‘Til The Right One Comes Along (part 1 of 2)
by DKFenger and JMD
“Bored.”
Lynda sighed. She’d heard that before. And staring down at her textbook, she was certainly thinking it as well.
“Bored Bored Bored.”
Lynda pushed her textbook across her desk. There wasn’t even any point, really. None of her coursework had proven even slightly challenging. Maybe hospitality services wasn’t the right choice after all. Too late now.
“Bored boredity bored boooored,” sang Cyndi in her mind to the tune of “The Ride of the Valkyries”
“OK, that’s enough,” Lynda hissed at her panties. “You're the one that wanted to spend their life as my clothes.”
“That was before you turned into a wallflower,” they fired back.
Lynda's eyes narrowed. “I AM NOT a wallflower.”
“Close enough. You don't DO anything. You used to be fun. But now, you just go to classes, and then lock yourself in this room with those stupid textbooks.”
“Really?” Lynda asked. “So, tell me. What do you want me to do?”
“Go out dancing or something. Come on, it’s the weekend, right? Do you really need to sit there and read all day?”
“I’m not going out dancing. Milo’s off at university, I’m not looking for anyone.”
“You don’t have to take them home, just go have some fun.”
“No.”
“Bored bored bored bored bored bored bored bored borrred, boredity bored.” This time it was the ‘Spam’ song.
“I’ll take the damn bracelet off and stuff it in a soundproof box if I have to.”
“You wouldn’t!”
“Keep that up and see what happens.”
“But I’m BOOOOORED!”
Lynda shucked out of her panties and dumped them on the floor. Then she got a fresh pair out, and put it on. A moment’s focus on the sparkly engagement ring she was wearing turned her plain skirt into a long, fancy one. At the same time, her discarded panties flowed upward and became human.
Cyndi stretched mightily then grinned. “OK, that’s better. Stay here if you like. I’m going to hit the clubs.”
Cyndi turned and looked at herself in the mirror. She was wearing the same outfit she’d had on that fateful day in the woods. It had been washed a few times when she had trapped Lynda and Milo as her clothes, and again when Lynda had been so depressed by Milo’s departure that she’d spent a week as Cyndi’s bra. Since classes had started three weeks ago, she hadn’t spent more than a few seconds at a time human. So the clothes were still fresh, just... hiking in the park clothes, not clubbing clothes.
Lynda noticed Cyndi’s despondent expression. “Now what’s wrong?”
“I don’t have anything to wear!” Cyndi wailed.
Lynda clutched the ring to her chest. “No.”
“I didn’t even ask.”
“Still no. You can’t have it.”
“Then at least turn this outfit into something for dancing.”
A moment later, Cyndi glared at the poodle skirt she was now wearing. “This isn’t even remotely what I meant and you damn well know it. Something shorter, and sexy.”
“Too short! Too short!” Cyndi’s dress didn’t even come below her belly button.
“Sorry! It was the first thing that came to mind.”
Cyndi indicated mid-thigh with her hand. “Down to here.” The skirt obligingly lengthened itself under Lynda’s gaze. “And cut a lot lower at the neck... Not that low! Geez, it’s like you think I have no taste at all.”
Lynda sighed. “Didn’t we go through this the first time we used the wand, too?”
“Then let me use the ring! I’ll get the dress I want, then get out of here and let you study your boring old books in peace.”
“Right. You’ll turn me into the dress you want, you mean.”
“You know I can’t do that while you’re wearing that stupid mirror pendant.”
“You’ll find a way. You did before.”
The bickering started in earnest, then. It was interrupted by Lynda’s mother calling them down to dinner. Cyndi followed Lynda down the stairs, hesitating at the bottom until her friend’s Mom smiled at her. “I thought I heard both of you. Shall I set an extra place, Cyndi?”
Cyndi took one sniff of the delicious aromas wafting out of the kitchen and nodded eagerly. “Please, Mrs. P?” She shot a worried look at Lynda, who was making a show of examining her magic engagement ring. “I’ll be good.”
