Page 33 of Night and Day
Chapter 14
Mia watched Izzy’sjaw tighten as he negotiated his car between two station wagons at the far end of the parking lot. “I have to admit, I don’t enjoy malls either.”
He looked so embarrassed fidgeting with his keys that Mia wanted to hug him.
“Do you want to wait in the car?” She surveyed the full parking lot. Why hadn’t she considered this? It was Saturday, the day of the universal shopping mall rush.
Izzy sighed, reaching for the door. “No. It’ll get way too hot. I’ll find a place to sit. It’ll be fine.”
He sounded like was trying to convince himself, and Mia couldn’t resist placing her hand on his forearm. Why could she not stop touching this man? Izzy glanced at her hand and his mouth pulled into a faint smile before he climbed out of the car.
She waited for him to take his backpack from the boot and they walked together to the main doors. Once inside, Izzy beelined to a set of couches set up in the middle of the aisle and hid behind a large Ficus. Giving her an apologetic smile, he dug his headphones out of his backpack and plugged them into his phone. Within seconds, Mia could see Spotify lighting up on his screen. She propped herself on the couch next to him, wondering how she could ask him about the money. She still had no cash and could do no shopping without his help – a fact that made her nauseous every time she thought about it.
Before she could think of the right words, Izzy slipped her a credit card. “Just tap it on the card reader. If it asks for a pin...” He lowered the headphones around his neck and leaned into her ear, whispering slowly. “Three four four one.” His hot breath filled her ear, sending a tidal wave of heat straight to her core. He lingered for a couple of seconds, his beard scratching her cheek. Before she could stop herself, an audible gasp escaped her lips. She closed her mouth, trying to swallow the tail end of the sound.
From his flicker of a smile, she could tell he’d noticed. She was probably blushing and there was nothing she could do about that. Mia sighed, trying to breathe through the embarrassment. If anything, her inappropriate sounds and expressions had helped Izzy feel more comfortable. The earlier stiffness was now replaced by a gorgeous grin as he studied her face, head tilted. “Did you memorise that or do you need me to repeat? I’d be happy to.”
“Oh, God no. If they ask for a pin, I just skip that shop and go to the next one.” Mia blew out a sigh, fanning herself.
His face lighting up, Izzy slipped his hand around her waist. “Don’t be silly. You need to know the code. I want you to buy what you need.” He leaned in again, so close his lips brushed against her ear and repeated the code, even slower than before.
Mia shifted away, slapping him playfully on the thigh. The solid, muscular thigh that would hold her safe if she straddled it. Dear Lord. “Stop it! You’re not allowed to tease me like that. I can’t help how my body reacts to your voice, it’s just... biology. What? Stop looking at me like that!” She let out a nervous laugh, shoving his shoulder this time to avoid the thigh, but it felt like shoving a concrete wall. There was definitely no safe way to touch this man. “I’m in a foreign country. I’ve lost everything! I’m so easily confused right now... and we’re supposed to befakedating. Fake.”
Izzy raised his hands, regret washing across his face. “You’re right. Sorry.”
Mia stood up, smoothing her shirt and jean shorts, suddenly aware of how wrinkled and in need of a wash her clothes were. Clasping Izzy’s credit card, she waved at him and headed down the corridor. Reaching a display of summer hats outside of the pharmacy, she couldn’t resist casting one last look over her shoulder. Izzy had put his headphones back on, but a smug smile lingered on his lips. At least she’d achieved that. Seeing him semi-relaxed and happy made her heart expand in a way she wasn’t expecting. She barely knew him, but that moment felt worth any embarrassment.
And now she had his credit card. Who gave away their pin code to a stranger like that? Wandering from shop to shop, browsing the racks and figuring out what she needed for the coming days, Mia’s mind kept returning to Izzy. The way he looked at her, the way he smelled, that hot breath flooding her ear... she was in trouble.
Gathering her wayward thoughts, she fixed her eyes on the sign of H&M – the first global clothing chain she recognised. Mia sprang forward, working through a mental list she’d been compiling on the way to the mall. Shorts, T-shirts, another bra, socks, tennis shoes, backpack... She couldn’t remember ever standing in a shop,needingnearly every item her gaze fell on. What a strange feeling. After twenty minutes, she’d collected the basics and tried some on for size. Afraid to stay away for too long, she made a quick call, opting for a limited colour palette of white and blue (how very Finnish!), with a mint green backpack. Everything had to go together. As she paid for the clothes, she carefully stored the receipt to update her notebook.
Mia found Izzy where she’d left him, staring at his phone screen with a deep crease between his eyes. “All done! Are you okay?” She asked.
Izzy looked up, his face melting into a smile. “I am now. Let’s go!”
Mia followed him to the car, sensing his relief as they closed the doors, leaving the world outside.
“Where should we go next?” He asked, navigating out of the parking lot.
Mia sunk into her seat, blowing out a breath. “Can we just go back to your place?”
