Leaving the café, Ophi stared at me in disbelief. I confirmed a wire transfer to her account for $100,000, which was 3x what she needed. A lot of relief definitely traveled throughout her body, but I had no qualms about it. To her, it may have seemed like a lot or a big help, but to me, it killed three birds with one stone.
We were now just aimlessly walking around, appreciating the city's lively pulse and chatting as we went. The air was cool against my skin, heavy with the earthy scent that always lingered before a rainstorm. The sky hung low and gray, but the rain hadn't come yet, which probably meant it would just stay a cloudy day.
'Damn, I was kind of hoping for rain.' The smell of fresh pavement always hit differently after a shower.
"Hey, Eiz! Come on! Come on!" Ophi's voice rang out with excitement as she grabbed my wrist, her hand warm compared to the coolness in the air. Before I could even glance up at the storefront, she yanked me through the doorway.
The sharp scent of new fabric and faint floral perfumes hit me all at once. Looking around, it was obviously a store for women. Elegant displays of dresses, long coats with delicate stitching, glimmering necklaces catching the overhead lights, and rows of heels clicking faintly against the polished floors as shoppers moved around.
'Is she trying to gauge the market?' If she was, then I had to hand it to Ophi, she was smart. Seeing what sells or doesn't sell could save her thousands, not to mention time.
I looked at her face, and her eyes gleamed with glee.
Bending down, I whispered, "Don't you sell this stuff?"
She burst out into a little fit of laughter, "Hehe~, yeah, but mine's simple stuff. I don't do complex stuff like this!"
Nodding my head, it made sense. So, basically, she did street and casual clothes while the accessories probably matched. This store was definitely on the high-end side, selling to a smaller market but the wealth in that market was extreme.
I glanced at a price tag on a necklace: amethyst with a platinum chain.
"$12,000?" The absurdity for a necklace. The chain looked alright, and while the amethyst looked high quality, everything else didn't even look that good.
"E-Excuse me!"
"Don't mind him. Eiz!"
'What?' I tore away from the absurd prices. I don't mind paying that much, but only when the quality matched up and in my opinion, these jewelry pieces did not.
Facing Ophi, I noticed a pink-haired girl next to her. I didn't know this woman, and while I admit she was pretty, she wasn't Kate, so I really had no reason to talk to her. Ophi was an exception because she was best friends with her.
"Can I help you?" I asked politely. Even if I didn't know her and I was feeling quite aggravated, she didn't do anything wrong. She probably just wanted my number or something.
"U-Um, you're Eizkel Rhyse, right? You acted in Game of Wars with your mom?"
My face stiffened. I felt a little bad for assuming she wanted my number, but I felt really bad that I didn't know the answer to her question! I knew my name, but I totally forgot to check what I'd worked in!
[This is what you get for getting distracted with Kate.]
'S-Shut it!' It wasn't because of Kate. It was because I fucking forgot.
I nodded my head with a smile. I decided to take a gamble and just say I did. Most of the information lined up with the stuff that I knew. Mom's a super, super, super actress, and I'm her son who is also an actor. Good enough for me to take the leap of faith!
The pink-haired girl's eyes lit up like the sun.
"Can I get a picture?"
"Sure, but could you give me one second?"
She nodded her head, and I whipped my phone out calmly.
"Pfft~" Ophi, though, was trying to cover her laughter. She knew my situation, and I bet she was getting a thrill out of this!
I looked up the series, Game of Wars. Lo and behold, my face and Mom's face were the first three to pop up.
"Phew~" I sighed in relief. My leap of faith, thankfully, was right. Putting my phone up, I gave the girl a nod, and she readied her phone for a selfie.
She got close enough but still respected my space, which made me smile. I was thankful for not running into a crazy person or someone way too touchy.
Snap~
The picture was taken with no hiccups, the soft click of the camera barely louder than the buzz of the store around us. My perfectly styled hair caught the overhead lights just enough to give it a soft sheen, the calmness of my blue eyes captured so clearly, they almost looked like polished glass. Even my height, the slight downward tilt of the camera making me seem just a bit taller, was all perfectly encapsulated in that one photo; a picture of effortless glory.
'Hah~, it's hard being good-looking!'
[(╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻]
'W-What, dude?' Ezryn didn't even communicate in words. The motherfucker picked up a few things from Kate.
[You are insufferable.]
'You're just hating!'
[Yeah. Okay.]
'Ain't my fault you can't look like this.'
[You must be re— Nevermind, fuck back off!]
"Haha~" Ezryn's comment was so unexpected I couldn't hold my laughter in, prompting strange stares from the pink-haired girl and Ophi.
My face felt a little hot noticing them, the warmth blooming under my skin and crawling up my neck like a traitor. The faint buzz of the store lights and the soft hum of conversation in the background only made the sudden spotlight on me feel even sharper.
"What's so funny, Mister Famous?" Ophi grinned like a cat who just caught a mouse, her voice teasing and lilting.
"C-Come on, Ophi." I rubbed the back of my neck, feeling the slightly damp heat of my own nervous sweat.
Why didn't she just let it die?! The weight of both their stares burned against my skin.
"No. I'm so curious~" she sang, rocking on her heels, her earrings catching the overhead lights with every sway.
There was only one way out of this.
"I was admiring myself."
The shameless route!
The pink-haired girl blinked once, then nodded her head like it was perfectly reasonable, her candy-sweet perfume wafting faintly between us. I've promoted her in my mind to someone with eyes! True, refined eyes!
Ophi, meanwhile, didn't buy my shit for a second and just exploded into laughter...
Ignoring her like a professional, I turned back to the pink-haired girl. "What's your name?"
"Elize!" she chirped, her bright voice matching her vibrant hair.
"Elize, I thank you for having eyes!" I said dramatically, placing a hand on my chest like I was delivering a knight's vow.
"NO WAY YOU JUST SAID THAT! HAHAHAHA~" Ophi doubled over laughing, almost wheezing as she leaned against a nearby rack of purses, shaking it with every snort.