𝐀𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐞 𝐏𝐎𝐕

One would think shopping in a mall this size would mean it's easier to find exactly what you're looking for. Well, I can prove that wrong now. We've been here for a few hours, looked in numerous stores, and I still have yet to find anything that catches my eye.

Ana and Nora found exactly what they were looking for within the first hour of being here, so I opted for us to leave. There's no sense in continuing to look around when I brought plenty of clothes with me when I packed.

Gareth, Nora and Jax are chatting ahead while Ana and I are walking arm in arm. My eyes are trained on Jax, watching his eyes crinkle at the sides when he laughs at what Gareth said, and the confidence he exudes from in the way he walks. He's one of the happiest people I've ever met and you'd think with the music he writes that he'd be constantly angry or bitter. Yet that's not the case at all.

"Are you sure you want to leave?" Ana asks quietly.

I force my eyes to leave Jax and look at Ana. I give her a soft smile. "Yeah, it's fine. I'm sure I have something at the house," I shrug.

We continue walking toward the exit when a store to our right catches my eye. I stop suddenly, pulling Ana's elbow slightly to get her attention.

"What's up? Are you okay?" she asks. Her face scrunching slightly with concern while her eyes scan my face.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I... I wanted to look in here," I say while gesturing toward the store. The storefront has displays of numerous lingerie options with a yellow neon sign that reads "Lace Dreams" above glass double doors.

"To wear to Boston Common?" Ana asks with a smirk. Her eyes flicking from the store and back to me. "Or is it for a special someone?"

I had a feeling it was going to sound like I wanted it for Jax, but that's not the case. I've never felt comfortable in my body to wear something like this and now I do. I don't have to wear it for someone else to feel beautiful. I just want it for a confidence boost, and nothing else.

I shake my head. "It's for me," I say with finality.

She nods in response before muttering something that sounds like 'sit tight' before she jogs ahead and pulls on Jax's sleeve. While she talks with him, his eyes meet mine before he gives me a small smile. When he nods, he gestures for Gareth and Nora to follow him toward the food court and Ana's jogging back to me.

"I asked him to take them to the food court because you needed to talk," she says while dragging me into the store.

The store is so bright I almost feel like I should have brought my sunglasses with me. Everything in here is colorful and bright—the complete opposite of my normal wardrobe. There's yellows, greens, whites, and even pinks. Yet almost close to no black in sight.

"Maybe this was a bad idea," I admit while running my fingers over a light pink corset.

Ana picks up a mustard colored lace two piece and holds it out to me. "Why do you say that? You need some color in your life, and that's coming from someone whose closet also is littered with black and grey clothing," she chuckles.

I accept the garment in her hands and look it over carefully. The fabric is soft against my fingers, the delicate lace feeling like a soft satin. I drape it over my arm and look at Ana with a tight-lipped smile. "Alright, I'll get this one."

"Great!" she says. Before I can say anymore, she's already dashing toward another rack. Pulling out more pieces while looking deep in thought.

I wander to the other side of the store, where I finally find their darker selections. They have all their deep reds, blacks, and dark purples hidden back here. My fingers barely touch the black corset before I hear Ana clicking her tongue from behind me.

"I thought this was about stepping out of your comfort zone," she teases. She stands beside me while looking through the rack before taking out a one piece lace set in a gorgeous olive color. "Get this one. It'll look amazing with your complexion and hair color."

I look at her in shock and wonder where she got this talent from. She reads people so well, I swear she'd be amazing in fashion. The way she could pull anything out and just knew it would be a good fit for me, and never picking a piece she knew I'd hate. Like anything with a string.

When we're heading toward the register, my phone vibrates loudly in my pocket. Ana raises an eyebrow before snickering. "Is that Jax?" she asks.

I take my phone out swiftly and read the notification.

Jaxon: Just checking on you. You guys have been gone for a bit. Do you need anything?

I type out a quick response, promising to meet back up soon before shoving the phone back into my pocket. I can feel Ana's eye bore into the back of my head when I turn around and give her a mocking grin.

"Girl, you already have that guy wrapped around your finger," he says while setting the items on the counter.

I don't reply to her comment. There's no point. I could understand all this effort for Gareth and Nora since they're already at that point, but not Jax and I. The most he and I have done is hold hands because I had a damn panic attack.

After I'm cashed out—and made sure the cashier triple bagged my items before I shoved them into my Hot Topic bag—Ana and I head for the food court. When we locate the table they're sitting at, I notice Jax is staring at his phone. Not scrolling or typing, just staring at it. It's almost like he senses my staring when he looks up and drops his phone into his pocket before walking our way.

"Hey, are you alright?" he asks. His eyes scan my features for any sign of distress when he places his hand on my arm.

I smile before nodding. "I'm fine. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to worry you."

"I have the feeling I'm always going to worry about you, Allie," he murmurs—and I swear my heart just flatlined.

I stand there, at a loss for words. My mouth opening and closing like I'm a fish out of water when Gareth and Nora meet us.

