Chapter 2: Part 3/4

The shopping complex at the centre of town was a monolith, built in the mid-2000s during a mass redevelopment programme. It has everything you could possibly need packed into it. I’m more of an out of season shopper. A few visits a year to buy the stuff that’s on sale works out perfectly for me. Lily had greater plans. Terrifying plans really. It felt like we had a long day ahead of us.

Lily had picked out so much stuff in the first store that I had to step in and put a stop to it, but she quickly put me back in my place.

“I can’t afford all of this,” I said, as she passed me another dress. “You’re not even going to be here that long.”

“Stop reminding me,” she said, pouting. “I don’t get to dress a new, hot body like this very often so let me have fun.”

“If you buy a few it’s fine but this is mostly going out clothes. You need jeans and stuff like that for everyday living.”

“I know how hot girls dress.”

“Hot girls in the 1990s and hot girls in the 2010s,” I reminded her, and she didn’t look happy about it.

“I can put a miniskirt on and everyone is going to be happy. That’s a fact in every era.”

She had me with that one. A miniskirt would have been on my list for her too. “Feel free to buy a few of those.”

“Oh, I will,” she said, smiling. “I lived with a tennis girl for almost a year. Wait until I get my hands on some tennis skirts. They were a hot part of my last life so they’re not going anywhere.”

I found it quite interesting that her personality was developed by her various stints on earth, and how she kept parts of her past summoners inside of her. “I can only afford so much though, so let’s take it easy.”

“I have magic powers. A bit of skin on skin contact and we’re walking out of here with anything we want, free of charge,” she informed me, rooting through another aisle of dresses and bodysuits. “You have got to learn how to take advantage of my gifts.”

I wasn’t sure about stealing, but then she distracted me by inviting me along for a try-on haul. I didn’t want to miss out on that. The store was fairly quiet, but we still took the last stall. I sat outside on a bench that seemed to be designated for husbands, and she went in to start testing the fit of her new garments.

The first dress was short and black. The bodice was tight fitting but it flared at the hips. It was similar to what she had worn to the party the night before, but shorter, falling just shy of halfway down her thighs. She had a nice pair of legs, and they were where my eyes roamed first. She gave me a quick spin, and it looked like a buy for me. “Looks good,” I said.

“Perfect fit as well,” she bragged, having been guessing her various sizings in the car on the journey over.

“Impressive.”

Next was a summer dress, white in colour and longer in length, but quite sheer. A few more dresses followed, before she showed off more of her legs in some denim shorts. It was hard to keep my composure, because she looked so good and she knew it, and she liked to show off and tease me. Eventually she just stopped closing the curtain altogether, and I would watch her change from one piece of clothing to the next.

She made her final decisions, before flirting with a female staff member, and convincing her that she had purchased everything with a gift card. It was a hell of a performance even before she made physical contact, and after that there was nothing to worry about. After everything had been bagged, it was me who had to carry them. I decided anything was worth it for a little more show and tell.