CHAPTER 111: SUNDAY DAY-OUT (II)

{Elira}

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We all looked at her with varying degrees of amusement. Juniper lifted her head dramatically, her lips twitching with a smirk.

"We got married and had two pups. He even built me a glass house by the lake."

Cambria burst into laughter, shaking her head. "A glass house? Juniper, did you really have to go that far?"

"Yes," Juniper replied with exaggerated seriousness. "Fantasizing is healthy. I highly recommend it."

Nari snorted, nearly choking on her soda. "It seems like you had it the worst out of all of us."

Their laughter bubbled over the table, infectious and bright. I found myself laughing too, warmth spreading through me.

For a moment, it didn’t matter that Kaelen was already mated, or that my friends were half-jokingly brokenhearted.

But Tamryn—always the reality check—set down her juice and looked at Juniper squarely. "End your dreams now. The Moon goddess isn’t going to let that come to pass."

Juniper slumped in her seat with an exaggerated groan, covering her eyes. "You just killed the last flicker of my hope."

We all laughed harder, even Tamryn, though she tried to hide her smile behind another sip of juice.

The rest of lunch was easy and warm, filled with chatter, clinking cups, and little bursts of laughter. When our trays were finally empty, Nari pushed back her chair and stood.

"The mall is just a few blocks away," she announced with renewed energy. "We can walk there."

Everyone agreed without hesitation, and soon enough, we were spilling out of the restaurant into the bright afternoon.

The air was cooler than I expected, carrying the hum of the city—traffic, chatter, and the distant rhythm of music from a street corner performer.

We fell into step together, side by side, our voices rising in fresh conversation as we made our way toward the mall.

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The shopping mall rose before us like a glittering palace of glass and light. Its wide entrance buzzed with students, families, and young couples weaving in and out with glossy bags swinging from their arms.

The moment we stepped through the automatic doors, cool air washed over me, carrying scents of polished floors, sweet perfume from the beauty counters, and the faint tang of freshly baked pretzels drifting from the food court.

Nari clasped her hands together dramatically. "Ah, shopping — the true cure to all heartache."

Juniper snorted. "Spoken like someone who’s about to finish all her money."

Nari tossed her hair back. "It’s called investing in happiness."

Cambria and I laughed, while Tamryn only rolled her eyes and muttered something under her breath about "consumerist nonsense."

Still, she followed us willingly enough, hands stuffed into the pockets of her jeans.

The first store we entered was a boutique with walls lined with dresses that looked like they belonged at cocktail parties rather than casual outings.

Nari immediately darted toward a rack of glittering tops, while Juniper trailed after her, squealing at a short, shimmery red dress.

"Oh, Elira, you’d look amazing in this!" Juniper exclaimed, holding it up against me. The sequins caught the light, sending tiny sparks dancing across my skin.

I wrinkled my nose, laughing. "I’d blind everyone the second I walked out in that."

"That’s the point!" Juniper replied, her eyes twinkling with mischief.

Cambria, meanwhile, was more practical. She found a soft, pastel sundress and turned to me. "This would suit you. It’s simple, but it has elegance. Try it."

I took it from her with a small smile. I didn’t often think about clothes, but the idea of blending in with my roommates tomorrow—of not being the odd one out—was strangely comforting.

We spent nearly an hour in that store, rotating in and out of dressing rooms.

Juniper came out in the red sequin dress, spinning in front of the mirror like she was on a runway. Nari tried on three different tops, each brighter than the last, before deciding she’d "need them all for options."

Cambria stuck to a single flowing dress that hugged her in all the right ways, and Tamryn... Tamryn walked out in the exact same jeans and polo shirt she had been wearing before.

I chuckled when I saw her. "You didn’t even change."

"I did," she replied flatly. "These are the same clothes. Just... new."

That sent us all into another fit of laughter, except Tamryn, who only smirked faintly, amused by our reaction more than anything.

By the time we left the boutique, each of us carried at least one bag. My sundress hung folded in its glossy bag, lighter than air, but I kept sneaking glances at it as though it might disappear if I blinked too long.

Next came the accessory shops—sparkling displays of earrings, necklaces, bangles, and handbags.

Nari tried on sunglasses, striking ridiculous poses until Cambria threatened to record her. Juniper debated between two chokers before Tamryn, of all people, told her which one "didn’t make her look desperate."

I laughed so hard at that she nearly dropped the necklace she was examining.

Eventually, we drifted toward the cosmetics section of a massive department store. Rows upon rows of lipsticks, palettes, and brushes lay before us like candy, each more colorful than the last.

Nari and Juniper dove straight in, swatching lipsticks on the backs of their hands, squealing about shades and finishes.

Cambria, more restrained, tested a warm blush on her wrist and then nodded approvingly at the reflection in the mirror.

"Come on, Elira," Juniper urged, tugging me closer. "At least try a lipstick. You can’t keep hiding behind that natural beauty excuse."

I sighed but leaned in. The first shade she picked was too bright, the second too dark, but the third—soft rose with a hint of shimmer—made me pause.

My reflection looked... different. Not someone else, but a slightly bolder version of myself.

By the time we finally left the department store, our arms were weighed down with more bags than I thought possible.

As we stepped back into the open air, the sun was already beginning to dip, washing the sky in shades of gold and pink.

Shopping hadn’t just been about clothes or makeup. It had been about us—five girls laughing, teasing, and weaving threads of memory into something stronger than I had realized before.

"Alright," Nari said, adjusting her bags with determination. "Next stop—the park."