Lynda’s mother chuckled, and turned to her daughter. “Be nice to our guest, dear. Let her finish dinner, at least.”
“Fine.”
“What were you two arguing about, anyway?”
Lynda didn’t answer at first, so Cyndi spoke up. “I was hoping to go out tonight, as a break from being sat on while Lynda studies. But I don’t have any appropriate clothes, and Lynda’s design sense doesn’t really match mine. I just wanted to borrow the ring for a bit.”
“You've been practically promising to keep me as your clothes since you first showed up with this ring,” Lynda defended herself. “Do you really think that I'm going to just give myself to you now?”
“Hey!” Cyndi protested. “I didn't keep you as a bra when you turned yourself into one after Milo left, did I?”
Lynda hesitated before answering. “Well, maybe not. But that's because Mom had the ring. How do I know you wouldn't have done it if you'd been able to?”
Cyndi started to answer but didn't get the chance.
“Because she couldn't have,” Lynda's mom, who had been quietly following the exchange to that point, put forth.
Both girls turn to where the older woman was standing in the doorway to the kitchen. “I couldn't?” Cyndi asked.
“No, dear. You couldn't.”
“Why not?” Lynda asked.
“Because you, the owner of the ring, had established a time limit on it,” her mom explained.
“I did?”
“Maybe not directly,” Mrs. P admitted. “But yes. As I recall, Cyndi asked if she could wear you 'until classes started'. By using the ring on yourself, you essentially agreed to those terms. Even if Cyndi had control of the ring, she would have had to restore you after the time was up.”
“What if I didn't?” Cyndi wondered.
Lynda's mom smiled toothily. “You already knows how that goes, don’t you?”
Cyndi’s eyes widened as she thought back to all her misfortunes when trying to use magic on Lynda. She considered it all in that light, then turned back to her friend. “I promise to only use the ring for the weekend, and only to change clothes, not people. Will that do?”
Lynda bit her lip, then nodded. She very slowly slipped the ring off, and cautiously extended it to Cyndi. Before she let go of it, she looked over to her mother, and the smile there reassured her. Lynda dropped the ring. As it fell into Cyndi’s hand, it changed, becoming a simple golden band instead of a flashy engagement ring.
Cyndi changed her dress into a shiny black dress cut just so, with the hemline half an inch below where Lynda had put it. “There.”
Lynda looked so upset about how the ring had changed that Cyndi impulsively offered it out to her. As it touched Lynda’s hand it returned to its earlier form. “Oh thank goodness.”
As Lynda was about to put it on, Cyndi asked, “Can you just wear it on a necklace instead? I don’t want to re-enact Cinderella when you decide you want a cozy nightgown.”
“I wouldn’t! I haven’t changed anything by accident in... um...”
“The last time I fell out from between your legs was two nights ago, when you...” Cyndi paused for effect.
Lynda sighed and completed the sentence. “When I wanted a comfy nightgown. Fine.” She tucked it into her pocket. “Happy?”
Cyndi pirouetted, showing off her dress. “Delirious.” Then her stomach grumbled. “Can we eat now?”
-----
Cyndi slunk in late that night, after all the others were asleep. “Psst, Lynda, are you awake?”
“Ugh. I am now. What time is...” Lynda rolled over to look at the clock. “Cyndi, it’s three in the morning!”
“I know,” the other girl answered. “Sorry about that, but I didn’t have anywhere else to go.”
Lynda huffed and rolled back over. “It's okay, just go...” She felt her mattress give. “Cyndi?” She turned her head to see her friend had shucked her dress and was climbing under the covers wearing just her underwear. “What do you think you're doing?”
Cyndi let the covers drop. “Where else am I going to sleep?”
“Umm... The guest room?”
“Please,” Cyndi whispered. “I don’t want to sleep alone.”
Lynda turned over and lifted herself up on her elbows. “What? Nobody cute enough at the bar?”
