Shopping Spree

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I tap my foot impatiently, checking the time on my wristwatch for the thirtieth time after every thirty minutes or so.

I'm currently in one of the beauty boutiques inside of Blue Hills Shopping Mall, waiting for Feenyx to wrap up her shopping spree because we've gone to literally every store in this gargantuan of a shopping mall all morning and it's already noon. I'm tired, I'm irritated, I'm bored and I just want this to be done and over with so, we can go home.

I let out an exasperated sigh, putting my cheek into my hand and staring down at the fifty bags filled with clothes and shoes – all designer might I add. That woman nearly bought half of the clothes in all the stores we went in. I had to slow her down and remind her that the closet and wardrobe in her room aren't going to accommodate all the clothes she picked.

She wasn't kidding about the Olympian currency being worth more than human currency. When I asked how much she gets paid, she told me she earns about $25,000 to $30,000 worth of Olympian money per month working as a secretary. That's $2.5 million to $3 million per month meaning in total she earns $300 million to $360 million per year. My eyes nearly popped out of their sockets after I did the math.

"Are you done yet?" I call out.

"Boy, don't rush me! Being this beautiful is hard as it is!" She calls back with sass in her tone.

I sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose. "We've been here for an hour. Hurry up!"

"We still have the rest of the day ahead of us. Relax."

"Woman! Some of us have work tomorrow!"

"Sounds like a 'you' problem."

"I can just leave you here if that's what you want."

"Alright! Dang!"

The curtains of the fitting room open, revealing the redhead wearing a russet woollen polo neck tucked inside of a scotch print mini skirt that's shaping her waist and her wide hips along with a pair of black suede ankle high-heeled boots.

"So? How do I look?" she asks, stepping forward with a spin.

"As good as you were eighty outfits ago," I remark drily.

She clutches her chest as an offended look plasters her face. "Rude!" she scoffs. "I'm just asking in case I look ugly in this fit. Sheesh!"

"You're a nymph! The word ugly is non-existent with your kind. You can wear a potato sack and still look beautiful anyway!" I snap.

"Hey! Keep the nymph part on the hush-hush. As far as humans know my kind along with anything tied with Greek Mythology is exactly what we are, a myth and we should keep it that way." She whispers and yells. "But thanks for the compliment."

I roll my eyes. "Are you done here?"

"Well, I pretty much have everything I need. So, yeah. We can call it a wrap." She says.

"Thank God!" I heave out a relieved sigh.

"But let's stop by somewhere to eat first. I'm starving."

♡

"I was expecting less since I've had better meals back on Olympus, but boy oh boy, y'all surprised me. This is heavenly." Feenyx says, taking another bite of her dunked wings.

"Queen of Hearts is known for serving the best food across the country," I answer with a shrug.

"I know that's right. Want one?" she extends a piece towards me.

"I'm good, thanks." I decline, lifting my hand.

"Dude, you haven't eaten since we left." She frowns.

"No, I had a snack bar before we left." I remind her.

"That's a light meal at best. You better not be dieting to the point of starvation, bro."

"I'm not. I just don't have an appetite."

"Bullshit! If there's one thing gods and men have in common is that they both have one hell of an appetite. I can even argue that a god's appetite is on par with a Saiyan."

"You have anime on Olympus?" My eyebrows fly up.

"Honey, we have it all on Olympus." She says smugly. "But getting back on the subject, you need to eat. Waiter! Waiter!"

"Feenyx, I'm fine. Really." I insist.

She grabs my arm and pushes my sleeve. "You see this? This has more bone than flesh. How do you expect to pick up chicks if you're one step away from looking like a dollar store Grim Reaper?"

I roll my eyes. "It's not that deep."

"Like Hades it is." She snorts. "It's no wonder that lady friend of yours keeps bouncing back to that fiancé of hers."

I clench my jaw at her comment. "I apologise for not being built like Chris Evans or Jason Momoa," I say, pulling my arm out of her grip.

"Oooh! Someone's being passive-aggressive." She responds amused. "Did I strike I nerve? An insecure spot perhaps?"

