Most girls would be jealous of Calliope Draycott. She seemingly has it all. The friends, the money, the boyfriend, and in a few years, if all goes to plan, she'll have the job too. So why doesn't she feel happy? It's after a disastrous family dinner...
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What possessed me to propose a shopping trip? What was I thinking?
All I can feel as Caia sends me into yet another dressing room is regret, the aching of my feet and pangs of hunger in my stomach.
'Can we please, for the love of all that is holy, can we please get food after this shop. I'm starved,' I whine through the curtain.
She lets out a small laugh, and I know she's rolling her eyes even though I can't see her. 'McDonald's? My treat?'
I let out an appreciative moan. 'Oh my god, yes.'
I still can't believe that I'm skipping university for the first time this academic year to go shopping. But I couldn't help myself. I just wasn't ready to leave Caia.
Waking up to her was even better than I'd imagined and just felt right.
Her face was also a lot nicer to wake up to than Josh's.
I pull the jumper that she's picked out for me over my head and I'm happy that it isn't an itchy one like half of the jumpers I have in my wardrobe at my place.
Maybe she was right about me needing to update some of my clothes but it's just really not in my budget.
So even though I love the jumper because it's so simple, I know I won't buy it.
Especially after I let her talk me into buying a new pair of jeans earlier. But that might have had more to do with the appreciative look on her face she'd tried (and failed) to conceal when I walked out of the dressing room to get her approval.
There had been a few moments like that one today, and it only cemented my belief that I did the right thing by skipping my lectures today.
Ok, maybe not the right thing, because I do feel like I'm playing a dangerous game when she's looking at me like that.
But when I walk out of the changing room to show her the jumper, and she's not there, I can't help but wonder what the rules to this game are. Especially when she comes back a few minutes later with a load of shopping bags in her hands.
'What are those?'
She looks at the bags in her hands before looking back up at me, a look of pure disbelief on her face. 'Horses,' she says flatly. 'Honestly, Theo, what do they look like?'
'You didn't have those bags a few minutes ago.'
'It's just a few small bits and pieces,' she shrugs, but her tone is too casual, and I don't believe her, not even for a second. Then she tries to change the subject, and she has the most innocent look plastered across her face and so I just shrug and head back into the changing room to get back into my regular clothes.
When I get out, she holds out some of the bags and has the most adorable pout on her face. 'Do you mind carrying these for me?'
I shrug and take them from her, 'we are going to get food now though, right?'
