20

It was literally hell in a building for Jean, she absolutely abhorred malls and shopping but she felt rather justified by her reason for it. She groaned as Jason dragged her to the escalators like he was in Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. She had decided to put on her jogging tank top and a pair of shorts she had found deep in her walk-in closet back home. She took in the smell of the coffee as she passed a café and she knew this was going to be a long grungy day for her.
“You look absolutely amazing!” Jason exclaimed, just as he had done for the last six dresses Jean had tried on.
Jean rolled her eyes, “No I do not. This is all wrong for me, Jason.”
Now, it was Jason’s turn to roll his eyes, “That’s what you keep saying. You’re just trying to frustrate me into making us leave.”
“Why won't I? I don’t like these dresses and they are so stupidly expensive.”
“You must be kidding me right now!” Jason almost screamed, “One, you’re a billionaire, you could buy the whole freaking mall in the blink of an eye. And two, one of your hand-sewn suits are worth double the most expensive dress in this boutique.”
“Look, I just don’t like all this, okay? This isn’t me and shopping really isn’t my place of interest.”
“Sure, your place of interest lies in all the board meetings and conference rooms in this universe.”
“Your sarcasm isn’t appreciated.”
“Your negativity isn’t appreciated.”
“You’re just stupid.”
“You’re just a fashion Scrooge.”
Before Jason could blink, he was hit at the side of the head by a hanger. He let out a cry and held his sore spot.
“God, why are you so violent?”
Jean shrugged, “It’s a natural vibe.”
“I totally agree. The natural vibe of a tiger eyeing an antelope.”
“Now, you’re just being mean.”
“It will be worse if you don’t get in there and try on more dresses.”
“No, I just want to go home and watch TV with a cup of tea.”
Jason was about to open his mouth when he was interrupted by a sales assistant.
“Hello, and good afternoon,” she said in a polite manner, “my name is Natasha and I guess you guys might need some professional help. Anything I can do?”
Jean was about to decline but Jason beat her to it, “You’re a woman, will you please tell her to stop being a whiny bitch and just try on some clothes?”
Natasha cocked a perfectly plucked eyebrow just as Jean smacked Jason hard on the arm. After taking in the situation, Natasha decided to try a more professional approach rather than a friendly one.
“You know, miss, you would absolutely love some of our clothes if you just get the right ones for your figure and complexion. Maybe your favorite color.”
“Purple,” Jean replied flat out. She didn’t seem to trust the sudden change in attitude this woman possessed, it freaked her out. Natasha nodded and disappeared. While waiting, Jean and Jason glared at each other, both thinking of ways to kill the other.
Natasha soon appeared again with a few purple dresses on her arm and slung over her shoulder. She put one in Jean's hand and pushed her into the changing room. A few minutes later, Jean poked her head out of the changing room and grumbled.
“It's all wrong, I don’t like it.”
Jason sneered, “Just come out already.”
Hesitantly, she came out of the changing room and for once that day, he agreed with her. The dress was too much and didn’t suit her personality. It was a bright lilac and had many ruffles on the hems. It was long-sleeved and the skirt was too big, like a ball.
“You look like a million rainbows and princesses just threw up all over you.”
“Thanks,” Jean said with a tight smile.
“Anytime, tiger,” Jason replied, trying to work up her nerves.
Less than a second later, Natasha flung the second dress at Jean and she almost flew out of the changing room when she saw herself in the mirrors.
“This is amazing!” She screamed. She earned a few glances but she didn’t care. She loved the dress and everything about it.
It was a very deep purple, like grape wine and it clung to her body like a second skin until her knees where it flowed free to the ground and went on about ten inches on the carpet. It had a huge silver gem at the band and also on the short sleeves. It was elegant and classy and a complete game-changer.
“Congratulations, Natasha, you just satisfied one of the richest women in the world,” Jason said mockingly, not wanting to let on that he also loved the gown on Jean. Natasha smiled widely at Jason but thanked him.
About two hours later, they had picked sixteen dresses and honestly, Jean didn’t know where she was going to wear any of them too. Maybe she would put on a fashion parade for Barbara. They headed to the counter and dumped all the dresses on them. The red-head behind the counter stretched her hand toward Jason but Jean slapped her credit card in her hand instead. The red-head, whom they identified as Kirsten via her name tag, looked up.
“Oh, I'm sorry, I just assumed your boyfriend was paying.”
“He is NOT my boyfriend.” Jean clarified, emphasizing on the ‘not’. Kirsten just shrugged and inspected the credit card before putting it in the POS machine.
“Wow, I know we have crazy expensive clothes here but it's not every day someone pays with a platinum credit card. You must be loaded.”
“You could say that,” Jason replied to Jean, who just bit her lip. She was proud of her achievements but she didn’t like to toot her horn and she was happy Jason was there to do it for her.
When the transaction was completed, she left the boutique smiling with a new pair of glasses she had bought at the counter while Jason followed her, grunting at the weight of all the bags he was carrying.
After much bickering, they decided to drop the purchased items in the car and get something to eat. They bought hotdogs and sodas then sat down to finish their snacks. Jean bit into hers and groaned. It had been so long since she could sit down and enjoy a well-made snack

Like the devil in the night who came to steal and to destroy, James lurked around them. This time, he felt like fate had actually led him to Jean and Jason. He was on his way to buy his son a birthday present and, thanks to the glass walls of most shops in the mall, he had seen Jean trying on a magnificent blue dress while Jason looked on and nodded his head approvingly. The kind of rage that had burned inside him was one that wasn’t all to unfamiliar to him. It was one that burned anytime he saw Jean anywhere near Jason, an insult to him and his position. He often forgot that there was nothing connecting him and Jason’s personal lives but he felt the urge to fire Jason for no particular reason. A hateful thrill made him make up his mind right there and then to arrange for Jason’s sack letter as soon as he got to the office.