“While we’re shopping for new clothes, Elliot’s gonna take a few pictures of you so you can post them online,” he said as we approached his sleek black car.
It was a fairly odd car for someone of his wealth. I expected something fancy, like an expensive sports car, but instead, he drove a pretty normal one.
Eden unlocked the doors and opened the passenger side for me.
“Post them online?” I swallowed thickly at the thought of it. “Already?”
I knew I was supposed to post pictures of myself while he was teaching me how to be more confident, but this felt a little rushed. I thought I had at least another month to prepare.
A feeling of panic rose inside of me. The idea of having a picture of me posted online for anyone to see made me want to retreat back into the safety of my home and never leave ever again. What if people started commenting on my appearance, tearing me down with their cruel words?
The thought alone was suffocating.
But as Eden held the door open and waited for me to get in, I caught a glimpse of his smile, and it was as if his genuine excitement about helping me get out of my comfort zone enveloped me like a protective shield. In that moment, I made a silent promise to myself to trust him, no matter how terrifying his ideas appeared to me.
He was a confident guy. Surely Eden knew what he was doing.
I slid into the passenger seat, the leather feeling cool against my almost bare skin. These tights really didn’t do anything to warm me.
Eden got in on his side and started the car, the engine purring to life. As we pulled out of the parking lot, I couldn’t help but ask about his choice of car.
“So, why this car?” I gestured around us.
Eden chuckled, glancing at me before focusing back on the road. “I prefer something low-key. Plus, it’s reliable and gets me around without any fuss. No need for anything flashy when all I need is a smooth ride.”
I nodded. “I thought it was because you’re secretly a romantic at heart and you hope to find a girlfriend who’s not superficial. So when you drive around with a car like this and she sticks around without a complaint, you know you can show her the fancy stuff without worrying she’s just here for the fame.”
His grin widened, but he remained silent, which I did not mind at all.
10
EDEN
“Ithought you gave up dating,” Elliot said as we both sat in front of the women’s dressing room, waiting for Alana and Nova to come back out.
I knew asking Nova for her help meant we’d be here for a while, but I didn’t think it’d take more than two hours. It had been three hours, the fifth shop, and the mall was closing soon.
“I did,” I answered as I checked the time on my phone for the second time in just a minute.
“Then how come I’m currently sitting in a clothing store, deciding which outfits yourgirlfriendshould buy?”
“Nova said we have a collective vote ofone, so are we really deciding anything?” At the end of the day, it was Nova who decided. Sure, Alana gave her okay and sometimes hard passes if shereallycouldn’t see herself wearing something… but it was mostly Nova’s decision.
The outfits she chose were amazing, though, and super flattering on Alana. Nova genuinely had a great sense of fashion.
“Hm…” Elliot looked up from his phone. “How’d you meet?”
“That’s a long story,Dad.” I hated being interrogated about my relationships, which made sense, seeing as all my pastgirlfriends were using me. They’d probably send me off to a lonely island if they found out Alana and my situation wasn’t genuine either.
He chuckled. “I’m just asking because you’ve never mentioned her before. What’s her name again?”
“Alana,” I replied, a little too loudly.
“Yes?” came from inside the changing room, and a second later, a head popped out. “We’re almost done. Promise.”
“Take your time, Ally-Bear. My mom always says time doesn’t exist when it comes to finding the perfect outfit.”
Alana smiled at me softly, then went back inside the changing room, adjusting the curtain to ensure neither Elliot nor I saw a thing.
