"No, no, it's not for me," Alex nervously and awkwardly responded, turning red.
"You surely don't have to be afraid; it's okay if you want to be different. Go on," the shopkeeper said, almost pushing him into the dressing room.
"But madam, it's not for me," he insisted. She looked at him—a boy with no hair on his body, shimmering in golden glitters, long hair with pink tips, and very small breasts indicated by the bra under his shirt—holding a skirt and a top in his hands.
"Come on, go in. I'm sure it will look good on you. It's better to know that it fits than buying it and finding out at home," she urged. Feeling the pressure from the woman and the stares of people, Alex didn't want to attract more attention, so he went in. He thought he could outsmart her by pretending he was dressing up.
"Oh yeah, looks nice," he said.
"Perfect! Come have a look in the mirror, dear," she said.
"No, no, that's not needed. I can see it here for myself," he replied.
"I already told you, you don't have to be scared. Have a look at yourself," she insisted. Realizing she wouldn't leave until he came out, Alex reluctantly put on the skirt and top. "Okay, in and out real quick," he thought to himself as he stepped out of the fitting room. He looked in the mirror and saw himself—a slender figure with soft features. The skirt was black, pleated, and hung just above his knees, swaying slightly as he moved. The top was a light lavender color with delicate lace trim around the neckline and sleeves, fitting snugly and highlighting his slim waist. Small, embroidered flowers in pale yellow and white adorned the hem of the top, adding a touch of whimsy to his look. The outfit accentuated his delicate appearance, with the pink tips of his hair brushing against his shoulders.
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He felt embarrassed as the woman exclaimed, "Girl, you look so pretty! It fits you perfectly!" As she said this, he noticed Ember's reflection in the mirror, laughing behind her hand. He quickly went back into the fitting room, changed into his own clothes, and walked out.
"So, what do you think?" she asked him.
"I'll think about it," he said, handing the clothes to her quickly and almost running to Ember. "Let's please get out of here," he said as he grabbed her hand and walked toward the exit.
"Wait, wait, I liked these..." Ember began.
"We'll find something else," Alex interrupted, and they left the store.
"What is going on?" Ember asked, confused, as they stood outside the shop.
"That crazy woman thought I wanted to be a girl and kind of forced me to put the clothes on when she saw me holding the clothes I found for you," Alex explained. Ember couldn't help but laugh.
"That's why you wore that?" she asked, still laughing.
"Yes, you think I would like that myself?" Alex replied.
"I don't know, I was so confused," she said, still smiling. "They were cute clothes, though," she added, starting to laugh once more. Alex couldn't help it—seeing her laugh like that made him smile too.
"Sorry, sorry, I won't ask you again, okay?" Ember said, coming back to her breath. "Let's go to a store you like, okay?"
And then Alex saw it—a LEGO store. "I want to go there," he said, pointing at the store.
"Yeah, sure, fine," Ember agreed, and they moved inside. For Alex, this was familiar territory, and he eagerly looked at all the boxes. Ember, a bit out of place, kept close to Alex.
"So, I didn't expect this," she started.
"Hm?"
"Well, you seemed like the sports guy—training, going to the gym, and drinking with friends."
"Well, ta-da, I'm more of a nerd than you think," Alex said with a grin.
"Hey, I don't judge. I think it's kinda cute, even." Hearing that, Alex turned completely red and couldn't face Ember anymore. Meanwhile, Ember was looking around.
"Oh, beautiful! I never knew they had this."
"Oh yeah, you told me you liked traveling."
"I have been there," she said as they both looked at a LEGO build of a Japanese palace.
"You have?" Alex said enthusiastically.
"Hmhm," she responded.
"That's so cool! I want to go there myself once!" And they chattered on, eventually buying the set. They shopped more, and when the old church bells rang at 5 o'clock, Ember said, "Five already... damn."
"Yeah, time went fast, huh!"
"Sadly, we have to leave. Driving back will take some time, and you have a game to play."
"I was hoping I'd be free of playing a game today," Alex said sadly.
She let out a sarcastic laugh. "You think those weirdos will let you have a nice day for once?"
"Well, game or not today, it was a nice day, and I'm happy we did this."
"I liked it too," they both said, blushing.
"You know," he whispered, "we are here alone. We could just run away or call the cops or something."
"And go where?" Ember replied. "They know everything about us and would track us down—or worse. People have tried before, you know. It never ended well," she continued.
"Hm, you might be right. Let's not risk it," Alex agreed, and they moved to the car. After a while, they were back at the facility. Ember took all the bags and said, "I'll place them in my room and keep your stuff as well."
"Alright, thank you!" Alex said and was about to walk away when Ember reached out and kissed his cheek.
"Thank you!" she said, leaving Alex in his room. Alex stood there, frozen. What just happened? he thought. Was this real? He couldn't help but smile and jumped on the bed. Spending some time thinking about the day, later the door opened. It was Ember with dinner, but not just one plate—she brought two.
"Let's dine together, shall we?"
"Wow, we're eating together?" he responded.
"Yeah, normally I make my own first and then make yours and come to you, which isn't very handy, but... Am I talking too much?" she asked.
"No, I like listening, and I like it even more that you want to eat together," Alex quickly responded. Ember smiled and handed over a fork and knife.
"So you could have eaten dinner with me every day, though," he said.
"I know, I guess I was just used to it."
"Makes sense," he replied. They both finished up as it was time for the next game.
