UPTOWN GIRL, alex p. keaton

xxii. what was it you wanted?

⇰ 𝕤𝕠𝕟𝕘 𝕤𝕖𝕝𝕖𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟: 𝕓𝕖𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕕 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕝𝕠𝕔𝕜𝕖𝕕 𝕕𝕠𝕠𝕣 𝕓𝕪 𝕘𝕖𝕠𝕣𝕘𝕖 𝕙𝕒𝕣𝕣𝕚𝕤𝕠𝕟

MISSING THE SOUND of the vinyl filling the room instead of her thoughts over Alex, Arabella had no choice but to discuss them with him being here now. She didn't know what to say, hell neither did he. It was a bigger issue than either of them could care to admit to. "Hi," Arabella responded to rub the back of her neck nervously, "Um, Diana isn't home yet."

"I know," Alex told her quickly to notice her turn to him with a blush rising in her cheeks. He looked away out of nerves himself and shoved his hands deep into his pockets. "I, um, I came to see you."

Arabella tried to seem normal despite what was going on in her head and smiled up to him casually. "Oh, okay. What'd you wanna see me for?"

He composed himself as well to gesture back towards the way he came. "I threw Stacy off my trail, but I need your help with Diana. A present for her," He explained.

She chuckled over this and shook her head. "What like an anniversary present?" Noticing him not respond to this, Arabella's heart slightly sank over what else it could be. "Or is it— are you—"

"I don't know yet," Alex admitted to her, having Arabella wonder his reason behind the uncertainty. Playing it off to still be something else he nodded over the idea. "But could you help me?"

"No because I might be in love with you and it's breaking my heart and I don't know if I can take it," She thought to herself as she maintained her smile towards him.

Alex waited for to say something to object, even simply comment on the matter of asking why he wasn't sure about wanting to marry Diana despite the length of their relationship. "Of course, sure!" Arabella took off her bag that was hanging off the side of the bed to step over to him. "We'd better get going then."

»»————-　♔　————-««

STROLLING THROUGH the shops down Fifth Avenue, the pair kept some distance between themselves. Remembering the last time they took a walk alone left Arabella not wanting to risk the same thing happening again. After all had it not been for the interruptions they would've kissed.

Alex hadn't exactly seen Diana as much as before since that trip back home. He didn't think it was fair and the thought of having to break it off with her already made him feel guilty. He turned down to Arabella becoming slightly distracted by the sky overheard with the clouds now parting at various angles and smiled over the innocent sight.

Stopping at the Tiffany's up around the corner, Arabella looked up towards the glamour of the shop itself. She wasn't a stranger to the scene of course, but she always did admire the feeling she had stepping inside. It was perhaps her own childish excitement of running through here with her parents. Stacy was the one who took it still today, being a frequent visitor of any of the shops that were closest to them. Diana and her grew out of it with age, which was bound to happen to the youngest as well— but the odds of that happening were unlikely.

Alex looked over the case of rings to have Arabella tilt her head to him slightly focused on the task. "Thought you said you weren't sure?" She reminded him to lean against the case as well. Diana had moments like these planned to the last detail for herself, having ranted to Arabella that if she was meant to be proposed to that she'd want some sort of influence in the kind of ring she'd receive.

Quickly noting a ring on the opposite side of Alex, she nodded towards it. "She'd like that one though."

"Or that necklace over there is nice," Alex said instead to notice her eyeing him over the suggestion, "This isn't official yet, it's just browsing."

Rolling her eyes, she quickly gestured toward a familiar face of one of the men who were working. Alex watched surprised as Arabella spoke to him easily. The two exchanged in some light conversation about his family, having him realize that despite the fact she didn't want to exactly have to be a Rowe, she played the family name with the utmost respect and dignity. "So this one here?" He asked to have her nod silently as he took out the ring.

Glimmering between them, Alex twirled it between his fingers with a small grin. "Well you should try it on?" Arabella looked surprised over the clerk suggesting this to dismiss the thought. He only laughed and insisted upon it, finding the size he thought was hers by looking at her hand. From the light above from the chandelier, the ring appeared to only brighten when given to her.

It was perhaps the closest she was ever going to be in getting engaged anytime soon. She could only image the sight of her mother being here and the amount of ideas she'd have seeing it. Trying to turn this into a joke with Alex, she moved the ring in her finger in front of him. "Is this enough of convincing for you?"

"It's actually done the exact opposite, beautiful," Alex thought to himself as he watched her let out a chuckle over her own comment.

Watching the shine of the diamond ring in her eyes left him panged with yet another image of Arabella he'd have wrapped around his head for months. "Um, maybe I'll keep looking around for something for Diana," He only returned, trying to get himself to calm his own nerves around her being so unaware of the mess he was.

The clerk motioned to the two of them confused as he tucked the ring away. "So you're not marrying Bella here?"

"No, no, no, no." Arabella turned over to see Alex laughing away the suggestion and beginning to turn red. Not feeling much of anything from the comment, his reaction to it made her question what was running through his mind over the simple shopping trip. "I'm not marrying Arabella, no. That would be silly."

Blinking over his over-exaggerated reaction, the clerk nodded understandingly. "Right." Then fixating again on the Rowe's middle daughter he nodded proudly. "Well just let me know if there's anything else you'd like to see."

Waiting for him to leave, Arabella was about to share some words with Alex before he took her hand suddenly to avert the situation to something else. "Hey why don't we head over to Central Park. Take a walk?"

She laughed over this to tilt her head confused. "You'd be sucking the life out of all the trees there. Don't know if it's safe," Arabella teased without any sort of clue on what was running through Alex's head.

"Yea, but you're the tree hugger so—" He smiled over her now rolling her eyes over the comment. "Seems only fitting."

Arabella nodded in agreement. "Sure. Yea, let's go."