Chapter 4

“Yeah, you should calm down.” Celo let his guard down as he's so shocked seeing his friend flipped out.

Dizen looked at the woman on his side, and the woman crept out a little smile on her lips. Is she feeling nervous or upset on me? Dizen thought.

“You both are match made in heaven.” Celo said after he had remained silent, looking and observing what the two is doing. “What a perfect two. You both love to complain. Hope you find peace with each other.” He shook his head and turned his back, making his way toward the pile of dresses.

Dizen stepped his one foot forward to argue with his friend who rolled its eyes before cutting their discord in a rude way. “Hope you find a better dress for her or else you'll find yourself dead.”

Celo increased the volume of his voice when he turned to the two and talked while walking backwards. “So I'm a nanny now, huh? Not a best friend anymore, nice.”

“Don't mind him. He's just like that.” Dizen's speaking to Eli, still standing beside him.

“Childish, you mean.”

“Yeah, like you.”

“You too.”

“We should start now fitting...”

“Yeah, we're wasting time, aren't we?”

As they had seen Celo busy picking up some dress he think suits Eli, they also started rummaging the area until they find the right choice. After a while, almost a five minutes later, Celo's back with a ton of dress on his arm.

“Hey, try this!” said Celo as he throw the mountain of clothes to the woman who had no idea was he up to.

“What the hell, dude? Why did you throw them on her?” Dizen complained, knitting his brows in frustration.

Celo grinned as if he's got what he wanted. “No, it just slipped out my hands.”

“Look what you did, she's mad.”

“No, she isn't.”

Eli is silent, but her eyes tell all the hatred he feels for Celo. Of course, who would be happy when you are thrown with a bunch of clothes to the extent that you almost fall down to the floor because you can't get up that they cover all of you? But she still stood up, holding the dress she had picked and chosen. Walking with no words, not forgetting to roll her eyes at Celo, she made her way toward the fitting room.

“What took her so long?” Celo asked with the boredom he's having right now. It was five minutes ago since Eli went inside the fitting and she's not getting out of here till now.

Dizen remained calm and tranquil, “We should let her take her time.” He understand woman's nature that they spend most of their time in a day, fitting the outfit they want to wear. With the number of women who invited him on a date, or those who just hooked him up and have no intention of being serious, chasing this sensible man only for a short time, oh wait, let's be specific, Dizen's becoming sensible only to a woman is also sensible.

“No, I'm gonna knock on the door.” Celo insisted and then he stood up before Dizen came back to his senses, making his way toward the door impatiently but before his knuckles touched the surface of it when he got there standing in front of it, it opened slowly and that was the moment they believed they were in a heaven now.

“Oh — wow, you look... gorgeous.” Celo's first words and he was like he had seen the most beautiful angel sent from above.

Eli smiled and held the both sides of the dress by the tips of her fingers and then swung it side to side before asking, “Is it nice?”

“Yeah, super.”

“Should I try fitting the next one?”

“Hey! Celo! Are you out of your mind?” Eli asked when he noticed the mas was mesmerized by her presence.

Celo shook his head and all of the lingering thoughts who he had just realized by now that were only part of his daydream were all vanished by that question. “What? What did you say?”

“Give me the other dress,” Eli said, observing the frisky eyes of Dizen's friend.

He scratched his nape, looking down and seemed embarrassed. “Oh, yeah — Dizen, come on and bring the clothes here.” He waved at Dizen whom its mind was only returning to its rightful state.

Dizen brought all of the clothes, walking while he is trying not be obvious that he felt starstruck a while ago.

Eli tried to put on every dress Dizen and Celo gave to her. And both guys were jawdropped everytime she went out of the fitting room. They really haven't thought that every dress suits Eli as if it makes her shine to the extent that every guy would be mesmerized by her charm. She doesn't put any make up on her face yet she's stunning already and speaking of which, they're done buying, paying those dresses. Now, Eli is buying her make up and both guys are waiting outside the store as they're both shy to enter inside. 

Who on Earth would like to go in if there's only women there? They're being conscious or more likely overreacting as if going inside women cosmetics store will make them less of a man. Both stubborn still waited on the outside not until Eli came out and called Dizen as he need to pay for what she bought. 

“Now, I'm hungry.” Celo rubbed his belly, looking for Dizen with his twinkling eyes.

“No, we haven't bought her shoes.” Dizen looked away then tapping the cheek of Celo.

Celo extend his both arms and stood in front of Dizen, catching his gaze but he couldn't as Dizen chinned was up. “We can buy her shoes after we ate lunch.”

Dizen looked down. “We can eat lunch after we buy her shoes.” He then looked up and did not wait to see his friend to play cute.

