𝐇𝐄 𝐇𝐔𝐑𝐓𝐒 𝐌𝐄

─ ❝ act xxii ❞

⎡ act xxii - shopping ⎦

┊❝ Damn... ❞┊

── "WOW..." (Y/N) exhaled softly in disbelief as she blinked up in surprise at the large mall in front of her, the building much more expansive than she imagined with what looked to be three stories and a scattering of glass windows that sparkled in the afternoon sun. "I didn't expect the mall to be this big, or anything..."

"It's pretty cool, right?" Kira laughed.

"Yeah..."

Currently, (Y/N) stood next to Kira, Alina, Shariah, and Sawyer who had all separately driven to the mall—save for Shariah who carpooled with Alina—to help her find a new dress to wear. If anything, as (Y/N) walked with the group inside, she felt smaller than she would have liked. Feeling her palms start to sweat at the crowd within, she snapped her head downwards to stare at the polished linoleum floor, second guessing if this were really a good idea.

"Hey," Sawyer gently placed a hand onto her shoulder when seeing her reaction, his eyes softening when she barely looked up at him. "You okay? We can always come back another day when the stores are less crowded."

"No, no! I'm... fine," (Y/N) chuckled in a forced manner as she awkwardly patted his arm.

"That wasn't very convincing," he laughed.

"It wasn't...?

"Nope!"

"Oh..." she glanced down, now a bit embarrassed and already able to feel her face heat up.

"Hey, why don't we go look for a suit for me?" Sawyer suggested with a tilt of his head, carefully watching (Y/N)'s reaction to such a suggestion in hopes that she would feel more comfortable. "Kira's and Alina's parents are pretty traditional when it comes to their birthday, so imagine their eighteenth birthday. I outgrew my old suit, so I actually need another one."

(Y/N)'s smile finally grew a bit more real at that statement, giving a small nod in agreement.

"Nice!" Sawyer cheered before turning back to the rest of the group. "Hey! Me and (Y/N) are gonna look for a suit for me, so we'll catch up, okay?"

"Got it!" Shariah flashed him a thumb's up.

"No, don't leave!" Kira cried out dramatically. "I don't want to be stuck being the third-wheel!"

"Come on," Alina rolled her eyes as she dragged her sister away, the switch up towards Shariah as her girlfriend being drastically different upon gently holding out her hand for her to take.

Kira groaned.

Shariah giggled.

Sawyer chuckled at his friends' antics as he slowly shook his head, his attention then turning back down to (Y/N) who was also watching the scene unfold, a gentle and relaxed smile on her lips. He couldn't help but feel relieved when seeing that she wasn't so tense anymore, gesturing with his head for her to follow him once she had met his gaze again. The walked for only a little bit, chatting intermittently along the way, until they finally came upon the suit's shop Sawyer wanted to visit.

"How does this one look?" Sawyer asked after stepping of the dressing room in a loose grey suit. "It's nice, but... I don't think it's my style."

"I'm not sure..." (Y/N) murmured whilst sliding her hands under her thighs as she sat on the bench. "I think it looks good."

"Really?" He raised a brow.

She nodded.

"Let's try on the others, though," he smiled as he walked back inside. "Just in case."

About half an hour passed as Sawyer tried on the rest of the suits that he picked out, (Y/N) finding all of them flattering however thinking that one of the tan suits suited him best. What was more, Sawyer thought said tan suit was also the one that was most comfortable and form-fitting, (Y/N) accompanying him to the checkout stand and waiting as he bought his purchase. Thankfully, they also didn't have to wander too far to try and find their other friends again, all of them meeting up for a quick snack before traveling to the dress shop.

"Here we are," Kira announced, spreading her arms in a grand gesture. "Singh Dresses!"

"Wait... isn't Singh your guys' last names?" (Y/N) pointed out, eyeing the sign and the clothing inside that all looked quite beautiful.

"Yes," Alina nodded with a small smile. "Our mother makes the best dresses in town." Ushering (Y/N) inside, she let go of Shariah's hand to then start rummaging through a few dresses, continuing, "Hm... (Y/N)? I don't necessarily know which colors suit you best, as it all depends on how well the color meshes with your skin tone, your hair, maybe your eyes, so let's just start with your favorite color."

"Oh, it's (F/C)."

"Hey, me too!" Sawyer smiled down at her.

(Y/N) softly returned the look.

"Ooh, this one!" Kira announced, gaining back (Y/N)'s attention to see a dress hanging from her fingers. "This would look really good on you!"

"Isn't the design... a bit much?" Alina tilted her head. "The shoulders are too poofy and the collar is too wide—this is for a more formal occasion. A much more formal occasion than our party."

(Y/N) blinked.

Wow.

And I thought it was pretty.

"I guess you're right..." Kira pursed her lips, a bit disappointed. "This dress just suits (Y/N) so well... maybe another time, then."

(Y/N) continued to wait patiently as the twins bickered back and forth over what would be suitable for her to wear, giving Shariah a small smile when she merely shook her head in disbelief at their antics. Glancing around for Sawyer, she noticed that he had wandered over to another rack, drifting towards him to find him looking at a specific dress in particular. It was pretty, she could tell, with a nice v-line that wasn't too plunging, and the skirt had just the right amount of ruffles to look nice, but not gaudy. Not only that, but it had long sleeves, allowing her to cover her burns.

He's got a good eye...

And the dress is (F/C), too.

Sawyer eventually caught her stare, immediately releasing the dress and taking a step back with an awkward chuckle as if he had been caught doing something he should've have.

"This is a pretty dress," (Y/N) commented as she took it off the rack.

"Oh, is it?" He hummed. "I... didn't notice."

"Hey, (Y/— woah, is that the dress you're going to wear?" Kira questioned with wide eyes as she approached the two, Alina and Shariah trailing not too far behind her. "It's absolutely beautiful, and I think would greatly compliment your figure! If you're not going to buy it, you should definitely reconsider."

"I agree," Alina nodded. "It believe it would look very flattering on you."

"Yeah... I think I am going to buy it," (Y/N) nodded, glancing back at Sawyer with a grateful smile before moving towards the check out line.

Sawyer sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

A coloring of pink faintly dusted his cheeks.

Damn...

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To be continued...