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Wendla stood on the side of the grubby school corridor, trying to squeeze her way through the after-school crowd of students who were trying to reach their lockers so she could grab her books. A few more minutes of this crazy place, where time always seemed to move at double speed, and then she could be on her way home or hanging out with her friends. As the crowd of students thinned, Wendla noticed Ilse walking up to her, school bag already in hand. After shoving the books that were in her hands into her locker, she slowly signed
“Hey, Ilse! Are you coming with us to get frozen yogurt after school today?”
Ilse, uncharacteristically shy, nodded back, smiling. She slowly began to move her hands in reply.
“Also, I was wondering if you would like to go on a date with me” Ilse signed, carefully making sure each handshape she made was correct. Wendla’s stomach dropped and her heart soared as share stared wide-eyed into Ilse’s wild brown eyes.
Wendla had a crush on Ilse long before she realised that it was okay to like girls in the same, fluttery in her stomach, completely wonderful way that she liked boys. For months since Ilse had arrived back in town, Wendla had spent her Latin lessons staring at Ilse instead of conjugating verbs, wondering what it would be like to feel Ilse’s hand in hers, or to look deep into her eyes without being weird. What would it be like to let her lips touch Ilse’s perfect, pink lips or to stroke Ilse’s auburn hair, especially the little short bits at the back? When Mortiz had mentioned that Ilse wanted some help relearning the sign she’d forgotten when she was a child, Wendla had been the very first to put her hand up. Every minute they’d spent in spare classrooms at lunch times and after school, Wendla patiently showing Ilse the right way to ask a question or what the sign for ‘school’ was, Wendla had savored.
And here Ilse was, standing as still as Wendla in the middle of the school corridor, using the exact same signs Wendla had helped her with only the previous day. Ilse looked slightly confused for a moment as Wendla continued to stand completely still, completely unresponsive besides blinking, then pulled out her phone.
‘Will you go out on a date with me :)’ Wendla read.
Wendla had understood every one of Ilse’s sign, but her brain was still processing. Ilse is asking me on a date? Ilse is asking me on a date!
Finally, Wendla’s frozen face shifted into a shy smile as she nodded.
‘YES!, Of course, I’d really like that’ Wendla typed on her own phone, her smile finally turning into a grin that she felt could power the entire school.
‘I’ll meet you at your house at 3 tomorrow. We can decide what we’re doing then’
Wendla binked, signing “YES” as she watched Ilse disappear into the thinning crowd of students in a daze.
* * *
Wendla felt so excited that if she had to wait a moment longer for Ilse to come over to her house, she might explode or float away with the wind. She paced up and down the hard wooden floor, watching the hands of the clock in the hall slowly creep towards three.
With her Mama out shopping, Wendla had felt rebellious and wore her favourite dress. Mama would have had a fit if she came home to find Wendla dressed in it, saying
“Such a childish dress, which is far too small for you to wear anymore!” before crabbily marching to the lounge room so that Wendla could change into something she approved of.
Creamy white fabric, with dainty pink rose buds dotted all over, hug a little too tightly around her stomach and rode a little further up her thighs than Mama allowed, but it made Wendla feel like some kind of fairy princess. Just wearing it made her feel like absolutely nothing could stop her from feeling sad, like she was invincible from everything the world threw at her. Going on a proper date with the girl she’d been crushing on for ages was no easy feat, especially when the girl wasn’t fluent in ASL.
Through a window, she spotted Ilse walking up the path, an excited smile plastered all over her face. Like many of her other belongings, Ilse’s long, white dress was a little tattered, but it made her look like some kind of fairy of snow. Wendla dashed to open the door before Ilse lifted her hand to press the bell.
“You look beautiful” Ilse signed slowly, grinning wildly.
“Thank you, you do as well”
Wendla’s hands moved so slowly they felt like they were moving through mud, though she wasn’t sure if it was because she wanted to give Ilse time to understand or because she was so excited that her brain had slowed time to take in every single detail of the moment. She gestured for Ilse to come inside. They stared at each other for a moment before Ilse stepped into the house. Wendla continued to stare deep into Ilse’s eyes nervously, not entirely sure what to do now that Ilse was actually standing here inside. She should have probably asked Ilse where she would like to go for their date, but her hands remained frozen to her sides. Wendla watched intensely as Ilse began to sign something.
Eyebrows up: a question, just a yes or no.
A finger pointed straight at Wendla: “YOU”.
Both hands with palms facing up, grabbing at the air like Ilse was trying to drag something towards her: “WANT”.
Two fists, one on top of the other, turning like Ilse was using a pepper shaker: “MAKEOUT?”
Wait? Makeout? Ilse wanted to makeout with Wendla?
Wendla’s eyes went as wide as they could. They hadn’t even been out on their date yet, and Ilse wanted to makeout? Wendla had never kissed anyone before, and here Ilse was asking her if she wanted to make out?
Wait, before Wendla began to have a full on freak out, out of fear or excitement, she wasn’t sure, in front of Ilse and ruin any future possible chances at a date, there was something else she hadn’t considered. There was always the chance Ilse had simply meant “COFFEE” and confused the signs. They were such similar signs; it was an easy mistake for anyone to make. As much as Wendla wanted to make out with Ilse, surely Ilse had just made the stupid error. She took a few deep breaths as she typed:
‘Are you sure you didn’t mean coffee, not make out?’
Wendla carefully watched as Ilse’s eyes narrowed slightly as she read off Wendla’s phone, then widen in shock as she realised what her hands had done.
Ilse took the phone from Wendla’s hands, Wendla’s heart fluttering as their fingers accidently brushed, and began to slowly type something.
‘Well, now you mention it, maybe I did mean makeout’
Taking a few steps closer, closing the gap between them that Wendla’s had only just become aware of, Ilse slipped the phone into Wendla’s hand. She was so close, Wendla was sure Ilse could feel the heat radiating from her cheeks.
This was the moment Wendla had dreamed of for countless nights. Here it was. If she thought about what was happening for a moment long, it would all begin to stop feeling real.
Slowly she placed her phone on a table behind her, then took a step closer to Ilse. Leaning forwards, she touched her lips gently on Ilse’s. Something strange and wonderful in her stomach dropped, making her feel like she was floating as Ilse gently kissed her back.
Coffee could wait; Wendla was staying right here.