Cyndi snorted. “A couple were, but they had women swarming around them like flies.” She slumped into the chair at Lynda’s vanity. “I didn’t want to look that desperate.”
Lynda eyed her friend carefully. “That’s not all of it, is it?”
Cyndi stared at her friend, then sighed. “No,” she admitted. She started twice to say something, but stopped both times. “Nevermind,” she finally said. “It’s... it’s stupid.”
“No it’s not. What was wrong?”
Cyndi looked away. “It just wasn't as fun as I thought it would be. I don't know why exactly. All the guys were just so...” She looked up, meeting Lynda's eyes. “Let's just say that I’d rather spend the night as your panties and tease you into using your vibrator again, than drag any one of those bozos off to some seedy motel room.”
Lynda picked her ring up off her nightstand. “Okay,” she said. Slipping the ring on, she sent its magic toward her friend. Cyndi crumpled out of the chair, hitting the floor next to her dress, that returned to its normal look. “Forget the vibrator part, though,” Lynda added, rolling back over. “Good night.”
“Hey!” Cyndi called out through the bracelet. “You could at least put me on!”
But Lynda had taken her own bracelet off when she went to bed, so she didn't hear her. She was already back to sleep anyway.
-----
The next day was Sunday. According to the weatherman, it was going to be one of the last days of summer-like temperatures before the cooler fall weather moved in. So, Lynda decided to take a break from studying and spend the day by the family pool. She let Cyndi join her in her normal shape, using the ring to turn her friend's underwear into a bikini for her. It was a good day that almost made her forget how much she missed Milo.
Almost.
The next few days followed the usual pattern. Lynda went to her classes with Cyndi as her panties. At home, she'd study until she got tired, at which point she would take her shower and give Cyndi her nightly hand-washing. Then, after hanging Cyndi up to dry overnight, she'd go to bed.
It was on Thursday that Cyndi broke the routine. “So, I was wondering,” she said while Lynda was having lunch at school. “What are the chances of us going out tomorrow night?”
“Us?”
“Yeah,” Cyndi confirmed. “Like in you and me.”
“Going out where exactly?”
“Dancing.”
Lynda actually looked down at her lap. “I thought you hated it at the clubs last weekend.”
“I did,” Cyndi admitted. “But I've been thinking about it, and I think I know why that was. I went by myself. Girls never go out by themselves. They always take at least one friend along. So, how about it? You want to be my wing-girl tomorrow night?”
Lynda thought about it. “I don't know, Cyndi.”
“Please!!!”
Lynda smiled. “Okay,” she said. “We'll see.”
“Yay!”
-----
The next evening, Lynda turned Cyndi human without even being asked. “What do you want for dinner?”
“Oooh, dinner would be amazing,” Cyndi moaned. “But why do I get to choose, though? Isn’t your Mom cooking?”
“Nope,” Lynda told her. “You’re stuck with my skills. Mom and Dad are going out to celebrate booking their next tour.”
“We’ll be alone tonight? Sweet. Where are we going?”
“Nowhere,” Lynda answered, leading the way downstairs to the kitchen. “I have a paper to work on.”
“What paper?” Cyndi asked, plopping down at the counter.
Lynda ignored the question. Instead, she started browsing through the ingredients on hand. “How do you feel about a quiche?”
“Sure, sounds fine,” Cyndi nodded. “What paper?”
“The one Professor Blake assigned today,” Lynda said, getting down a bowl.
“What?” Cyndi protested. “That's not even due till next Wednesday!”
Lynda's mom came into the kitchen carrying her purse. “Okay, girls. We're off to dinner. What have you two got on the agenda for tonight?”
“We're going dancing!” Cyndi shouted, throwing her hands into the air.
“No,” Lynda countered. “We're not. I told you I have a paper to work on tonight.”
“But you promised,” Cyndi huffed.
