Troubled

Chapter 2 - Shopping? No, please.

had time to write another chapter for you :)

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I pushed open the heavy glass doors of Starbucks, and went inside. The scent of coffee strongly wafted in the store, and it was comfortably warm. I looked around and spotted Janet at a corner, sitting at a chestnut-colored table and looking out the window as she sipped her coffee with a small contented smile.

Eventually I caught her attention as I walked toward her.

"Oh, hiii! Oh my gosh, you look awesome, love!" she gushed. Her hazel colored eyes were twinkling with delight.

I just shrugged and smiled. "Sorry for being late."

She giggled, her voice airy like a tinkling of bells. "It's alright, dear, you're not late, I'm just simply early!"

I laughed at that. Those sayings were pure Janet, who had a perk of making up these cheesy lines, but they're actually really funny, especially when they came from her.

I needed a strong caffeine boost, so I decided on a cup of flavored caffe latte with a dash of caramel sauce. Then, as if on cue, my stomach growled pitifully as I was standing in front of the glass display case that held an assortment of cakes and bagels, and so I ordered a slice of chocolate fudge cake.

"So, where are we headed after this?" I asked Janet as I got back to our table and took a seat. "Probably first we'll hit River Island or , maybe a little bit or Primark, and then we can go take a bus to Harrods, or we can stay for Selfridges, to get somehigh-end pieces," she answered.

I could see that she was really excited from the glimmer in her smile.

After we finished our coffee, we ventured out to the cold outside and walked toward the shops and stores lined on both sides of the street. It was crowded as usual (Oxford Street is known for being London's busiest shopping central, with its wide selection of fashion boutiques and the famed Gordon Ramsay at Claridge's luxury restaurant), and the loud blaring of car horns made me wince slightly.

I pushed aside the clothes hangers on the racks of H&M in a daze, not knowing what to buy. I personally knew that I didn't have as much fashion knowledge, tending to chose comfort over style which led to my daily outfits of flowy, light tops and the occasional skirt, but now I was completely at a loss. Everything on sale seemed too complicated, the colors too bright, patterns too loud. Most of them were not of my taste.

Because of my slight lack of style intellect, I wanted nothing but to get out of the store. It was too bright in there and certainly too overwhelming.

The store was packed since it was a Saturday, fully mobbed by groups of giggling teens and hordes of mid-twenties young women. Suddenly my head started to spin once again, making me feel faint, and it was too stuffy as i struggled to breathe properly.

I approached Janet, who was eagerly rummaging through a pile of clothes on the display table. "Um, Jan? I'm having a huge headache right now, so I'm just going to take a breather. Meet you in an hour, you call me, okay?" I couldn't take it anymore.

She merely nodded quickly, not looking up from the bright blue dress she was holding up and admiring.

I practically ran out from the store. A gust of breezy wind blew on my hair and I breathed a sigh of relief. Continuing my way down the opposite side, I headed toward Bond Street, another bustling nearby fashion avenue and popular tourist destination. I scissored my way carefully through the throng of people walking on the sidewalk, breathing in the sweet wintry air. I passed by massive crowds of overly-enthusiastic shoppers fully stuffing the outlets of American Apparel, Gap, and Zara, each toting several crammed shopping bags on each arm.

When I turned the corner at the end of the Bond boulevard, bringing me back to Oxford Street, a fluorescent pink sign in the distance caught my eye. Huh. I hadn't noticed it before. As I got closer, I noticed that the sign read Twelve Cupcakes in large, curlicued, cartoony writing, with a logo of a small yellow cupcake, with sprinkles next to it.

Curious, I stopped in front of the small café and peered through the display windows and stared at what might be the most luscious-looking cupcakes I have ever seen. The icing looked whipped, soft and creamy, set carefully on spongy tiny circular cakes lined with silver and gold baking cups, topped with cookie crumbles, chocolate shavings, or a single red cherry. My mouth watered just at the sight of them, and my stomach gurgled again.

Not wasting any time, I grasped the handles of the wooden doors and stepped into the warm shop, and the honeyed smell of burnt sugar and cinnamon, cloying and tangy, wafted into my nose deliciously...

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hey guys x

omg this chappy was so hard to write, i kept editing and stuff, but the good news is in the next chapter we're going to meet you-know-who for the first time :) yay! i hope you liked this one. love xxx

nata :)

ps: i love shygabs's story Prince with Benefits, but she hasn't been updating :( im hoping she will soon, check her out, the story's super cool :)