THE WAY YOU LOOK TONIGHT ,

[NALA NIKITA KELLY]

Nala didn't care too much about cooking food. Buying food, especially at those fun little organic, specialty grocery stores was always a fun time. But, the physical act of actually cooking a meal? Definitely not Nala's thing. She was much too impatient to follow a recipe, and without the expertise or practice of your average cook, most of her creations didn't come out quite as planned. However, Nala was determined to cook a nice meal that evening for Leo, her best friend in the whole wide world. It felt like ages ago since they had actually sat down and spent time together, what with how busy they both were and the inevitable awkwardness between them after their somewhat recent hookup.

There was really no specific occasion for her dinner plans, but after a long exam week, Nala was ready to do something fun. She missed catching up with Leo, and that easy banter that they had fit so comfortably into for the duration of their lengthy friendship. So, after her last class finished that Friday afternoon, Nala set out to the grocery store around the corner from her apartment and bought all the ingredients for dinner. Nala was a big meat girl, so obviously steak was the right entree for this particular meal. After she had finished her shopping, Nala slapped down the credit card her step-father had given her. After all, she might not have enjoyed the fact that he was so involved in the same organization that killed Leo's father, but his involvement in the Fantasian mafia did have its benefits.

Though toting her groceries back to her apartment was a herculean task, Nala managed to accomplish it. For the duration of the time she spent getting ready, she stowed the groceries into the fridge to prevent them from spoiling. Nala peeled off her clothes from the day, discarding them in the dangerously full hamper outside of her bathroom. She showered off the excess dirt and grime that had accumulated on her after a full day of lectures and classes and even more work. Once she was towel dried and had blown dry her full head of blonde locks, Nala regarded her closet. Nala had never been hugely into fashion, but she did have a pretty nice selection of clothes. Her first impulse was to reach for a pair of jeans and a comfy sweatshirt, but she changed her mind. Hmm, why not dress up? This was already out of the norm for the duo, why not spice it up even just a little bit more?

That's what she would do, Nala decided. She picked out her clothes, removing the hangers and sliding them on effortlessly. Getting the leather boots on over her bare feet was a bit of a challenge, but once she had finished, she stood up. Inevitably, Nala teetered on the heels, allowing herself a few moments to get used to the feeling of being several inches higher than she normally stood. Nala wasn't much for a lot of make up, and tended to favor sporting a natural face rather than one caked with foundation and mascara. This called for breaking out her dusty make up bag, though, and Nala grudgingly slapped on some make up. She was a bit scared to see the result, but was pleasantly surprised when she took in her full reflection in the mirror. Her fingers grappled for the bottle of Chanel perfume from several Christmases ago, spritzed herself ever so lightly. A light sigh escaped her lips. Who was this girl staring back at her in the mirror?

Nala slid her bag over her shoulder, stuffing the bottle of wine she had gotten from the grocery store in with her wallet, keys and phone. After all, that was the most important part of the meal, right? They could both use a drink, or two and a half, maybe. Nala unloaded the groceries from the kitchen, taking several more minutes than probably necessary to adjust them in her arms. After all, what a waste if after all that the steak went crashing down from her arms or the spices broke on the pavement on her walk to the car? Nala unloaded the groceries into the trunk of her car, adjusting herself in the front seat, turning on the radio and making the familiar drive over to Leo's beach house. It was an easy drive, peaceful, seeing as that she had made the drive many times before. Nala lost herself in the easiness of the drive, humming along to the radio and in what seemed like no time, she had arrived at Leo's house.

After pulling into the driveway, she carefully stepped out of the car and walked back to her trunk. Nala was more careful than usual as she unloaded the groceries yet again, balancing them with more grace than she usually portrayed - trying not to break any of the fragile items in the bag, or one of her ankles from the high heels. Nala managed to reach the front door without a jar breaking or shattering a bone, and immediately reached her hand up to the front door. Nala had long since outgrown the idea of ringing the doorbell at Leo's house. What was the point, anyway? Of course, she had walked in on things she didn't quite care to see, as one would expect by barging into someone else's house with no warning. "Leo?" she called into the foyer, breathing in the salty smell of the ocean that was so close to his house.

Nala's heels clicked against the floor as she made her way into the kitchen, setting down her bags onto the counter. She wiped her hands onto the back of her skirt, smoothing the fabric down with her careful fingers. She unbuttoned her sweater, tossing it onto one of the nearby chairs and flipped on the kitchen lights. No use in waiting to start cooking, she supposed, and began turning on the necessary appliances and prepping the food. In about ten minutes, the steak was seasoned and marinating, the potatoes mashed and cooking on the stove, and now Nala was working on tossing the salad and making her dressing. She heard footsteps approaching and looked up, a smile crossing her face. "Hey there, stranger," Nala grinned, doing her best to ignore the flutter of butterflies that she felt in her tummy. "I brought wine, you seemed like you could use a drink, maybe." She walked away from the salad to give him a hug, giving Leo a small kiss on the cheek. "I missed you."

tagged: nikki as simba <3
outfit: click
words: 1101
notes: ;]
currently listening to: goodnight, moon by heyhihello!
credit: banner credit to the cheshire cat at caution 2.0