"Smart/Casual"

“You can’t be serious”

“What? What’s wrong with it?”

“Are you kidding?! You look RIDICULOUS!”

In Aisha’s defence, Jack did look ridiculous. For some reason, Jackie decided that he was going to go his first ever date wearing his Doctor Who outfit. White shirt, black trousers, britches and a red bow tie.

“I don’t look ridiculous! This is geek chic! Besides, she likes Doctor Who! She said so herself!”

Aisha wasn’t convinced.

“How did she say it?”

Jackie looked at her.

“Well…honestly!”

“And how did honestly look?”

Jackie attempted to do an impression of his date’s face when she said she liked Doctor Who. It was a weird face. At least, it was when Jackie was attempting it. Aisha sighs.

“Ok, but you still shouldn’t wear that!” Aisha demanded. “She’ll be embarrassed to be with you!”

Jackie shakes his head.

“Oh come on, I doubt that. YOU like Doctor Who. Would YOU be embarrassed to be seen with me in this?”

“If it wasn’t for a convention of some kind, yes!”

Jackie looks flabbergasted. He can’t believe what she’s just said.

“But…but…BOW TIES ARE COOL!”

“Not in a date construct! Haven’t you got a black suit or something? Did you guys decide on a dress code?!”

Jackie thinks.

“Not really no…”

Aisha looks at Jackie in despair.

“You have no idea what you’re doing do you!”

“What? This is my first date! Of course I don’t!”

Aisha looks at him. He’s hopeless.

“Where are you taking her?”

Jackie shakes his head. Aisha looks confused.

“What?”

“Nuh-uh. If you don’t like what I’m wearing, you won’t like where I’ll be wearing it!”

“Oh come on. It’s not like you’d take her ice-skating or something in that!”

Jackie looks at her. Aisha realises.

“OH MY GOD! YOU’RE MAD!”

“What?! I figured it’d be whimsical!”

“YOU’LL BE A LAUGHING STOCK!”

“I’ll be cool…”

“You cannot be that deluded”.

“Well, seemingly I am!”

The atmosphere in the room was getting tense. And a larger argument was starting but neither particularly wanted it to. So they attempted to compromise. Aisha looks at him.

“Look, you’re going ice-skating. Wear something normal. Smart/casual if you’d like! She may well like Doctor Who but…take her to a convention in that! Not ice-skating! It’s inappropriate!”

Jackie looks at her and sighs.

“Even though it’s the show’s 50^th year?”

“Even though it’s the show’s 50^th year. YOU see the significance, she might too, but other people might not. They might just think you’re being a weirdo. And you’ll make her embarrassed. Jill was it? Her name?”

Jackie nodded. He knew that Aisha was making sense but he didn’t want to accept it.

“But Jill likes Doctor Who…”

“That may be. But do you want your date to go successfully?”

Jackie nodded again.

“Of course I do!”

“Then get changed!”

Defeated, Jackie walked out of the room to get changed. Aisha sighed and went into the kitchen to get herself a drink of water. She looked into her glass. Her frown turned to sadness. She didn’t want Jackie to go on a date with Jill. Because it meant she might not be able to have him for herself. She knew the competition but she didn’t want to fight. For Jackie’s sake. She looked into the glass and saw her feelings for him all across the ripples of the water. Like some kind of weird reflection. She’d liked him for such a long time but never found the right way, or the right time, to approach the subject. And when she finally did…well…there was someone else.

After a couple of minutes, Jackie returned into the room wearing black jeans, a red t-shirt and a leather jacket. Aisha looks annoyed. Jackie smiles.

“Hey, Chris Eccleston’s outfit was much more socially acceptable…”

Aisha thinks for a moment and shrugs.

“Do what you like…”

She leaves the room. Jackie chuckles to himself and walks out of the flat. The door slams behind him. Aisha looks round one more to find herself, once again, in an empty flat. She looks after Jackie longingly.

“One day…” she said softly, “one day…”