Page 25 of Shattered Rhythm

CHAPTERSIXTEEN

Liv

Chris tells me where she likes to shop, and we arrive in just a few minutes. The first store has a grungy vibe that fits Chris perfectly, and I love it, even though my style is more casual. Still, I’m excited to check out the boutiques in this area.

“There’s some cool stuff in here,” I tell Chris, spotting a leather miniskirt.

“Right?” she responds with a smile, then bites her lip. “But maybe not what you were searching for. Sorry, I didn’t even ask. What are we shopping for?”

“Honestly, it’s perfect,” I reply, laughing. “I’m filling in tomorrow night for one of the girls in the cages at Jail and need something sexy to dance in.”

Chris’ eyes nearly pop out of her head. “Girl, you are way cooler than you led on!” she exclaims, but I don’t take offense because I know I look like a good girl, as Jaxon would say. I ended up being molded into that role, influenced by the media, who constantly portrayed me as the pretty, smiling accessory.

“Yeah, sometimes we have to step out of our comfort zone, right?” I say.

She pulls a pair of tiny leather shorts from the rack and suggests, “Try these.”

“Yeah, no,” I reply. “I need something to hide my scars, and unfortunately, the one on my knee is not the only one we have to cover.” She looks at me sympathetically, takes my hand, and squeezes it.

“Just tell me when you’re ready, girl. I’m here for you and happy to listen, okay?” she says, and my eyes water a bit, my nose burning.

“Right back at you,” I say, squeezing her hand back.

“So, what are we working with?” she asks, getting back to business.

“Shoulder and forearm, so long sleeves are a must.”

“Got it,” she replies, and we start to browse.

* * *

As we go through the racks, Chris pulls out a long-sleeved black crop top and a pair of black leather skinny jeans.

“These will look perfect on you,” she says, holding them up to my body.

I give them a once-over and nod my approval, so we head to the fitting room, where I slip into the outfit. It fits like a glove and makes me feel sexy and confident, although the crop top is so short that you can see the underside of my white bra.

“We need to go find a sexy black bra for this,” I tell Chris. She nods in approval, and I decide to buy the outfit.Afterwards, we leave the store but continue to browse other shops.

“When is your birthday?” Chris asks me.

“It’s April fourth. Yours?” I reply with a grin.

“Oh, so you’re an Aries?” Chris says, smirking. “That’s perfect! My birthday is July twenty-seventh. Leos and Aries are BFFs, so we’re fated to be.”

I laugh, loving the fact that she’s enjoying our day together just as much as I am.

We hit up a few more stores and find the black bra to match the outfit before deciding that it’s finally time to get some ice cream.

“All right, let’s talk boys,” Chris says as we sit on a bench, eating our ice cream cones, which I bought as a thank you for accompanying me on my shopping trip. I have vanilla, while Chris went for blueberry.

“I don’t know what to do,” I say on a groan. “I got out of a shitty relationship last year,and since then, I haven’t seen anyone. I’ve never done one-night stands either. I think the guys are just looking for a good time, and I can’t do that. I catch feelings way too quickly. I already have butterflies for all of them, Chris. I’m just weird.”

“You’re not weird,” she assures me with a laugh. “Honestly, I saw how they act around you, and I think every single straight girl on the planet would catch feelings for guys like that. They’re not my type, but I can admit they’re all superhot.”

“Right?!” I say, looking at her hopefully. “What do I do?”

“You enjoy the ride and don’t overthink everything,” Chris replies, laughing.

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