Five hours had passed since we'd first arrived in this specialised mall.
The first two hours were spent shuffling around in the changing room, trying on every outfit Althea had picked for me. For the most part, they were all rather good-looking and suited me quite well. And, I had to admit… Althea really had a good eye for fashion.
Even a layman like me could appreciate her talent.
But the problem was what came after…
With my clothes settled, we were now free to search for Althea's new belt. And to be fair, Althea found what she wanted almost instantly. If I was shopping with Len, that would be the end of our day. We would have taken our clothes and parted for the night.
Alas, I wasn't with someone of my own species. I was with a girl who loved shopping.
Althea dragged me along as we explored all of the boutiques of the fancy shopping mall. Yes… All of them.
There were seven floors of shops dedicated to just women's apparel. Seven floors. After obtaining her belt, Althea decided to go window shopping, and she even tried on several dresses. Since the girl looked beautiful in anything she wore, I would casually praise her top-tier looks.
Since I was speaking the truth, I thought nothing of it. However, Althea took those compliments to heart. In the end, she bought a total of five new outfits, including the nice leather belt that we'd originally come here for.
I wasn't one to see the numbers, but even a blind man could tell that she'd just spent a fortune on clothes. None of the boutiques here were cheap. Althea mentioned that these shops were at average price points, but it shouldn't be that worth it. Even the three outfits that I'd bought were worth at least one fancy dinner.
As someone who bought plain shirts that were worth less than a rice meal, my heart bled each time Althea swiped her card for a new set of clothes.
I think I've finally realised why Althea ate so poorly before I'd met her. She must've spent all of her allowances on clothes via online shopping. Before long, the sun was already beginning to set, and the natural light of the afternoon turned into the darkness of the evening.
"Oh, it's already this time? Should we grab a bite and head home?" Althea finally took a break from her window shopping and turned to ask me.
"Sure, let's do that..."
YES!!! Finally, I was freed from this endless shopping hell. It was fun at the start, but I was seriously starting to doubt if my legs could take it any longer. I'd never been this tired before. I would rather work out for the entire day than spend another hour shopping.
How was Althea able to remain so active, even after a five-hour shopping spree? Just two months back, she was too weak to walk to the hospital on her own! Did I feed her too well? How on Earth could she window shop with such a radiant smile?!
Once again, I was stumped by the differences of our genders…
Reaching the first floor, Althea led me into a corner cafe. It seemed to specialise in cakes and sweets, but there were more conventional items on the menu. Butter Steak, Fish and Chips, Shepherd's Pie… To name a few.
"Hi, may I take your order?"
As we settled down on the most isolated table and took off our masks, a waitress came over with a notepad in hand.
"Hmmm… Althea, do you have any recommendations?"
"The Chocolate Mousse Cake here is good! It's my favourite dessert of all time! You should try it!"
"I meant for dinner. I can't eat an entire cake for dinner."
"T-That! O-Of course, I knew that!"
Althea puffed her cheeks and looked away. This girl… was she really that excited to eat this cake?
"Actually, we're running a promotion right now." The waitress smiled as she pulled out a laminated sheet from the corner of our table. It was a picture of an extravagantly decorated cake. It had an assortment of seasonal fruits, macrons, and elaborate frostings all over. There was even a gold leaf to decorate the brown, gooey goodness.
"There's a special Chocolate Mousse Cake that's limited to couples only! All you need to do is hold hands, smile for the camera, and this cake will be yours!"
"C-Couple?!"
Both of us raised our voices at the same time. This wasn't the first time we've been mistaken as an item. Ever since we'd entered the mall, every single store we went to had automatically paired us as boyfriend and girlfriend. A boutique owner even went a step further and called us a married couple.
Seriously… Did we really look like a couple that much?
"Actually, we-..."
"Hold on for a second, Desir!"
Just as I was about to deny the waitress' assumptions, Althea tapped on my hand and pulled my ear to her face. "Why don't we do as she says?"
"... You really want the cake that much?"
"There's nothing for us to lose, isn't there?"
Right… The only thing we needed to do was hold hands, and the cake would be ours. Honestly, it was most definitely a good deal. Wait, why was it that good of a deal?
"Excuse me, may I ask what would you do with that picture?"
The waitress flashed a wry smile before answering: "We would use it for our promotional activities. Don't worry, we won't post it in newspaper ads or anything. The most that we would do is place your picture on the wall or print it onto our menus."
Ah, so that's why it was free. They needed models to promote the newly launched cake, and customers were willing to give their image for free cake—a win-win situation for all.
Alas, I wasn't Althea's boyfriend.