"No. I just don't like being treated less just because I don't fit the male beauty standard and the female gaze." I narrow my eyes.

"Nah, I definitely struck a nerve when I mentioned that Tracy girl into the conversation." She insists.

"No! Just –" I let out an exasperated groan and fold my arms, avoiding her smug gaze. "forget it, okay?"

"Mhm." She drawls out.

The waiter arrives at our table. "Can I have another round of dunked wings with some fries on the side? Oh! Add a drink to that too. Which drink do you prefer?"

"I said that I'm fine – "

"The waiter's already taking the order. Better make it quick."

I sigh relentlessly. "I'll have a coke."

"Alright. I'll be back with your order." The waiter says before leaving.

"So," Feenyx says, resting her chin on top of her interlaced hands, staring at me attentively. "tell me about Tessa."

"Who?" I knit my eyebrows confused.

"Tori. That lady friend of yours who got engaged."

"Her name's not – never mind." I stop myself, deciding not to entertain her nonsense. Might as well roll with it and for as long as I have to if I'm going to be spending my time with her. "What do you wanna know?"

"As much as you can but enough to understand." She answers.

I knit my eyebrows, perplexed at her statement. She rolls her eyes.

"You know a lot about her, yes?" she asks.

"Yeah, I've known her for four years," I answer.

"I thought it was two years?" She furrows her eyebrows confused.

"No, it's four years. The whole thing between me and her started within the last two years of those four years." I clarify.

"Gotcha!" She says, giving me the finger guns. "Then share what you feel comfortable sharing about her but make sure it's enough for me to get an idea of the type of person she is."

"Well," I lean back. "There's a lot about her and I don't even know where to start."

"Start anywhere. Don't think too much about it."

I furrow my eyebrows, pondering what to say and where to begin. Gosh! There's so much about Toni, I could write a whole novel and autobiography dedicated to her.

"Toni's a very sophisticated woman." I start. "She's smart. She works well with people. A little shy and too humble for her own good. She does what she can to help others to the best of her ability."

"She sounds like a lovely lady." Feenyx comments.

"She is," I say, subconsciously smiling. "It's one of the reasons why I fell in love with her."

"How come you never asked her out?"

"I did – well I tried to," I answer, shrinking down in my seat. "I didn't feel worthy of her as a romantic partner because she's too good for me. I'm not exactly the type of guy many women would think or consider dating because many people get intimidated by me before they even get to know me – it's been like that since I was a teenager."

"Is that a fact or an assumption?" she asks, raising an eyebrow.

The waiter comes with the order and places it on the table.

"It's an observation from experience," I say, helping myself to the food provided. "I'm not much of a social butterfly nor am I outgoing. I don't have many friends aside from Vinny and my other friend Sid. But Toni is one of the few people outside of my circle who actually took the chance to get to know me before passing judgement. She's just too good to be real for me to have."

"So, insecurities and low esteem. Got it." She comments. "No wonder why she chose the fiancé."

"She already had eyes for Stefan long before they got together," I say, ignoring her malicious comment. "He has everything. Good looks, a company that he owns, money – he can give her a life many women would dream of."

Feenyx's eyes squint, glinting with curiosity. "Where did all that arrogant energy you had when you dissed him for being an incompetent partner go?"

"I still stand by what I said yesterday and it's a hill I'm willing to die on a million times over," I say before pausing briefly. "but I do acknowledge that I can't compete with him."

I slump my shoulders and turn to the window with a frown lingering on my face. "If I had taken a chance and shot my shot when I should have, maybe things could have been different."

Nothing is said after that. We both enjoy our meal in silence. There's no tension, no discomfort or awkwardness, but you can feel something hanging and lingering in the air around us. It's like our conversation has no resolution or a conclusion.

"It's already late. We should call it a day." I say, wiping my mouth.

"I'll take care of the bill." She says, taking out her wallet.

"It's fine. I can pay for my food." I say.

"No, no, no. It's on me. It's the least I can do to make up for dragging you out of your apartment against your will and go shopping with me."

"Okay but –"

"No buts. Let the woman pay. You can take care of a tip if you feel the need to spend your money."

"Very funny." I deadpan.

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