After Build-a-Bear, you and Tana decided to take some time out to go shopping before heading to Pandora. It's been a while since you've been to the mall. The two of you explored your favorite stores, adding to the collection of bags with each stop.
Eventually, you landed in the shoe store. Tana said he needed some new shoes, and you decided you could also use a pair or two yourself. The store was divided in half, the women's section being on one side and the men's on the other. After a bit of back and forth, you two decided to split up and meet back in the middle once you were ready.
You made your way over to the women's side, scanning the shelves for any shoes that caught your eye. You weren't looking for anything in particular, just something to match the clothes you already had in your closet. You picked up a pair of low navy-blue retro dunks and observed the stitch that lined the Nike check. Nodding your head, you held onto the shoe before moving on to find another pair.
Your search was interrupted by a giggle heard from behind you. You scanned the area before landing on two boys who stood a distance from you. The two of them talked to each other, eyeing you in between each of their whispers.
You sighed to yourself, avoiding eye contact with the two. The last thing you wanted was to be bothered, but you knew they would keep trying as long as you were alone. You quickly put back the dunks before retreating to Tana on the other side.
"You found something you like?" You asked, peeking over his shoulder.
He turned around to show you the two Jordans that sat in his hands. "I'm thinkin bout these two," He said, noticing your empty hands, "What bout you? Youn see nothin?"
"Nah..." You frowned back, "It's fine, I just won't get anything."
Tana eyed your expression before looking over to the other side himself. His brows furrowed as his eyes landed on the two boys who remained there, still giggling amongst themselves. "You sure?" He asked again, "Lemme see, I bet there's you like."
He took your hand to lead you back over to the women's side. You stood quietly beside him as his tall figure searched through the multiple shoes displayed. "What about these?" He picked up the same navy dunks you had before, eyeing them himself before handing them to you.
"I was actually looking at these," You smiled, shocked that he was able to pick them out so easily.
You glanced back over to the boys, whose attention was still locked on you. One tapped the other's shoulder, whispering something in his ear which apparently gave him enough courage to start walking over.
You shot your head down hoping that if you ignored him, he would just leave you alone. Most of the time they take the hint, leaving after you give them simple and dry responses. But others were persistent, annoying you until you finally gave them some way to contact you.
You nervously awaited their arrival, body tense as you still held the shoe, "Yeah, but... I don't think these would look good on m-"
Just then, Tana takes hold of your waist from behind encapsulating you in his chest. You flinch as his warm hands land on your exposed stomach. Memories from the other night come flooding back in as you recall his familiar touch. He pulls you closer, swirling circles with his thumbs along your skin.
"Tana..." You spout out nervously, "What's wrong?"
You feel his chin take place on your shoulder. His loose twist brushed along your hot cheek as he tilted his head closer to yours. "Nun," His deep voice resonated close to your ear, "I'm just tryna see what you're seeing."
He grabbed your hands, moving them to observe the shoe for himself. He looked for a while, nodding his head along your shoulder. "Ion kno, seems like a perfect fit to me," He smiled before releasing his hold on you.
You remained frozen for a second, butterflies creating the only movement in your stomach. Calm down, Rea. He's just looking at the shoe. Regaining composure, you gave him a bright smile, "I guess I'll get them then."
He smiles back before leading you over to the register. Following behind, you glanced through the aisles one more time. The two boys who were approaching before were now gone, the only hint left behind was the shoe that one of them carried. You felt your body relax, happy you were able to escape unbothered.
Tana, of course, wanted to pay for everything when you got to the register. Out of all the stores you went to, you were only able to pay for one thing after beating him to the cashier. In the end, you got tired of arguing and just decided to let him do what he wanted. You handed him the dunk, letting the cashier ring it up before handing him back shoe boxes.
Eventually, it was time for you to head to Pandora. You and Tana walked through the mall as you searched for the nearest escalator to bring you downstairs. The multiple bags rustled in his hands as you held onto your stuffed cow.
"Ooo, Tana, look at this," You said, skipping over to the storefront. The display lit up bright as a couple of Jujutsu Kaisen shirts hung on the rack. You took one off, holding it up for Tana to see, "Isn't this hard?"
You heard the plastic rustling come to a stop as he looked at the shirt in your hand. "I guess..." He tilted his head, "What is it?"
"It's from an anime. Jujustu Kaisen."
