I Must Be Blind, to Not Have Seen the Signs

Pip decided she wanted to go to Kingston, so I was stood outside the Bentall’s Centre waiting for her to get there. I can not believe I’d agreed to take her shopping. I mean it was the most laborious task in the world but if pip wanted to do it, then I was willing.

My phone buzzed and I looked down expecting pip to be calling, but it was max.

“Sup gay boy” he said when I answered. “You busy?”

“Yeah, me and pip are out today. Why what’s up?”

“Well we’re all bored and were thinking of going down the pub. Just wondering if you were down. I guess not though”

“Sorry mate, you lads have fun though, yeah? Later man” and with that we ended the call. I’d just got my phone in my pocket when I felt a pair of hands cover my eyes from behind.

“Guess who?” I heard pip say, though she tried to make her voice higher to mask who she really was but I knew it was her.

“I know that’s you pip” I chuckled as I moved her hands away and turned to face her.

“You sir, are a fun killer” she pouted and jabbed her finger into my chest.

I stepped back to look at her and I couldn’t keep the smile off of my face. Her hair was all shiny and wavy and her face seemed to almost glow with happiness. She was wearing a pair of shorts that showed off her gorgeously long legs, and even though they were high wasted, when she lifted her arms to adjust her bag her top would rise up along with it, giving me a sneaky peek.

But hey who’s complaining right?

“What are you smiling at” she said looking a little uncomfortable due to the fact I couldn’t keep my eyes off of her. I just shook my head lightly before putting my arm around her and walking us into the centre.

I pretty much just followed wherever she went. Sometimes she would show me things and ask if I liked them. If I’m being completely honest I didn’t really give a shit, but I just nodded and she smiled and put the things back.

“Are you actually gonna get anything?” I said after the fifth time of her asking.

“I get paid next week and I don’t exactly have the money right now” she said matter of factly.

“So you’re just looking at a load of stuff you can’t have? That’s like the most depressing thing I’ve ever heard”

“It’s okay” she giggled and then grabbed my hand, pulling me into Bentall’s at the back. I thought it was a bit of bad move since most of the stuff in this part of shop was designer stuff and if she didn’t have enough money for Primark, then I was pretty sure she didn’t have enough money for the ridiculous prices in this place.

I didn’t really care though. She was still holding my hand.

She was just browsing the racks when she picked up a black dress. At the sight of it I remembered Elissa once telling me that every girl needed a little black dress.

Her eyes raked over the fabric with a look of want. But after a few seconds she scrunched her nose with a sad smile, and put the dress back.

“Hey, why don’t you like try it on or something?” I suggested but she shook her head lightly.

“It’ll only make me want it more, and I could never afford It. Plus where the hell am I going to wear it to?” she explained, moving on to look at something else, but I pulled her back.

“Then this is the closest, you might get” I said, picking out her size and pushing her in the way of the changing rooms. “Make sure to come out and show me after yeah?” I called over as she went inside. Before I lost sight of her, she turned and stuck her tongue out at me.

She was only a few minutes when she came back out. The dress fit her like a glove, hugging all the right places. She had such a perfect figure I swear I’d never seen anything like her before. I’d never felt like this when just looking at a girl before.

I felt the heat rush to my face and a sudden feeling of shyness took over me, like I couldn’t look at her in the eye properly. How she managed to get this hold over me I had no idea.

She waltzed over to me, in that dress that made my trousers feel slightly tighter, still in her creepers and frilly socks, and did a little spin in front of me before placing her hands on her hips.

“You look beautiful, sweetheart” I managed to get out and she blushed ever so slightly whilst ducking her head. She recovered quickly though and looked at me with a cheeky little grin.

“Well thanks for making me try it on and now hate my life because I can’t have it” she said before winking at me and going back into the dressing room.

I’m not ashamed to say I looked at her bum the whole time she walked back.

I stood waiting for her and when she returned she gave the dress back to the woman saying she didn’t want it, before returning to my side.

