31. Hello, Girlfriend Zone . . . ?

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Before Ollie and I head to the mysterious place he refuses to talk about, we make a quick stop at Target. According to him, my rather glamorous nightgown will draw too many people's attention—and I wholeheartedly agree with him.

Nevertheless, because I have zero clue where we're about to go, I'm having trouble deciding what to wear.

"Oh, come on, Ness. It's been fifteen minutes already," Ollie groans. "Would you please just choose something so we can get the hell out of here? People are staring at us as if we came from a circus, for crying out loud."

"Relax, Ol. It's only been fifteen minutes. Besides, how am I supposed to choose the right clothes if I don't even know where we're going, huh?"

A bizarre idea pops into my mind when I spot a gorgeous white lace skater dress. Oh my God. What if Ollie is taking me to Las Vegas to elope?

I draw a sharp breath at the thought, and a mixture of excitement and fear rushes through my veins. What am I going to say? We haven't even been dating yet and he's asking me to—

Ollie clicks his tongue. "Just pick something comfortable, okay? It's not like you're buying a wedding dress."

Disappointment and relief set in at the same time. Right. What were you thinking, Vanessa? This is Mr. Dumpy we're talking about.

With a frown, I return the sexy burgundy dress and the pastel-pink ruffle blouse to the rack. The mischievous part of me wants to torture Ollie a bit longer, but the misery in his eyes tells me he might get a heart attack if I continue doing this.

"Fine." I settle with a roomy blouson cami dress I've spotted earlier, something that doesn't scream we're on a 'date' date, but not a friendly hang-out either. "Let's go."

"Yes, thank you!" Ollie throws his hands up in relief. As we walk to the checkout counter, he asks, "So how are things between you and that creep?"

"Ryan," I correct him, fighting the urge to grin, "and I aren't dating anymore."

"Hmm?" Ollie's eyes sparkle with exhilaration when he flicks them to me.

"Not for the time being, at least. He's so busy with work and I'm busy with work too, so we're just taking some time off to . . . evaluate things."

The truth is I'm tired of manipulating Ollie into realizing his feelings for me. Tricks and lies are never a good foundation for any kind of relationship, and the last thing I want is to force him to say those three magic words before he's ready.

When he finally does say those words to me, I want him to do it because he wants to. Not just because he feels the need to. So, I've decided it's time to end the lies.

Well, I'm ending the lie with another lie. But this is a good first step . . . right?

"Is that so?" Ollie asks.

Now, I know I said I'm done with lying. But the triumphant smirk on his lips irritates me so much I blurt out another lie, "That doesn't mean it's 'done' done between us though. We are going to talk things out again when he comes back from his trip to New York two weeks from now."

"Oh." The corners of his mouth curve downward, and the jealousy burning in his eyes prompts a grin to slip onto my lips.

Stopping the lies is going to be harder than I thought, isn't it?

I'm about to head to the underwear section to buy a bra when my eyes catch sight of a cozy maroon cardigan that would go perfectly with the peach paisley dress I've chosen. Hmm. Are we going somewhere outdoor or indoor?

Oh, well. Better safe than sorry.

I'm about to grab the cardigan when Ollie rushes to my side. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. You don't need a jacket, do you?"

"Oh, we're going somewhere indoor?"

"Not exactly, but—"

"Then I need a jacket, Ol. It's like forty degrees out there. Are you trying to kill me?"

"No, of course, not. It's just . . ." He purses his lips together in thought and scratches the back of his neck. A shade of anxiety crosses his brow as he peeks at the price tag of the cardigan I'm eyeing. "You can just wear mine instead of spending . . ."

Sparks of excitement explode inside me as my mind reminds me of the last time Ollie lent me his jacket. Ooh. This is looking more and more like a 'date' date.

"Twenty bucks for a damn jacket?" Ollie gapes in shock, his face draining of color. "Are you trying to rip me off?"

"Huh?" I jerk my head back, confused and a little offended. "I'm not asking you to pay for anything, Ol."

