15 Shopping

"Why would I want to fall harder?"

Hyson's smile vanished at Raelle's out-of-this-world response and he ended up facepalming himself. How was he supposed to make this girl understand that by falling harder, he meant falling harder in love? Because if he worded it out for her, she'd definitely give him a scornful look.

She was that nerd who would explain love as 'Love is just a unique blend of brain chemicals. Lust is governed by estrogen and testosterone. The attraction is driven by adrenaline, dopamine, and serotonin. As for long-term attachment, it is purely governed by oxytocin and vasopressin.'

Yes, he had heard this science nerd talking too many times. Now, he could even recite her words. It even gave him the illusion that he was smart as well.

"As for kissing deeper... I should do my research."

Hyson internally rolled his eyes at her. 'There comes her nerdy self again!' He took a breath and said, "Elle, don't tell me you're gonna read more books."

"Yes, for research purposes, I have to read books to understand what you meant by that. What exactly is a deep kiss? I'll look it up!"

"My textbook friend, life is practical. Stop treating it like a theoretical exam. Instead of reading, start exploring more. As I said, do the practical. It might do you some good."

Raelle still didn't understand what he meant. She cherished her books dearly. She was who she was because of those books. It was very normal for her to search for her answers in books.

"In fact, instead of finding life in those lifeless books, try to live it once in a while. Try to live in the moment."

Raelle put the back of her hand over her mouth and yawned indicating how bored she was to hear him talk right now. It was already very rare for Hyson to be serious, but she had to ruin the moment by doing something like this.

In the end, he'd curse himself for even bothering with her.

"Let's do some shopping," suggested Raelle as they stood up. Hyson almost fell back down at that suggestion. "What?" she questioned, seeing the odd way he was looking at her.

He put his hat down and said, "Elle, shopping is not only a waste of time but also money."

"Why do you have the misconception that I'm scared of wasting money?" she questioned with a straight face. "I'm scared of nothing."

He circled around and tapped his chin thoughtfully, "Did the ghost from that movie possessed your body?" He nodded at his own conjecture, "Or it had always been within you. No wonder you've been haunting me for years."

"Are you done?" she responded, unamused. He nodded immediately. "Then hurry up. I really don't want to waste any more time."

"Why should I?" Hyson made a pleading face. "You can buy it yourself."

"No, I can't," was his answer.

"Why not?"

"Because I'm on a diet!"

Raelle looked him up and down before asking, "If you're on diet, why are you asking me to buy it for you?"

His eyes turned into slits and Raelle could tell he was grinning underneath that mask as he said, "Because if my best friend buys it for me, I'll reluctantly accept it. It's not nice to refuse someone's kind gesture, so I'll also eat it for you. See, how good I am?"

Raelle nodded her head agreeably, "You're certainly good at making excuses for yourself." She peeled his hand off her sleeve and added, "But it's pity, I don't fall for it."

She had walked a bit farther when she heard his loud voice, "Don't you love me anymore? How can you abandon me here over just a piece of cake? Did I ask for jewels or millions of dollars? No, I only asked for a measly piece of cake!"

"Are you done with your performance?" she asked when she saw how several passersby were looking their way now. She didn't care about them but this idiot was supposed to care! He was a celebrity, who just loved courting death! She couldn't protect him all the time!

"Are you buying the cake?" he questioned looking pitiful.

"Yes, I am buying that cake," she answered.

He happily skipped over to her side and hugged her arm saying, "My rich friend sure has a big heart. Big wallet and a big heart. What a perfect combination! I love her the most!"

Raelle bought the strawberry cake for him just as he wanted her to. Obviously, she didn't like hearing him say he loved her. She felt nothing about that just like she felt nothing when he said he hated her. She looked at him and asked, "Do you love me or this cake?"

Hyson immediately snatched the cake from her hand and said, "You can't compare the two." He took a bite of the cake and felt immensely pleased. "After the scare, I received from that horror movie, my heart was definitely craving this heavenly sweetness. A sweet strawberry is certainly the perfect cure for the turbulent heart!"

He looked at the way they were going asked, "Where are we going? I mean what do you want to buy?"

Raelle was randomly looking around in this shopping district when her eyes caught sight of a store name and she said, "Let's go there."

Hyson looked over, the store was named, 'Moonlight'. It was one of the largest jewelry brands in not just H Country but also in Asia. The brand had not just fine jewelry, elegant watches but also crystal creations commemorating the brand's tradition.

"What are you buying?" he asked curiously.

"I haven't even seen anything yet. How am I supposed to know what I am gonna buy?" Saying that she entered the outlet store. Hyson naturally followed her but he was stopped.

"Sir, you can't bring eatables inside," he was told by the professional staff.

"You want me to throw away my cake? No way!"

Raelle looked back at him and said, "You continue to eat then. Come inside when you're done. I'll look around till then."

"Sounds good," replied Hyson without any hesitation at all. He was more than happy to accompany his cake first. After all, he also had his priorities. And right now, this heavenly delicacy was his main priority. It'd be blasphemous to ignore it.