The 22nd of December. I tried not to let anything on that day, as Alexis agreed to take me out shopping. Nelly was suspicious, but I just smiled and acted as if this was normal. The day afterwards was going to be the 23rd of December – Nelly's birthday. When she had told me that was the date of her birth, I found it cute that she was sort of like a Christmas baby. But on this day before, Alexis had taken me out shopping to buy her a gift. I knew it was so bad of me to leave it so late, but I had never bought for a girl before, and this was the only time Alexis was free to help. On the other end, Darragh had taken Nelly out to do some late Christmas shopping. I just hoped I'd find something...
“So, do you have any ideas?” Alexis asked me as we walked around the corner of a street in the city.
“N-no...” I sighed, my breath swirling around in the air before me in the cold.
“You're good.” Bonnie said jokingly. She was adamant on coming with us from the start.
I made a low groaning noise and examined the shops around us. Clothes shops, video game stores, fast food restaurants and supermarkets lined the place all over. Most of them looked like they'd be closing in the next couple of days in the run up to Christmas.
“Don't worry, we've got plenty of time.” Alexis smiled. She was right. If plenty of time was about five hours. Which it should have been.
“So, um...” I scratched my head. “W-what do you think she'd like...?”
“Aren't you supposed to know this?” Bonnie said, purposely winding me up.
“Now, now.” Nelly's mother sighed. “To be honest, I have a feeling she won't mind if it comes from you.”
I blushed and groaned.
“You're not thinking of going clothes shopping, are you?” Bonnie poked. “Because you know you hate that.”
“Ugh... At this rate, it'd be worth a try.” I sighed.
“Right! Well, let's go in here and have a look around.” Alexis said, walking towards a big shop with bright lights. Bonnie eagerly followed, as I could see loads of clothes through the glass doors. My sister may have been a tomboy of sorts, but she was still a girl at her core. At with my family, that usually meant a weird love for clothes which I never really understood.
We entered the clothes shop, and it was no surprise to see the place filled with women of all ages, some with their mothers, some alone and some in groups. There were men in there – but they looked absolutely miserable. I felt a little bit embarrassed to be stood in there. “Just take a look around.” Alexis said calmly.
“Erm...” I went to walk off to the left.
“You don't want to go down there.” Bonnie shook her head as I was about to turn around a railing of jackets a few minutes later.
“Why?” I asked, getting frustrated.
“Unless you're intent on buying underwear.”
It's fair to say that I turned a complete 180 degrees and walked back at about double pace, my sister laughing her head off behind me.
I made it back to the centre of the shop as women flooded past me, some just randomly plucking things off the rails. “Toby!” Alexis called from somewhere. I looked around the sea of colours and was met with a hand waving over the storm. After turning several corners and sifting past people, I found her stood in a more or less empty aisle. “There you are.” She said, reaching back for something. “What about this?”
She pulled out a beautiful purple jumper, woven soft and silky, with a red love heart in the centre. “Wow...” I marvelled, feeling the sleeve. “That's amazing...! But... Will she like it?”