"Are you sure you want to go through with this? If one of your classmates saw our picture on the wall, they might misunderstand."
"... That's a risk I'm willing to take!"
Just how much do you love this cake?!
Althea stared at me with puppy dog eyes, and her hands were cupped together in prayer.
… How was I going to say no to that adorable little face?
"Fine..."
I'd resigned to my fate and took a seat next to my partner in crime. Elated by my decision, Althea instantly wrapped her arm around mine with her right hand slithering down my left. Our fingers met each other, and she intertwined her soft fingers in the gaps of mine.
In just mere seconds, our bodies were now centimetres apart. However, Althea wasn't satisfied. She closed in the distance and rested her chin on my shoulders, smiling right at the waitress.
"This should be enough, no?"
"Perfect! Now just sit still and smile into the camera!"
Wait… Where did that camera come from? Was she hiding it all this while?
The waitress ignored my befuddled look and got into a photographer's pose. She looked so skilled that I would have mistaken her for a real professional photographer.
"Girlfriend, you're doing good! Boyfriend, could you try to look a little less tense? Smile a little more naturally!"
How can I be natural? Althea and I weren't lovers!
My mental retort aside, I tried my best to match Althea's upbeat, happy look with my own. It was difficult to replicate the sunshine smile that the Angel beside me had, but I did my very best. The waitress took many angles, and she concluded the session with a frown. Evidently, she understood that I wasn't a photogenic person and gave up on instructing me.
"Okay, we're done! Once you've finished your dinner, just call for dessert. We'll deliver the cake to your table!"
"Ah, could I see the picture?"
"Haha, of course!"
Althea reached out to the camera and gently tapped on the touch screen. A smile of delight crept onto her lips, and she beamed with amusement. Hey… You can't show me that kind of expression. Did I really look that weird in the photo?
"Send it to me, please."
"Don't worry! We'll print out a copy for you!"
"Good!!!"
Really… was my face that weird that you had to take a keepsake? Hah, whatever makes her happy, I guess…
Sideshow aside, Althea and I ordered our food and returned back to our original seats. I sat next to the seven paper bags that we'd carried all around the shopping mall while Althea sat all alone on the other side. Seriously, women turn into scary monsters when they're shopping.
All of that walking, and she could still flash that brilliant smile.
Our dinner was rather mundane compared to the rest of the day. Apparently, this cafe catered to the sweet tooth of the young girls who frequented this mall. Their sweets and desserts were impeccable. Their main dishes, on the other hand...
"This Bangers and Mash isn't all that good..." Althea frowned as she tasted her dinner.
"That's why you should get something that's hard to mess up. Take this Norwegian Salmon, for example. It's not perfect, but at least it's edible."
"Really? Let me have a bite."
"Here, have some."
I cut a piece off my plate and handed it over to the girl. After nibbling on the baked Salmon for a moment, Althea commented: "It is better than my Bangers and Mash… But the Salmon you make is still much better."
"Haha, thank you for the compliment."
"No, I'm serious… Desir, you've ruined me. I can no longer eat at any of the restaurants I've been to without comparing it to your dishes."
"Hehe, my cooking tends to do that to people."
What high praise! Perhaps I really should change professions from programmer to chef. Smiling, we'd continued our subpar meals, and before long… the star dish of the day had arrived.
"Here's the Chocolate Mousse Cake! One for the big and handsome boyfriend, and one for the beautiful girlfriend!"
This waitress… Must she mention that we're a couple every single time? Look, Althea's face had turned red with embarrassment already! Still, since it was free, we shouldn't do anything to raise suspicions.
I secretly cursed the waitress to be swamped with orders and placed all of my attention on the special cake on the table. And after taking one bite...
"It's delicious..."
"Hehe, I told you! They have the best desserts in the building!"
"I never said I'd doubted you," I snorted before taking another bite. "How did they make such a rich chocolate flavour without making it too overpowering? This is really an enigma..."
I rarely baked Chocolate Cake, let alone one of this calibre. But after tasting this cake… Maybe I should pay more attention to the art of dessert making.
"Hehe, looks like the invincible chef has finally met his match!"
This girl… Is she trying to rouse my competitive spirit? Still, I can't let myself lose to a mere cafe pastry chef.
"... This is a Chocolate Mousse Cake, right? I'll make it for you one day."
"Wow! The invincible chef is not going to go down without a fight!"
"Yeah, I'm going to make a cake so delicious that you won't be able to eat any other chocolate cakes!"
Althea paused and looked at me with widened eyes. An array of thoughts flashed through her mind, and then, a dazzling smile crept up her gorgeous face.
"Hehe, I'm looking forward to that day!"