“But what if she's hungry too?” Celo scrambled Dizen's arm, scampering and bustling his feet down the floor like a kid begging his dad to buy him a chocolate ice cream.

“She's not like you—”

“Ask her.” His interjection put silence on Dizen's mouth so he didn't do anything but following his friend's request.

Sighing, he asked Eli. “Do you wanna eat first before we continue shopping?”

“Um...” Eli hesitated to give her answer but her stomach has already decided as if it have its own mouth, growling like a tiger.

“I see.” Dizen nodded and gave Celo a look. “Okay, let's go grab foods first.”

“Thanks God, you listened to me.” Celo walked ahead but when he listened to what his friends mumbled he turned and walked backwards again.

“I just listened to her, bro. Not to you.”

Celo remained silent once they got into the escalator and when they went down, he started ranting to his friend. “You are like that 'cause you finally found a girl so you're treating me bad until I feel I no longer important anymore. Why, Dizen?”

Dizen kept his mouth shut until they turned right, getting near the restaurant. “It's because you're hungry. Don't worry I won't hurt your wallet.”

Celo chuckled. “As if there's money on it.”

“Why do you need it anyway when I'm your wallet?”

“Except for money, I keep my condoms in here that's why it still has a purpose.”

Eli just watched the two blabbing over rubbish topics and to her, it's funny.

Once they got inside the restaurant, of course, Dizen opened up the door for Eli. “Okay, you order our food,” he said to Celo and then looked at Eli. “We'll find some vacant tables.”

When Dizen and Eli reached the vacant table which was now occupied by them, it was near the glass window where they could watch the people outside, walking at the corner of the mall.

“Eli, you said you're looking for job here?” asked Dizen when he had pulled the chair for Eli to sit.

“Nope.” Eli lay her butt down the chair and her arms are on the table now. She's wearing the dress they had bought but don't mind her feet as she's wearing a simple slippers because they will buy her new shoes after they had their lunch.

“What? You said you're—”

“Not here at mall.”

“But I didn't say you'll work here.”

“Yeah,” Eli nodded and stared at the window.

Dizen observed her face and he was starting to lose his control again. He isn't thinking any bad things or any red flag, there's none, he just wanted, for at least, touch her face by his palm and feel what's the feeling of touching her smooth and fair skin. “Is there anything else are you looking for?”

“Uh-uh.” Eli seemed to be not interested of the topic.

“Come on, think of something else.”

“Uh-uh.”

“Just job?”

Eli looked at him in the eyes. “Oh, right!”

“What?” asked Dizen who seemed to be curious on what crossed the woman's mind.

“Money.” 

“Money, huh?” Dizen slowly gave her a head nod, not looking on the other way but on her eyes only.

“Uh-huh!” Eli replied, also with a head nod and not minding the stares.

Dizen looked down, biting his lip and mumbling, “Such a clever lady.”

“What did you say?” Eli's face turned to a little frown.

Then, someone talked back. “He said, I'm handsome.”

“Oh, you're here!” It was Celo whom Dizen did notice now as he reverted his gaze away from Eli to see who's that person came and to his surprise, it's really no other than his stupid friend.

“How come I did not notice you? Ahh, 'cause you're not that important.” Eli teased Celo again and she's now glaring on him as the guy rolled his eyes to get on her nerves.

“You know what? Just thank me 'cause I ordered you foods, fool!” He really emphasized the two last words just to expressed his row toward Eli.

“I only thank you if you use your own money to buy...” she get the plate she presumed hers, “these.” She said after she's got all of the meal for her. The two orders remained on the tray.

“Shameless.”

“You too.”

“It's fine 'cause he's my best friend.” Celo stared and gave Dizen a cagy smile.

“No, it's not fine.” Dizen uttered a grunt as he's started chewing off some chicken wings.

Celo sit down right next to his friend just to complain. “Dizen! Why are you always taking on her sides?”

Dizen gave him an indifferent glimpse. “I'm not on her side right now. I'm on your side.”

“Argh! You really are! When did your mind drift off?”

“He did it the right way.”

“Did what?”

Eli and Dizen stared to each other and that was the moment where Celo was so out of words to explain what was happening between the two. What the hell he could not even understand any of their gestures and the meaning of that damn eye contact and grimaces on their faces.

They laughed.

“What the fuck? What's funny?”

Eli put her hands on her belly while cackling. “Don't ask, moron.”

They laughed at Celo again.

“You both are insane. If only I could read minds.” He shook his head and started digging on his meals, not paying attention to the every single chortle they made or more likely keeping himself distracted by the foods on his plates just to not notice or get totally pissed off by them.