Lori rifled through Ada's closet, humming along with the record as she slid the dresses along on their hangers with sharp efficient little snaps. Ada was almost sure the other woman-- in her tight, trim little suits-- must be so embarrassed by her wardrobe, which felt at best
girlish
and at worst, unforgivably plain. Lori stood for a moment, tapping her barefoot on the beige carpet, her expression resolute.
"This one." She declared, pulling out a green dress with a fluffy gathered skirt and a little jacket that matched. Ada thought perhaps she had bought it for a friend's wedding and hadn't worn in since. Lori handed it to her and moved across the room to Ada's dresser, with all the confidence of someone who had come to know the bedroom perfectly well in just the short amount of time that their Friday afternoons had become a little longer and lazier than a quick fumble in the kitchen or on the sofa. And sometimes, extended to days that weren't the usual Friday of Lori's Avon rounds at all, like today. And today was the first time they were all going to have dinner together: Ada, Lori, and Everett, who was to meet them at the restaurant when he got off work. So naturally, Lori had wanted to make sure Ada was dressed for a nice evening out, as if she knew without Ada telling her that she did not often
dress up
. Ada took the dress and laid it on the bed, smoothing the fabric, some kind of jacquard with a barely-there pattern of green ivy. It was a very nice dress, she probably could have worn it again some time other than that already half-forgotten wedding, but she was never sure when she had the occasion. She looked up and watched Lori open her top drawer and consider the contents with the same quick appraising movements as she had assessed the contents of the closet.
Ada's face
burned
, watching Lori go through her lingerie drawer, running her perfect, red-polished fingers over all the underwear and bras. She wondered why she didn't stop the other woman going briskly through her most intimate things but instead, she turned away, flustered She couldn't stop Lori but she also couldn't stand the idea of seeing her affronted by the mostly
utilitarian
contents of the drawer. She twisted her fingers in her apron, eyes squeezed shut. The fact that Lori had seen her panties-- usually right before they were removed from Ada's person and tossed somewhere careless-- plenty of times seemed to have escaped her in the moment.
"Put these on. I'll help you with the clasps." Lori deposited a heap of peach-colored satin on the bedspread, delicate things Ada had bought on a whim once but always seemed too fragile to wear. Ada stripped out of her day dress, wiggled out of her plain underthings and began to dress. The buckles on the garter belt-- made of peach lace and blush-colored satin-- jingled as she pulled the panties on and Lori cheekily reached to make sure they didn't get caught up in the fabric, smoothing the ribbons along her thighs and laughing at Ada's squeak when Lori goosed her.
"Come on, I'll help you with the bra hooks." Lori offered, though this fastening came with the brush of Lori's lips across the back of Ada's neck and the slope of her shoulder, manicured fingers following the spiral stitching until she could tease Ada's nipples where they strained against the whisper-thin fabric. "You're going to wear this again for me." Lori decided, not satisfied until she drew a tiny moan from the woman in her arms.