Imperfect Life: Arc 5

Chapter 7

Crys woke up fairly late the next morning. She took a deep breath as she stretched. She grabbed her phone from beside her bed to check the time. It was almost ten thirty already. Crys put her phone down and stared at the ceiling for a moment. She was stewing in the peaceful quiet. She was enjoying the tranquility of the moment, thinking to herself as she laid there. Eventually after a few minutes she got up out of bed and went on with her typical morning routine. Later on she went downstairs and found Brandon's mom. She asked if it would be okay for everyone to go into town again so she could pick something up for Tomas and Emma. Thankfully, the answer Crys got was yes.

About an hour passed before everyone left the house. They left around eleven thirty, that way when they got into town they could stop for lunch. Brandon's dad had found a diner that had a good-looking menu, so that's where they all wound up eating. The diner had a cozy feel to it, like it had been a family establishment for generations. The rustic decor scattered about the dining area only added to that feel. Brandon and Crys both got a fried chicken plate, Brandon getting mashed potatoes and fries for his sides while Crys got mac and cheese and grits for hers. Brandon's dad got a chef's salad and Brandon's mom got a cheeseburger with fries. Everyone enjoyed their meals, and once they all finished up eating, it was off to town.

Once in town, Crys, Brandon, and Brandon's parents walked around just like they had a few days prior. They all went from store to store, and as they went through each store, Crys searched for two items in particular.

"What're you looking for?" Brandon asked. He and Crys were in one of the stores going down an aisle full of merchandise. He had noticed how intently she was eyeing what was for sale.

"I'm trying to find something for Tomas and Emma." Crys said while still eying everything. She wasn't really paying much attention to Brandon.

"I know that, but what are you looking for for them?" Brandon asked, trying to get anything else out of Crys.

Crys turned briefly to look at Brandon. "You'll see." She said with a cheeky grin.

Brandon sighed. "Well, maybe if I knew what you were looking for I could help." He said, a little annoyed that Crys wouldn't tell him.

"Look, I have a very specific idea of what I want to get for them. You don't." Crys said.

"Oh, I see how it is." Brandon replied. He meant it jokingly, but he did feel slightly hurt by the comment because of the way Crys had phrased it.

"Don't worry, I won't take all the credit. I'll make sure they know it's from both of us." Crys teased.

Brandon rolled his eyes. He looked around at some of the things for sale. There were quite a few t-shirts in this aisle. Each one had some different color or graphic on it. The kind of shirts tourists would like.

Crys grumbled as she flipped through the t-shirts and sighed. She walked off to the next aisle in search. Brandon followed closely behind her. "Ah, now this is more like it!" Crys said, doing a little run up to a little rack with sunglasses galore.

"Sunglasses?" Brandon asked.

"Told you you'd see." Crys said. "Now which one to get..."

"Wait, who's this for, Tomas or Emma?" Brandon continued asking.

"Tomas." Crys replied as she carefully looked at each pair of sunglasses, trying to imagine what they would look like on Tomas.

"Hmm..." Brandon said as he joined in searching.

The two friends took a few moments to try and figure out which pair would look best.

"How about these?" Brandon said, picking up a pair of sunglasses. They were dark gray with a dark bluish tint to the lenses. The general shape of the glasses was sleek, but not bare bones. They had enough material to keep them from looking plain, but not so much that they looked bulky.