Contractually Yours

26• Shopping Buddies

🔹️🔹️Crystal Russell🔹️🔹️

Calling Hannah was the first thing I did after finishing my work in Vida Grand. Hannah and I were supposed to go shopping for her baby shower but there was no sign of her even though it was 20 minutes past our decided time.

When she finally answered, I heard her weak voice. "Hey Crystal."

"Hey. All good?" I asked.

"No. I've been feeling sick since morning. Vomiting and dizziness." She told me.

"Oh. Then do we cancel our plans?"

"Oh my god. I am sorry Crystal. It totally ran out of my mind."

"It's okay. We can go some other day." I told her.

"But you said you had to shop too. And I too needed to buy a lot of things. The baby shower is in a few days." I heard her panickin.

"Hey relax. I'll shop alone."

"No. Don't go alone. Why don't you take Evan with you?" I gave a bit of thought to her suggestion.

We soon hung up on the call and I went to ask Evan if he was free to come with me and he happily agreed. I tried to call Adrien to inform him about it but he didn't answer. Instead he texted me that he was in a meeting and he would call me later.

Evan and I made our way to the shopping mall and spent hours trying to find the best things. We shopped for things for Hannah and myself too. Adrien threatened to take his credit card in the morning when I told him that I was going shopping because he wanted me to spoil myself.

We went to several shops where Evan helped me find some casual dresses and work outfits for myself. While we were in a footwear shop, Evan helped me put on some boots to try on when a man in his late sixties commented that we were a beautiful couple and that we reminded him of his young days with his deceased wife.

I almost told him that he was misunderstanding it and that Evan and I were just friends but the dreamy smile on the man's face when he thought about his wife made me bite my tongue. I didn't have the heart to disappoint him.

Evan had been acting strange ever since. He would zone out while looking at me, smile unnecessarily and kept insisting on taking my pictures while I tried different outfits. I also caught him taking a picture in the mirror while my back was facing it. When I looked at him, he quickly put his phone aside.

Besides that, everything was quite fun with Evan. He couldn't stop cracking jokes to which I laughed hard. We also ate at the food court together and finally when we were done, I realised it was 8 in the evening. Seated in Evan's car, I had taken out my phone that was shoved deep inside my bag and gasped when I saw 9 missed calls and 16 messages from Adrien. I texted him back saying that I was on my way back home.

Evan helped me carry the shopping bags up to the penthouse and when I unlocked the door, I saw Adrien pacing around the living room. As soon as he saw the door opening, he snapped his neck at me.

"Hi." I said. Evan followed me inside.

"Why weren't you answerings my calls or texts? I was worried." Adrien exasperated. But then his eyes fell on Evan beside me and his jaw clenched tight. I tensed when he took a deep breath and rubbed his eyes. He leaned forward and took the bags in my hand to put them on the couch and pulled me towards him by my wrist, away from Evan. Evan too placed the bags on the couch and awkwardly cleared his throat.

"I'll take my leave." He said but I stopped him because I needed to give him something that Hannah had asked for. I went inside the bedroom and about five minutes later when I came out, the tension in the air between the two men was way too thick than before.