“You two make a lovely couple, by the way” the woman said. She looked to be in her late forties and she smiled at us with what looked like such hope in her eyes.

“Oh we’re not together” I said and I was surprised as to how bitter I sounded, but I smiled after at the woman who looked like she was about to apologise a million times. I looked down at pip too, but found she’s pursed her lips and looked almost mad at something, but she recovered quickly.

“Yeah, if anything he’s more like my gay best friend” she told the woman before thanking her again and pulling us away.

“I’m actually going to kill you” I told her as we left the shop and she just giggled.

“Don’t be embarrassed josh, it’s okay to be open about your sexuality nowadays”

I didn’t wanna add more fuel to her fire so I just shook my head with a laugh and we carried on looking around for another few hours or so before just walking aimlessly around.

I got a text from max that just said “turn around” so we did and there he was, hanging his head out of some pub, so we decided to have a pit stop.

Once inside we saw all the boys were there, including Kia, who pip ran straight over to and they began talking about that dress pip had tried on. I could see the sadness in her eyes because I knew how much she wanted it. So when Kia went up to the bar, I seized my opportunity and got her alone.

“Kia, I need you’re help.”

“Sure thing, what’s up?”

“I need you to make some sort of excuse so you can get out of here for like 15 minutes”

“Okay…” she said sceptically but didn’t ask anymore questions before going over to dan and saying she had to run to get something quickly but she’d be back in no time. On the way out she simply said see you outside and left.

I just simply took my phone out pretending to take a call about band stuff and wondered outside as naturally as I could. Once outside I grabbed Kia’s arm and towed her along back to where me and Pip had just been.

“Care to tell me what’s going on?” she asked as we walked quickly and it only occurred to me then I hadn’t actually said what I needed her for.

“Right, sorry. Well that dress Pip was telling you about? I wanna go and buy it for her but you know, I’m like a dude so I can’t be seen buying dresses and the woman who works there already thinks I’m gay so I was thinking maybe if I give you the money for it, you could get it?”

“You’re such a boy” she commented but she was still following me so I took that as agreement. As we went into the shop and I showed her the dress, Kia smiled in approval. “Pip is one lucky girl, but she deserves it right?”

“That’s what I was thinking”

“I have a gift card for here that I’m never gonna use so I’ll pay for it with that yeah, you can just pay me back whenever” she stated as she took the dress over to the empty register. The same woman who was over by the changing room’s came over and looked at me like I was some type of man whore because I was with a different girl, but I just tried to ignore her disapproving glances.

Once outside, I gave Kia the money for it and she gave me the bag with the dress in.

“Can you do me another favour?” I asked and she just laughed before hiding it in her oversized bag. “Now this is why you’re my favourite” I winked as I threw my arm around her shoulders.

She smiled brightly but then her face went serious and she looked me dead in the eye.

“You really like Pip, don’t you?”

“Well yeah, she’s great” I replied, trying to make out that her and I were friends even though I knew what Kia was getting at.

“Don’t play dumb josh, you know what I mean and I know how you feel about her. I can see it every time you look her way. She’s my best friend yeah? So you do anything to hurt her and I’ll castrate you with a spoon, you got it?”

“I would never hurt pip, I promise”

Her smile grew slowly and she nodded lightly.

“I know. Just tell her how you feel yeah? I’m pretty sure she feels the same, and I’m her best friend so I know these kinda things” she winked.

By then we were back outside the pub and I pushed her to the doorway.

“You go in first, I’ll be in in a sec so it doesn’t look weird” She nodded but I called her name again and she turned to look at me with a confused face. “Thank you”

“You’re welcome” she nodded before walking back in the pub.

I stayed outside for a few minutes, just thinking about what Kia had said and hatching a plan in my mind. Pip had said she didn’t want the dress because she didn’t have anywhere to wear it to.

I guess I’d just have to find an excuse for her to wear it. Shouldn’t be to hard, right?