When Ningning said Sunday is for shopping, Winter knew her best friend is not kidding, at all.

Now, if you know Winter, she's the total opposite of her extrovert best friend.

Whist Ningning was busy going on and about which bag would match her newly purchased dress, evidently finding a better sales lady to talk to, Winter contented herself watching at the sidelines. Winter would look at certain items that never really interested her, and would panic as soon as a salesperson would come and try to assist her. 

How do I tell them I'm bored and don't really want to be here?

Ugh.

So much for Winter's peaceful Sunday.

Winter thought her Sunday can't get any worse, but apparently, the deities are playing hard with her right now.

"Winter?"

"He-hey! Jinnie—um Ryujin! Hi!" Winter glanced nervously at her best friend who by some cosmic joke happened to be facing her back towards hers. She can't just yell for help, can she?

"Nice seeing you here." The devil smiles, and Winter feels like her heart is clenching with both longing and hurt. Winter glanced at the girl beside Ryujin, staring her down.

"Yeah, I was just—I'm with uh Ningning and—" Winter points awkwardly to her useless best friend who's still so into those ing bags she can't even smell that her best friend is in danger.

"Oh right. Sunday's for shopping." Ryujin smiles and Winter never wanted more than to just wipe it off with her lips fist. The girl beside Ryujin clings to her waist like an ugly koala.

If you see Winter from afar, she looks like she's dying to get to the bathroom by the way she's swaying her body back and forth nervously with her knees buckling involuntarily while at the same time, wanting to commit animal cruelty by killing the ugly koala.

Ning Yi Zhuo, I swear to G—

"Hey baby, found what you're looking for?" A lovely voice said, paired with soft hands circling Winter's waist and totally smells like Chanel No 5.

Winter looks up to see Giselle smiling prettily at her in all her expensive glory.

"Uhm, uh—" Winter looks at the other two in front of them, the ugly koala obviously surprised and intimidated, while the devil herself looks at Winter with curiosity and—

Is that jealousy I'm smelling?

"I got you these, I'm not sure which one you prefer so I just got all designs available and you can just choose whichever you like." Giselle said, raising the bags of designer clothes at hand. 

Winter was more fascinated by the reaction of that ugly koala.

"Aww, babe, you didn't have to!" Winter said (in an exaggerated manner, if you ask her), even coiling her arms around Giselle's waist as if letting everyone know within the perimeter that she's hers. She grabs the paper bags from the older, almost showing them off to the other two.

Thank God for the props!

Giselle smiles at her adoringly, her eyes turning into cute little crescent moons and Winter almost forgot they have company.

"Oh, sorry, how rude of me," Winter said again, addressing Ryujin. "This is Aeri, she's my—" Winter paused, clearly not ready for the introductions.

"I'm her fiancé. You can call me Giselle. Nice meeting you—" Giselle said, prompting for the names.

"Shin Ryujin." The devil introduced, and Winter almost rolled her eyes at how hot her ex looked while shaking Giselle's hand.

Giselle was about to shake the ugly koala's hand when Winter pulled her hand, intertwining it with hers, pulling her away from the two.

"Sorry, Ningning's calling us, we gotta go. Nice seeing you here though," Winter said, pulling Giselle with her, leaving the other two speechless. 

"Yah, Minjeong-unnie where— ohhhhh." Ningning stopped as soon as she saw Giselle tangled up with her best friend.

"Are they still there?" Winter asked, eyes moving around as if telling Ningning to look behind them.

"Who?"

"Who else! We do not speak of the name!" 

"What?! She's here? Where?!"

Giselle looked back to see the other pair already walking away, back turned away from them. "You're good, they're gone."

Winter released a contented sigh, before panicking again when she realized she's still holding on to Giselle like a koala herself.

At least, I'm not an ugly koala.

Giselle laughed and Ningning face palmed herself.

"I—I said that out loud, didn't I?" 

Ningning looked so done with her, whilst Giselle was just genuinely amused.

"Ugh! That ugly koala really soured my mood!" Winter admitted, defeatedly. She realized she's still holding the expensive paper bags.

"Oh, um, thanks for the props, they really helped." Winter said, returning the bags to Giselle.

"Well," Giselle grabs it back from Winter, "—these are not props, they're actually for you." Giselle said. 

"What?"

