KEISHA’S POV
Nadia was a completely different person with a black card and nowhere to be.
She took everywhere. The market first. I don’t think I enjoyed it much. It was loud and warm and she just took around the market where she stopped at every third stall and made try sothing without telling what it was first. I stopped asking after the fourth one she gave and just ate whatever she handed because she was basically on a rampage.
"Good, right?" She watched my face after I ate sothing wrapped in paper that turned out to have cheese inside.
I chewed slowly. "Okay that’s actually—"
"I know." She looked satisfied. "I’ve been thinking about those for three days and it’s so fucking good."
We walked and she talked while I listened carefully, contributing sotis. Sowhere between the market and a small cafe she pulled into, I realised my shoulders had beco more relaxed than it was a while ago.
We sat by the window and drank good coffee, just chatting about random stuff when a woman beside our table leaned forward.
"Nadia?" The woman whispered.
Of course everyone knew the Alphas daughter.
Nadia looked at her. "Can I help you?"
She nodded to the earrings dangling off Nadia’s earlobe. "Where is that from? It’s so pretty."
A bright smile appeared on Nadia’s face and soon we launched into a conversation with the woman where we talked about where she could get the earrings while she noted that there was a stall around where you could get it half the price.
"You have to go before she sells out." The woman said, already standing to leave. "She only brings twenty pairs and they go fast." She looked at , then back at Nadia. "Your friend has good taste by the way."
"She really does." Nadia said, completely serious.
The woman laughed and left while I looked at Nadia. "You don’t even like those earrings."
"I love these earrings." She grinned, fingers reaching up to toy with them.
I almost burst into laughter. "You said they were too small when you put them on this morning."
"I said they were delicate." She picked up her cup. "Different thing."
I gave her a look that said that was bullshit and she gave one back and drank her coffee.
"Let’s go."
****************
The clothing store was the last stop and Nadia was basically eager to see every single thing they had to offer. She pulled things off rails without slowing down, held them up, put most back and kept moving. I followed at a pace that was beginning to slow and I was practically whining behind her.
We had literally done enough for the day.
A woman beside on the sa rack glanced over. "That one." She nodded at sothing I had just passed over. "The green. It would be good on you."
I paused and looked at it. "You think?"
"The cut." She pulled it slightly off the rail. "See how it sits? That works for your shape." She shrugged and went back to her own browsing. "Just an observation though. You and your friend seem to be looking for a lot."
Tell about it.
I took the green one, fingers running over the material.
Nadia appeared at my elbow with four things draped over her arm. "Try these."
"I just found one." I nodded to what was in my hand.
"Try these also." She pushed them into my hands.
I tried them all. Two worked, one was a disaster and one was borderline terrible. When I ca back out, Nadia was holding three more.
You’ve got to be kidding .
"Nadia. This is getting too much. Do you know how much this costs?"
"Who cares? Dad’s card." She held it up.
"Will it actually—"
"Keisha." She looked at patiently. "My father runs this pack."
With a sigh, I took the three.
The woman from the rack materialised beside us briefly, looked at what I was carrying and nodded approvingly at the green one. "Good choice." Then she moved toward the cashier and was gone.
Nadia watched her go. "I like her. She has great taste. Did you see the necklace she wore? It’s so pretty."
"She told what to buy."
"Exactly." Nadia piled more things onto my arms. "See, strangers can be helpful."
I opened my mouth to argue but she had already disappeared back into the rails.
We gathered everything at the edge of a rack and Nadia went back for sothing she had seen near the entrance while I stood there with our selections and looked around the store.
I wonder what the ti was. We had spent half the day here and I was—
A sharp noise cut through my thoughts and I frowned.
What was that? It sounded like soone was arguing.
Without thinking, I went to take a look at what was happening.
Near the front, a woman in an expensive coat was standing at the counter holding a dress by two fingers, a dark stain spreading across the front of it.
A tipped over coffee cup sat on the counter beside her. The attendant across from her— young, maybe eighteen with a face flushed — had her hands bunched together at her waist and looked like she was about to cry or hope for the ground to swallow her whole.
My brows furrowed and I strained my ears to listen to what the woman was saying.
"—full amount." The woman’s voice was sharp. "In cash. Not a store credit. You ruined it, you pay for it."
"Ma’am the amount you’re asking for, I... I don’t have—" The attendant’s voice was barely a whisper. "My salary isn’t—"
"Not my problem." The woman checked her phone. "Five minutes."
I looked at the dresses in my arms then back at them.
These things were expensive. How was the attendant supposed to pay?
Nadia had appeared at my elbow with the thing from the entrance, watching the sa scene. "ssy." She said quietly.
"Mm." I agreed.
The attendant said sothing too quiet to hear and the woman’s voice went up.
Oh for—
I put our dresses on the nearest rail.
"Keisha—" Nadia started, trying to stop .
But I was already walking over.
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