The Outside Lines (boyxboy) - Chapter 11: Chapter 11

Nathan's POV
The drive to our next destination wasn't long. All of the stores were lined up fairly close together. We probably could have reached it in a few minutes if we'd gone on foot, but I guess that wasn't something Taylor was willing to do. Though I had a inkling she was bringing the car so she could clean out the entire store.
We pulled up to a two story building with a sign that read "Fashion Fitters". The parking lot wasn't super busy but there were a good few cars there. Taylor and I once again stepped out into the dry warm air of Windir. I took the time to study my surroundings while Taylor locked her car. The faint smell of food off in the distance mixed in with the warm air piqued my appetite.
"You ready to head in?" Taylor asked, snapping my attention away from the town. I nodded and followed behind her.
"I've been here a few times before, but never to the men's section." She told me. "We're going to have to look for it."
My eyes went wide as I stepped through the door. There were shelves and racks full of clothes as far as the eyes could see. It made my wardrobe look like ant rags compared to an elegant elephant.
"This would look good on you." Taylor picked up the first piece of clothing in our path. It was a brown fur coat.
"Ew, no." I dismissed simply. "I don't even have taste and I know that's bad."
"Ahahaha" Taylor cracked up in her charming laugh.
She returned the ugly fur coat to the shelf and ushered me along. "Alright, lets go."
"So, do you have like, a budget or something?" I questioned, still studying the massive building.
"Not for you, honey." She joked dryly. "No, but for real, I just spend what I want. Mommy and daddy have their little girl covered." She explained, humorously.
"Must be nice." I mumbled, thinking about my own family, well my mother rather.
"Ah, here we are." She informed, pointing to the men's section. The first thing I noticed were the large posters of male models hanging from the roof. They were pretty freaking attractive, so I had to try my hardest not to get turned on. How awkward would that be?
We passed by the shirts, and underwear, scouting out the area.
"Alright, let's see." Taylor turned to me, studying my frame from head to toe.
"Let's start with a top. That rugged plaid jacket needs to go as soon as possible." She noted. It hurt being called out so hard, but I knew what she meant. I got this jacket a couple years ago from a farm sale. I'm surprised it still fits me, I've been growing like a tree in a swamp.
On our way back to the tops section a lady approached us.
"Can I help you two? You seem to be lost." She asked, wearing a look of concern.
"Ah we're fine, I'm just trying to figure how what to do with him." She pointed to me. I scratched my cheek, a little embarrassed.
"I see." Now had two girls studying my appearance.
"I can help with stuff like this. It's part of my job." The lady told us, enthusiasm welling in her voice.
"Sure, I wouldn't mind some pointers." Taylor shrugged.
"With a muscular frame like his, form fitting shirts would be highly fashionable. That's a good place to start."
"Okay." Taylor nodded, taking a mental note.
"As for pants I'd suggest going with something slim. Not too slim though, you don't want people seeing every vein in your lower half. And not too loose either. Parachute pants are pretty 'in' where I'm from, but you probably aren't trying to go skydiving, are you." The lady went on, almost making Taylor and I break out into laughter.
Her natural humor was really entertaining. She gave us plenty of fashion tips and suggestions, most we wouldn't be using, but they were helpful nonetheless.
Despite the store being filled with shelves and racks it was easy to navigate. Taylor filled two large baskets with shirts already and pants and had me carry them. They weren't too heavy, but they were only going to get heavier. It may seem otherwise, but Taylor isn't your run of the mill valley girl. She's pretty casual and laid back when she's not blowing peoples' houses up or speeding down a highway. She wasn't pulling any punches when it came to me though.
We were both exhausted by the time she finished her spree. She wasn't going to buy all of these, but rather have me try them all on. She lead me to the changing area and matched at least a dozen outfits.
"Here, try this on first." She shoved the clothes to my chest while she pulled out her phone. I stood there reluctant for a moment, eying the clothes in my hand.
After much hesitation I decided to just go for it. I turned to the heavy black curtains and stepped inside. It was an odd feeling getting undressed in public with nothing but a curtain between you and the world. I stripped from my old plaid jacket and my rugged undershirt, placing them in the corner of the room. Doing the same with my worn jeans. The cool air flowing against my body was unexpected. It was a nice feeling, and something I could totally get used to.
I threw the green button up on and black dress pants following along. They were pretty comfortable, but not something I would've seen myself wearing. I stepped out for the reveal. Taylor, raised her gaze. An unreadable look crossed her face.
"That's miles better than what you were previously wearing, but it's definitely not your style." She gave her opinion, handing me my next outfit.
I continued trying on several more pairings. Taylor said I looked good in a lot of them to my surprise. Her amusement never subsided watching me going in and out of that changing room. She even started referring to me as her guinea pig model. When I wasn't out of the room making a fool of myself in crop tops and laced pants Taylor would preoccupy herself on her phone, chewing gum.
We eventually settled on a black form fitting t-shirt with the words "Ride My Tide" written in white, she thought it was funny. A few pairs of loose skinny jeans with colors ranging from dark gray to navy blue. There was also the two gray shirts, one being long sleeved. A white button-up. A few hoodies and jackets. A smooth pair of gray high tops, and another pair of dark trendy shoes, bright laces bridging the center. This was only some of what we got.
