together. Her own dress wasn't zipped up either, showing the clasp of her bra. She turned around, sucking a little air in as she saw Dahlia in the black lace dress. The dress was beautiful with such an intricate pattern to it. It fit. It seemed to fit Dahlia in more ways than just physically. "I love it," Sophia breathed. Even though she knew better, Sophia had started to imagine what it'd be like to unzip Dahlia out of that dress rather than zip her up. "Dahlia, the zipper won't budge," Sophia told, furrowing her brows in slight frustration as she tried to pull the zipper upward.

Dahlia: Dahlia laughed at the memory. "Yeah, I remember, he was all 'You here for the bride or the groom?' and I was all 'I'm here for Sophia' and then you whisked me away and we danced terribly for ages." Before she'd gone with Sophia to that wedding, Dahlia had had a talk with her mama. And her mama said that being someone's date to a wedding, especially a family wedding, is a really big deal. And Dahlia had shrugged, like she always did, and said that nothing with Sophia was a really big deal. But it had been. It crept up on them like everything else, but things were suddenly serious, and Dahlia wasn't even afraid. The serious commitment feeling wrapped itself around them like a warm blanket and she felt protected by it. Like nothing bad could happen to her with Sophia around. She was lost in this thought when Sophia suddenly told her the zipper wouldn't budge.

Her eyes widened and her head snapped to the right as she tried to see what the problem was. "It shouldn't be stuck, it's a YKK zipper..." she turned around, and without thinking, pulled the top half of the dress down and spun the skirt around so the zipper was in the front. She fiddled with the zipper for a moment before realizing she was standing in front of Sophia in her bra and half a dress. She looked up, blushed, and started laughing. "Oh goodness. You know what?" Annoyed with the awkwardness, she let the rest of the dress slip to the ground so she was just in her bra and underwear and heels. "There. That's better. Who even needs dresses when you can have an underwear dance party, am I right?" she smirked.

Sophia: Sophia smiled, her head tilted upwards slightly as she thought back to her cousin's wedding. Even as a kid, she wasn't much of a crier. She only cried at things that truly mattered, that really hurt her somehow. Never once did she think she could get teary-eyed over something happy. But at that wedding, she remembered how teary her eyes were during the ceremony. She remembered having to look away from Dahlia for a moment to wipe her eyes. Crying at weddings was what she figured was a side effect of "Forever" territory. The way Dahlia had made her feel had always intoxicated her, made her feel practically enchanted. Sophia never could have predicted that "Forever" territory could slip out of her grasp so easily. Then again, she never predicted they could start again, fall in love again, maybe, just maybe things would be okay again. The word "again" was a promise, a wish, but at the same time, it was a question. Would they be able to make it work? Sophia tried the zipper again, but it wouldn't work.

"I don't know what's up, but it's not working," Sophia answered again. The awkwardness between them was something new. It hadn't really been this way with them before. They started their relationship comfortable with each other. And the only difference with the end of their relationship...was that they stayed apart, kept at a distance. Now, as they worked on closing the distance between them, the awkwardness would settle in, making every move and kiss feel like it was illegal, like this couldn't happen between them anymore. So when Dahlia pulled her dress completely down, Sophia couldn't help biting her lip, strangely in awe of how Dahlia could practically read her thoughts. "Are you a mind-reader?" Sophia teased. She walked away for a moment, still in her blue dress to the phone she had left next to Dahlia's. From her own music library, she chose You and I by Ingrid Michaelson. "I'm starting to think I should whisk you off your feet again. Dahlia, I... I don't want to start all over again with you.

I just want to be with you like...like how we used to be. I want to be able to do, I don't know, this," she finished, pulling off her own dress, glad to finally pull it off. She thanked herself for wearing matching underwear that day, giggling as she stared at Dahlia who was watching her. She slid on her socks closer to Dahlia. Unlike Dahlia, she had only worn her sneakers for the occasion. "Would you like to dance?" Sophia asked, grinning a little shyly, a little mischievously. But without waiting for Dahlia's reply, she weaved her fingers through the other woman's and started to a little to the beat of the music. "We were never like this. We were never the date type. We just existed together, and that was enough for us, you know? That's what I missed most about us. That's...what I loved about you," she told Dahlia, setting her hands around Dahlia's waist. She looked Dahlia in the eye for a moment before kissing the other woman softly.

Dahlia: Eventually Dahlia had to give up on even trying to hide her blush. She was staring at Sophia now, and Sophia was staring back, and it was like they'd never seen each other before, but it was also kind of like they'd never been apart. Sophia did a sock-slide across the room and Dahlia laughed, letting any tension or awkwardness fall off her shoulders like rain. She kicked off her heels, not wanting to tower over Sophia, and allowed her to hold her close as they slowly swayed to what was possibly the most adorable song in the world. Sophia's hands were around her waist, and hers were gently playing with Sophia's hair, and she just smiled softly at her as she spoke. She was talking about them, and how they used to be, and how they could be again. Suddenly they stopped swaying and all there was in the world was Sophia, and this song. Dahlia traced her thumbs gently across Sophia's cheeks as she kissed her back.

