Chapter 18

Adella Arcos - POV

The moment I locked the door behind me, the first thing I did was check the price tags on each dress, which nearly gave me a heart attack. This one dress costs almost half of the salary that I earn. “Why don't you go and tell her that it's too expensive,” Rachel suggested, and I rolled my eyes at her.

“You know very well what happened the last time we went to the mall. She insisted that she would buy everything for me, and that is exactly what she did.”

“She is our friend. Why are you bothered about that?” Rachel asked me.

“I don't want her to waste her money on me, Rachel. I mean, it also makes me feel bad that I am allowing her to spend thousands of dollars on me. And I know that she will not let me pay for this either. What do I do now?” I asked her while I slid down the wall and sat down on the floor.

“We will choose one dress from here and pay for it while she chooses for herself,” she said, and even though I didn't like the idea of spending this much money, I begrudgingly agreed to her suggestion.

“Are you sleeping inside!” I heard Summer’s voice, so I got up and wore the first dress. It was an all-black velvet dress with an off-shoulder look.

“How does this look?” I stepped out and did a little twirl. Summer’s face was scrunched up, and she shook her head.

“It looks odd on you. Try something else,” she said. Two hours later and I still haven't found the perfect dress for me.

“I give up. I will find something elsewhere.” I told her and plopped down next to her while the thesalegirl’s eyes slightly widened in fear. Part of me was happy that I didn't find the perfect dress in here.

“Ma’am, a new lot of collection just arrived, would you like to try that?” she asked me. Of course, she would try to make me buy something.

“No, I…”

“That would be great, let's see that.” Summer interrupted me, and the salesgirl fast walked to go and get it.

“Summer, I…”

“Don't give me excuses, Ella. Let's see a few more dresses, and if you don't like anything, then let's leave,” she said, and right then, the salesgirl came back inside with a black bag. She opened the bag and pulled out a mint-green dress that was a mix of satin and silk with a lot of shimmer to it. She pulled it out and showed it to us. The dress had long sleeves on one side, while there were no sleeves on the other, with a very low back and a sweetheart neckline.

“This is from our premium collection, ma'am.” the sales girl said.

“Great, why don't you go and try it on, Ella.” Summer said, and I nodded my head and took the dress from her, and tried it on. It was beautiful on me. “Oh my god! This is the dress.” Summer gushed in bliss when she saw me.

“But Summer, I feel like this is slightly over my budget.” I nervously told her.

“It's way over our budget, woman. Three thousand dollars is more than the monthly salary that you earn.” Rachel pointed out while I was panicking inside.

“I never said that you could pay for this. This is the first ball that you are going to attend, so I will be the person buying it for you,” she said with no room for arguments before she turned around towards the sales girl. “Take this to the billing counter, I will come and pay for this once I find something or me,” she said, and the salesgirl took the dress and went.

Another hour later, we were done with our shopping, and we walked towards the billing counter. “You pay for it before she does,” Rachel told me, and I quickly took my debit card out. While Summer was distracted by all the shoes that were there, I quickly walked to the billing counter.

“How much should I pay?” I asked the woman behind the cashier. She gave me a weird look before she typed something on her computer.

“You don't have to pay for anything, ma'am. Someone already paid for it and asked me to give this to you,” she said and handed me the dress. I was momentarily shocked to hear this. Who could have paid for my dress?

“How much is the total bill?” Summer came and stood next to me. “Don't tell me you paid for that?” she asked, exasperated, and I violently shook my head.

“No, I didn't pay for this.” I sincerely told her, but she narrowed her eyes at me.

“She didn't pay for it, ma'am.” the lady behind the cashier said, which made Summer turn her attention away from me. “A gentleman paid for it and asked me to give it to her,” she said.

“Oh, so that's sorted. Why don't you bill these then.” Summer said. When we came back out, Summer had a huge smile plastered on her face.

“Why do you have that creepy smile on your face?” I asked her with suspicion.

“I guess I know who that gentleman is,” she said air quoting the word gentleman.

“And who do you think it is?” I asked her with an arched eyebrow.

“It's your mate, who else,” she said in a duh tone. “I guess he must have seen you enter this shop, and thought to give you a little surprise,” she explained. Even though we have no idea who it is for sure, the thought of Jose buying something for me filled my heart with warmth and happiness.

“Anyway, since it's time for lunch, where do you want to eat?” Summer asked me while her eyes were fixed on the few restaurants downtown.

“What do you feel like eating?” I asked her, and a sheepish smile formed on her face.

“Shall we go and try that new Turkish restaurant that was recently opened?” she asked me, and I nodded my head.