David Reyes
📍Mall
DD walked into the mall with Notti trailing behind him, hands stuffed in his hoodie pocket. The air smelled like pretzels and other stuff, and the sound of footsteps and chatter filled the space.
"Bruh, you really dragged me out here to buy a necklace for your 'girlfriend?'" Notti smirked, throwing air quotes around the word "girlfriend."
"Chill, Not yet, at least." Dd looked at him
"Oh, so this is the big move, huh? Pandora and all. You serious serious." Notti let out a low whistle, clearly enjoying DD’s nervous energy.
"Man, shut up and help me find the store."
The two walked past storefronts, DD keeping his head low to avoid eye contact with anyone he might know. He wasn’t trying to hear, "Oh, DD, what you doing here?" today. This mission was strictly for Ciara, and he wanted it to be perfect.
Finally, the bright Pandora sign came into view.
"Aight, we here," DD said, taking a deep breath.
"You actin’ like you about to propose, or sum " Notti joked, bumping his shoulder.
DD rolled his eyes. "Bro, just come on."
"Hi! Welcome to Pandora. Looking for anything special today?"
DD hesitated for a second, his confidence faltering. "Uh, yeah. I’m trying to find something... you know, nice. For someone special."
The associate smiled knowingly. "Got it. Follow me. Any idea what they might like?"
"She’s not flashy," DD said quickly. "But she’s real... classy, y’know? Like, something that looks good without doin’ too much."
Notti snorted behind him. "Man, just tell her you’re in love already."
DD shot him a look. "Do you wanna wait outside, or you tryna catch these hands in here?"
The associate laughed softly and pointed to a small silver necklace with a heart-shaped charm. "What about this one? It’s simple but elegant."
DD studied it, imagining how it would look on Ciara. She wasn’t the type to wear anything too bold, but this felt like her. Clean, and cute
"This one," he said finally, nodding.
"You sure? 'Cause once you buy it, ain’t no returns on heartbreak," Notti teased.
"Yeah, I’m sure. im not like you," DD said joking while notti just looked at him
The Ride Home
The necklace sat in a small bag in DD’s lap as they rode back. Notti had his AirPods in, but DD couldn’t relax. He kept pulling out the box and opening it, staring at the necklace like it held all the answers to his nerves.
"Bruh, you keep looking at it like it’s gonna tell you what to say," Notti said, pulling out one earbud.
"I just want this to be right, you feel me?" DD muttered.
"It’s gonna be right. Ciara’s cool. She’s not about to clown you or nothin’, it aint like she'on like you or sum, shes into you nigga just make it happen" Notti said casually.
"Just say what’s on your mind."
"Yeah, ian never been this nervous before" DD mumbled, sliding the box back into the bag.
__________________________________
“Alright, man, let’s do this,” DD muttered to himself as he grabbed the small Pandora bag off his dresser.
He was nervous, but Notti had already hyped him up earlier that day. “Don’t overthink it,” Notti had said. “She’s into you, nigga. Just make it happen.”
