Me: checkmate
I write a quick note to Sophia and just as I’m ready to take it to her, I hear the door of her office open. She strolls into the kitchen with her coffee cup in hand, and I let her fill it before handing the note over.
“I think the mall might have some on clearance from summer,” she muses, eyes unfocused as she thinks. “We can always order you one later, as long as you find one that can work for today. If I’m going to take a few days off, then I need to finish up a few things. You can go, but please have one of the guys with you at all times; strength in numbers. Add this to your keychain too, keep it in your hands or close. And I don’t want you outside alone at all though.” In her palm she thrusts toward me, is a can of pepper spray. I nod solemnly and take it once she shows me how to use it, before running upstairs to get ready.
Me: She said I can go shopping, but she has to wrap up some work. She also said I can’t go unless one of the guys goes with us.
Cole: I’m watching the twins while Mom runs to the store. Sorry, babe.
Trent: I was just kidding before. I don’t have the patience for Abby. Haha
Abby: HAHA, Trent. You jerk!
Trent: You love it.
Adam: I’ll pick you guys up in fifteen minutes.
Me: Thanks, Adam!!
I'm showered, dressed, and on the porch in ten minutes. I know Adam well enough to know he'll be here any second. Sure enough, he pulls up about a minute later and I hurry down the steps and jump in. Abby is already in the truck, so she scoots to the middle to make room for me.
“Where to, ladies?” he asks as he pulls away from the curb.
“Mall. It’s our only hope,” Abby declares dramatically. I can’t help but give Adam a playful smile. She's making it sound like we’re going into battle, not shopping. He chuckles at her, and she openly pouts at being mocked.
Adam ends up being a better shopping buddy than I expected. The dude deserves a medal, he has more patience than I have ever witnessed in one person, especially an eighteen year old guy. Abby, on the other hand, is a shopping machine. We haven’t even made it to the swimsuits and she's dragged us into four different stores already and her arms are piled with bags.
I spot a department store and link my arm through hers to keep her on task. She sighs dramatically but allows me to drag her, leaning into the touch. The store already has the winter stock out, but I manage to find a small section of swimsuits on clearance. They're a bit more revealing than I'm used to and I freeze, eyes wide. Abby sees my hesitation and giggles.
“You don’t like showing skin, do you?” I shake my head no and wrinkle my nose at the selection. The only thing leading me to try one is how much I want to go swimming. “Want me to pick?” Abby offers as she glances from my body to the selection and back again. I just nod yes and point at the size chart to show her my size.
It's not that I'm unhappy with my body, it’s that I just don’t like feeling that exposed. Plus, after watching it happen to Lizzie more than once, I'm always afraid my bikini top will come off if I jump in the pool. The last thing I want is to flash my friends.
Abby, however, has no issue shopping for me. After flipping through them with a serious intensity, she hands me a few choices, giving me a gentle
shove in the direction of the dressing room already noticing the panic on my face.
“You’re going to look amazing and we get to swim!” she says excitedly, gesturing at the door again.
I reluctantly try the first one on. It's the one that has the most coverage on the top, so it seems like a good place to start. One of them I'm not even going to take off the hanger, the bikini top is just two small triangles that would barely hide my nipples. Yeah, no thanks. Essentially, it's a disaster waiting to happen.
I leave on my bra and underwear and tug the suit on over top of my clothes. It’s a retro style with a high waist and is about as modest as I’m going to get, though the blush pink color does complement my hair. When I open the door a crack to see if Abby's there, she jumps up from the bench eagerly and rushes over.
“You look amazing, Charlie! I'd definitely date you,” she teases with a wink, though her eyes run down my body again. There’s some truth to her words and in all honestly, despite us not saying it specifically, I am kind of dating her, and Cole and Adam. Trent seems to be on the fence and I respect that.
When she glances back up, I blush and start to step away but she moves forward, her fingers running lightly over the scar on my side.
“What gave you that scar?” she asks quietly. “You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.” Her blue eyes flicker up to mine, and I can’t lie to her. I mime a gunshot and her eyes go wide. She brushes it off but wraps her hand in mine, though I think she needed it more than I did.
We hurry and pay for the bikini before going to the front of the store to find Adam. After shopping all afternoon, I’m ready for a break. He glances up and I give him a pointed look and rub my stomach. He'll be my only ally, since I don't think even hunger could part Abby from her beloved shopping.
“Oh, thank God! I’m starving. Come on, Abbs, shopping is over,” he says firmly, placing his arms on her shoulders and leading her to the food court. I note that not even a hint of jealousy hits me at the sight of them, only contentment. They’re all right for me in their own ways and our group dynamic is perfect. I love how close they are and that they have history, it makes things work.
Abby gives a halfhearted pout but doesn’t fight him. But I definitely think she's secretly planning her escape. Her eyes dart to a candle shop and she lets out an actual pained whine.
“I’ll buy you pizza,” Adam deadpans and she finally concedes the fight.
“Deal!” And then she’s pulling us off to Antonio’s Pizza Pit, a little restaurant near the food court. It smells like garlic and parmesan and I’m already in love.