“Oh, my God! That blouse is so cute!” Alli squealed beside me, hooking her arm tighter with mine and pulling me to the side glass of the shop to get a closer look.
I couldn’t say I could disagree, if this girl says one is nice, then it shall be nice for she has taste in clothes.
“It is, actually! But Alli, if I can recall, I actually remember you wearing a pink one of this design a couple of weeks ago? Are you sure you want to get this one?”
“Well, that’s because I couldn’t find a white one, or I wouldn’t have purchased the pink,” she stated in a matter-of-factly, making me grin at how straightforward and certain she is about things like that.
“Hey,” Angie called out sternly but playfully, “I’m the oldest among the both of you. Therefore, I call shots, ‘kay? Come on, let’s carry on walking—and Alli, spend your money wisely like your brother, please. I’m trusting you with your money, okay.”
“Sure, Mom. Sure.”
“Are you ladies hungry, yet?” Brad asked, coming up beside Angie who was beside me. “There’s a restaurant just straight ahead—”
“Italian?!” Alli eagerly fired; her big blue eyes nearly bulging out in excitement.
“Italian— Chinese— Mexican— you name it, they have it,” Brad smoothly ended, sending a wink at her way before slanting slightly towards Angie, leaning in to peck her cheek. Well, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t envious of them; at least they could genuinely behave the way they do in public.
I craned my neck and turned around to sneak a glance at Cody, and the only one that could snag my attention away from all those other people behind was this specific tall blond mate who had his hair pulled up into a perfect smooth quiff, holding his brother’s hand rather tightly in fear that he might get lost in the sea of people on this street.
I smiled, but did so mostly to myself pretty much admiring how cute they looked—Cody didn’t even notice me looking at him, and adorably, Tom didn’t either; they were all too busy staring at the opposite building considering there were different rectangular country flags sticking out at the top of the building, making it seem colorful.
But, I’d like to think Tom was the one who made Cody look because we all know Cody would rather be looking at shops we pass by, or his phone.
Nonetheless, not that I didn’t like walking with Alli—my best friend—or Angie and Brad—my boyfriend’s and my best friend’s parents—I really wish to walk with Cody, be by his side, and just, I don’t know…
Walk like we’re a thing, because that’s what we are. Like we have nothing to separate us, the media included. I just wanted to feel him against my skin.
In a clean way, if you get what I mean.
“You know, Merinda?” Angie quietly but playfully began beside my ear, making me jump slightly, taken aback. I lessened the strain on my neck and turned a hundred and eighty-degrees just to face her.
I flashed her a little smile when she carried on, winking at me before. “If you really want to walk with him so badly, I could just call Tommy over and have him walk with me while you go spend a little time with your boy over there.”
I cleared my throat slightly loudly to take the chance and lower my head as a cover up, to ignore the pinks slowly tinting themselves on my cheeks, and how fast my ribcage allowed my heart to beat. Oh, well, this is awkward. Even Angie noticed my thoughts, wow.
Oh, gosh, please don’t tell me I spoke my thoughts?!
“Did I—um, speak my thoughts?” I pursed my lips in, reconnecting my gaze with Angie’s when my cheeks weren’t feeling as heated as before. I reached a hand up and ran my fingers through and down my messy, dirty blonde hair just at the moment Angie allowed a soft giggle to roll out of her mouth.
“You didn’t, honey. I saw it in your eyes—the way you look at Cody; it’s the way I look at Brad, and that’s the only reason why I like you so much because, in a way, you kind of remind me of myself when I was younger, when I was dating Brad. Except, I had the blackest hair ever,” she laughed freely, making me grin trying to imagine how cute they were back then.
“I really do envy you and Brad, still so loving after so many years. It’s really cute to see, actually.”
She laughed, “I’d like to think so, too. He had a hard time chasing me, because whenever he did attempt, I’d just tell him three simple words: not good enough. It was funny though.”
“But eventually the both of you became a couple,” I grinned, “too cute.”
She shot me another wink before eyeing the back, parting her lips slightly. “Tommy, come here!”
“What, Mom?” He asked, not bothering to turn to look at her, due to the captivation, this time, of something in his hands—a glowing Rubik’s cube. Wait, what’s that all about? He didn’t even have it in his hands when we left the hotel this afternoon.
“Tommy, just where did you get that toy from?” Angie questioned, folding her arms across her chest, though still walking because there’s no way she could stop in her tracks and block the people behind from walking, now could she?
“I bought it for him, Mom, no biggy,” Cody interjected a second before Tom could reply. “He saw it, he wanted it, he wouldn’t stop bugging me about it, so the only choice I had was to get it when all of you weren’t looking. Besides, he knew you wouldn’t let him buy it, so why not.”
