Page 65 of Fated

Ash insisted on carrying my bags as we made our way through the shops.

The next one we found was a general store that had a little of everything. There, I went straight to the back where I found a cute lilac shoulder bag.

With a bit of strategic folding, I figured I could fit everything inside.

We finally made it to the far end of the building, stopping in front of a store calledOcean Treasures.A poster of a woman in lacy lingerie hung in the window.

I was in desperate need of undergarments, but the last thing I wanted was Ash following me around, trying to pick out underwear for me. When I turned to face him, he was already wearing a mischievous grin. I crossed my arms and raised an eyebrow.

“I’ll wait here, Areya,” he said, chuckling as he plopped down on a nearby bench. As I turned around to head into the store, he added, “I’ll be here if you need a second opinion.”

I rolled my eyes and stepped into the store, picking out a few bras, some underwear, along with a silky pink pajama short set, and a cozy long pajama set.

More than happy with everything, I left the store with a sense of accomplishment, but when I got back to the bench, Ash was nowhere to be seen. I glanced around at the nearby shops, scanning for any sign of him, but he had disappeared. A knot of worry began to form in my stomach as I sat on the bench, clutching my bags and nervously awaiting his return.

After just a few minutes, I saw him, rushing toward me from the opposite end of the shopping center.

“Sorry, there was something I had to do and didn’t know it would take so long.”

I just smiled at him before we headed to the exit. We had nearly made it to the bike when it occurred to me … Where would we put all the stuff I’d bought? I felt like an idiot and was about to tell Ash—before he stopped in front of a bench outside the store.

He set the lilac travel bag down on the bench and unzipped it.

“Put as much as you can into here,” he instructed.

I quickly started arranging everything inside, throwing away excess boxes and packaging until to my surprise and relief, everything fit perfectly. We hopped back on the bike, Ash steering us back toward the manor. There was a grin on my face at the sight of the vampire in front of me, with the girly purple bag draped over his shoulder.

Just as we neared the manor, Ash slowed.

We were in front of a quaint little restaurant calledThe Green Oasis.

“What is this place?” I asked, eyeing the building curiously.

“It’s a vegan restaurant.” He glanced at me as if that was supposed to mean something to me, but I just stared at him.

“It means theydon’tserve seafood,” he clarified.

Oh. Ooooooh.“How did you know this was here?”

“I noticed you didn’t like seafood yesterday,” he said, shrugging slightly. “So, when I went on that run, I looked for places where you might like to eat.”

Warmth spread through my chest and for a moment, I was at a loss for words. After everything—our awful fight, and metelling him I hated him—he had gone out of his way to find a restaurant just for me.

“Thank you, Ash,” I said quietly.

He nodded, turning to walk inside, but I put my hand on his arm. “No. Really, Ash, I mean it. Thank you. First, the coffee. Then, you spent the entire day by my side, carrying my bags without a single complaint. And now, you’ve even gone to the trouble of finding this place for me. No one besides my mom has ever done anything like this for me.”

He seemed to consider my words for a moment. Then, with a playful smirk, he tugged lightly on a strand of my hair. “You’re a princess, Areya, get used to it.”

The butterflies were back, fluttering wildly as he held the door open for me, and something was telling me they weren’t going anywhere anytime soon.

Chapter 17

It was five p.m. when we arrived back at the manor. Ash told me we needed to leave by six-thirty for whatever he had planned for tonight. I decided to change into something new and try out my makeup before heading out. Ash left me at my door to get ready.

I brought my new makeup to the bathroom, removed the clip from my hair, and brushed it out, letting it fall freely around my shoulders.

Beginning to apply my makeup, my thoughts kept drifting back to Ash and to how perfect today had been. Every little interaction between us replayed in my mind, but one question lingered; when had my heart started skipping beats at the mere thought of him?

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