Chapter 17

Faye Malisorn's POV

We arrive at the Mall, the busy atmosphere greeting us as we walk through the entrance. The sound of chatter and the hum of music fill the air, the bright lights of the shops beckoning us to explore.

As we stroll through the mall, Yoko glances over at me, a curious tilt to her head.

"Hey, Faye, you never told me why you wanted to go shopping in the first place. Is there something you're looking for?"

I pause for a moment, thinking about how to answer. There's a small part of me that doesn't want to admit the real reason for this impromptu shopping trip.

"Well, I just thought it'd be nice to spend some time together. And besides, I always enjoy a bit of retail therapy."

"Retail therapy, huh?", she muses, eyes sparkling with intrigue. "Then consider me your personal shopping partner for the day."

With a grin, she loops her arm into mine, pulling me forward towards the nearest store. I can feel the warmth of her touch on my arm and the flutter in my chest at her eagerness.

Yoko's eyes immediately lock onto a pair of socks with a big, happy smiley face on them. She holds them up with a grin, showing me the socks.

"Hey, look at these! I know you love smiley faces, and these are definitely cute."

I can't help but laugh at her find. The socks are adorable, and the smiley face is just too cute to resist.

"Aw, you're right," I say, taking the socks from her to examine them further. "These are absolutely adorable. I'm definitely getting them."

As I grab more pair of the smiley socks for myself, I can't help but think about how cute it would be for us to have matching socks.

Turning to Yoko, I hold up the pair for her. "Do you want a pair for yourself? We could be matching."

"Matching socks?! Yes, please!" she exclaims, snatching the pair from my hand. "We can be the cutest matching duo with these."

We both laugh as we both hold our matching pairs of smiley socks. We look ridiculous and ridiculously cute. The fact that we're both grown women buying matching socks is both hilarious and endearing.

As we're walking towards the checkout counter, my phone suddenly rings in my pocket. I pull it out, a bit surprised, to see Lux's name flashing on the screen.

"Hold on a sec," I say to Yoko, holding up a finger to indicate I need a moment.

I answer the call. "Hey, Lux. What's up?"

"Hey, Faye, when are you available? I want to schedule an appointment for you to do my hair again."

"There's Tanya and Pam at the Amor Spa. They can definitely do your hair, you don't need to wait for me specifically."

There's a pause on the other end of the line, and I can almost envision Lux's frown. When she speaks again, her voice is slightly clipped.

"Tanya and Pam are fine, but my hair looks better when you do it."

I resist the urge to roll my eyes. It's not the first time Lux has shown her preference for me over the other stylists, and no matter how much I try to convince her that they're just as good, she refuses to trust anyone else with her hair.

"But my work schedule is quite packed, and my free time is scarce. I can't be at your beck and call for every hair appointment."

There's a long pause on the other end of the line, and I can practically feel Lux weighing her options. Finally, she responds, her voice stiff and uncompromising.

"I'm willing to pay top price for your service,"

I'm about to respond to Lux's challenge, but I'm interrupted by Yoko tugging at my sleeve.I look down at her, noting her expression as she clearly wants to say something.

I pause, realizing that Yoko is trying to get my attention.

I bring the phone closer to my ear, lowering my voice to a whisper so Yoko can't hear.

"Hey, Lux," I murmur into the phone, "You're honestly crazy. I'll talk to you later about this, alright?"

Ending the call, I turn my full attention to Yoko, putting my phone away.

"What is it? Did you want to say something?"

"Was that Lux you were talking to?" Yoko asks, a pout on her face. Her voice is slightly sulky, and it's clear that she's not too pleased with who I was speaking to.

I can't help but chuckle at her pouting and her obvious jealousy. It's quite endearing, even if a bit childish.

I give her a rueful smile, nodding in affirmation.

"Yeah, that was Lux. She was asking for a hair appointment with me specifically."

Yoko huffs, her pout deepening  "Why does she always ask for you?"

I let out a soft laugh, finding her reaction a bit endearing. "Oh, you know Lux. She's just particular about who touches her hair. It's her thing. Why, are you jealous or something?"

Yoko's eyes widen slightly, her cheeks tinted with a hint of pink. She quickly tries to brush off my question, but I can tell that there might be a kernel of truth to my teasing.

"Jealous? Me? No way," Yoko replies, her voice a little too defensive. She crosses her arms over her chest, trying to look defiant.

I let out a soft laugh, fully enjoying poking fun at her reaction.

"You sure? You look a little grumpy there,"

Yoko shoots me a glare, trying to maintain her stern expression, but the corner of her mouth twitches.

"I'm not grumpy, just... annoyed."

Yoko looks away, her arms still crossed, and then suddenly says, "I've seen your old videos with Lux, you know. You two were so close. I know how much fans ship the two of you together."

