I don't know what love is but I Love You

Chapter 8

Ali and Vicki were sitting on a bench in the mall. They were talking and sipping their Frappuccino.

"You've too soft heart. If my boyfriend kissed another girl, I'd never want to see him again," Vicki said. 

"Maybe you're right but I promised Joe I'd talk to him, and you know that I don't like to break my promises" Ali replied.

Vicki sighed heavily, so Ali decided to change the subject. 

"You should buy that green blouse you tried on. You looked stunning in it," Ali commented. 

"Tomorrow my mom is taking me shopping. Maybe I can talk her into buying me something extra," Vicki replied, then looked at the clock on the wall.

"It's time for me to go."

"Stay a little longer. Mia will be here soon, I'm sure you two will like each other," Ali asked.

"I have an internet date in an hour. If she's not as annoying as Joe, the three of us can go to the movies, or we can watch a movie at your place," Vicki replied.

"I've your word. I'll call you tonight to tell me all about this mysterious guy," Ali demanded.

The girls said their goodbyes and Ali started looking around for Mia. A moment later, Leo called her.

"Where are you?"

" At the mall. I'm waiting for your sister," Ali replied.

 "But where exactly?" he asked.

"Near the Forever 21 store," she said.

"Stay where you're," Leo ordered her and hung up.

A few minutes later, he explained to Ali why his sister hadn't come.

"Mia called me to tell me she'd arranged to meet you for shopping, but she wasn't feeling very well. I tried to convince her that you'd understand and go shopping another time, but she insisted that she needed a dress. I went to see her and sure enough, she didn't look well. I promised her that  if she agreed to go to the doctor and have a checkup, we'd find her a nice dress."

"You were smart," Ali assured him.

"So are you going to help me with the dress?" asked Leo.

She nodded in agreement and headed to one of her favorite stores. Leo wanted to buy the first dress they both liked but Ali insisted that they look around a few stores first and then make their choice. In the end, they decided that Mia would look lovely in a 1950s-style knee-length blue dress.

"Are you hungry?" asked Leo as they walked out of the clothing store.

"A little bit," Ali replied.

Leo told Ali about a diner he'd gone to as a kid with Mia and their grandpa for burgers. They decided to see if the place was still around. To Leo's surprise, the decor had barely changed over the years, and the same food was on the menu. Leo ordered two burgers with fries. He took a Coca-Cola for himself, while Ali opted for water. At first, Ali insisted that she wouldn't eat such a portion, but the food was so delicious that almost everything disappeared from her plate.

"So you're studying in Italy?" asked Ali.

"Not really. I went off to explore Europe. Italy was supposed to be the first stop. I stayed there longer because Aiden's father– for whom I once painted murals– recommended me to one of his friends." replied Leo.

"And what're your plans now?" asked Ali.

"I'm going back to Italy, for about two weeks to work on a small project at my friend's parents' summer house. Then I'm headed to Spain. I need to see the city where Dali was born. Later, I plan to visit more European cities, and early next year I'll design and paint murals in a new live music club in Los Angeles," Leo said.