Best Friend's Lover

41. Shopping Trip

Natalie

        It's a Saturday afternoon being spent at the local mall. Most teenagers wasted time and caught up on the latest fashion or drip as most say. Aubrey and I scanned the stores looking for more worthy items to buy. We had only been in the mall for a hour and my arms were full of shopping bags. We decided to have a girls day, no boys just us to spending quality time together and taking a break from life.

      Biting into a Auntie's Annie's pretzel, I moaned at the warm taste of cinnamon. "There shit is always bomb" I gushed, taking a video of me taking a bite. Posting it on Instagram, I turned my phone off, sliding it back into my purse.

    "I don't understand how your still skinny" Aubrey responded, pointing at me figure. "I wish I could do that" she frowned.

       I waved her off, reaching out my arms for a hug. "Babygirl, I yearn to have those thick thighs of yours" I admitted, running my hands through her luscious locs. "You have an amazing body and don't let anyone tell you different"

     "Your just saying that" Aubrey insisted, brushing off my compliments. Some would call it low-self esteem but everyone has those moments where they need to be reminded. It made sense why she felt that way, being she's the only thick one in her family. All her sisters are sticks, even her mother and to this day she still doesn't know where it comes from.

"I'm deadass, you know how many people pay millions to have your body type. Hell, they go to the cheapest doctor in Mexico, across the country to get some thick thighs and a nice ass"

       I praised all body types, and encouraged all women to love themselves regardless. Social media has a way of making us feel that we have to look a certain way in order to feel beautiful and that shouldn't be the case. It was a point in time where ever thick girl alive made me wanna eat a million times a day to actually grow some fat. Along the line, I soon realize that my body wasn't meant for that and just accept me for who I am. "I wanna go in forever 21" Aubrey said aloud, pointing towards the clothing store. "I wanna go in H&M" I said that happened to be right across from the store.

    "How about we set a timer for thirty minutes and meet right in the same spot" I questioned, already going towards the clock icon. Aubrey hummed in agreement, setting her timer as well. "Okay start" I said pressing the button to start the timer and we rushed in our separate ways. Going inside H&M , it wasn't many people in there but it was still a crowd. In the sections of females jeans, I stood there going through the sizes, hoping to come across mine.

      I picked up a cropped shirt, that had a tiny saying on it, reading it. Behind me,I felt someone clear their throat. Stepping out the way, I thought whoever needed to get by the figure stood behind me. "Natalie" the deep voice whispered, causing me to turn around. Instantly seeing the smooth dark skin come into view, I sighed loudly regretting coming in here by myself. "I know it's been awhile"

      "What do you want Jhonny" I asked, walking into another direction in the store with him right next to me. "I haven't seen you in a minute so I thought I'd stop by to say hi" he answered, holding that smirk on his face. 

       I rolled my eyes, I haven't talked to him since the little argument we got in. It was dumb but after that I had no desire to speak to him again. Yeah he had a good point considering who I ended up with but he didn't have to come at me like that. "Hi, now bye" I mumbled in attempt to walk away but he blocked me. "I miss you" he admitted, taking a few steps closer to me. "I saw that you unblocked me"

      "I did that months ago" I responded , bursting his bubble. "Let's not pretend like you didn't unblock me to because you did"

    "Exactly, so obvious you miss a nigga. Let me make things right" he insisted , reaching his hand out to play with a strand of my hair. I quickly grabbed his arm, pushing his arm away. "You watch my story daily so you know I'm in a relationship. Don't act stupid"

    "You know good and well Julian will drag your ass, don't play"

    Jhonny cackled, licking his lips. "That first attitude has always been a turn on for me. Never gets old" he bit his bottom lip, disregarding everything I just said. Not gonna lie, he was definitely a temptation but I wasn't gonna ruin something special for a few seconds of pleasure. "All imma say is, when you ready for a real man, you got my number baby" he walked passed me, leaving a lingering smell of cologne behind him. Closing my eyes, I took in the scent, doing a silent prayer in my head. "Your lucky I really like you" I said aloud to myself, earning a stare from the bystanders searching through the stacks of shirts.

     I quickly walked out the store, rushing over to Forever 21 before someone else comes out the woodworks. Seeing Aubrey in the section of the fitted dresses, her arms full of different items. "You here already, we have five minutes left" she said not even bothering to turn around. "How come you didn't get anything"'she questioned.

     "Couldn't find anything" I lied but technically it wasn't. I really didn't have time to look because I'm bombarded with Jhonny just popping up. "I see you finna buy up the whole store" I pointed out the endless items, changing the subject.

After she paid for her things, we went towards the car, and I hopped in the drivers seat. Hooking my phone up to Bluetooth, A boogie latest album started playing as I nodded my head. "I cannot fuck with a skeezer"

In the mist, Aubrey's phone rung. Hearing a her huff in annoyance, she pressed the green icon. I peeked over, seeing Jermey's face popped up on the screen. "What you need" she voiced trying to hide the wide smile. She clearly still has feelings for him, she's been trying to tuck them away for the longest. They've been playing with each other so long instead of just making things official. "I want you baby" Jeremy said catching her and me off guard. I felt a little bad for ease dropping on their conversation but if it was meant to be private, she has earphones.

"I don't wanna hear that right now" Aubrey said turning her face from the camera. "You look beautiful, I'm talking fine as wine" he continued to shower her with compliments while she pretended not to care.

"Thank you" she said in a nonchalant tone. "You don't look to bad yourself"

Jeremy laughed. "Stop trynna put up a front, you know your ass wanna smile. Where you headed" he then asked, noticing that she was in the car. "Natalie is taking me back home, we went to the mall"

"You brought some new clothes for daddy" he asked and inwardly cringed. Aubrey turned down the volume on her phone, shaking her head at him being inappropriate. "Can y'all do the dirty talk another time, this is making me uncomfortable" I intervened, not wanting to hear all this in my ear. "She'll y'all to you later" I said reaching over the console to press the red button at the bottom of her screen.

    "Not trynna be nosy or anything butttt" I tried out as Aubrey playfully rolled her eyes waiting for me to spit out the question. "Are y'all fucking" I questioned in all seriousness, because the signs were definitely there from seeing them interact in school and listening to a few of their conversations. She shamelessly nodded her head , she held onto the steering wheel for extra support since I swerved a little bit in shock. "Oh wow"

       Aubrey side-eyes me, blushing a little. "I didn't mean for it to happen, one thing lead to another"  I put my hand up, not wanting to ear the lamest excuse in the book. "Don't give me the answer from the movies, that's how all the excuses started off when it came to sex"