It was a slow process, but they were making progress. Knowing absolutely nothing about fashion or what looked good, Harry more often than not found himself stepping out of the dressing room and asking for Jessica's opinion. She gave her honest opinion on each piece, but always had some insightful comment to make. She liked one shirt because the green in it really brought out the color of his eyes. There was a pair of jeans that she said really didn't fit his style because it was generally worn by the more rebellious type. She nixed some things claiming they were too loose. The only things she ever vetoed for being too tight were pants. There were some shirts where Harry felt a little constricted, but when he brought it up she would only smile and reassure him that he looked great in it, always with a bright smile on her face.
She was getting a fair amount of exercise going back and forth from the changing room to the racks of clothing outside, returning clothes they didn't like and bringing back new ones for him to try. She didn't seem to mind a bit though. She'd probably be making more on the commission of his purchase than she would normally make in a full day's work. Not only that, but she found Harry to be kind of cute and modest and sweet.
The two kept up a fragmented conversation as Jessica came in and out of the changing room. She told him that she was going to start attending a nearby university in the fall and was working here to help pay the tuition. He told her that he went to a boarding school in Scotland that his parents had gone to. He briefly mentioned that his parents had died when he was one and that he lived with his aunt, uncle, and cousin now but that he didn't get along well with them. Sensing that it was a sensitive subject, Jessica began talking about her own family life and didn't ask him any probing questions about his.
Eventually Harry ended up with a few pairs of jeans, a couple casual pairs of khakis, a couple pairs of dress pants in khaki and black, a good dozen casual t-shirts, several collared shirts, a few long sleeve shirts and sweatshirts for when it got cooler, a couple pairs of casual shorts, some workout shorts and shirts, and over a dozen pairs of boxers. All they needed now was to pick out a couple pairs of shoes, and they would be done.
Jessica led him out of the Young Men's department and across the store, down an escalator into the shoe department. They were each carrying a few bags filled with the clothes they had already picked out. When they walked into the shoe department they were immediately intercepted by a man who looked to be in his forties. "Can I help you?" he asked.
"Actually I'm already being helped, thanks," Harry replied gesturing toward Jessica.
"Ah, hello Jessica," he greeted condescendingly. "I'm sure she was rather helpful selecting clothes, but I can assure you that there is not an employee in the store who knows this section better than I. I would be more than happy to take over from here. Jessica you can leave the bags here, and I'll make sure the young man gets taken care of."
Before Jessica could answer, Harry interrupted. "Actually, sir, " Harry intoned, "I'd much rather have Jessica continue to help me. She's been extremely helpful so far, and I think she has a great idea of what I'm looking for. So if you'll just excuse us, we'll get on with our shopping."
The man shot the two teens a scathing glare before stalking off to help some other customers. Jessica flashed Harry a wide smile and said, "Thanks Harry. You don't know how many times he's done something like that and just takes over the sale at the last second claiming all the commission for himself. He only gets away with it because he knows the owner."
"Hey, I meant what I said," Harry returned with a small smile. "You've been great. I'd still be wandering around clueless if not for you. The least I can do is make sure you get the credit for all you've done for me."
"Thanks, Harry," she said. "Now come on, we still have to find you some shoes." She grabbed his hand and proceeded to lead him over to a shelf displaying a collection of trainers. "Now let's see, first things first: we need to measure your feet. Take off your shoes, please."
Harry did as he was told and soon enough she was bringing him trainers and asking what he thought of them. He liked a few of the ones she had picked out, so she brought him the right size and had him try each one on. He walked around a little bit in each to get a feel for how comfortable each one was. He eventually selected the pair he liked best, and they moved on to brown shoes. The process repeated once again, which led them to the final pair of black shoes. When they finally had all the shoes selected, they picked up all the bags again and Jessica led him to the front of the store.
She rung him up behind the counter, which took a considerably long time given how much stuff he was buying. The total came up to be about 475 pounds. He pulled out the five hundred pound notes he had been given by the goblins and gave them to Jessica. She counted out the change and went to hand it to Harry, but he just shook his head.
"Keep it," he told her. "Consider it a thank you for all your help."
She blushed beautifully at his gesture but persisted. "I really couldn't do that. It's too much. Here," she again tried to hand the money to Harry.
"Please. Like I told you, I recently came into a lot of money that I really have no use for. And you have been a huge help to me today, and I actually had a lot of fun shopping with you," he told her feeling his own face heat up again. "I don't really have any other way to say thank you, so please just keep it?"
She looked as if she was about to argue more but she paused and looked deep into his eyes as if searching for something. Her resolve softened and a small smile graced her lips, creating a small dimple in her left cheek. Seeing her expression change from one of resolve to acceptance, Harry smiled widely.
....
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