Lynda got a pointed look from her mother. “I didn't promise,” she insisted. “I said we'll see.” She relaxed when her mother seemed satisfied.
Cyndi just shook her head with a sigh. “Well, can I at least borrow the ring to make myself another killer dress?”
Lynda eyed her carefully. Cyndi just looked back at her innocently. After a moment, Lynda relented. “Okay,” she said, sliding the ring off her finger. “Just be quick about it.”
“Well, you two enjoy your evening,” Lynda's mother said, turning for the door.
“Don't worry,” Cyndi smiled. “I intend to paint this town red.”
Lynda couldn't help but smile. “Whatever,” she said, handing over the ring. “As far as I'm concerned, you can do whatever you want with this for the rest of the weekend.”
A startled gasp came from the kitchen doorway. They turned to see Lynda's mom staring back at them. She turned her attention to her daughter. “Oh, sweetheart...”
Lynda looked back at her mother in confusion, trying to figure out what was bothering her. Then, it came to her. With a gasp, she turned to see Cyndi quickly slipping the ring on her finger. “No,” she spat out. “Wait...”
But Cyndi didn't give her time to finish her protest. Closing her eyes, she quickly imagined what she wanted. After a second, she cautiously opened one eye, just to see if she could. Finding herself still able to move, she broke out in a wide grin. She turned her attention to the perfectly carved marble nude that was standing in Lynda's place beside her. “Sweet!” she shouted in triumph.
Lynda's mother sighed and walked over, checking out her petrified daughter. “When are you going to learn?” she asked. Without waiting for a reply, seeing as how Lynda was currently unable to give one, she turned to Cyndi. “And you don't miss a trick, do you dear?”
“Honestly,” Cyndi admitted, “I half expected her mirror pendant to reverse that back at me.”
“Not an issue,” Mrs. P told her with a resigned smile. “She said you could do whatever you want 'as far as she's concerned'. Sounds like granting permission to me.”
“Me, too,” Cyndi agreed with a grin.
The older woman paused to look back into Lynda's stony face. She shook her head at her daughter. “Of course, she didn't mean it that way. But words have power,” she added with meaning in her voice, “and should always be chosen carefully.” She turned back to Cyndi. “You just remember. This is only for 'the rest of the weekend'. Try anything after that and... Well, you know.”
“I do,” Cyndi nodded.
“Good,” the woman said. She gave her daughter one more look before she turned to go. “And don't forget. Lynda will be back in control soon enough. You might want to keep that in mind while you're... playing with her.”
Cyndi waited until she was gone before turning back to the nude statue with a smile. For the last few minutes, she had been purposely ignoring all the complaints, pleas and outright threats that had been coming her way over the telepathic link she shared with Lynda. “Oh come on,” she said back, “stop bitching. It's just for the weekend. And you need to get out of this house, girl. If this is the only way I can make it happen... Well, so be it.” She lifted the ring to point at her friend. “Now, let's get you ready, shall we?”
-----
By the time Cyndi was finished, Lynda wasn’t quite sure what she was. Cyndi had tried a few different shapes on her in quick succession. She knew she was being worn, that she was tighter than tight, and that Cyndi thought she was “sexy as hell”.
“Come on, Cyndi,” Lynda thought at her friend. “At least let me have a peek.”
“But I just got you perfect,” whined Cyndi. “I don’t want to change you back just to swap bracelets.”
“Fine,” Lynda relented. “Be that way. So, where are we going?”
“Dancing!” Cyndi shouted in triumph. “Like you promised,” she added more seriously.
“I DIDN'T promise,” Lynda insisted.
But if Cyndi heard her, she didn't acknowledge it. “Well, off we go,” was her only reply.
Though she couldn't see, Lynda could tell that Cyndi was driving her car from the familiar vibrations she could feel through the seat. Based on how long it took to get there, she figured the girl had gone to her favorite night spot. Her friend had bragged to her that she had been there enough times that she didn't even have to show her fake ID to get in anymore.
