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A grin spreads across my face as I watch her treat those shoes like they’re a newborn child and hand them to the sales associate. She whispers something to the lady and then continues on her shopping adventure. She moves excitedly from shoes to purses and back to shoes again.
It’s almost impossible to squeeze into the tiny aisles of the store with all the shopping bags that Cele has me carrying. They’re all full of shit that she’s bought over the last hour. I can’t say that it’s the most fun experience, but with her, it’s less uncomfortable than I thought it would be.
When she’s done meticulously reviewing every shoe in the place, Cele promises that I’m going to love the next shop she wants to take me to.
I doubt it, but we’ll see.
As we walk on the sidewalk to whatever nightmare she’s bringing me to, I decide to ask her a question that I’ve been wanting to ask her since the end of summer party.
“Um, Cele,” I start, unsure of how she’s going to react. “Remember the end of summer party?”
She snorts. “Yea, it wasn’t that long ago. What about it?”
“I was just wondering… What was going on between you and Justin.”
She pauses almost imperceptibly but continues to walk forward as if what I said doesn’t impact her at all.
“Nothing.”
“It didn’t look like nothing,” I comment.
“Itwasnothing.”
“Maybe on your end, but it didn’t look like nothing on his end.”
This makes Celeste stop short to look at me.
“What do you mean, on his end?”
I suck my teeth. “Oh, please, Cele. Don’t tell me that you haven’t noticed the way he’s always staring at you. His eyes didn’t leave you once at that party.”
“It WAS nothing. That ship sailed when he decided to break up with me for… well, when he decided to break up with me.”
“Okay,” I concede. “But for argument’s sake, if he told you that he made a mistake and wanted to get back together, would you?”
“Truthfully? I’d like to think I’d say no.”
“Why? Because of Taylor?” I ask, and Celeste freezes completely. I stop a few feet ahead of her when I realize she’s stopped walking and look back.
“Why would you ask that?” she inquires.
I raise one eyebrow and smirk. “You know why.”
She scoffs, looking uneasy as she starts to walk again. “There is nothing happening between me and Taylor.”
“Riiiiiight. The sky is pink, and clouds are really made of glitter.”
She swats at me but refuses to look me in the eye, which makes me laugh under my breath.
“Don’t be an asshole. He’s annoying, childish, and oh, did I mention annoying?” she says in frustration, which only makes me laugh harder.
“And you guys see each other almost every day. He walks you to every class, checks in on you before you go to bed, and oh wait, knew exactly where you were staying for the last few months. I know I was out of it for most of the ride to your place, but I’m pretty sure he didn’t exactly call you for directions.”
“He’s withusevery day, Evelyn, not just me. And we are officially done with this conversation,” she says, raising her hand towards another store front. “Here’s your surprise, asshole. I had to Google it. So, you’re welcome.”
I look up to see that she’s brought me to a secondhand bookstore, and my heart actually swells in my chest. It’s the little things that I appreciate.
We walk into the small shop, and I’m immediately wrapped up in the scent of aged paper. It’s like I’ve been transported to another world full of magic and wonder.
