~ 34: Fluterring - Part 2 ~

My glare was enough to keep his distance but not erase that ridiculous grin off his face.

"Is a little hug of love that intolerable for you?" he asked with puppy eyes.

I just marched away ignoring his childish whines and pouts. For some reason, his teasings put me more on the edge and it had started to become more unbearable as time went by.

"Yes, it is," I answered back. "Especially from you. You are getting me frustrated. Let's go already."

I pulled him along with the trolley to get the journey completed faster. It was tiresome to deal with him as well as 'special' clothes that I wouldn't really wear after one event until another one came by.

His tryouts ended up being irksome since he kept on trying different suits that he thought were nice but weren't great on him. That was because they were either too large for him or just not meant for a pretty face like his.

Eventually, I stepped in and pulled out two suits. The first was a black coat, lined with silver along the black velvet lapels, paired with similar black pants, a pearly white shirt and a shiny bow tie. The pocket had a pretty, white satin handkerchief popping out.

The second one was a green silky suit, with a forest green coat containing intricate designs paired with a black shirt, dark green vest, black pants and a forest green bow tie. The buttons were golden and a golden coloured chain was attached to the lapel from the best pocket.

"These two please," I told his attendants politely, though I had given up on handling him myself long ago.

When he came out with the first suit, I was unhappy. It appeared to look great on him save for his blonde hair. It didn't stand out well with the white and silver shine on his clothes. I waved my hand to signal that this was not good.

"But I like this one," he started. "It's actually amazing. This was a very good pick. I don't want to let go of it already."

His childlike whines, along with the compliment, brought a half-smile to my face. After making him turn a couple of times, even I wasn't ready to let go of this choice.

"Your hair is a problem," I remarked as I came up to him and adjusted his lapels and bowtie. "If it were its natural colour, this would surely look dashing on you. But now you must put on the other one before we run too late."

"Dashing, huh? I wonder how it would look if I paired my dress with yours. It would be on a big controversy."

"You do not want to spoil your image on that day. And I will change my dress although you have picked it. A slightly ancient one would surely not uphold any such statements."

Without the attendant nearby as I had told them that I would handle his indecisiveness, he stepped down from the podium and came to stand in front of me. I immediately stepped back, nearly tripping over a material. That made his arm hold my back. I ended up leaning in insignificantly either from his scent or from fear of landing in the movable cloth rack and creating an embarrassing ruckus.

"Don't," I gasped out as my heart drummed in my ears. My clenched fists were on his chest to prevent him from coming any closer.

"Don't do what?" he inquired with a naive smile. "What will you do anyway?"

"Beat you to a pulp, even if that costs me to get tangled with your fans."

His soft breath of a laugh touched my nose lightly. Then he stooped down and kissed my forehead.

"So the little red-haired fiery girl can become as tame as a tomato?" he asked with a chuckle.

"We don't have time for this," I said, pushing him to let go. But in this position, he was stronger than me.

"A little affection will really not hurt. Also, I don't want to try the other one on. This is final and we are taking it."

He went on to change his clothes as I went to search for the trolley and sat beside it while waiting for him. When he came out, he made another demand.

"We are headed for the shoe section," he remarked. "After that, we are done here for the day."

"Why is this ball so important?" I asked in frustration. "Can't one just skip it? Buying clothes for such an event, or even the end of the year balls, is difficult if one ever gets invited to it. There are hardly any students who can afford the clothes here."

"Well, the occasion should have been yearly, yet it is every fourth year. The foundation of this university dates back to nearly two centuries ago. A couple of nobles established it under the king's permission, under the leadership of the retired knight, Sir Jeancarlos Barthomelow.

"He created the institution only made for students of pure talent, but ultimately, the rich always got their way in. Yet today, most of the students are talented, despite being rich. In his honour of guiding students throughout the years to achieve their great dreams, the people decided to hold a ball a month before the heavy snowfall hits the land."

I hummed in response and continued to drag my tired legs towards the shoe section, which was all the way on the ground floor. We had started from the stop, and now it felt painful to even go down the elevator as we waited for it to arrive. The line had increased since it was closing into a busy morning hour.

"We're buying your's and Mel's first," he announced as we neared the area.

"Why the two of us?" I asked, turning to face him with impatience written all over my face. "And first? We got our clothes first. You should probably do yours since it'll take less time."

'Which of course isn't true,' the irritating little voice said with a snicker.

'You keep shut,' I snapped back at it. 'I'm not having any of your games today.'

"Ladies first," he said with a bow. "Can't neglect that rule now, can I? It has been instilled in me since the beginning."

I twisted my lips in displeasure and tailed him, wishing to be left alone as soon as Mel reached home. I couldn't bear the mixed emotions that were brewing in my chest.