Page 13 of All I Want Is Love
Fortunately, Robin doesn’t notice that anything is off. “I am so happy I have company!” he hums while he takes the exit to East Sunhaven. “Shopping together is so much more fun, plus I am glad I don’t need to carry everything on my own. Do you like shopping?”
I was so eager to help and to feel useful that I forgot this means I need to have a conversation with somebody I don’t know yet. Barkley is secured on the backseat, so I can’t bury my hand in his fur for emotional backup.
“I guess,” I say evasively, feeling like an idiot for it. It’s a yes or no question, but somehow it has become too difficult for me to answer anything without second-guessing.
Robin doesn’t seem to mind. “You will love it with me!”
“Do Soren and Aspen like shopping?” I hear myself ask before I can stop myself. Stupid.
“Oh!” Robin’s whole face lights up, making me relax again. “Aspen only likes to shop for boring things like wood or tools, or coffee.”
Sounds like Aspen.
“And Soren avoids going shopping with me. For the longest time, I thought he only orders stuff online, but then I actually spotted him in a clothing store once, a fancy one on top of that. He told me in his perfect, smooth way that I am just a little much when shopping. You know the tone of voice that makes you feellike he is the kindest person on earth, until you realize he is either scolding you or making fun of you?”
I might not know that yet, but I can vividly imagine.
“That traitor,” Robin mutters, drawing a smile from me. He beams at me. “See, that’s why I need a shopping buddy. I need somebody who is fun.”
I feel the usual twinge of guilt for disappointing someone. “I am not sure I am fun.”
“As long as you are more fun than these two traitors, you are fine.”
“So, what do we plan on shopping for? Aspen mentioned Christmas decorations?” His list just gave me a brief overview, but not what he wants in detail.
“Yes, all the deco we can find and like,” Robin hums. “Lights, figurines, books, and coffee and cake-inspired decoration, something for the tables. All the stuff.”
“Is Aspen going to do cake art? Do we need something for that, too? And do you plan on making a Christmas-coded special for your books, like a table with books of a certain color and themes?”
Robin parks the car in front of the huge shopping center we are targeting before he turns and stares at me. For a moment, I feel my stomach getting queasy. I probably did something wrong.
“I haven’t thought about it at all,” Robin blurts out. “We usually get decorations for the coffee shop and basics for the book shop. Aspen doesn’t know much about decorating either. If it were up to him, we would hang up some lights, a mistletoe and leave it at that. However, he does bake themed cookies and cakes. As for me… I love decorating, but I am not particularly good at it.” He looks at me through big, hopeful eyes. “Please tell me you will help! Now I want that themed book corner!”
In my mind, I envision how it’s supposed to look. Make it cozy. Color themed. Christmas colors in particular. I would need to check the books he has on his shelves. If they don’t have the right color, I could add special covers. While my thoughts circle around this topic, I can feel the old lump form in my throat again, my hands tensing up.
“Please,” Robin begs and blinks up at me.
Come on, Leo, it’s books, just books. It’s nothing I have touched before; I can’t ruin it. It’s okay. It should be okay. “I can try,” I say, though all I want is to run away. “But I am not sure if I can pull it off.”
“Awesome,” Robin exclaims. I am not sure if he even heard my last sentence. He is already hurrying towards the shopping center, forcing me to catch up to him. “Sorry,” he says when he spots me panting slightly. “I tend to be everywhere at the same time with my thoughts and then forget what I was doing and who I was with.”
“I get that,” I admit. “I also tend to… doze off sometimes.”
“Finally, somebody who understands,” Robin says, before stopping. “How about food first? I am hungry.”
“Didn’t you want to go shopping?”
“We can do that after lunch,” he muses. “Are you hungry?”
“Yes,” I say, though I am still full from breakfast. I just don’t have the heart to turn him down. “But first, we need to get Barkley to the dog sitting area. He will love it there.”
The dog sitting area is like a huge playground for dogs, and Barkley instantly throws himself into a fetch game with a bunch of other dogs there, like the huge puppy he is.
Then Robin and I head to have lunch. Robin has a spring in his step when he leads me to the top floor of the shopping center with several different restaurants. East Sunhaven’s shopping center definitely has a lot to offer. I don’t say it out loud, though.Apparently, there is a weird rivalry going on between these two towns.
We settle for a pizza place. “I love fast food,” Robin says. “Though I probably should eat more greens. Aspen is always on my case.”
“On mine too,” I admit. “Though I do like veggies.”
