UPTOWN GIRL, alex p. keaton

xvi. odds and ends

⇰ 𝕤𝕠𝕟𝕘 𝕤𝕖𝕝𝕖𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟: 𝕥𝕠𝕥𝕒𝕝 𝕔𝕠𝕟𝕥𝕣𝕠𝕝 𝕓𝕪 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕞𝕠𝕥𝕖𝕝𝕤

ARRIVING UP to stand in front of The New York Stock Exchange, Arabella practically heaved a deep breath in over the amount of conservative capitalism circulating just past the doors. Looking beside her to Alex appearing as if he was a four year old that successfully dragged his parent into taking him on a trip to Disneyland only made her feel worse for being near the place. "You know, for making me suffer through walking through exhibits with you, I should make you just walk through here," Alex told her with a smirk.

"I already have to disinfect my wardrobe for being this much near you, just spare me already. I'm suffering enough as it with being around you for this long," Arabella mocked to notice him only smile over the insult, "But seriously, Diana isn't gonna want you to invest into Oregon Steel Mills as a birthday present for her."

He looked to her offended over his seemingly innocent gesture. "But they were up two points this week!" She rolled her eyes to take his hand in an attempt to get themselves far away from the place as possible. "Hey!"

"We're not finding anything for my sister on Wall Street. If anything, we're not finding a sane human being in a place like this either," Arabella spoke and began to hail a cab rather easily. She turned back to him in an attempt to usher him inside as he simply stood their stunned. "You asked for my help Keaton, this is only your doing."

Alex nodded in agreement to join the cab with her as she called out some directions to a street her and Diana went to specifically. Looking around the scenic parts of Little Italy along with a lined accompaniment of boutiques and shops, he laughed under his breath over the small charm.

The area they were arriving into better coined as Nolita, was yet another trendy, upscale neighborhood by which he could easily picture either of the girls strolling through. "C'mon, our stop is here," Arabella interrupted his thoughts to say. Noticing her pay for the cab fare, he immediately stopped in the process to pay himself as she rolled her eyes. "Jeez, didn't think you could bare to part with a few bucks."

"I'm not all that much of a prick, I swear," He admitted to her bluntly.

She laughed over this as she stood in front of him on the sidewalk. "Still find it hard to believe." The two walked alongside each other as Alex took a look through the neighborhood curiously. Arabella always grew up in the city, so the views to her were always just something of an everyday thing. She partly envied first time tourists that came into New York because of this, wishing to feel that sense of wanderlust when seeing these places again.

Catching a glimpse of Alex wearing a grin on his face, she vicariously relived the feeling again in a way. "Surprised you haven't been around here? I mean, you've been in New York long enough," She noted beside him.

The comment made him somewhat sad over the realization he may have let work overcome him more so than he intended. He lived in New York of all places, living the dreams in a job he'd always strived to have, and there were still places he hadn't been able to find the time to visit. "I, uh, I get busy at work," Alex tried to brush off his discomfort towards the comment with a remark towards Arabella instead, "Y'know, you'd be able to understand under different circumstances."

"If I wanted to feel validated by my successes, I'd be stammering out for my father's approval before yours, Mr. Big. Need I remind you half of those pieces in that wing of the museum I showed you today arrived here because of me and the work I put in to showcase them properly," Arabella spoke in a raised voice, not having been this frustrated with him in a long while.