"I'll bring it up to your car." Giselle said, smiling.

"Oh, we didn't drive, Minjeong unnie here doesn't have a car and I can't drive yet." Ningning explained.

"Wait, wait, hold up—those are for me? No, no." Winter said, backing up a bit from Giselle.

"Yeah, figured I should get you something to thank you for the lovely dinner—"

"Which you paid for!"

"Just—just let me do this." Giselle said and Winter knows that tone isn't up for further discussion.

"If you didn't drive then, how are you going home?" Giselle asked.

"Taxi, duh." Ningning answered, earning a smack from Winter.

"Let me drive you."

"No, gosh, it's already too much. You've helped me out with the de— I mean, with those two earlier, I can't even accept your gifts, oh God." 

"Do you still need to buy anything?" Giselle asked, but more so for Ningning. 

"No, I'm good." 

"Great, I'm craving thai, I know a place." Giselle said, ushering both girls to the parking lot.

"Yay great." Winter said, voice low.

—

"Well, I'll go in first. Thanks for the food and the drive home, Giselle-unnie." Ningning bid goodbye.

"You're most welcome." Giselle waves back at the youngest.

As soon as Ningning was out of hearing range, Winter decided it's about time to ramble.

"I really can't thank you enough for doing what you did for me earlier, which, you didn't have to, but really, thank you, I was honestly about to piss myself because of that devil and her ugly koala but then you came and wait—you told them we're engaged?! We don't even have a ring! I'm sure she noticed that, oh my God, now she won't believe me and she'll think I'm pathetic for using you as a lame excuse and gosh! She'll think I'm not yet over her! Which I am! I'm totally over her like we broke up seven months and sixteen days ago, I've totally moved on, but that's not the point! The point is I can't accept your gifts I really thought they were yours and just for the props but then you tell me th—"

Oh.

Oh.

"You're cute when you ramble." Giselle chuckled, whilst Winter was busy touching her cheeks because was she just kissed by this expensive hella good-looking fella here?!

"You—"

"Sorry, I- you're just hard to resist. You're too cute."

Winter wanted to explode in giddiness because how did she get so lucky—

"Uhm no, no totally good with me, no problem at all I was just surprised that is, and I'm totally not rambling again just so you can kiss me again, nope, nope."

Giselle chuckled again and Winter swears this might be what angels singing sounds like.

"Well, here, I insist. Please take them." Giselle said, offering the bags again to the younger. "I was just doing a bit of window shopping and I thought of you. I honestly didn't know what you'd like so I got all available for you to choose from." Giselle explained. "Then I saw you from a distance and you looked like you want to scream help so I kinda put two and two together."

"Wow, um, I mean, really, thank you for everything you did today." Winter said. "How can I ever repay you?"

It was a rhetorical question, so Winter was surprised when Giselle made her thinking face.

"Hmmm."

"Oh, it was rhetorical. I don't have money to pay you, really." 

"Silly." Giselle laughed. "I'm thinking of breakfast?"

Breakfast? Who the hell would want breakfast at 3 PM—

"Let me pick you up tomorrow morning, then let's grab some breakfast, then I drive you off to work?"

"If I go grab breakfast with you...."

"Yes?"

"Does that mean I can fully repay you then?"

"You don't owe me anything, I just want to spend some time with you, that is." Giselle said, eyes turning into those crescent moons again which Winter is starting to like.

"That's really weird, but sure, I guess. Pick me up at six?"

"Awesome! Also, did you lose my card, or do you just not want to call me?" Giselle pouts and seeing it for the first time turned Winter's knee into complete jelly.

"I—no, I got your number saved, here, on my phone. I just umm, yeah, I'll— I'll call you, tonight, promise!"

"I'll wait for it." Giselle said, tucking Winter's hair to her ear. "Go inside now, it's cold."

"Alright, I—" Winter braves it up and presses a kiss on Giselle's cheek. "Take care, I'll call!" Winter squealed before running off inside.

Giselle touched her cheek, smiling widely. 

Oh, great. Now I need to tell Rina she's right.

—

"I told you so!" 

Well, it's not like Giselle was not expecting it. Karina would grab any chance to tell her she's right.

"She's just so cute, Rina. I just want to cover her in a warm coat and keep her in my pocket."

"Am I hearing this right? Is my best friend acting smitten towards someone?