"Yeah, but . . ." His face twists with a tangle of emotions I can't quite understand. "Just buy the things you absolutely need, will ya? I don't bring much cash and my credit card's about to hit its limit."

"It's fine, Ol. I'll pay for them myself."

"No, I can't let you—"

"And besides, it's on sale." I point at the sale sticker on the price tag. "I'll be saving four dollars and fifty cents. It's a pretty good deal—"

"A gentleman always pays for everything on a date, Ness," he blurts out before averting his gaze and grimacing in regret. "Shit."

Holy arrows of Cupid.

Hello, Girlfriend Zone . . . ?

A grin stretches across my face, and I peek up at him from under my lashes. "We're on a 'date' date?"

"No," he squeaks like a mouse in a trap. His Adam's apple bobs up and down as he swallows. "S-sorry, I . . ." He heaves out a sigh of resignation, his shoulders slumped. "Come on. I'll drive you home and move straight to Timbuktu after—"

I grip the collar of his white shirt and pull him down to plant a soft kiss on his lips. As he blinks at me in shock, I tease, "Since we're going on a 'date' date, I need to find something prettier."

The smile on his face drops. "Please kill me already."

A giggle slips out of me as I bounce back to the women's dress area. Excitement bubbles in my belly at the thought of going on a romantic date with Ollie. Since this is a huge milestone in our relationship, I'm determined to dress to the nines tonight.

A flirtatious flippy dress with cold-shoulder details catches my attention. I pick the candy-red dress and glance at the price tag. Hmm. $29.95. Not too pricey. "So what's your budget?"

Ollie tucks his hands into his pockets and shrugs. "Ten bucks?"

"Ten bucks?" My eyes bulge out in shock. "Are you kidding me? Nobody can buy decent clothes with ten bucks. You might as well tell me to go wherever we're going naked because I can't even buy a bra with ten bucks!"

He scrunches his face in dismay. "You're not planning on buying a bra too, are you?"

"Oh, I can't believe we're having this conversation." I hiss a breath through clenched teeth and step closer to him, lowering my voice into a whisper. "I have to buy a bra because I am not wearing one, Ol."

His pupils dilate as he trails his gaze down to my breasts. Lust glitters in his eyes and a smirk twists his lips.

Clicking my fingers twice in front of his face, I tease, "Eyes up, you horny dumpling."

He snaps his gaze back to mine and gives me an unapologetic grin. "So why aren't you wearing any bra again?"

"Sophia sewed a built-in bra in this." I gesture at the gown I'm wearing and continue browsing the dresses.

"You can just wear my jacket and no one would be able to see your nipples. Case closed."

A teasing smirk creeps across my lips. "What is it with me wearing your jacket?"

"Nothing." His voice hits a note I thought only Ariadne Venti could reach. "Oh, crap."

I burst into a giggle. As I shift my attention back to the clothing racks, the intro to The Coolest Guys in the Universe's hit single Love Spell—the song I helped Ollie produce two years ago—blares through the speakers.

Ollie may pretend he's indifferent toward this song, but I know how much he loooves it. After all, I've caught him humming the bubblegum-pop song's catchy tune multiple times when he thought no one was around. It's a true irony, considering how he used to laugh at me for being a fan of bubblegum music.

Fueled by the thirst for revenge, I say, "Ooh, your favorite song's on!"

Instead of the embarrassment I expected, a strange look dawns in his eyes—something in between realization and confusion. His eyes narrow, and his expression becomes distant. It's as if he's remembering something important. Huh? What's happening?

"Ol?"

"W-what the heck are you talking about?" Ollie lets out a nervous laugh, his voice rising in pitch. "I produced and co-wrote this . . . cheesy song, yes. But that doesn't mean I love it."

He spins on his heels and scurries toward the Super Sale area on my left, leaving a confused me behind.

What was that all about?

As I browse through the racks of dresses on my own, Ollie's strange reaction earlier haunts my mind.