“Ha!” Alli snickered beside me. “And you say Cody spends his money wisely. Ha!”
“He did! Unlike you, Cody bought me a toy! The only thing you’ve ever gotten me is a giant Oreo, and that’s it!” Tom retorted, sticking his tongue out at Alli, who gasped in response.
“Tommy, you ungrateful brat!” Alli scrunched her nose up tightly, wrinkling her forehead up. “You never asked me for anything, so don’t you dare accuse me of being a bad sister!”
“I never said that, big sister, you said it yourself!” Tommy stuck his tongue out again, and it wasn’t really long before Brad decided to step in, letting their little verbal argument come to a stop.
“Okay, guys, let’s all calm down and settle this small problem,” Brad had been eyeing Angie the whole time, even if he meant to break it to Alli and Tom, which I found a little bit amusing but you know, laughing is not even an option now. “I said, let’s all calm down and settle this small problem, Mommy.”
Angie finally tore her eyes away and toned down her scolding at Tom once her gaze was fixated on her husband. “But—“
“It’s a family day, Mom,” Brad reminded nicely and collectedly, “let’s push this to some other day and proceed to having a nice day ahead.”
Pulling her husband, smallest son and only daughter away, I caught Angie’s sneaky wink as she turned to walk ahead first, leaving both me and Cody behind all of them in a, I’d like to think, little awkward moment here. I entwined my fingers together and tucked all loose strands of hair that had fallen over my face behind my ears.
I still wasn’t used to the media, and there’s proof because I’m so unfamiliar with it to the extent where I don’t even know if it’s fine talking to him just like that. Yes, that’s just me.
“So,” Cody began, tucking his hands into the pockets of his black jeans, “I missed you, baby.”
I let out a laugh, though trying not to do so too loudly in case it’s unknowingly attention grabbing. And I couldn’t not say my heart wasn’t warming up at his words, because that would be a lie. He’s so sweet aha. “I don’t understand how, but I’ll just go along and say I miss you, too. Ugh. I’m so cold.”
I didn’t even know I was looking and pouting at him, until he mirrored me, making me break out into a silly grin. I truly think he did it even more adorable than I did. “Stop, you’re being way too cute for me to handle right now. I can’t, oh.”
“I could say the same to you,” he winked, allowing a casual smirk to slip onto his face. “I wish I could just hold you without caring about what others think… Sigh.”
I lifted my shoulders and dropped them as a gesture of sighing. It’s not like he was the only one wishing that. “Me either, but your Mom seems to be totally up for that idea.”
“Mer, can I…ask you something?” Cody began softly, nearing me such that our arms were merely touching. I nodded. “When do you think you’re ready for us to go official? I mean, we’ve been dating—or sort of doing that—for quite a while already, and… I really do feel like we should be known to the world, like I’m really serious about you, and that’s the least I’m capable of showing.”
The only thing I was able to do, was send him a small smile of reassurance while my heart and my mind told tugged on my every nerve, telling me otherwise.
He doesn’t know how serious I am about him, too, and how badly I wanted us to be known either, so that people would know he’s mine, and just mine—but the only thing that’s stopping me from letting him do that was every inch of my being.
Not my heart, not my mind, but physically me and my health.
“I…” I trailed off, trying to string up the correct words in my mind, “I don’t know what to say—but Cody, I hope you know I want it to happen just as bad—”
“Wait…” He frowned, slanting his head a little bit to the left. “Where are you going with this?”
“I don’t want us being known to the public so soon. What if they find out about my sickness? What if they think I’m ugly? What if they think I’m not good enough for someone like you? What if they hate me? What if, what if, and what if.
"I’m getting myself ready for that, and I don’t know if I’m still halfway there but I just know that, there’s a little part in me that screams I’m not ready. And I don’t want you to misunderstand the sit—”
“Baby, you talk too much, you know that?” He chuckled cutely, this time pulling out his hand that was by my side and tucking it in the pocket of his brown leather jacket. He motioned for me to hook my arm through his, and with a little moment of thought, I decided to do what he wanted.
I mean, I don’t think people would care if he were The Cody Simpson, right? Fifth Avenue is packed. I doubt anyone would notice, and it’s not like there was a rule fixated on the fact that only couples were allowed to do that. I mean, did it?
…did it…?
“Time for lunch!” Was the last thing I heard from Tom, before I was led into a fresh smelling, mouth-watering little restaurant; all my thoughts, history.
*
***
*
After our fantastic, marvelous, wonderful international feast, all six of us backtracked and went into all kinds of different shops down the street, just to get all the clothes we wanted—like Angie, Alli and I with our dresses, skirts, heels, tops; Brad, Cody and Tom with their suits, pants, shoes and tops.
