Page 24 of Secret Baby With My Brother's Best Friend

"Huh?" I questioned, following the direction of his finger, which pointed to a wine-colored skimpy dress behind me.

"It looks good. You should try it on," he suggested.

"I—"

"We came here to shop for clothes, didn't we?" he questioned, not allowing me to turn his suggestion down. "Didn't we?" he repeated, his gaze earnest.

"We did," I admitted with a brisk nod.

"Then don't complain, and just….shop," he said, moving over to the clothesline behind us. Logan browsed through them, picking out all the clothes I had touched earlier as if he had memorized them, and it made me smile. Logan picked them out and brought them to me. "Try them all," he said, dropping them on my arm. "I'll be waiting to see them. Don't keep me waiting," he winked, and my stomach did a triple flip, my heart bursting out of my chest.

Logan waited for me, and I took the clothes to the changing room to try them on. I tried on each outfit and stepped out to show Logan, who gave me a long look, followed by an affirmative nod for each outfit he liked. Logan liked most of the outfits I tried except for two exceptions.

Finally, after trying out all the other outfits, only one left—the wine-colored dress Logan had suggested. I had purposely saved it for the last for dramatic effect. I tried the dress, standing in front of the mirror and twirling to get a thorough look at the dress.

It was a spaghetti-strapped dress with a little length extending to my kneecap. The wine color of the soft material seemed to complement my skin tone. The dress clung to my skin like gum, praising my hourglass figure.

I stepped out of the changing room, feeling a little shy as I came face to face with Logan. A gasp escaped his lips as his eyes sparkled. Logan got to his feet, sizing me up with his eyes and looking oddly impressed. A crooked smile curled his lips, and he tilted his head.

"Gosh! I love this dress," he exclaimed, his gaze burning through me.

"Thanks," I replied, biting my lip.

"We should take a picture," he suggested, beckoning to the attendant. She came hastily, and he handed her his phone. "Take a picture of us."

Logan walked up to me. "Smile," he muttered, putting his arm around my waist. My body tensed at the subtleness of his touch. I smiled for the camera, barely able to concentrate on anything other than his hand on my waist.

"Thank you," Logan said after the photo was taken. He retrieved his phone from the attendant, and I instantly missed his touch as he pulled his hand away from my waist.

"I'll get changed," I said.

"Yeah. You do that," he replied, looking up from his phone with a smile hanging on his lips.

I went to the dressing room and changed before joining Logan at the counter. "That one," I heard him say as I got beside him. He tapped the show glass, gesturing to the emerald stone necklace glittering below. The attendant reached for it and gave it to him. Logan took the chain from the box and turned to me. "Turn around," he said, and I turned, aware of a few people staring at us in the store.

I felt the cold necklace slip around my neck, and I reached for the emerald stone, touching it carefully. I turned to him. "It looks great on you. Everything looks great on you," he said, beaming.

"Thanks."

He put his arm around me. "Should we get anything else?"

"No. I think we're good."

"Okay," he smiled and faced the attendants at the counter. "We'll take the clothes and the necklace." He handed his card to the attendant and settled the bill.

We left the store, and instead of heading out of the mall, Logan grabbed my hand and guided me up the stairs. I looked at him curiously and asked, "Where are we going?"

"To get you ice cream," he replied with a mischievous smile. "You once mentioned that getting ice cream after shopping should be a ritual, remember?"

I raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You still remember that?"

He nodded, his eyes filled with warmth. "I wouldn't dare forget," he said, making my heart flutter. "Now, come on," he said, leading me toward the ice cream shop. "Take a seat. I'll be right back."

A few minutes later, Logan returned, holding two delicious ice cream cones. He sat opposite me, presenting me with a cone adorned with a luscious chocolate flavor and an abundance of M&M's toppings just the way I liked it. "Here you go," he said with charm and splendor.

I gratefully took the cone from him, and as I took my first bite, a wave of nostalgia washed over me. It felt like stepping into a time machine, transporting me back to a cherished memory from six years ago—one of my favorite moments.

In that memory, Logan and I were seated in an ice cream parlor, just like we were now. He had gone to fetch my favorite ice cream before joining me. We laughed, shared jokes, and I distinctly remember the sheer joy that came with simply being in his presence—the joy I couldn't deny I still felt at this very moment.

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