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“This is exhausting,” I confess, only making her laugh.
“No one appreciates how much of a workout shopping is. Everyone thinks they need to go to the gym to burn calories, though they just need to come to the mall for several hours and carry around dozens of shopping bags. Same number of calories burned, but a lot more fun had.”
She pushes my milkshake toward me. “Drink that. The sugar will keep you going.”
I eye up the large drink warily. It’s one of those milkshakes where you can add all sorts of treats—oreo pieces, peanut butter, marshmallows. You name it. All treats I’ve heard of yet never tasted. The combination she has ordered sounds disgusting, and I’m not convinced I’ll like it, even as Dara hums while sucking down her own drink.
Hesitantly, I bring the straw to my lips and suck until the sugary sweetness floods my mouth. Instantly, my eyes go wide, and Dara bursts out laughing at the look of shock on my face.
“I told you it was good!”
“Oh my, that’s delicious.” I suck down more of the ice-cold drink until I get brain freeze and have to force myself to stop.
When I look up again, I catch Dara watching me with an excited gleam in her eye and a smirk quirking up the corner of her lips. “Oh, you are going to be so much fun to corrupt.”
Dara drags me around several more shops until she can tell I’m losing the will to live.
“One more,” she pleads, pointing at the store opposite us. “Last one, I promise.”
I groan out a “fine” as she drags me inside and begins perusing the racks. I follow her at a slower, less enthusiastic pace. She’s bought me so many new clothes today that I doubt I’ll need to buy anything new until I’m ninety.
Despite knowing this, though, my eyes catch on a pair of black faux-leather pants, and I move closer for a better look.
“Oh, those are gorgeous!” Dara exclaims when she catches me looking. Snatching them up, she holds them against my waist before draping them over her arm. “I even found the perfect top to go with them. Oh, and there was a cute pair of boots back there that would look amazing with this ensemble.”
She pushes me into a dressing room with an order to try on the clothes while she goes to grab a pair of boots in my size. All day, I’ve been making a point to avoid looking at myself in the mirror, both uncomfortable with what I’ll see and anxious that I’ll stare too long and anger God. Nothing heinous has happened since I met Don, and I’m scared I’ll do something to change that. He seems to believe I have no power over the curses brought down on my hometown, but what if he’s wrong? What if it was all me, and the same thing happens here, to his people? For the first time, I’m experiencing true freedom and terrified of losing it.
While I wait for Dara to return with the shoes, I close my eyes and murmur a prayer, hoping God will accept my apology and take comfort in knowing I’ve at least tried to appease him.
The sound of the curtain being yanked back has my eyes snapping open. “What are you doing?” Dara asks, staring at me in confusion.
“Nothing.” I hurriedly stand and point at the boots. “Is that them?”
She holds them out, and I take them from her, slipping my feet inside and zipping them up. When I stand up, Dara runs her eyes over me, her jaw dropping open.
“Oh, girl, you are fire. That outfit is insane!”
She spins me to face the mirror, and I close my eyes on reflex. “Look at yourself,” she says, a hint of steel in her voice. “You haven’t looked in the mirror once today, and trust me, you are missing out. You look so beautiful.”
I vehemently shake my head. “Vanity is a sin.”
She scoffs, instantly dismissing me. “Looking at yourself in the mirror is not a sin. If you start spending all day staring at yourself and gushing about how gorgeous you look, then yeah. Nobody wants to listen to that shit. Bleugh. But wanting to ensure you look hot in an outfit… hell, no. I will not stand here and listen to you spout that crap.” She pinches my jaw, the bite of pain sharp enough to make me open my eyes. “Vanity and self-love are two totally different things,” she says sternly, staring at me through the mirror. “There is nothing wrong with wanting to feel good in your own skin or wanting to wear an outfit that makes you feel confident and sexy. Just like there’s nothing wrong with wanting to style your hair or wear make-up. You’re not doing it out of peer pressure or to impress a guy, but for yourself, and if wanting to love yourself is a sin, then, girl, you can bet we’re all going to Hell.”
When I simply stare at her, she continues. “How can you expect anyone else to love you if you can’t love yourself? And to love yourself, you must embrace who you are—mind, body, and soul. You must be at peace with your mind, confident in your body, and in sync with your soul. You, Kali, are in a disconnect with all three. So start today by accepting the fact that you look hot as fuck in that outfit and that you should totally wear it home for my brother because I know he’s going to love it too.”
I can’t help but chuckle, although her words truly resonate with me, and I find the courage to drop my gaze, slowly roaming over my body.
“Told you you were hot.” Dara smirks, noticing my surprise, but everything she said stays with me long after we’ve left the shop—me still wearing the outfit—and make our way back to Don’s.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Stepping into Don’s house, I leave my countless shopping bags by the door. Despite the exhaustion clawing at my limbs, there’s a smile on my face that I can’t shift. Today was… I don’t even have words. It was so ordinary—going shopping with a friend—but that’s what was so special about it. One of those girly day trips I used to fantasize about when I was younger but came to accept that I would never experience.
Just one more deeply-seated wish that has come true since meeting Don.
“Wow.”
At the sound of his voice, my head snaps in his direction and I find him standing in the living room doorway, staring at me. His gaze roams over my outfit before returning to my face, and I feel my cheeks go beetroot red beneath his perusal.