“Okay, Wing-girl,” Cyndi announced as she got out of the car and tugged on what Lynda assumed was her hem. “Your job is to find the hot guys and lead them in my direction.”
Lynda gave her a huff in response. “That might be a bit tough. Not only am I deaf, dumb and blind, but I'm stuck hanging around you.”
Cyndi giggled. “Don't worry, Sweetie,” she said, dragging a fingernail down Lynda's tightly stretched body. “You're going to do just fine.”
Apparently, Cyndi knew what she was talking about. For the next hour or so, Lynda could tell that her friend was the life of the party. From the way she was bending and stretching whatever fabric Lynda was made of, it was obvious that Cyndi was dancing in ways that was sure to get any male in the joint's attention. Between dances, when Cyndi was sitting, Lynda felt hands pressing against parts of her that would have gotten someone slapped if she still have the ability.
“And there goes strike one,” Cyndi announced after one of her sit down sessions.
“Strike one?” Lynda asked.
“The first guy to take a chance and actually ask me to go home with him,” Cyndi explained.
“And why did he strike out?”
She could hear Cyndi's smile. “Rule number one. The first one ALWAYS strikes out.”
Then, it was back to the chase. More dancing. More pawing. Another strike. “And this one?” Lynda asked.
“Just wasn't right,” was Cyndi's simple answer.
“I see. How many 'strikes' does it usually take before...” Lynda let the statement hang there.
“Depends,” Cyndi answered. “Sometimes it can... Son of a bitch!”
“What?”
“Strike One just picked up Leesa Greene,” Cyndi hissed.
“Leesa Greene?” Lynda repeated. “Isn't that the girl that accused you of trying to peek at her in the shower?”
“That's her,” Cyndi confirmed. “Called me a pervert in front of the whole gym class.”
She went quiet and very still after that. The only movement that Lynda felt was her friend's breathing. “Cyndi?”
“Hold on,” the girl said. “YES! She's going to the bathroom. This is perfect!”
“Perfect how exactly?”
“Perfect in that I can finally get back at her for embarrassing me all those years ago.” She shot up from wherever she was sitting.
“Get back?” Lynda asked as she felt her friend moving quickly across the crowded club. “Get back how? What are you planning?”
“I'll tell you what I'm planning,” Cyndi answered. “I'm going to turn that whore into a condom, shove her in my purse, and turn it into a quarter. Then, I'll use the ring on something else to get my purse back, come back out here and give Strike One another chance. I'll show that bitch what of a pervert I can really be.”
“Um... I think that might be a bad idea,” Lynda said. “A really bad idea.”
She felt Cyndi stop moving. “Why?”
“Think about it,” Lynda explained. “I promised you could use the ring on me. Not anyone else. Other people may be off limits.”
Cyndi started to move again. “Well, there's one way to find out.”
“And if it doesn't work, are you willing to accept the consequences?”
Cyndi stopped again. “What consequences?”
“I don't know for sure,” Lynda admitted, “but you heard what Mom said. Push the rules and...”
She let the other girl think that one over. “Yeah,” Cyndi said after a moment. “What do you figure would happen?”
“Best case? Nothing. Worst case? You turn yourself into a condom.”
She hoped Cyndi would see reason, but it wasn't to be. “You'd rescue me,” the other girl reasoned. “I'm going to risk it.”
“NO!” Lynda shouted over their link.
“Damn, girl,” Cyndi cried out. “Not so...”
Lynda barged on. “You're WEARING me! I'm your DRESS! What happens to a person's clothes when the ring changes them?”
“They change with...” She stopped there. “Oh... shit. Fine. Leesa's safe... for now. Come on, I need a drink.”
-----
“And that makes strike three,” Cyndi sighed, after turning down her latest proposal. “Looks like I'm out... again.” She lifted her glass up and downed the rest of her drink. With a nod to the bartender, she called for another.
