Pearl likes books, right? Go to the bookstore

You fumble up a place to go that’s not too much of a date while still being acceptable as one, for Pearl. "We could go to the bookstore," you venture.

Pearl likes books, right? She’s always talking about books she’s read and recommending series to you whenever you complain about being bored.

"Yeah, that sounds fun," Pearl says. Phew, that was close. "We can hit up a movie after, or whatever we feel like." Damn, now it’s like a full fledged date again.

You take a deep breath and attempt to steady yourself, focusing on the road. Man, you are freaking out way too much. You need to take a hint from Pearl and chill out.

You've been friends with her all through high school. You’ve gone out with Pearl dozens of times as friends. That’s what this is. Two friends, hanging out. Two friends who just so happened to have sex last night. Yeah. All good things. You can do this.

Breathe.

Finding your center, the two of you drive to the shopping center.

--

At Barnes and Noble, browsing the aisles together, people give Pearl even more looks than you were afraid they’d give her when you picked her up. The attention comes primarily from men, but many disapproving and/or curious looks from women come her way too.

Thankfully no one goes as far to actually confront Pearl about her chosen attire. Passersby all just assume she’s wearing shorts or something under her "dress".

You do have to say, though. So long as she's not crouching down to check a low shelf, or reaching up for a high one, Pearl really does look sexy in a chic, alt-goth sorta way. If it weren't for the fact you keep catching glimpses of her full ass... mmh.

At the back of the store in the esoterica section, which is mostly astrology and new age Wiccan witchcraft self-help books, Pearl forcefully pulls you aside.

"Chase. Cool it," she warns you.

Your mind is empty. You have no idea what she's talking about.

Pearl points at your crotch. "You almost poked that sales rep in the eye," she says. "Every time I look over my shoulder, you look away like a hummingbird whipped past your head. I know you're checking me out, and yeah, sure, it's flattering, but get yourself under control."

"Uh. Yeah. Sorry," you say, feeling incredibly awkward, but with arousal only surging now that Pearl's confronting you so openly about the situation.

Pearl blushes and adjusts the brief hem of her shirt, which may conceal her curves, but does nothing to hide them. If she didn’t constantly fiddle with her clothing, you’d have been thrown out of the store for indecency ten times over by now.

"It's... not easy for me either, okay? I'm super turned on too," she admits. "So let's just... have a nice date. Then we can see where it goes."

You look Pearl up and down, from her flat Keds, to the curves of her legs and hips poorly hidden by her cool shirt. You notice how Pearl’s top drapes over her full breasts, and how her black bangs dust the tops of her pretty blue eyes, just so.

Pearl glares at you, sensing where your brain's going. "Chase."

Your behavior has been pretty awful now that you think about it. Checking Pearl out, looking at low books just to get a peek at her shadowed inner thigh when you thought she wasn’t looking. You’re being terrible, aren’t you?