This was different than before. It didn't feel like a first kiss, but didn't feel routine either. It was like hearing a song you haven't heard in years, and you almost forgot how much you loved it. This kiss made Dahlia's head spin, and her heart race, and she smiled against Sophia's lips before slowly pulling back, only a couple inches. She didn't think she could bear being any further than that. "I don't even remember the moment I fell in love with you..." she said softly, her intoxication slowing her speech and intensifying her accent. "I just knew it had happened, you know? I don't even think we really fell in love. We walked into it. Slowly. Deliberately. Hand in hand, as though love were a coffee shop." She smiled and kissed Sophia's nose. "Thanks for playin' dress up with me, honey."

Sophia: The eight months Sophia had spent dating Dahlia, life had always seemed to be stuck on fast-forward. Like cars zooming past on a busy highway, their lives hurried along, pushing through the crowds and even the other obstacles they had faced. Their lives were always in motion. They eventually had grown used to waking up together, falling asleep together, being together in more ways than one. To Sophia, those eight months might as well been years. They were together...until they weren’t. Until Sophia found herself on rewind instead, found herself running in place, trying to look back but still too scared to look forward, too scared to hope.

With her heart still beating against her eardrums, Sophia pulled back from the kiss, sucking in a little air in reaction. She blinked slowly and opened her eyes, grinning back at Dahlia. Her eyes skimmed the surface of Dahlia’s expression as she tried to read the other woman’s gaze, her smile, her blush, wondering if this, this kiss -- them being together again -- she wondered if she and Dahlia were on the same page. But when Dahlia started to speak, all Sophia’s worries felt pacified. She started to grin as wide as she did before, and for that moment, all she managed to do was nod in reply. Her heart felt as it were floating, much like dandelion seeds in the wind.

She knew they were starting something new, anew, but not totally back from the start. They just had to put the pieces together again, fix the ones that hadn’t worked the first time, and it could happen. It could happen? Still, the phrase felt more like a question than a statement in her mind, but Sophia was too happy to let any worry get the best of us. “Coffee shop... sounds appropriate,” she finally replied, smiling warmly, “You’ve always been like caffeine to me, you know? Caffeine, electricity, a warm bed to come home to. Love... that’s what I think of when I think of it. I just want to believe my stubborn heart finally did something right for once. With this. With us. Again. Even now, after all the months that passed... I still find you captivating,” she finally ended, looking Dahlia eye to eye.

She smiled softly as if she were remembering a dream she had long ago. She laughed a little when the red-head thanked her for dressing up and gave Dahlia a funny look in return. “You really think we played dress up now? I mean, maybe you’ve forgotten, but we’re in our underwear,” she replied, scrunching up her nose. Her eyes flickered back towards Dahlia’s, and she bit her bottom lip slightly, a smile slowly forming on her face. “I’ve always liked you better in your underwear,” she teased, leaning in closer, her lips hovering inches away from Dahlia’s. Sophia rested her forehead against Dahlia’s, still smiling, her stubborn heart happy once again. She wrapped her arms around Dahlia, keeping her close, keeping her warm.

Dahlia: Dahlia loved listening when Sophia spoke about the two of them. She made everything sound so easy, and uncomplicated. Like it used to be. Like they could just hold hands and walk into the coffee shop again. She knew everything might not be as simple this time, but she desperately wanted it to be. If there were an easy way to just shut her feelings for Daniel down, she'd do that in a heartbeat, because she knew that Sophia was what she wanted and needed. Even if Daniel did want her, she'd be a second choice now, and she deserved better than that. She deserved to be happy with Sophia. And now, when they were so close that they were surviving off each other's air and keeping each other warm, Dahlia believed that she might be able to. That maybe if she just took a leap of faith and dove headfirst into this, it would drown everything else out and she could finally be fully happy again.

She smirked and laughed at Sophia's teasing, leaning in ever so slightly to gently bite her lower lip before kissing her again. When she once again hesitantly pulled away, she pursed her lips slightly, thinking, still playing with Sophia's hair. "So... not to be that girl or anything, but... I've gotta ask what this means for us." She smiled, twirling Sophia's hair softly around one finger. She was pretty sure she knew what Sophia wanted. She was almost more sure of Sophia's feelings than her own. But more than anything, what Dahlia wanted and needed right now was simple, easy, uncomplicated love. And that was the whole bonus package that came with Sophia. "Do you ever feel like we won the lottery?" she said, giggling.

Sophia: Sophia narrowed her eyes for a moment as if she didn't quite understand what Dahlia was implying. But she did know. And even the thought of discussing the matter scared a bit more than she had imagined before. "You mean like relationship wise and stuff?" Sophia asked, biting her lip again. After the break up the year before, Sophia had gone through a phase of trying to come up with reasons for why it had happened. Did they move in together too quickly? Did she not give Dahlia enough gifts? Was it Sophia's family that caused their relationship to slowly crumble? At last she figured it had been so easy to love Dahlia, but relationships took a lot more work. Sophia never had been the best with relationships anyway. Even though Sophia wanted Dahlia to be hers, the idea of calling Dahlia her girlfriend again left her feeling more anxious than excited. "I... I don't know. I just thought we could be us again? No titles, no boundaries, just us," Sophia suggested, her eyes looking sideways as she thought.