"Oh, ion watch anime," He shrugged back.
You rolled your eyes at him, doing a dramatic sigh, "Khalon would've loved this."
"Khalon?" He repeated.
"Yea, Khalon. Remember? The boy I'm talking to," You reminded, "I swear I told you bout him."
"You did... I thought y'all stopped talking?"
"Oh, I meant to tell you," You gasped, realizing the confusion. A couple of days ago while you were on FaceTime, you told Tana about the whole Khalon situation. You weren't too sure about the whole situation, especially since it was so quick after Ty. Tana sat quietly on the other side of the phone, giving input occasionally. He was a great listener, always making you feel heard.
"Ion kno... I guess I was just a little nervous about him," You continued, "Turns out we have a lot in common. He's actually really sweet too."
"Do you like him?" Tana looked to you. He watched as a slight smile formed across your lips before you gave him a shrug. His eyes shifted a bit before bowing his head to the mall's floor, "Where's the escalator, again?"
The rest of the walk was quiet. Tana's emotionless face trailed behind you as you led him through the crowd. His mouth remained closed, the only noise coming from his was the plastic bags he gripped in his hands. You tried to start a conversation with him, joking around like you two were doing before. But you were met with dry responses, his monotone voice barely making a sound.
Luckily, Pandora was not too far by. Women filled the counters, searching through the different jewelry sat on display. The bright lights reflected on the metals, leaving a sparkle throughout the room. You watched as Tana walked in, his eyes dull as he made his way to a worker. Her eyes glanced him up and down as he handed over the ring.
You thought it would be best to let him handle the exchange. He seemed to be upset with you and you didn't want to overstep your boundaries. Instead, you made your way over to the bracelet charms, looking through the selection yourself.
I wonder what made him mad. You thought to yourself, bored of shopping already. You glanced over to Tana. His tall figure stood in front of a register, his mouth moving as he talked to the young woman standing behind it. You squinted as you struggled to read his lips. The woman laughed before cheesing something back. Her black bundles swayed side to side as she pointed her long acrylics to the glass. Was it something I did?
You watch as Tana replies, his twist swinging in his face as he looks at the ring she pointed at. Her eyes scan him again before taking his hand to move it across the glass.
You rolled your eyes. And suddenly now he wanna act all friendly? A frown forms on your face as you continue to watch the two. Their hands remain connected as the worker starts talking again. She keeps a smile on her face, eyes locked on Tana's. Tana tilts his head before smiling something back. Ugh, what's taking him so long?
You get up from the counter, irritated at the view. Her giggles got louder as you made your way over to the two. "You said this was for your mom, right?" She asked, peeking through her lashes. He nodded as she gave him a sample ring. "Yeah, I definitely think she'll like it. It's the most popular right now."
"Youn think it's too simple?"
"No, she'll love it. Trust me," She giggles, "Well, at least I know I would if it was coming from you."
"What's taking so long? You exchanged it yet?" You interrupted their conversation to take place next to Tana. You felt the worker's eyes trail you up and down before giving you a nasty glare.
"I already exchanged it, but she was showing me this other ring," he said, holding out the gold ring to you. It was simple, a diamond sun decorated the band. "I was thinking bout buying my mom one. What you think?"
The worker's eyes landed back on you, her smile gone as she watched you take the ring out of his hand. You ignored her looks, slipping the ring over your finger. You took ahold of Tana's arm before holding up your hand so he could see. "I think it looks cute," You smiled, "Don't you?"
"Well..." She interrupts, smiling back to Tana, "I was telling him how it really compliments his skin tone. I don't think it does it's justice on you."
"Ohhh, is that so?" You smile sarcastically. A sly grin appeared on her face as she nodded her head back. You rolled your eyes before placing your hand on Tana's cheek. The gold metal reflected off his skin as you turned his face towards you. "Hmmm, yeah I think I see it now."
Tana raises an eyebrow at you, confused at your behavior. You only smiled back at him before taking the ring off your finger. With a clank against the glass, you slide the ring back over to the worker. She snatched it back, giving you another glare.
"I think I'll wait on getting another. Thank you, tho," Tana said before leading you out of Pandora.
🌙: 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩💕💕
𝘈𝘯𝘺 𝘫𝘫𝘬 𝘧𝘢𝘯𝘴 ??👀