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‘So, where to next, pipsqueak?’
‘How about dessert?’
She responds with a smile, still beaming from her latest catch on the claw machine. Her new keychain now hangs proudly among the dozen others on her bag.
‘Sure. Isn’t the cafe you wanted to try just around the corner from here?’
I pull out my phone and start walking in the direction of the cafe, but stop when I realise she’s no longer beside me. I turn to find her five paces behind, staring wide-eyed at a shop window.
‘Something caught your eye?’
I gently pat her head to get her attention but her eyes are glued to what’s behind the glass. The navy knit dress on the mannequin isn’t her usual style but the image of her in it makes my heart race.
‘Let’s go try it on.’
I encourage while trying to maintain a cool exterior.
She looks up at me, eyes glistening with excitement.
‘Really? I wasn’t sure if it was a style you’d like.’
Of course, you’d look great in anything. I hold my tongue, imagining the exasperated groan and eye-roll the comment would elicit.
‘Come on, let’s go take a look.’
Accepting my invitation, she grabs my arm and pulls me towards the store, her enthusiasm contagious.
As we make our way inside, I spot the dress almost immediately but I’m left puzzled as we walk straight past the rack and into the men’s section.
‘Here it is!’
She pulls a black leather jacket from the rack and lifts it up to my chest.
‘Hmm… maybe an extra large? It’s a baggy style but your shoulders are probably still too broad for the large.’
She retrieves a larger size and holds it up to me, looking confident this one will be a perfect match. But as she notices my dazed expression, a mix of confusion and disappointment flashes across her face.
‘You don’t like it?’
‘What about the dress?’
I look back at the window display, wondering if I had hallucinated it. It’s then that I spot the other mannequin in the window, wearing the same black leather jacket she’s now holding.
She peers around me to see what I’m talking about and giggles.
‘No offence, Caleb, but I don’t think they have that dress in your size. Come on, try it on already!’
Enthusiasm renewed, she takes the jacket off the hanger and holds it so I can easily slip both arms through the sleeves.
My ears begin to burn as I’m suddenly struck by the realisation of the situation, feeling both shy and flattered. She had picked out clothes for me before, begrudgingly gifting me shirts during the holidays when we were younger. Even the necklace hanging around my neck was picked by her. But this was different. We were different.
With my back still turned to her, I take an extra moment to compose myself, adjusting the cuffs of the jacket while praying she doesn’t notice my blushing ears.
When I finally turn to face her, her eyes light up and her lips press together in an attempt to hide the extent of her joy. But her smile breaks through, a smile that always has and always will be the centre of my universe.
‘Come here, let me fix the collar for you.’
I comply almost instinctively and I lean down within her reach, my regained composure lost the moment her fingertips trace the nape of my neck.
‘I knew it would look good on you.’
She whispers, as if to ensure her words are only heard by me.
‘Then again…’
With a swift tug of the jacket collar, her soft lips meet mine for a fleeting moment.
‘I think you’d look great in anything.’