BEYOND | Choi San

Twenty-four

"What do you think about this?" The girl asked as she held the garment in front of hers, trying to picture how it would look once she wore it.

Celine turned and focused her gaze on her for a few seconds. Then, she nodded with a smile. The adorable expression of happiness on her friend's face intensified just before returning her attention to the items that the store had available.

Celine kept her hands in the pockets of her jacket and, seeing how the emotion had taken control of her friend, she decided to move to the accessories sector; she would surely be there for the next thirty minutes —or, indeed, until the girl bought the entire store—.

A year ago she had gotten a job in one of the most recognized agencies in the city. Finally, after having dedicated herself to art in her previous lives, she would be able to be on the other side of artistic production, helping innate artists from any field to finance their nascent career. She loved being able to do it.

That same year, a couple of months later, she met her. The girl was a few years younger than her and was going through her third life. Despite it was by coincidence, that day when her paths crossed, they ended up talking for hours. It did not take them long to notice that their personalities connected well and that it was possibly the beginning of a new friendship. Just a few weeks later, Celine helped her to get a job at the agency, in the same sector as hers.

It was inevitable that, with each passing day, the two of them grew closer and closer. The girl was always full of energy and she was striving to achieve what she wanted despite her life being difficult; something Celine really liked. She admired that side of her and, therefore, she had decided to support her in whatever way she could.

With a smile on her face at the memory, Celine took a pair of glasses from the counter and stared at them for a moment, with no real intention of buying them. She was just killing time while she accompanied her friend. Even though she did not like spending hours inside a store looking at clothes she would not take with her, she could not deny that she enjoyed spending time with her friend; she had already been through three full lives in which her only constant company had been herself and, being honest, having someone else to count on and be able to just spend the days with, it was incomparable.

"Cel!"

Then that voice made her look up from the glasses she was holding. Instinctively, her eyes searched for her friend and an amused smile appeared on her face as soon as she found it. The girl, considerably short, was holding a significant number of hangers and garments that she  was —definitely— planning to try on.

"Do you want help?" Celine approached her kindly and received half of the garments.

"Thanks, Cel." She crooned with a smile as she started walking again.

Celine kept pace with her and took a seat on the small single couch outside the fitting room. She was used to it by now; the girl used to take as many clothes as her arms and tireless desire allowed her, and then, they both headed to the fitting room. In fact, even though she loved shopping, getting in and out of the changing room constantly was something that really annoyed her, which is why she managed to go only once.
She was a very unique girl.

Then time passed. Little by little the clothes Celine was holding had moved to take their own place in one of the two piles outside the place; either the garment joined the pile of the chosen ones, or it was discarded.

The fitting room door slid open slightly and an arm came out from inside. Celine turned to it and handed her the following garment, at the same time that she received the one that had just been studied by the girl.