"And now you are no longer listening to me."

Kali shook herself out of her thoughts and faced her worried sister. They had come out to the city to enjoy the warm day, but her mind was full of Richard. Just when she thought things would start going smoothly, he had to show up and ruin everything.

"Sorry, my mind is wandering."

"Something wrong? Samuel? Your job?"

"No. Samuel is fine, and so is work. Don't mind me." Kali urged her sister to continue walking. "We probably should get something to eat. Are you hungry?"

"No, and don't change the subject. Come on. Since the wedding, even before, I could sense something was wrong with you. I kept quiet out of respect for your space, but I am more worried about you now."

"June, believe me, nothing is wrong. A stupid thought got in my head when I woke up, and it has been rolling around since then."

"What?"

"Well, it's just the problems I have with Samuel's family. You know they are not all in with me. That's all."

The empathy on June's face assured Kali that she had taken the right story. Kali didn't like lying to her sister. They had been each other's support for years, but she couldn't do it this time. She couldn't face her sister with the truth because she knew how disappointed and horrified June would feel.

"There is some tension between us, and I feel a bit uncomfortable about it."

"I can imagine. I tried not to start a fight, but I heard how Giovanna spoke to you at that dinner. I didn't buy her sweet act."

"Just forget about it. I have handled much more than Giovanna in my life." Kali spotted a mannequin behind a decorated glass box. "June, look. Isn't that a beautiful dress?"

"Yes!" her sister squealed. "Look at those prints."

"In that case, let's go in to see if it's your size."

"Do you...do you think I should get it?"

"Of course." The store was between two buildings, it wasn't a large one, but they seemed to have nice dresses. "Maybe we can get you something classy to wear your first day back to school."

"Really?"

Kali stroked June's hair affectionately, allowing her sister's sunny disposition to cure the bitterness that stained her mind. She loved seeing the girl happy.

"Really." She assured, taking June by the hand and leading her into the store. She pushed the glass door open and was greeted by a gust of cool air.

"Good morning." A woman greeted from the reception desk.

"Good morning."

They made their way to the dress, but Kali's eyes drifted around the store. While June inspected the fabric of the gown, Kali walked to the nearest rack. She brushed through a few of the clothes on display.

"June?"

"Yeah."

"Come here."

Her sister appeared almost immediately. Kali picked a top off the rack and held it against June's body, leaning back to see if it fit. June watched her with a questioning stare.

"What are we doing?"

"Trying to see if anything else in here fits you."

"What? Oh, Kali, that's sweet, but I don't want you to spend so much on dresses. We have to buy gifts for aunt and junior, remember?"

"I remember. These dresses are not only elegant but come at a reasonable price. I am sure we can buy something for our aunt here. Meanwhile, it's been a long time since I have taken you shopping."

"Won't you get something for yourself?"

"I definitely will, but let's take care of you first."

"Fine. These do look lovely."

They moved through the shelves and racks, picking out clothes for each other. Amidst bouts of laughter and smiles, Kali was able to forget the stressful life she had. For once, she felt whole. Happy and free. They ended up spending more time than she originally planned. By the time they were ready to leave, they had bags of clothing ready to go.

"I think Aunt Nola will really love the scarf and skirt. Not so sure about the top."

"Oh please, she'd love it. I know her style well."

"Is that right?"

Kali chuckled, shaking her head. "I hope I do."

They set everything on the counter and waited for the clothes to be scanned and folded. It didn't take too long to do. Once the clothes were arranged into the bags, Kali handed them to June and searched for her credit card in her purse.

"Afternoon."

Kali glanced up at the woman that approached her. "Afternoon?" She fished the credit card out of her purse and handed it to the receptionist.

"I just thought I should congratulate you." The strange woman continued.

"For?"

"Your wedding. It was quite an event."

The woman beamed, and Kali managed a smile, feeling slightly uncomfortable with the attention. No doubt, it was the same reason the receptionist had been shocked to see her earlier.

"My mother-in-law would have settled for nothing less. I am sure I would have survived with a less...public affair."

Kali didn't know why she said what she did. It just fell out of her mouth.

"Well, it's an honour to have you shopping at my store. I hope you find all the dresses to your liking."

Kali found herself grinning. "You are the designer?"

"Yes."

"Well, allow me to say that you have an amazing talent. Everything in this store is breath-taking and elegant."

"Thank you. You seem like a woman with a keen eye."

"I guess you can say that." She grinned.

While the woman seemed friendly, Kali felt slightly uncomfortable under her scrutinizing gaze. "We have to go, but I will be back. I love your designs and style."

"Then I will be seeing more of you then."

"Definitely. Sorry, but I have to go. These are beautiful." She winked before leading June out of the store.

"Guess you are famous now."

"This is the first time that's happened. And hopefully, it will be the last."

"You must have known what you were getting into marrying someone that is well known."

"Yeah. I should have known." She lamented quietly.