Still holding onto Dahlia, she shrugged her shoulders. "Does that sound stupid to you? I don't know, Dahlia. I just want you," Sophia added to her reply, worried that Dahlia was looking for something more at the moment. "I think we should just take things as they come, you know?" she suggested, smiling a little back at Dahlia. "All I know now is that I don't want anyone else but you, and I just hope you feel the same way..." Sophia was too scared to phrase it as a question, too scared Dahlia wouldn't agree. "We are lucky, I think. We're healthy, good-looking," she answered, smiling wider, "and I have you, and you have me." The more Sophia looked at Dahlia, the more she just wanted to shut the conversation off and kiss the girl instead, but her mind still had questions, worries. It wanted answers that Sophia was too scared to hear. She never thought herself a coward except when it came to love. Nonetheless, she blurted out before she could stop herself, "And... Daniel has you, doesn't he?"

Dahlia: No titles. No boundaries. Dahlia shook her head. "It doesn't sound stupid." Taking things as they come sounded like a smart idea. It wasn't exactly the diving-headfirst that she'd been hoping for, but she couldn't push her selfish need to drown her thoughts out onto Sophia's life. This affected them both equally, she couldn't keep thinking about herself anymore. When Sophia said she didn't want anyone else, and that she hoped that statement was true for Dahlia too, Dahlia felt her heart plummet into her stomach. She tried to keep the smile on her face, but failed, and sighed, stepping away from Sophia a little bit. Daniel has you, doesn't he? she was asking, and Dahlia had to turn away completely. She picked up the dress she'd worn here and slowly put it back on, not feeling entirely comfortable having this conversation in her underwear. Once she was dressed again she crossed her arms over her chest and forced her eyes back to Sophia.

Her heart was in her throat now, jumping in the opposite direction to keep her from speaking. "I really, really wish I could tell you that's not true." she said quietly, trying to keep her eyes on Sophia's. Even though the beautiful, impossibly pale blue of them was threatening to pierce through her, she didn't look away. "I honestly... I would give anything not to feel like this. And I've been trying so hard to hide it, but apparently that's not working, since everybody seems to know." She wrapped her arms a bit tighter around herself, shifting her feet uncomfortably. "But if he dropped everything and told me he wanted me, I wouldn't go with him, Soph. You're what I want. You're all I want. I know that's probably hard to believe, and I'm not going to say it's not complicated, but this is my choice. You have me. That's... that's it."

Sophia: After Dahlia had said all she had to say, Sophia stood there for a moment, still in her underwear, her mouth opened slightly, her eyes flickering downward and back at Dahlia and downward again. As much as she wanted to believe Dahlia, as much as she truly did believe in Dahlia's words, Sophia couldn't help the insecurities that seemed to burn within her, trying to devour the hope she had that the two of them could work out this time around. She looked back at Dahlia for a moment, not knowing what to say. The words that she wanted to come out of her mouth didn't seem to sound just right.

Finally, "I should put my clothes back on too," she stated, reaching for her shirt that was on one of the clothing racks. As she buttoned up each button, she grasped for the right words, something to fill the silence. "I remember why we broke up," was what came out. Each syllable as she said it seemed to pierce the air around them. "Why you broke up with me. Dahlia, I've never been good at relationship stuff. ...I loved you. I really did... do... I don't want us to head down the same path anymore. I don't want... I can't. I can't keep trying to run away from getting hurt again. This is going to sound crazy, and I know I said no titles...but I'm thinking I should change my mind. I do want to be able to call you my girlfriend I think. I want that a lot, and I... I don't care about Daniel. We can't build anything if I don't show you my trust. I--"

By this time, Sophia already had all of her clothes back on, but the two were interrupted by a custodian nearby who had heard their voices. "Hello? This is a custodian of Horizon Studios. Is anyone in there?" Sophia's eyes widened and she looked back at Dahlia, trying to suppress a giggle. "Uh, yeah this is Sophia Lambert speaking from inside. There's been a last minute costume malfunction that needed to be fixed," she answered, using her best speaking voice. "At 12 o' clock at night?" the custodian asked. "Yeah, we were just about to leave," Sophia answered.

As soon as the sound of footsteps faded away, Sophia looked back at Dahlia again. "Just think about it...please," she told her, "You don't have to tell me anything now. Or...no, you don't have to. Just let me know...what you decide." Sophia exhaled a deep breath as she gathered her things. The music had stopped playing a while ago, but "You and I'" was still playing in her head. Sophia didn't know what she had done today. She didn't know whether she should have made such a quick decision at midnight, but all she knew was that life with Dahlia was a fast-paced world. She couldn't just sit around, waiting. She wanted Dahlia, and if Dahlia wanted her...

#p: sophia #playing dress up #in which sophia and dahlia talk about the daniel issue while in their underwear #if that doesn't get you to click idk what will

1 note · View note