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Chapter 7 - Memories - Part 4

A/N: 3 down. 7 to go. Are you still with me? Drop me a comment to say you're out there. It will help me so much!

CAMI:

The hours flew by us. So far, I had pulled Annie through most of the memory lane. We had started at the café where our friendship began, and then moved on to several other locations. Our first photo-shoot together, the first sub-sandwich we shared, the first place club we’d been pulled to, and finally, we stopped at her favorite clothes shop.

“What are we doing here?” she asked. “I don’t have any money to buy anything for now.”

“You know how I don’t know much about fashion, right?”

Nodding, she stared at the clothes inside. “Of course. That’s a no-brainer.”

“Well. I wanted to buy you a goodbye gift. However, I would probably have chosen the thing you hated the most. So instead, I’m letting you chose. Anything you want, I’ll pay.”

Annie’s mouth dropped open. “I can’t… You can’t…”

“I want to,” I said. “Ludmilla sent over a check for the dress the other day, so I have a few dollars to spare. A lot, actually. Besides, for all the times you’ve helped me? This is the least I can do.”

She squealed loudly, hugging me tight before she rushed us both inside.

“Gucci, Dolce and Gabbana,” she muttered. “Be still my beating heart.”

Laughing, I decided to browse the dresses. I had to be prepared for the next event that Mr. Larsson threw at me and Harry, but I didn’t know what that would be. Maybe shopping was a pretty rash discussion. Plus, Ludmilla had promised to take care of everything, so maybe he had already backed off.

One could hope, right?

“Cami,” Annie called. “Come look.”

I snapped out of my own thoughts and walked over to her. She was standing in front of a beautiful dress. It was held in dark blue satin, and it was stunning.

“I love it,” I muttered. Clearing my throat, I looked at her. “You should buy it.”

Annie snorted. “Are you kidding? That wouldn’t go well with my complexion or body type. Don’t be silly, Cami. I wanted to show it to you.”

The dress would reach mid-thigh, and it could be used both as a formal dress, but still party wear because of the neckline.

“You think I should buy it?” I asked, eying the price tag skeptically.

“It would suit you,” she said.

“I thought you were looking for clothes for you,” I said.

“I am.” Annie shrugged. “I already know what I want. But since I insist on paying at least half of it on my own, I figured you could use something too.”

Groaning, I turned to her. “That’s not how gifts work. You can’t just insist on paying half.”

“Don’t look at it like that.” Annie tapped her chin. “Look at it as two presents instead. Not only are you helping me get something I wish for, but you’re also helping me ease my mind that you’d still be well-dressed without me.”

I rolled my eyes. “I am not going to fall for that.”

“Please?” She gave her best impression on puppy-eyes.

Groaning, I caved. “Fine. Show me what it is you want.” I grabbed the dress in my size and followed Annie to the other side. She’d chosen a full outfit made up of shoes and a dress.

Giving me the shoes, she smiled. “This is Manolo shoes. They’re perfect for this evening dress.”

It felt a bit better to know she wasn’t going to split the bill with me anyway. She just bought something else on the side. Hiding my relieved sigh, I walked to the counter to pay for the two items. We asked the girl to put them in two different bags, and I swiped my card.

Annie wanted to ask a bunch of questions, and I took the opportunity to check my phone. I smiled when I saw that I’d gotten a text from Harry.

- I have arrived safely. Miss you more than words can explain. Xoxoxo

Chuckling, I realized that he’d said the same as I thought about Annie earlier. Here we were an entire ocean apart, and still we were so in harmony with each other.

I texted him back quickly, wishing him good luck. We’d agreed to call each other later, but we needed to remember the five-hour time difference too. It was bittersweet that I didn’t have a roommate to complain about it later on.

“Divi just texted,” Annie said. “They are in New York now. I’m sorry, but I have to cut our trip short.”

I smiled at her, shaking my head gently. “Don’t worry. I kept an eye on the time, so this is the last stop before we say goodbye.”

She opened up her arms, and I stepped into them, hugging her tightly.

“I’m going to miss you,” I said.

“And I’ll miss you.”

“Want me to call a cab?” I released her a bit reluctantly.

“I asked the shop to it, so it should be on its way.” Annie sounded just as sad as I felt.

“You’ll call me if there’s anything you need, right?” I asked.

“Of course, and I’ll stay in touch too. I need to find out what happens with Dr. Hertz too. Aren’t you going to see him today?”

I shook my head. “I rescheduled because of the job and saying goodbye to you. We won’t be seeing each other until next week.”

“And Harry will be home there, right?”

“He should be.” I shrugged. “He couldn’t give an exact date because he needed to catch up with his band members too. But hopefully, he’ll be back in the next couple of days he said.”

Annie nodded. “That makes sense. There’s my car.”

We hugged once more, and I had to look away from her to hide the tears that threatened to fall. All these ups and downs were making me awfully emotional.

Sniffling, I waved at the car. This was a lot harder than I thought it would be. But, there was nothing I could do about it, except watch as Annie drove away.

“You look like you need a drink,” someone said behind me.

Surprised, I turned around and faced none other than Diana Wayne.

“This early?” I asked, smiling at her. “I haven’t even had dinner yet.”

“I’m sure we can find something that’ll suit you,” she said with a wink and held out a hand. “Besides, it’ll give us a chance to catch up.”

“I would like that,” I said, blinking the tears away and drying my cheeks. “I’m up for it.”

“Sweet. I know just the place.” She grabbed my hand. “And it serves food too.”

 A/N: On a completely unrelated note. What do you think about fantasy 1D stories? I'm thinking stuff like vampires, mermans, aliens, demons, etc. Is that something you guys read too? It's still romance, but with some magical elements to it. 

The reason I ask, is because my mind tries to distract me ALL the time, and I simply had to get it out. You see, I have a lot of story ideas, and at some point, I'll start writing them. I just wanted to know if that's something you're interested in, as well. :)

Remember to vote for this, and the previous chapters to show me that you like the story, and the marathon uploads. :)