“I really thought this one had a chance,” Lynda commented sarcastically. “I mean, you let him grip your butt so tight he was practically shoving me up...” Cyndi swore she felt her dress shiver. “Yeah, well,” Lynda went on. “So, what was wrong with this one? Was he ugly?”
“No, not ugly.”
“Then what?”
Cyndi didn't answer right away. “If you must know,” she finally confessed, “what's wrong with this one is that same thing that's been wrong with all of them. They aren't... aren't... sweet... or funny... or even kind.” She frowned as something occurred to her. “Wait a minute.”
“That sounds like Milo.”
“Oh. My. God. I'm looking for Milo. When the hell did that happen?”
This time Lynda was the one that waited to say anything. “I beg your pardon?” she inquired with both confusion and suspicion.
“Calm down,” Cyndi cautioned. “I'm not after your boyfriend.”
“Fiancé,” Lynda corrected.
“Whatever,” Cyndi huffed. “The point is I don't want YOUR Milo. I want MINE.”
“Well, you picked a hell of a way to look for him.”
Cyndi let her chin drop to her chest. “It's the only way I know,” she said softly.
After a few moments of silence, Lynda asked, “Cyndi, are you okay?”
The girl smiled sadly. “You know,” she answered, “I honestly don't...” She stopped as she looked up and realized that several people around her were staring in her direction. “...know.”
“What's wrong?”
“I think I may've been talking to you,” Cyndi replied.
“Well, duh.”
“Out loud,” she clarified.
“Oh.”
Cyndi got up from her bar stool, and calmly tugged Lynda's hem down. Then, she turned to face the uncomfortable stares around her. “Fuck you all,” she announced to the room. “I'm going home with my girl here, and the two of us are going to have a good time all by ourselves.”
She headed for the door, taking satisfaction with the fact that people moved to give her a wide path. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Leesa Greene sitting with Strike One. The bitch had her finger at her temple. Twirling it around, Leesa made the crazy gesture at Cyndi.
As she went through the door, Cyndi replied with a gesture of her own.
-----
When they got back home, Lynda felt Cyndi take her off. From the gyrations involved, it hadn't been easy. Afterwards, Cyndi tossed her onto the floor. Before she could protest, she found herself human again.
Drawing in her first breath in hours, she turned to find Cyndi standing behind her completely naked. “Uh,” she stammered, “nice outfit.”
“As were you,” Cyndi grinned with a slight slur. “I think you've earned a reward.” She worked the clasp and removed the receiver charm bracelet from her wrist. “Trade ya,” she said, holding it out to her friend.
Lynda took off the sender charm from her own wrist. She swapped it out with the one Cyndi had. After clasping it on, she said, “Thanks. It's a nice reward.”
“Oh, that's not the reward.”
Before she could ask, Lynda found herself crumpling back down to the floor. A moment later, Cyndi had picked her up and put her on. Turning to Lynda's vanity, she modeled in front of the mirror for her friend to see. “A thong?” Lynda asked.
“Finally,” Cyndi grinned triumphantly.
“This is my reward?”
“No,” Cyndi corrected her. “This is MY reward.” She walked to Lynda's dresser and opened her underwear drawer. She pulled out Lynda's vibrator and turned it on. “This is yours.”
“Oh,” was all that Lynda could say.
“You know,” Cyndi commented, climbing into Lynda's bed, “this is really for beginners. We're really going to have to get you an upgrade at some point.”
Later, after she had been hand washed and hung up to dry for the night, Lynda found it hard to believe that a new toy was necessary. The old one seemed to work just fine to her.
-----
Despite the forecast to the contrary, Saturday turned out to be a really nice day. Therefore, Cyndi decided to spend part of it at the pool. Only this time, she spent it floating on her new Lynda-shaped air mattress.
Later, with Lynda as her panties again, Cyndi went for a walk in the park. The two girls talked the whole time. Lynda had to admit that it wasn't the worst way to spend an afternoon.
