“Okay,” Mila sighed, trying to smile at herself through the mirror, “what’s…”
“Party outfit.” Siya blurted. Mila shot a look back at her party-shy sister.
“You have never, in all of your life, ever…”
“I know, I know, but it's not my choice. Our cousin Lana won a football thing, and we have to attend the ceremony, and that’s tomorrow - friday night. After that Chell will want to drag us into town, and while we are going to initially hate it we will actually start enjoying it towards the end, before her friends will say something about asians our autism that will be patronising and will ruin the rest of the night.”
Mila blinked.
“That sounds specific.” Mila mumbled. Siya nodded, shaking off the rising resentment. Mila, disgusted, smiled. “Well if you want to put up a combined front then we should wear matching outfits, and that might require shopping. Unless you have two copies of the same dress like a cartoon character.”
While Mila and Siya both laughed, Siya went red again, her eyes searching throughout the room, trying not to look at her sister for the first time, or into the wardrobe. A confused Mila looked on however, spotting that there were actually a few repeated dresses. Mila turned, looking perplexed.
“It's work outfits.” Siya mumbled. Mila, pulling one of the dresses out at random, revealed a strapless cocktail dress. “And, uh, work functions, when…”
“I’m not the sister you have to lie to, Siya.”
Sya buried her face in her sister’s chest, so ashamed the heat radiated through the hoodie. “I like to have backups okay? It started with uniforms, and then I started buying multiples of the same shirts I liked, and then it got out of hand. Then I started to think about what if I found a girlfriend, and wouldn’t it be nice if we could dress the same, and, and…”
Mila looked at herself in the mirror, her sister glommed onto a twin that looked like she had better places to be, her body language still very Dan-like; letting things happen and yet not reacting to them. It was like Siya was burying her face in a mannequin, which was more embarrassing than the room they were in.
Softening her posture, Mila threw her arms around Siya.
“I’m not judging.” Mila smiled, raising her sister’s eyes to her own. “That said this does make things easier, though a little less interesting.” Siya emerged at last, looking puzzled at her sister. “Just I thought you would have wanted to go clothes shopping.”
Siya’s brain exploded. Mila, in response, pointed back into the wardrobe, before Siya could expand off on another tangent.
“B-but before that we should find some stuff to wear, hm? It's nearly five, so we can’t exactly go clothes shopping, but we could catch a film, or go to the arcade, or maybe that indoor golf thing you wanted to try out?”
Siya’s head continued to explode, ideas racing through her mind. Mila smiled at her, tapping her back and bringing her back to reality.
“We need to get ready.” Siya said, picking up her toiletries, and taking her sister’s hand. “First thing’s first, we need a shower.”