"I keep thinking 'bout you day and night
All I want is to be by your side
I just wanna hold you, hold you
I just wanna kiss you, kiss you"

It's been a while ever since I last heard Ollie singing this song. I thought he just got bored with it, but come to think of it, he stopped singing this song after the Slushie incident.

This song must be reminding him of Celia, who moved on from him and dated Henry Stickles—one of the five members of the popular boy band—a week after the incident happened.

What if this song brings back his memory of her?

A thread of worry slivers under my skin as I recall the night Ollie and I worked on this song. I had to hypnotize him so that he could empathize with the lyrics and get the innocent, puppy love feel of this upbeat track. It wasn't an easy feat, but I succeeded when I told him to think about the woman he loved—who was none other than Celia.

Congratulations, Vanessa. You have successfully ruined your date before it's even started.

"There's something 'bout the way you are
That got me so mesmerized
You got me going crazy, crazy
Did you cast a love spell on me, on me?"

Somehow, I find myself questioning the things I've done to try to get out of The Sister Zone. Am I just manipulating Ollie into falling for me? Am I just casting a love spell on him that would fade away with time?

The voices inside my head keep trying to convince me that I'm just an evil witch standing in the way of true love. But as the song enters its chorus, a whisper of positivity slithers in between the loud noises.

"'Cause baby when you walked into my life

You caught me by surprise
And when you smile, my heart goes wild
You got me losing my mind"

There's a reason why this song has always been one of my favorites. Ollie's lively arrangement and the hook's uplifting beat never fail to ignite sparks of hope inside my heart.

"'Cause every time you look into my eyes
You light up my heart
Like ABC you got me on my knees
You make me wanna scream and shout

I love you."

Warmth spreads across my chest and eases my anxiety when I hear more of the lyrics Ollie altered from the original. I never understand why, but whenever I hear them, I always have this crazy feeling that he wrote them for me instead of Celia.

Insane and 101% pathetic. I know.

Stop hallucinating, Vanessa. Ollie didn't write this song for you. Even now he's probably just taking you on a date because he pities your sorry a—

"Hey." Ollie taps a finger on my shoulder, startling me. "How about this?"

He holds up a super adorable babydoll dress, and I fall in love at first sight with it.

The seemingly comfortable dress is perfect. The tiered mini skirt gives the dress a romantic feel and the v-neckline makes it flirty enough for a date night. But the long sleeves and ruffle cuffs tone the sexiness down by bringing a classy and sweet vibe to it. The best part is the floral prints on the black chiffon fabric allow me to wear it without a bra—which would save that miser some money and keep him from getting a stroke.

Still, self-doubt plagues my mind. "You don't have to do this, Ol. We can just—"

"Come here." Ollie takes my hand and leads me to the mirror nearby.

There's something about the way he holds my hand that soothes my worry. It's as if he's telling me in silence that I shouldn't be listening to those awful voices in my head. As he holds the dress in front of my body, the soft look in his eyes melts my heart. Our reflection in the mirror draws my attention, and that voice of positivity inside my head grows louder.

I may not look like a goddess. I may have more than a few facial features that can be considered flaws by many. But when we stand next to each other, there's something about us that seems so . . . perfect.

Maybe Ollie's right. Maybe a plumpy mochi and a chubby dumpling are a perfect match.

"What do you think?" Ollie asks.

"It's perfect, Ol." A smile sweeps across my face as I reach for the dress. Yet disappointment courses through me when I see the price tag. "But it's twenty-three bucks."

"Yeah, but I guess I'd rather pay an extra thirteen bucks than spend the whole night here."

"You sure you won't get a stroke because of thirteen bucks?" I joke.

"I will get a stroke if we don't get out of here in about five minutes or so. So what do you say?"

Sparks of excitement and joy in my chest return when I see the warm, inviting smile on his lips. "Let's go on a date, Mr. Dumpy."


Author's Note:

So, what do you think about the song? Why do you think Ollie reacted the way he did when he heard it? Is Vanessa's theory correct?

Well, their date will continue in the next chapter. It will be a super adorable and fun one with an uber-high dose of cheesiness. See you there! :)


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