As they came back home, the phone was ringing. Cyndi rushed to answer it. “Hello?” She listened to the person of the other end of the line. “Oh, hi there, Milo. How's it going?” She paused to listen. “Yeah, she's here. Let me get her for you. I just have to take off my panties.” Sitting down the phone, she slipped Lynda off. After she'd return her friend to normal, she nodded at the phone. “It's your boyfriend,” she grinned.
“Fiancé,” Lynda corrected her with a dark expression. She took a breath before picking up the phone. “Hi, Milo.” She listened for a second. “Yeah,” she said, obviously embarrassed. “Yeah, I was.” She waited again, then sighed. “It's a long story,” she told her fiancé.
Cyndi caught her eye. “You've got an hour,” she instructed, as she turned to leave the room. “Then, we really need to get you ready for tonight.”
-----
“Okay, girlfriend,” Cyndi said, striking a pose in front of Lynda's mirror. “Take a look, and tell me what you think.”
Lynda could only stare at the image in the mirror for the better part of a minute. She was a solid black dress of some stretchy shiny material. She barely covered her friend's butt and clung to her every curve.
“My God,” Lynda said, after a while more, “I think I might actually be tighter than I was last night.”
“You are,” Cyndi confirmed.
Lynda took in her friend's grin in the mirror. “Aw...! You’re going to wear me to that meat market again, aren't you?”
“Hell yes!” said Cyndi, trying out a few dance moves in front of the mirror. “I’ll have to beat ‘em off with a stick.”
“Do you remember last night differently from the way I do?” Lynda asked her.
“What was wrong with last night?”
If she could, Lynda would have shook her head in disbelief. “What was wrong? You stormed out of the place, remember?”
“Well, yeah, but...”
“Besides,” Lynda pressed on, “I thought we agreed that that wasn't the place to look for your 'Milo'. Well, didn't we?”
“Well, I suppose...”
“C’mon,” Lynda pleaded. “Let's go see a movie instead. You might meet nicer guys there than at that seedy club.”
“The movies?” Cyndi questioned. “The movies? Lynda. Sweetie. You're hardly the type of dress that someone wears to the movies. Especially not when they're going by themselves.”
“So,” Lynda reasoned, “turn me into something more appropriate.”
“Really?” Cyndi asked, her astonishment obvious. “You were just protesting me wearing you out.”
“To a club, yeah,” Lynda admitted. “But I’d be okay with the movies. Especially if I get to watch.”
Cyndi thought about it for a moment. “Okay,” she finally agreed. “Okay, we'll go to the movies.”
“Yay!” Lynda shouted. “And you'll make me a less trashy dress?”
Cyndi sighed. “Yes, I’ll make you a more movie-friendly dress.” Then she smiled. “Besides, it's not like I couldn't turn you back later and head for the club, right?”
“Cyndi!”
“Just kidding... mostly.”
----
Cyndi stared up at the list of movies. “Wow,” she thought at Lynda. “There isn’t a single movie here that I know anything about. I am so out of the loop.”
“I haven’t been paying much attention myself, but... ugh,” Lynda thought back. “I've never seen so many guy flicks in my life. So what do we do? Pick one at random?”
Cyndi shrugged. “I guess...”
“Having trouble choosing a movie?” The male voice had come from behind Cyndi. She whirled around and came face to chin with a guy in a muscle shirt and jeans. “Hi, I’m Matt,” he said, holding out his hand.
“Ooh,” Lynda said in Cyndi's head. “He's kinda cute.”
“Cyndi,” she replied, ignoring her friend and the offered hand. “And yes. I'm afraid I'm not up on all the current releases. So, what do you recommend?”
“Honestly,” he said, considering the various posters, “all of these movies really suck.”
“I was afraid of that,” Cyndi sighed.
“Might I offer an alternative,” Matt suggested.
“Like?” she asked suspiciously.
“I know this...”
“Oh, please,” Cyndi interrupted. “Not another tacky club.”