"Hey, do we want to grab a bite to eat?" Nora asks. She gestures toward the open restaurants in the food court.

"Or we could go grab some actual food," Gareth chuckles. His face twists with disgust while his eyes scan the food court.

"Aw, what's wrong, rockstar? Not a fan of mall food anymore?" I tease.

"I'm definitely not a fan of three-day-old Chinese food."

"We could try Ramsay's Kitchen. It's not far from here," Ana suggests while her eyes are glued to her phone.

Nora squeals loudly from beside us. "Yes, please!"

"You know Gordon won't be there, right?" I inform her with a raised eyebrow. I hate to be the bearer of bad news for her, but it's not realistic.

"Hey, you don't know that," Nora mumbles. She looks to Gareth for approval with her puppy dog eyes.

Gareth wraps an arm around her shoulder and softly kisses the side of her head. "You're right. You never know."

We head into the parking garage when Jax holds out his hand expectantly. I look at him with confusion, not knowing if he wants my hand since they're both pretty full with shopping bags. He chuckles softly before swiping them out of both of my hands and carries them the rest of the way. If this man doesn't stop with the swooning, I swear to God I'm going to drag his ass to the court house and sign a damn marriage certificate right now.

We pile in the car, and I'm relived at the fact my anxiety seems to be okay. There were even a few people piling into their cars as we passed and their car doors slamming didn't rattle me. Jax pulls his phone out of his back pocket and hands it to me before turning to put his seatbelt on.

"Would you mind setting up the GPS and letting me know where to go?" he asks with a smile.

I take the phone from him and cradle it in my lap. "Of course," I reply while typing in the address.

Jax eases through traffic while I instruct him on where to go. Being in Boston the last few weeks taught me that down here you can't just change lanes last minute. People here are a lot less forgiving than up north. One thing I'm definitely looking forward to when we get home—and of course seeing my girls again.

"Turn here," I instruct while pointing out my window for the parking garage. He misses the turn and keeps driving with a smirk on his face. "What... You missed it."

"I'm going to park on the street. Might be easier," he replies while pointing ahead. "Like right there."

My smile widens while I watch him parallel park with ease. He barely even had to look in his mirrors and it's sad to admit how impressed I am by that. Especially for someone who lives in another country, and I've lived here my whole life and I still can't parallel park.

"Do you guys think we need a reservation?" Nora asks from the backseat.

"I think it depends how busy they are," Gareth replies.

We pile out of Jax's car and walk down the street until a tall, white brick building with royal blue canopies greets us. Gareth leads the way inside the restaurant, stopping at the hostess booth where a young girl is organizing menus. Jax walks confidently up to the podium and clears his throat to politely let his presence be known. When the hostess looks up slowly, her eyes widen with surprise.

"Hello. Could we get a table for five, please?" Jax asks. Clearly turning his Welsh charm up a few notches while he leans casually on the podium.

The hostess stammers while scrambling for a pen. "Do you have a reservation with us Mr. Owens?" she asks quietly.

"We just figured we'd try our luck," Gareth chimes in with a shrug.

"Oh... Of course! I will be right back," she replies before suddenly walking off.

Jax leans further onto the podium, stretching his back when he looks over his shoulder to give me a subtle wink. I have to fight the urge to fan myself in the middle of this restaurant with how much he makes my head swim.

The hostess rushes back to her podium, her long blonde ponytail swishing behind her. "I spoke with our manager and we have space! If you'll follow me, Mr. Owens and Mr. Chase, we have a table in the back!"

While following her to our table, I can't help but marvel at the interior design. An accent wall matches the canopies outside perfectly. They hold beautiful artwork of the city of Boston throughout the wall. In the center of the room, there are four white circular booths with similar shaped light figures glowing from the ceiling. This place is absolutely gorgeous and everything I would expect from a Gordon Ramsay restaurant.

"Here we are," the hostess says while stopping at one of the circular booths. She places menus down across the table while we file inside.

"Thanks, love," Gareth murmurs while he picks up his menu.

The hostess blushes instantly, looking at Nora, Ana and I for any reaction. "It's my pleasure! Your server will be with you shortly to take your drink order," she says before skipping away.

"This place is gorgeous," I say quietly. Afraid my voice might ricocheted off the walls if I were to speak too loudly. The carpeting in here definitely helps keep the noise levels down.

Suddenly Ana lets out a howling laugh, echoing through the restaurant. Exactly what I was just afraid of with noise bouncing off the walls.

"What's so funny?" I ask her while trying to stifle my own laughter.

Unable to speak she hold her menu out toward me. Her finger points to an item advertised.

"Idiot sandwich?" I read out loud slowly. "Are you serious?"

Nora quickly picks up her menu and cackles when she sees the proof. "Well, I know what I'm getting!" she says between laughs.

"Oh, shit. Our waitress is coming," Ana says while pretending to zip her lips.

Everyone simmers down once the server approaches our table with a notepad and pen in hand. When I look up and see long, jet black hair—I instantly regret coming here for lunch.