It was super cool, and not to mention fun. It was that one moment in Gucci when all the girls were trying out all the clothes in the changing rooms that we had pulled out of the stands, while the guys stood outside each of our rooms waiting for us to come out I mean, besides Tom, of course.
He said he’d rather just sat at some seat and snap some pictures for Instagram than to wait for some girl to change and pose for him, which in this case would be Alli—thankfully though, Alli didn’t need no one to judge her taste, she knew all that she wanted anyway.
It happened within six hours, but it all seemed to have happened so fast like within two hours and every time I would think about all of the dresses, shoes and all that I’ve bought, besides the bliss inside of me, there was space for embarrassment to fill my chest either.
I felt really bad for having them pay for like one over half of all that I’d gotten tonight, because it wasn’t entirely like I was broke. . .
I had money and I brought like five hundred bucks, but in the end everything had cost me over a thousand fifty, and I just bet that this shopping trip might just be the first out of many to come, so I have to prepare for more bad-feeling moments.
Sighing for the last time that night, I packed all of the new clothes into the baby pink, polka-dotted duffel bag that Alli had given me for some unknown reason.
After I’d zipped up the bag, a pair of strong arms came crawling around my waist from the back, making me jump in surprise. It didn’t take long for me to get used to the warmth and tickling sensation though.
Just as I left my arms above, shaping his own arms, I leaned into the warmth that radiated off his body and rested against his really very hard chest, feeling him nuzzle his face in the crook of my neck while his fingers entwined together.
I smiled a little bit, receiving a wave of happy emotions that I haven’t ever stopped getting after Mr. Popstar had entered my life.
“Yes, Sir?”
He flexed his muscles against my skin as he pulled me in closer than before, making my cheeks heat up for the weirdest reason ever. I gulped. “Just trying to stop your little sighs... Hmm," he groaned, pecking my neck lightly. "Is it working?"
"Well, that depends, really," I paused. "What are you up to, Cody?"
He ignored my question and rested his chin on my shoulder, leaning his head against mine gently. "You're still thinking about the payments of all these, aren't ya?” When I didn’t reply, he took it as his cue to carry on speaking.
“Look, Merinda," he sighed, lifting his chin up my shoulder to hide his face in my hair. "You’re my baby girl; if I’m willing to take a bullet straight through my head or heart; lose everything I have; and find the world to give it to you even though it sounds impossible.
"This doesn't really mean anything so you better get used to it and stop feeling embarrassed, because this doesn’t actually mean much, yet.”
“And what do you mean about that?”
“I mean, I’m going to spoil you for infinity and beyond for you, darling, are my princess, my love, my baby, my one and only.” I opened my mouth to protest to his words, but as usual, he cut me to it. “And no, I will not allow you to disapprove because you’ll eventually follow whatever I say. Come on, when we have kids enough to like make a football team, I’m like definitely going to do the same.”
“Pfft, yeah. And speaking of which, whoever said anything about having kids with you? Har har, I’m dying of laughter. Though, it was an incredibly good try, mate,” I chuckled teasingly, trying to pry his hands off in case he starts tickling me or something.
Luckily though, with one single light push his hands were already off me and I took my chance to briskly walk to the television to turn it on.
I rolled my lower lip into my mouth and resisted the urge to grin. His hands found mine in a few seconds and he slid them in the gaps of mine, spinning me around, pinning me against the spacious wall next to the television.
“Well, see, this guy named Cody Simpson had a dream when he a little boy still back in Australia, and that dream was to have many kids with a beautiful, flawless lady, named Merinda Lee Anderson.”
“Oh, really?” I backed away, flashing him the brightest grin ever, “I thought her name was something along the lines of… Miranda May Kerr. You know, sexy, beautiful, and nice VS Angel? The one who now has a two year-old son and husband, Orlando Bloom? Hmm? No? Yes, I must be right. Right?”
He chuckled darkly and leant his forehead on mine, “It’s no use trying to antagonize me with my liking for her still. I told you, my dream is to start a family with you. And obviously now isn’t the time but when it does come, trust me…” He whispered against my lips, sending the goosebumps on my neck to rise.
He closed his eyes, making me do the same. “And I shall stop here and go to bed.” With a quick peck on my dry lips, he quickly pulled away and shifted himself, making me stare at him in playful disbelief, mouth slightly ajar.
"And, Merinda, if you don't want me running over, tackling you just so you make out with me, you should close that mouth of yours!" He yelled all the way from the other side, making me seal my lips tight, rolling them into my mouth to purse them into a straight line.
Lowering my head so that my hair curtained half of my face, I blushed violently.
Don't know who else could do this to me but him.
I let out a loud laugh before throwing my head back lightly, leaning against the wall with my muscles loose in my body.
I can adapt to this.