I give her a reassuring smile, trying to temper her jealousy.

"Lux and I are just best friends. We've worked together for a long time, and we know each other inside out. That's why we're so comfortable and close with each other. But it's all just platonic friendship."

Yoko seems to take in my words, her expression softenings a little. But her insecurity is still apparent in her eyes, a hint of doubt lingering in her gaze.

I reach out to place a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You don't need to be jealous, especially of Lux. You know that there's only one person I have feelings for, and it's definitely not her."

Yoko looks up at me. "I want us to be the only ship. You and me. I don't like it when you're shipped with anyone else."

I let out a soft laugh, touched by her honesty and her jealousy. I reach out and gently brush a strand of hair off her forehead, my touch affectionate.

"Yo, you don't need to worry about me being shipped with anyone else. You're the only one for me."

Upon hearing my words, Yoko's expression shifts from a pout to a grin. Her eyes brighten, and she seems to visibly relax.

"Good, because you're mine, and I don't plan on sharing you with anyone."

As our conversation continues, a teenaged girl suddenly approaches us, her voice filled with excitement.

"Excuse me, are you P'Faye and P'Yo?"

I can feel my eyes widen in surprise, but I quickly compose myself, giving the girl a friendly smile.

"Yes, we are,"

The girl's cheeks tinge with a blush as she explains her excitement. "Oh my gosh, I'm such a huge fan of your series. And I ship Faye and Yoko so much! You guys are the cutest."

The girl's words cause a smirk to spread across Yoko's face, and I can't help but feel a hint of humor in the situation. We had just been talking about shipping and now here's a fan clearly shipping us.

"Looks like we have a fan," Yoko says, a hint of amusement in her voice.

Our conversation with the fan girl is abruptly interrupted as an elderly lady suddenly appears and calls out to her.

"Earn!" the woman exclaims, her voice sharp and assertive.

The woman's gaze shifts from the girl to us, and her expression hardens slightly as her eyes linger on us. A flicker of recognition passes over her face, and her voice grows a bit cold.

"Earn, it's time to go," she barks out, ignoring us entirely and grabbing the girl's arm.

Yoko and I exchange a quick glance, sensing the subtle shift in the woman's attitude. It's clear that she's not fond of us or our presence.

"But mom," the girl protests, pouting and glancing back at us. "Can't I take a picture with them first?"

"No, absolutely not. I won't let you associate with such immoral people."

Yoko bristles at the woman's harsh words, her fists clenching slightly. I can feel my own irritation rising at the blatant insensitivity and judgement being thrown at both of us.

"Excuse me?" Yoko retorts, her voice rising slightly in indignation. "But we're just going about our day. There's no need to throw around unfounded accusations."

The woman huffs, her lips turning up into a condescending sneer.

"Unfounded? I know exactly who you two are. I recognize you from television. You're both on that sinning show, corrupting young minds with your inappropriate behavior and sinful lifestyle!" she states, her voice cold.

"You're a stain on society, and I won't have my daughter be influenced by people like you!"

Yoko looks like she's about to retort, her mouth opening to speak, but I put a hand on her arm, silently asking her to hold back. I know that arguing with this woman isn't going to get us anywhere.

The woman grabs the girl's arm more forcefully and practically drags her away, still muttering about sinners and bad influences.

The girl looks back at us one more time, her expression a mix of embarrassment and apology, but she quickly disappears after her mother.

Yoko and I stand there in silence for a moment, both of us processing the confrontation. It's hard not to feel a bit shaken by the unexpected attack.

I turn to Yoko, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You okay?"

Yoko lets out a huff, clearly still irritated by the incident. "Yeah, I'm fine, just can't stand it when people judge like that without even knowing us."

I nod in agreement, understanding her feelings all too well. "I know, it's infuriating. But we can't let people like her get to us. We're not defined by their ignorant opinions."

"You're right, we shouldn't let it get to us. But it does sting a bit, you know?"

I give her shoulder a gentle squeeze, offering a reassuring smile. "Yo, don't let that woman's words get to you too much."

Yoko forces a small smile, but her frustration is still there.

"That girl seemed sweet, though," I comment, remembering the fan we had just met. "It's a shame her mom is so narrow-minded."

After the confrontation, we decide to shake it off and continue with our shopping. We head to the checkout counter and pay for our purchases.

As we exit the store, my thoughts drift back to the conversation we've had before. I recall voicing my worry about Yoko's ability to handle situations like the one we just went through.

I glance over at Yoko, studying her expression as she walks beside me. She seems to be trying to maintain her usual confident air, but I can faintly see a hint of turmoil in her eyes.

I bite my lip, feeling a pang of worry. I know how much Yoko values her independence and her tough exterior, but I also know how deeply such judgmental remarks can affect her, and it seems like the situation we just went through might have confirmed my fears a bit.