Cassie tapped her knuckles on the door. "Are you ready in there?"
"Almoosttt...I just can't..." and then the voice -- Reema's -- trailed off. Moments later, the change room lock snapped open and Reema stepped out.
Cassie clapped her hands. "Ah! You look awesome-tastic."
Reema looked down at her barefoot form. She wore a very snug pair of Marcelo Burlon skinny jeans with slashes exposing her knees and a somewhat looser, ruby red T-shirt with a plunging -- although not
too
plunging -- neckline.
She wiggled her hips to get her range of motion back. It was an amusing display. If Cassie had her way, there was would be a lot more gyrating in Reema's future. "It's really tight, though, isn't it?"
As a 'bridge outfit', Cassie thought this was a good one. It was sexy, but not as blatant as some of the other combinations she could have put together. The sexiness hinged on how the material fitted over Reema's natural curves, mainly her chest. While she waited outside the change room, Cassie had pictured Reema struggling to pull the tight denim over her ample thighs and hips -- and then button it. Those jeans were literally painted onto her body. The T-shirt itself was casual and fun. It bore a colorful print of red cherries, but mostly benefitted the shape of Reema's bosom. Looking down at the brown girl's exposed foot, Cassie pictured a tattoo stretching across its surface. That would have to wait.
"Once you throw it in the wash and wear it a few times, the shirt will stretch out, Reem. Don't worry about it."
Reema shook her head uneasily. "I don't know..."
"Listen, you just need confidence. If you've got confidence, you're all set. I know it will work. You need to think positive, too."
"And the... underwear?" Reema dropped her voice. Cassie had surprised her by recommending a thong, which was much different than her usual style. She shifted her legs uncomfortably as the sheer elastic fabric -- or rather, the lack of it -- wrapped around her waist.
Cassie grinned at the woman's embarrassment. "Trust me, those panties are essential. Totally needed to bring the outfit together."
A pensive Reema turned to look at herself in the multi-angle mirrors. She held onto her long black hair, hair which hung to one side of her body, and twisted around to get a look at her butt. She still had reservations about the skimpy underwear, but guessed they did complement the rest of the outfit.
"OK, let's do it," she conceded.
Her friend smiled. "Great! Take that off and we'll get out of here. I'm craving some fro-yo."
While Cassie went to the cashier, Reema returned to the change room for a final time. With great relief, she undid the skinny jeans and slid them over her body -- a task that seemed much easier than putting them on in the first place! She then lifted the shirt over her head. Reema didn't really have complaints about the top; it was cute and fun.
For a moment, she stood in just her glasses and the thong underwear that Cassie had told her to 'try out'. The undergarment tapered as it reached her inner thighs and ass, framing and exposing nearly their whole surface area. Reema looked at her reflection with uncertainty. It would definitely take some getting used to. Dressing in her original clothes, she returned to the main store area.
Cassie was already at the checkout when Reema put her articles of clothing on the counter. The cashier rang everything up, and Cassie slipped out her credit card. Reema momentarily insisted that she wanted to pay, but her friend overpowered her and finished the transaction. With several new bags in tow, they were off.
The food court was bustling that evening. Nearly every table was packed with groups of young couples, friends, families, and senior citizens' coffee clutches. Their combined chatter made it a noisy environment.
With two frozen yogurts in hand, Cassie and Reema walked between the rows of tables, looking for somewhere to sit. As they passed by a possible space, a group of guys stopped talking and rose up, unexpectedly offering their seats. Smiles were exchanged as the guys glanced towards the bag-toting women. Then Reema and Cassie sat down.
With their shopping loot sprawling onto the seats beside them, as well as the floor, Reema sampled her Key lime yogurt. "This is so good... I could really get used to this."
"Oh, don't worry," Cassie licked her spoon as she grinned, "We're going to the gym tomorrow, so we can work off the extra calories."
"Nooooo..." Reema whined, her short-lived bubble broken. "Do we have tooo?! I suck at the gym."
She and Cassie were already a week into their exercise schedule and the results had not been good. Reema's body was sore, beaten up, and -- worst of all -- she just wasn't getting the hang of it. She had no coordination! When Cassie asked her to do simple knee dips on a bench, Reema couldn't seem to keep her balance. Even when Cassie helped by holding her hand, Reema still tilted her body around unsteadily. She started out with an optimistic attitude, but was ready to abandon the whole gym experiment now.
"Well, if you don't go, how are you supposed to get better? Did you know everything about history before you started studying?" Cassie her asked in a Socratic tone.
"Um, no..."
Cassie lapped more frozen yogurt into her mouth. "The new shorts will help you look and feel a lot better. Plus, everybody sucks when they start," she winked.
Reema grinned as she finally found a chance to expose the otherwise perfect Cassie Blom. "Even you?"
Cassie quipped back. "Well
almost
everyone." Then she let out a sudden, disgusted groan. "Ugh."
"What?"
Cassie shivered. "See that, Reem..." she gestured with her spoon, "...that is what you do
not
want to do."
Reema turned to see what Cassie was pointing at. "What?"
"Look at her."
There was a middle aged woman walking through the food court. She was a large lady whose wide and flabby butt looked rather unsightly in her jeans. As she took her tray to the garbage bin, she faced away from the gossiping young women.
Reema shook her head in confusion. "I don't get it."
"Can't you see her panty lines, like through her
pants?"
"I...no?" Reema said, genuinely confused.
"That's a big no-no, Reem. It looks really embarrassing and gross."
The brown girl watched as the frumpy lady put away her garbage and exited the food court.
Cassie continued. "With most kinds of jeans, you just have to... well, it's the respectable thing to wear a thong and avoid that kind of disaster. A good pair of pants shouldn't be ruined by old granny panties." Reema sat contemplating. She didn't know that underwear lines were a such a big problem in the fashion world.
"But anyways..." Cassie shifted, breaking Reema's attention away from the importance of 'proper' undergarments. "What are we doing tonight? I think we have...something...due soon..." she laughed.
Reema laughed with her. "Umm, yeah, we have that draft editorial to write..." She scooped another bite of yogurt onto her tongue.
The next day, Cassie and Reema, with their gym bags slung on their shoulders, walked past the front desk of the fitness centre. The attendant manning the station greeted them with an approving smile as he watched them scan their tags.
The duo trekked down a long corridor, passing other gym members who were at various stages of their workouts, before turning into the locker room.
Cassie smiled to herself as she watched Reema slide the tight black workout pants up her thighs and wide hips. She liked how the slightly ill-fitting (at least for now) pink tank top tightly encased her upper body. She was more amused at the idea of Reema wearing these clothes than the way she actually looked. She didn't look bad, but Cassie knew there was still a long way to go. Reema's flab couldn't be hidden completely, but the magical Lululemon fabric came quite close. Cassie ushered her out of the change room without the validation of a mirror.
Early evening was peak time at the campus gym, so many students were toning their bodies. Reema listened intently while Cassie shared her tricks of the trade, rarely noticing the wandering stares toward her jiggling breasts or bouncing ass cheeks as they worked out. She did notice the smiles from gym staff members, though, and the even more surprising greetings from other students.
Reema laughed. "I can't even smile and nod at people on the bus without getting a weird look, and people here are so friendly!"
"People are nice here, Reem," Cassie began. "When you get people in one place who have a similar goal, there's going to be mutual respect."
If Cassie didn't know her words were total bullshit, she might have even bought was she was selling. It helped her cause that the guy using the leg curl machine handed it over to them when they approached, despite Cassie knowing he couldn't possibly be finished all his sets.