My eyes almost crawled out of their sockets when I saw how much clothes we piled up. This was at least triple my current wardrobe.
"Taylor, how much is this?" I asked, worry unraveling in my tone.
"It should only be around seven hundred dollars, we aren't in a designer brand clothing store. This one is closer to a thrift shop." She said nonchalantly with a shrug.
"Seven hundred? Holy crap man." I exclaimed, taken aback by the amount. I knew it would be a lot, though it was now dawning on me just how much. I guess Taylor having a few pieces of her own clothing in there  also bumped up the price a bit.
After paying for the baskets of clothing I hauled them out to Taylor's car. She popped the trunk and I sat them inside.
We were out for at least two hours at this point. All of that walking built my appetite even more. The faint smell of cheap popcorn lingering in the air of Windir wasn't helping either.
"Where do you want eat?" Taylor asked, her body halfway in the car.
I thought to myself for a second. "Anywhere's fine." There was this one place I used to go to after school when I was younger. They had the best burgers, but I can't remember the name for the life of me.
"Anything you want to eat in particular?" She conveniently asked.
"I'm craving burgers and fries for some reason." I answered.
"Sounds good, I know a place." She said, as she popped all the way in to the car, me following behind shortly after.
"What'd you do with your old clothes?" Taylor asked, scanning the front of the car.
"They're in a bag in the back." I gestured with my head.
"You should'a binned em.'" She rolled her eyes at the thought of me hanging onto them. I couldn't hold back smile.
With that we were off on the road once again. Taylor had the radio on, though not as loud as last time. I felt like I could relax without my eardrums bursting. The evening air of Windir mixed in with all of the perfumes, restaurants and food stores was really something. It made me feel nostalgic. I remembered as a kid my mom and dad would drive around our town after eating out, listening to the old music that was popular when they were younger. The smell of that town was oddly similar to Windir's.
"We're here. Surprise." Taylor said in the dullest tone, as she pulled up to a place called "Grill Or Be Grilled". It almost looked like one of those small eighties dinners or marts you'd see in those old movies. This one was a little more modern, but still pretty old. The top of the diner was a candy stripe pattern and the sign was lit in neon red lights, casting a slight tint onto the asphalt covered driveway below it.
"I've eaten here with Noah a few times before." Taylor mentioned. "It's on the cheaper side, but dang their burgers are good."
My stomach growled.
"Your stomach sounds excited." She chuckled stepping out of the car. "C'mon, let's hurry. I don't want you to start eating my car seats." She joked, jerking her head to the glass entrance of the diner.
"With the way you're rushing I'd guess I'm not the only one on the verge of eating the car seats." I joked back.
"Guilty." She threw up her arms as she walked backwards, a smile drawing onto her face.
We entered the diner and scoped out a table. There were a couple groups inside, but the place wasn't overly busy. We nabbed one of the tables near the long window that overlooked the driveway. I sat across from Taylor and grabbed one of the basic looking menus from the table.
We talked a bit while we decided what to order. Our attention was drawn to a girl with long blonde hair coming over to us.
"What can I get for you two?" She asked looking between us, pulling out a notebook.
"I'll take a regular hamburger with two large fry plates." Taylor said with a slight lift of her hand.
The girl looked over to me and smiled. "I'll have the barbecue sausage burger, please." I made my order.
"Alright, is that all?" The girl asked, busy writing down our orders down.
"Yeah, I think so." I looked over to Taylor, she nodded.
The girl glanced over to me once more wearing a smile before leaving to complete our orders.
"I think she was checking you out." Taylor smirked at me, leaning over on the table, her red hair falling onto it like a waterfall.
"Really?" I asked, looking over to Taylor, curious. It was a pretty unusual situation for me.
"Yeah, I'd say you should go talk to her." Taylor responded, still wearing her smirk. I looked over to where she disappeared as if she were still there.
"I'm..." I started, hesitant. "interested in someone." I admitted to her. A look of surprise struck her.
"Wait, don't tell me this is going to be one of those cliché moments where you admit you have feelings for me." She said, with a hint of sarcasm and intrigue.
"No... not... you." I responded, averting my eyes while slightly scratching my cheek. The unusual feeling of smoothness caught me off guard.
"Alright." She smiled. "I mean you're definitely my type, but I'm not looking for a relationship." She explained bluntly.
"Well now that you've had one hell of a glow up you'll have a striking chance with whoever it is you have a thing for, assuming they're single." She complimented and assured. I could feel my cheeks redden further. I was excited to think I might have a chance with Noah. I could feel my chest go light just thinking about him.
"I still can't believe your appearance changed so much in a single day." She exclaimed in disbelief.
"I didn't even recognize myself in the mirror." I chuckled, remembering when I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror on the way out of Fashion Fitters. It was so surreal, it was almost as if I was in someone else's body.
"Wait..." Taylor paused, looking as if she'd just come to a realization. "When you said 'No not you' when I asked if I was the one you were interested in... Oh my god does that mean, does that mean you have a thing for Noah?!" She sat up in shock, almost as if the table had suddenly become lava. I was in turn surprised by her sharpness.