THE DEVIL'S AFFECTION

26. EMPLOYEE'S DISCOUNT

AFTER BREAKFAST, Hanes and I walked down the street, nearly getting blown over in the wind. He says that he knows of a good place to find boots for me.

When we arrive, he holds his elbow out to help me up the steps in my heels.

"Soon I won't need your help up any steps." I chuckle.

"Well, that's a shame. Maybe we shouldn't get them, then." He jokes.

I scoff. "I'll accept your help even when I don't need it instead. How does that sound?"

"Good." He nods, grinning, and we head inside.

The store is warm but the cool-coloured decorations make it feel almost as cold as it is outside. Hanes walks right up to the counter without skipping a beat.

"We're looking for some boots for the lady." He sets his hand on the counter, his ring clicking loudly off of it as he does. "What have you got?"

The woman straightens up, Hanes' intimidation showing her his importance as a customer.

"Our women's section is right this way." She offers us an empty customer-service-smile and leads us towards the left side of the store.

"All of our boots are in this row. I'd recommend these as they will not only be sturdy and supportive but they also keep your feet and legs warm." She motions down to some black heeled knee-high boots. They're, probably not coincidentally, the most expensive pair.

Hanes looks up to me with a curious look. "What do you think? Want to try them on?"

They're incredibly nice but awfully expensive at $2000 for the pair. I know that's next to nothing for him but to me, that's so much.

"Um..."

"We'll try on a pair. What's your size?" Hanes insists.

"8."

The lady nods and scurries off to go get them.

"Stop looking at the price." He mumbles while looking across the store.

"Hanes... they're so expensive. There has to be something cheaper."

"You need a good pair of boots. If this is the price for them, that's not a problem. I'm buying them, not you."

"I know... I just... I feel bad."

"This is a part of our agreement. Why do you always feel so bad?" He looks down at me.

"Because I feel like my... services... aren't worth as much as you spend."

He scoffs. "Trust me, they very much are and, regardless, I'm happy to spend it. I have more money than I will ever spend in my lifetime."

The sales women comes back with the box.

"Here they are! Let me know if you need different sizing." She sets the box down on a bench right by the display.

I take a seat and slip them on. They fit perfectly snug. They're warm and not to mention they look amazing. I still choke at the price, though.

Hanes walks over to look at me in the mirror.

"Now, look at that. I'll pay for that picture." He smirks, looking down at me.

I look up at him, back to my reflection and then up to him again.

"Are you sure?"

"I wouldn't even be in this store if I wasn't sure. Besides, you need them."

"I'll have to work these off somehow." I grin, playing with the buttons on his coat.

He smirks back. "Until then, consider these an employee perk." He winks.

We walk up to the till and Hanes pays before I walk out in my new boots.

Hanes carries my heels and helps me down the steps, even though I can now manage to do so alone.

We walk down the street and Hanes presses the button to cross. We wait in the cold and I begin to shiver, my lone t-shirt under my coat not doing me much justice.

"Are you cold?!" Hanes asks shocked.

"A little. My feet are warm though!"

"Come here." He opens up his coat and lets me wrap my arms around him under it.

This is so strange — a day how I imagined it. It feels even better than I had hoped. It's surreal but I'm not going to take it for granted.

I nuzzle my face against his chest as I wrap my arms around him tight. He wraps his arms around me, further wrapping the coat around me as well.

"We'll have to get you some warmer clothes too." He kisses the top of my head.

I don't want this day to end. I don't want this to go away. I could stand here holding him forever and be content to just be able to stay in this moment.

"Better?" He asks.

I nod. "Much."