James didn't take nearly as long to get dressed. This dinner had weighed on her mind, but only because of her forum discussion with Lotte. James had been adamant that this wasn't a date, and she'd meant it. Dates implied a building relationship, and that seemed very much the wrong word for anything James had been looking for when she'd extended the invitation to Hannah in the first place. The fact that Lotte didn't believe James was something of a red flag; had Hannah told her that this was a date?
James tried to calculate where she might have given that impression as she ran some mascara through her lashes. Because they'd fooled around at that club? James, seated at her vanity mirror, wrinkled her nose and picked up a tube of wine colored lipstick as she considered. That was ridiculous; just look at her and Rick, they fooled around for the better part of a year and the word date was never brought onto the table. That's how the world was supposed to work, seamless in it's lack of expectations or needs or.. responsibilities.
This wasn't a date.
James pulled back from the mirror and examined the sultry outline of her ripe mouth. Quickly, she picked up a tissue and rubbed the lipstick off, just as the knock sounded at her front door.
She'd iron this out with Hannah, she'd just.. explain that she invited her over to fool around and eat Chinese food, this wasn't a date. The plan sounded simple as she pulled on a pair of fresh indigo jeans, but kept her leopard specked tank top.
When James opened the door, her eyes were cagey, but the look faded when she took in Hannah's apparent casual stance. An eyebrow skewed at the bottle of wine, and her smile -- barely stained by whatever memory remained of that lipstick -- rose to occasion.