“Well, actually,” Matt said patiently, “I was going to suggest this nice little coffee shop down by the college.”
“Ooh,” Lynda cut in, “I know that place. It's really nice, Cyndi.”
Cyndi eyed the young man carefully. “Okay,” she gave in, “that’ll work.”
As Matt led the way, Cyndi started to have second thoughts. “This is a bad idea,” she thought to Lynda.
“Why?”
“Why?” Cyndi repeated. “I don't know anything about this guy. What if I have to talk to him?”
Lynda giggled. “That’s sort of how this works.” Her tone turned sympathetic. “Come on. He seems nice. Just give this a try.”
Still unsure, Cyndi just sighed.
“So what do you do?” Matt asked, once they had their coffees.
Cyndi hesitated, not sure what to say. “Just tell him you're going to college with a friend,” Lynda suggested.
“I'm going to college with a friend.”
Matt nodded. “So, what are you taking?”
“Hospitality services,” she answered.
“Sounds interesting,” he commented. “Tell me about it.”
Something in his tone put Cyndi at ease, and she just started talking. She remembered enough about the classes to discuss them halfway intelligently. And whenever she got in trouble, Lynda would feed her details and comments that she could pass off as her own. Cyndi learned a little about Matt, but he seemed mostly interested in hearing about her. This presented her with a real problem.
“What am I supposed to tell him?” she complained to Lynda. “That I spent most of my time as my best friend's underwear?”
“Just calm down,” Lynda thought back. “We don't have to tell him everything yet. Just enough to keep him interested. Try this.” What she came up with was a combination of her own life and Cyndi's. Cyndi repeated it pretty much word for word to Matt. And it seemed to work.
The evening continued with Matt listening attentively to everything Cyndi had to say, prompting her with insightful questions whenever she ran down. He seemed genuinely interested in her answers, though at least half came from Lynda, not from her. They were all having such a good time that they didn't realize how late it had gotten until the staff started putting chairs up on the tables.
“I think we may have worn out our welcome,” Matt joked.
“You think?” Cyndi snarked.
“Cyndi,” Lynda cautioned, “be nice. Don't ruin it.”
“Well, what do you say we let these good people go home,” Matt suggested, “and we take this back to my place for a drink or two?”
“Wow! That seems a bit fast,” said Lynda in Cyndi’s mind. As she’d done so many other times that evening, Cyndi repeated it automatically.
“It does?” Matt asked a little defensively. “I was just inviting you over for a nightcap.”
“And we know where those can go. I like you Matt, but I’d like to take this a little slower. Get to know you a little more.” Cyndi could hardly believe the words coming out of her mouth. But Lynda had put her on this course, and she couldn’t see how to change tack now.
“Fine,” Matt said, looking more than a little disappointed. “How about this? Next Friday? Dinner and a movie? I’ll pick you up.”
“Sounds great,” said Cyndi. She leaned in to give him a kiss, and by the time the kiss was over she was really regretting her decision not to go with Matt right now. If it wasn’t for Lynda’s voice in her head, she’d have flung herself at him right there and then.
“Patience is rewarded, trust me,” said Lynda as Cyndi walked them home.
“Bah. You were patient with Milo, and look where that led. He’s a thousand miles away, and you still haven’t done it.”
“And we’re engaged,” thought Lynda. “And in love. It’ll be worth the wait.”
Cyndi snorted. “I’m not waiting more than a week for this one, girl.”
-----
Cyndi spent Sunday trying on dresses. She had the find the perfect one for her date with Matt. Luckily, with the ring and Lynda, she had an infinite number of choices to pick from.
For her part, Lynda resigned herself to the seemingly endless changes. Sure, it was a strain being turned continuously from one dress into another. But it kept Cyndi occupied. And if there was one thing she was sure of it was that a busy Cyndi was a hundred times better than a bored one.
Besides, it gave her plenty of time to plan what she was going to do as soon as the weekend was over.