Four Versions

8.

After an hour of pointless walking through the mall, I sat down. I sighed loudly and looked around, realizing that everyone was minding their own business and yet here I was, all alone. I shook my head slowly and closed my eyes to relax a bit. I might have fallen asleep, because when I opened my eyes again, Ari was waving her hands in front of my face.

‘Victoria!’ she exclaimed. ‘You’re finally awake.’

I nodded my head and wiped the little bit of sweat from my upper lip. Then I looked to the right and caught my reflection. My eyes went wide and I started to comb my fingers through my hair while Ari sat down next to me. She put her pink bag down next to me and then silently laughed.

‘You look a bit lost. Do you want to join me while I go past all the clothing stores? We might even buy ourselves some nice clothes,’ she winked at me.

I shook my head shortly and looked away. ‘I don’t really have any money on me as of this moment,’ I shamefully admitted. Ari put her hands on my shoulders and smiled again. She seemed to do that a lot, yet her eyes looked tired. It was a different kind of tired than just the lack of sleep; I had seen this type of tired before and a suffocating feeling suddenly grasped me.

‘Don’t you worry, I do. I just pay for you if you find something nice. That’s what friends are for,’ she reassured me. ‘Besides I have been looking for a shopping buddy for ages!’

I thankfully nodded my head and stood up. I held my hand out for her and smirked. ‘Well then,’ I now laughed, ‘what are you waiting for? Let’s go!’

She grabbed my hand and pulled herself up while pulling her bag with her. I had the feeling I should hold her a little longer than was probably necessary, so only when she stood straight I let go of her arm. The moment I did though, she hooked her arm through mine and pointed at this store that I had never heard of.

‘The clothes they have in here are seriously Victoria Secret worthy and since we are models, we should totally check them out.’

I followed her into the store, but turned around when I saw a familiar shim in the corner. I locked eyes with my Mason and his deadly stare just before entering the store. My heart started to beat faster, but soon calmed again when I looked around in the store. It had the most magical vibe and I immediately knew I should come here more often. Ari silently watched me as I took in my surroundings and then turned to her again.

I hopelessly threw my hands in the air again and laughed. ‘Where do we even begin?’