Keepsake of My Love

24 Retail therapy

Mood: swipe left and tap the media box above to listen to Shopping Spree by Equalz.

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Lydia

The day after I asked Jake to babysit, I noticed a small blister above my left lip. I had never had one before, so I panicked and thought of all the worst-case scenarios. I made a quick appointment with one of the doctors at the university's medical clinic. Jake called a few hours later.

"Hey, Missy, what's up?"

"I'm not all right. I think I've got herpes. There's a blister on my lip."

"I'm sorry, Missy. Anything I can do to help?"

"Come with me to my doctor's appointment tomorrow?" I asked.

We went to the clinic together the next morning, and the doctor believed it was herpes simplex, HSV-1. The cold sore type. She ran some tests to confirm and also to check for anything else.

In the following week, I came back for a follow-up appointment. The results confirmed that I had HSV-1. I was given a booklet and some good advice on living with it and avoiding transmitting the virus to others. After the follow-up appointment, Jake and I sat on the lawn and rested. We had a few hours before our next class, so we had a bit of time.

"You know, my mom gets cold sores too, now and then," Jake explained.

"Really?" I asked.

"Yeah, sure. She's OCD with toothbrushes and stuff like that."

Jake patted my back.

"You'll be fine, Missy," he said.

"Jake, I need something to cheer me up," I responded.

He raised an eyebrow at me, and I raised mine back.

Jake got up and patted me on the back.

"C'mon, get up."

"Where are we going, Jakey?"

"Shopping."

---

Jake and I took a train into the city and went into one of the department stores. I had a blast picking out dresses, but he looked a little drained. He sat on a chair and waited while I was in the changing room. He played a game on his mobile phone. Each time I had a new dress on, I went out to him and asked for his opinion.

I loved the way he wrinkled his perfect, tan nose when he didn't like something I put on. Or when he nodded his head, but his face lacked expression when he thought an outfit was okay.

His favorite outfit on me was a salmon-pink, low-cut, strapless party mini-dress with a slender, gold belt. His eyebrows raised to the roof of his forehead, and his eyes grew as big as saucers.

"Wow!" Jake drawled excitedly.

When we arrived at the cashier's counter, I fished my wallet from my bag to fetch my bank card. Jake stepped in front of me, and his caramel-tan, muscular arm gently pushed me aside.

He took out his Visa card and handed it over to the woman working at the counter. She noticed he was a good-looking guy and eyed him from top to toe. She smiled widely, flashing her white teeth against her heavily made-up face and red lips.

"Jake, you can't do this for me," I hissed.

"I sure can," he said. He had a confident smile on his face.

"We have a special deal this week where you can buy select lingerie for half the price if you spend fifty dollars or more," she said, winking at me.