The silence in the car was unnerving. I kept glancing at Elliot and each time his facial expression was the same.

Expressionless and impassive.

I didn't think I had ever seen him look so serious. Shouldn't he have been elated that the marriage was in play? But then again, why did Jess continue spewing figures even when it was clear that Elliot wanted to have a private conversation with her?

After five unbearable minutes of silence, I couldn't take it anymore.

"Why do I get the feeling you're upset?"

Elliot only glanced at me before focusing on the road again.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Nothing.

"Do you perhaps not want to talk about it?"

He parked the car and then looked at me, "we're here." That was all he said before unbuckling his seatbelt and exiting the car.

I guess he didn't want to talk about it.

****

Shopping was supposed to be a fun and free activity, not a boring and dull task. Elliot was a living and breathing robot, so I took it into my hands to turn him back into a human.

"Let's enter this one," I grabbed his hand and pulled him, and he was so disconnected that he only realised where I had led him once we were halfway in the lingerie shop.

Elliot's breath hitched and he looked around frantically, "what are we doing in here?"

"What do you mean?" I asked innocently.

"Why do you need—?" He cut himself off with a sigh, and finally, his face showed an emotion other than stone-cold seriousness. Discomfort. "Forget it, I'll wait outside."

"Oh no you won't," I grabbed his arm and pulled him back. "We're shopping. This is a we thing, not a me thing."

"But I can't be in here," he whisper shouted.

"And why not?" I asked. "It's just lingerie."

"I..." Elliot sighed again. "Fine, just hurry up."

"Okay, but I need your help." He glanced sidelong at me. "Can you ask if there's a kiddie section? Because these are all too big for me." I purposefully grabbed a large-sized bra and held it against my chest.

Elliot choked on a laugh—a loud one—but even after covering his mouth he still looked like he was on the verge of bursting again, judging by the way he shut his eyes and took shuddering breaths. I did have small breasts, but my size was definitely in here somewhere, though Elliot seemed to be convinced otherwise.

He opened his eyes and dropped his hand, but as soon as he faced me again he burst out laughing, and I laughed in turn.

"We're going," he breathed, grabbing the lingerie from me and placing it with the others before catching my wrist and pulling me out of the shop with him.

Once we were far enough from the shop he released my wrist and rested his head against a wall. He took several deep breaths before facing me, a grin threatening to split his lips, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have laughed at that."

"The whole point was for you to laugh, smartypants," I playfully shoved his arm. "You were so depressed, I had no choice."

"You said that to make me laugh?"

"Of course I did, my size can definitely be found in there," I said then considered. "I think."

Elliot raised his chin and looked up, taking a deep breath before looking at me again, pinching his lips together to stop himself from smiling. "You are impossible."

"Impossibly awesome," I agreed. "Now come on, let's go do some real shopping."

I grabbed his wrist and he allowed me to drag him from shop to shop.

****

"That's it?" Elliot asked once I said I was done. "That's all you wanted?"

"How much more do I need?" I questioned.

"I came with a budget but you barely spent half of it," he told me.

"Just because you have money doesn't mean you need to splurge it on anything and everything."

"That's... wise," Elliot said after a long moment.

On our way back to the car, I suddenly noticed a candy shop I hadn't seen earlier. "However," I reconsidered, raising a hand to stop Elliot in his path, "there is no harm in spoiling your cousin and buying her chocolates."

****

Back in the car, Elliot told me that everyone was going to be surprised that we were returning so early. He explained to me that whenever he went shopping it was only ever with Jess, and that he could spend more than five hours following her around the mall as she spent hundreds and sometimes even thousands of dollars on everything from clothes to beauty products.

"They're filthy rich?" I asked.

"Filthy rich," Elliot emphasised.

"What do her parents do?"

"Her mom's a doctor, her dad's a lawyer."

"And Jess?"

"She models."

I knew it!

Elliot parked the car and made for the bags of clothes we had bought, as well as the groceries he decided to pick up, in the backseat. I opened the back door on my side to help him and then he opened the back door on his and asked what I was doing.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" I asked back.

"I've got them."

I shot him a look, "if there were two, or three, or even four, I'd leave you to it. But there are like eight plastic bags here."

"I can carry them all," he began slipping his arm through the holdings to prove his point.

"And stop your blood flow? No thanks." I took some plastics.

"I'm fine with making two trips then."

"And waste time? No thanks." I took more plastics.

"How much more do you want me to insist?"

"Insist all you want," I told him. "I've got arms and I intend to use them. I'd like to see you stop me."

And with that, I picked up four plastic bags, closed the door with my foot and walked to the house. The front door was locked so I used my foot—a very convenient limb—to knock on it.

A couple of seconds passed and then Elliot squeezed past me, unlocked the door with plastics still hanging from his arms, and opened it with his elbow.

"Ladies first," he ushered me in.

I offered him a mock curtsey and entered.

"We're back!" Elliot announced his presence.

"Already?" Aunt Mary asked, surprised.

"That was fast," Uncle Harry commented.

"Yeah, I know."

We placed the groceries on the countertop and the clothes in my room and then I made my way to Harley's room, gently knocking on the door before entering. Her room was an explosion of colours, from light pink walls to a purple carpet to blue bedding and so on. She was seated by her desk and swivelled around on her chair to face me. Her gaze dropped from my face to the small plastic I had in my hands.

"What's that?" She asked.

"I got you chocolates," I said, walking toward her and placing the plastic on her desk. "Well, more like I forced Elliot to buy you chocolates, but it's the same thing," I dismissed, making her smile. "He told me you liked these."

"He usually brings me like a couple, not a whole mini bag."

"Yeah, well, he's not a chocolate lover so he wouldn't understand how much of an insult it is to buy a couple of chocolates for one."

Harley chuckled then tackled me in a hug, "where have you been all my life, distant cousin?"

I laughed at that. "What are you doing?"

She pulled away to sit on her chair and faced her work again. "Maths homework," she grimaced, then looked up at me. "Can you help me?"

"I probably don't remember any of it," I admitted.

She snorted but then suddenly turned and looked down but I could see her cheeks still up. "Sorry, I don't know if I'm allowed to laugh at that."

"I'm literally teasing myself," I sighed. "What's with you and Elliot and apologising all the time?"

She looked at me again, "it's just, well, we can't freely make jokes and laugh around Jess. One wrong move and she's sulking all day."

"Oh," was all I managed to say. "Well... I'm not Jess."

"Yeah, you're so much better," Harley smiled. "I see that now."

I smiled back before pointing at one of the other books on her table. "And this?"

"Oh, that's Geo," she sighed. "Our teacher gave us each a foreign country to research. The cultures, the traditions and whatnot."

"And which country did you get?"

"Zimbabwe," Harley told me. "Can you imagine? I've only heard of Zimbabwe a couple of times, and now I have to do a whole presentation on the country?"

"If it makes you feel any better, I've never heard of Zimbabwe until now."

Harley laughed, "Okay, I definitely like you."