Eventually, we arrived at the parking lot right next to the mall. The mall was quite a distance from where we lived and went to school, as we wanted to keep the chances of running into anyone we knew as low as possible.
Once I'd parked, we both stepped out at the same time. Mom always taught me that I should open the door for a woman, and that was what I tried to do the first few times I went out with Mei, but she never gave me the opportunity.
When I first joked about it, saying things like she didn't want the 'princess treatment,' she told me to shut up and that it was faster if she did it on her own. It was a good point, so I didn't argue back and stopped trying ever since.
I assumed that since we were out of the car, we'd just head into the mall, but Mei was standing there with her arms crossed, giving me a disappointed, expectant glare.
"Uh, what are you doing?" I asked, confused.
Mei shook her head with a loud sigh. "That's not what you're supposed to say. This is the first time you've seen my whole outfit today, and you're not going to compliment me?"
Not bothering to entertain her probing, I turned around and began walking away.
"Don't be needy. I complimented you the first time we went out. Then the day after that. And the day after that one. Blah blah blah. At this point, just assume I think you look pretty unless I say otherwise. Now are you coming or what?"
"That's a mean way to put it…" she complained. Yet, from behind me, I could hear her little footsteps hurrying to catch up until she was right beside me.
Our hands brushed against each other as we walked, but we never reached out to hold them, even if we wanted to. We'd done it plenty of times before—but only when we were alone. In public, if someone saw us, it'd cause all kinds of misunderstandings.
Granted, even being seen together right now would be bad, but we could play it off as just being friends. After all, I'd hung out with Remi and Luna alone before, so it wouldn't be that big of a deal.
I'd be lying if I said I didn't have the urge to anyway, but there wasn't anything to be done about it.
"So," she asked, glancing around the stores we passed. "What are you looking to buy?"
"All the clothes I have right now are ones I care about and don't want to get dirty," I explained. "I don't have any actual work clothes. The ones I've been using were ones I stole from my Dad, but there are only so many of those. So I need some more."
I didn't think it was that funny, but Mei did, letting out a small giggle.
"Hehehe. Your Dad just let that happen? Knowing him, I can picture him putting up a fight with it—even though he probably doesn't even care."
For someone who'd only met him once, that was a scarily accurate portrayal of him. I couldn't help but be impressed, even.
"Well, maybe if they were clothes he still wore," I said. "But the ones he gave me stopped fitting him years ago. The older he grows, the fatter he gets."
Mei lightly kicked me on the shin as she walked. "That's a mean thing to say about him! You shouldn't talk badly about him behind his back—or at all!"
"I told him this straight to his face when he gave them to me, too," I replied flatly.
"...Guess I should've seen that coming. Sorry."
Suddenly, her head shot up, as if she'd just remembered something.
"Oh yeah, speaking of work, I forgot to ask how it went for you today."
It was nothing but a formality question, and I doubted she was asking for any reason beyond being polite, but I appreciated the effort.
"It was the same as ever. I went in, sweated, worked, listened to music, and that's it."
Mei tilted her head, her eyes bearing into me. "That's it? Did you get to work with anyone new today, at least?"
I sighed. "Nope. I'll probably be stuck with my Uncle the whole summer—unless something serious happens to someone else and I need to cover them. That's how it usually goes, at least."
She didn't respond right away; she just continued to stare, but that didn't last too long. The next time I blinked, she was back to gazing around at the stores.
"I see," she said, her tone carrying the same cheeriness it always did. "Well, it's probably better for you. You hate talking to new people, anyway."
Before I could respond, Mei suddenly stopped. I did as well. Following her line of sight, I found her staring at a women's clothing store. It didn't take much to figure out she wanted to go in.
Though I knew that if I asked, she'd just say 'it's fine' and walk away. So, without a word, I barged into the women's clothing store on my own.
Even once I was inside, I didn't stop. I just charged farther in—ignoring the judgmental side glances I was getting from the other customers. Now, Mei would have no choice but to accept it and come in to save me. Or at least, that was what I hoped she'd do.
After a few seconds, she ran up to my side, slightly out of breath.
"Jeez," she whispered, shooting me a flustered glare. "That was unfair. What were you going to do if I got stubborn and didn't follow you?"
"I don't know, cry? I'd just accept the fact that all these people think I'm a creep and call it a day."
Mei let out a soft sigh. "Well…"
For some reason, she quickly scanned our surroundings. Once she finished, she stepped in closer to me and wrapped her arms around mine, warding off the stares. I guess to her, protecting my dignity mattered much more than lowering the chances of us getting caught together.
"Here's your reward then."
I paused for a moment, staring at our linked arms, before saying, "Wowwww, I'm so flattered. Thank you."
Mei pouted. The very next moment, a sharp pain shot through my arm as she pinched it. "Don't play smart with me."
I laughed it off. "Ow. Okay, damn—my bad."
Still, I never gave her the response she wanted to hear. At the same time, I also couldn't push her away. The heat in my chest wouldn't let me, even if I wanted to.
...No. That was just an excuse.
I was just using any means possible to justify any amount of touch I could get.
I glanced down at Mei, studying her face. Every so often, her brows would furrow slightly, and she would readjust the position of her arms against mine. It was almost like she was searching for the most optimal—or perfect—way to hold me.
But that was an excuse, too. She was doing the same thing I was.
"Hey," Mei said, her tone carrying a hint of glee. "How about we play a little game?"
"What game?" I asked, curious.
She looked up at me, her eyes seemingly sparkling. "How about you try to build me an outfit?"
For some reason, that lit some sort of competitiveness in me—a seriousness. I'd always thought that the girls in the stuff I read would look so much better if they wore the outfit I had in mind, compared to whatever the artist drew, especially if they wore the same thing every day. It'd gotten to the point that I was fully convinced that if I were a girl, I'd be a fashionable one, at the very least.
Obviously—I wasn't, but now I had the opportunity to push all the outfits I'd envisioned for myself-as-a-girl onto Mei.
What… a perfect opportunity!
Mei, who was watching my face, suddenly let out a small laugh—one that lasted seconds. Not her usual giggles. An actual laugh.
Her laughter drained me of my excitement as I looked at her skeptically.
"...Why are you laughing? Is this a trap or something that I don't know about?"
"No, no," she replied, her shoulders trembling as she struggled to compose herself. "I just thought it was a little funny."
"What's funny? I don't see the joke."
Mei wiped the tears that had gathered at the corners of her eyes and looked at me with a wide, pleased smile.
"I just thought it was funny how excited you looked."
The way she said it didn't carry the same cheeriness or playfulness that she always had. Instead, the best way to put it was that she just sounded… happy.
It was easy to deal with her when she was trying to probe me or make fun of me. But when she was like this, I didn't know how to react.
Before I could even think of anything, my body moved on its own, and I looked away from her, avoiding her gaze.
"...I'm not excited," I grumbled.
Her eyes softened as she stared at me. She always had a knowing glint in her eyes, but this time, it felt even more pronounced.
She slowly stood up on her tiptoes and patted me on the head. "Aww, are you embarrassed? How cute~"
My eyebrow twitched, and whatever hesitation I had until that point vanished.
Okay, miss. Now you're pushing your luck.
I quickly—but carefully—took her hand and pulled it away from me.
"Stop touching me. Just take a seat and wait for me to get your clothes."
Without waiting for her response, I spun around and stomped off. Even from this distance, I could clearly make out her signature giggle.