For the first few seconds, it was almost as if I forgot how to breathe. I tried to come up with some witty or stupid joke to break the rising tension, but the words wouldn't even form in my head.
All I could do… was stare at Mei.
While Mei was undoubtedly pretty—and she had other outfits that objectively suited her better than the one I made—none of them had ever stirred the feeling this one did.
"Hmm," Mei murmured, looking herself up and down. "I didn't think this was the kind of style you preferred. I always thought you were a more street-slash-casual kind of guy."
It was only when she addressed me that I finally got a grip on myself.
"Well," I said, rubbing the back of my neck with a sigh. "I just picked out what I would've worn if I were a girl."
"Is that so…"
Although it was a normal response, for some reason, it felt as though she was… disappointed.
I wasn't sure why, so I replayed the last few exchanges in my head, nitpicking everything I did. As far as I could tell, I didn't think I did anything wrong—but just in case, I asked, "Uh, did I do something wrong?"
Mei let out a soft sigh. "No, it's not that. I just thought this was the perfect opportunity to learn your personal favourite women's style."
I scoffed, though barely. "What, so you can make me happy and dress up in that style the next time you see me as a surprise or something?"
Maybe it was a bit insensitive to slip a joke in when Mei was clearly disappointed, but it was too suspicious. No matter how hard I thought about it, I couldn't understand her thoughts. This was probably just another one of her games–
"Yes," she replied bluntly, looking me dead in the eyes.
I held her gaze, waiting. Waiting for the punchline or the 'I got you!' But no matter how long I did, her gaze never wavered. And that was when I realized…
Oh… she's serious.
I guess, just this once, she wanted to do something nice with nothing owed in return. A plain act of goodwill.
I opened my mouth, but closed it soon after. I didn't know how to respond, and I didn't want to give a rushed, half-hearted answer either.
Was I supposed to show my gratitude? But what if it came out wrong? I obviously couldn't just brush it off and ignore it either. My pride wouldn't allow that—wouldn't allow me to run and make a joke about her feelings.
I let out a quiet sigh.
...This is why it's so much easier to deal with mean people.
Still, complaining wasn't going to get me anywhere. Mei was waiting for my answer. So, I cleared my throat, getting her attention.
"I don't know what type of fashion it's called, because I'm not a girl, but I like the more... emo, black-skirt-and-boots thing."
Mei's ears seemed to perk up as she listened. But I wasn't finished yet.
"—But that's only a fantasy thing. If I were to be realistic, my answer would be whatever style suits the person. Not everyone can pull off the look I just described. My sister's a perfect example—she had that phase and failed miserably. I think the best fashion is the one that suits the person wearing it."
I still wasn't done yet. There was just one more thing I had to say. Honestly, I'd rather die than seriously admit this right now, but I had no choice.
My throat clammed up at the thought of having to say it, but I forced the words out regardless.
"For you… I–" I paused for a fraction of a second, then spat it out as fast as I could. "I think you look good in anything. So you don't have to think too much about it."
The instant they left my mouth, I looked away from her, toward nothing in particular. I didn't care, as long as it wasn't her.
Wow… that was so embarrassing.
It wasn't like I hadn't done this before. Just as we left the car, I'd said this exact same thing to her. But there was a difference between saying it in passing, as a joke, or as a formality—and saying it with full sincerity.
...This is why it's so much easier to make fun of people instead.
Still, there was no point in regretting it now. The words were already out there. And there was no point in looking away, either. It wasn't like I could ignore her for the whole day.
I took a quick, sharp breath, then turned back to Mei.
I prepared myself for a mischievous, victorious grin, since she'd just shaken that information out of me. Another part of me figured she'd brush it off with a formal thank you instead—she'd probably heard that same line plenty of times before. She did have an ex-boyfriend, after all.
But what I got was nothing like that. Not even close.
Mei was staring at me with wide, trembling eyes, her mouth slightly open. Even though she was looking right at me, it was almost like she couldn't see me.
It only lasted a single blink, though, as her lips curled up into a cheery smile.
"Wow, that was… a lot nicer than what I thought you'd say. I didn't know you were even capable of that."
"If you keep up that attitude, it will be the last time you ever hear it," I shot back.
Mei's shoulders shook once as she let out a small giggle. "Hehehe. Sorry, it just came out on its own. What I wanted to say was–" She took a quick breath. "Thank you—for the compliment, I mean. It was a weird… but nice change of pace."
"Don't get used to it," I said instantly. "You won't be hearing that for a good while."
"Aww~ how disappointing." That was what she said, but there wasn't a trace of disappointment in her voice.
"Whatever."
I pulled out my phone and checked the time. It was already 5:08, which was much more time than I'd have liked to spend at the mall, and I hadn't even bought my own clothes yet.
"We should probably get moving," I said. "I'm kind of hungry, so I'd like to get a meal soon."
Mei nodded along. "Alright. I'm going to get changed and buy these clothes quickly, then."
Without wasting any more time, she went back to the dressing room. Once she got out, we both headed for the self-checkout.
Before she could even reach for her wallet, with my card already in hand, I tapped it against the machine and paid for her clothes.
Mei could grab a bag on her own, so I turned around and walked towards the exit without another thought. There were still places we needed to go, and I didn't want to linger for longer than we should've.
That is, until Mei called out to me.
"What are you doing?"
I stopped and turned around, confused. "Uh, what do you mean?"
She paused for a moment, sliding the clothes into a bag as she mulled over her words before saying, "Don't take this the wrong way. While I am grateful you paid for me, I could've done it on my own. But you're telling me you already had your card ready by the time I got there? Were you planning to do this from the beginning?"
At first, I genuinely didn't know what she was talking about. I just paid for her. It wasn't that big of a deal.
But the more I thought about it, the more I understood what she was trying to say. To put it simply, I wasn't planning on paying for her. It wasn't some scheme or game. I just… did it. Without even thinking about it. Like it was the most natural thing in the world to me.
But why—
Suddenly, a memory from the distant past flashed in my mind, and with it, a name.
Stella.
The instant I remembered the name that'd been sitting in the back of my head, untouched, my head emptied, everything going muddled except for that name.
Ah—that's right.
I used to pay for her stuff every time we went out back then. She'd always be so happy whenever I did, showering me with words of gratitude and love. So I always continued to do it.
A small chuckle leaked from my lips. Not loud enough for Mei to hear, but enough for me to be aware.
I guess… old habits die hard.
Still, as much as I'd love to dwell on the past, Mei was waiting for my response. If I lingered any longer, she was sure to notice something.
So, just as quickly as it happened, I pushed those thoughts back down into the depths from which they came and offered Mei a shrug.
"I dunno. I just felt like it. Don't overthink it—I wasn't trying to bait you into anything..." Before I finished, I flashed her a smug grin. "I'm not like you, after all."
Mei blinked once, then gave me an annoyed pout. "Really? I was just curious, and you took it as an opportunity to make fun of me? You're so heartless."
I turned around and began walking away, dismissively waving my hand in the air. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. We can talk about this as we go on."
Before I could get too far, Mei ran to my side and jabbed her elbow against mine, signalling that she wasn't done with the fight yet.
After that, we spent the rest of our little mall excursion bickering the whole way through.