Chương 35: Not a Date
Haley tapped her foot impatiently, scanning the crowd for any sign of Daniel. She looked at her reflection in the glass window nearby to adjust her hair. She was about to pull out her phone to send a strongly worded text, thinking he had bailed on her, but then she was approached by a figure in a hoodie and sunglasses. Confused and a little freaked out, she took a step back.
"Who are you? Are you a stalker? What do you want?" she asked in quick succession.
"It's me, Haley," the figure said, pulling down the hood slightly.
Haley leaned in closer, trying to get a better look. "Daniel? Is that really you? Why are you dressed like this?"
The now-identified Daniel chuckled awkwardly. "Yeah, it's me. After the Teen Vogue cover, people have started recognizing me more. I thought this might help keep a low profile."
Haley burst into laughter. "You're kidding, right? I think you might actually attract more attention like this."
Daniel sighed, removing his sunglasses. "Maybe you're right. But I didn't want our shopping trip to turn into a meet-and-greet session."
"Come with me," Haley says as she drags Daniel to a more secluded area. There, she changes his disguise a bit.
"There, now it looks less suspicious. Ready to go shopping, Mr. Adler?" Haley asks.
"Lead the way," Daniel replies.
As they ventured into the mall, Daniel had naively assumed that she'd settle on one store, pick out a few items, and they'd be on their way out. Oh, how wrong he was.
"Okay, first stop," Haley announced, dragging him into a high-end boutique.
After a quick scan and a few try-ons, Haley left empty-handed, much to his surprise.
"Not feeling it," she simply said, and off they went to the next store.
This pattern repeated itself as they visited store after store. Sometimes she'd try on a whole bunch of clothes, scrutinize herself in the mirror, then decide against buying anything.
"Are you actually planning to buy anything today, or just window shopping?" he finally asked, half-joking, as they exited yet another store.
Haley turned to him with a grin. "Patience, Daniel. Shopping is an art; it takes time."
Daniel sighed, realizing he was in for a long day. Maybe he should have taken Joanna's advice.
"Don't worry, I'll find something eventually. You're not getting off that easy," she teased, pulling him towards yet another shop.
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Haley looked at herself in front of the mirror, trying on another outfit. Daniel was sitting, waiting for her to finish. Each time she emerged from the fitting room, she looked forward to his reactions, which were always amusingly honest, yet clueless about fashion.
"What do you think?" she asked.
Daniel was looking at her with a strange expression.
"You look... nice," Daniel answered.
"That's it?" she pressed on.
"Yeah, I mean, you always look nice, but this one is... nicer?" Daniel tried again.
"I'm just not sure what I'm supposed to say," Daniel conceded.
"It's okay; I got all I needed," Haley said, deciding to keep the outfit.
Each of his awkward compliments only made Haley more fond of him. There was something endearing about it. It was then an idea popped into her head.
"You know what? I think it's your turn now," she declared, her gaze shifting to him with a grin.
"My turn for what?" he asked, wary of the glint in her eye.
"To get a new look! I'm picking out clothes for you this time," Haley announced.
Daniel hesitated. "I don't know about that. My fashion sense is pretty... defined," he tried to argue, gesturing to his usual attire of comfortable clothes.
"Oh, come on, Daniel. Trust me. I have an eye for this sort of thing," she insisted, grabbing his hand and pulling him towards the men's section.
There, Haley took charge, scanning the racks with a critical eye. She selected a few items—a couple of stylish, fitted shirts that were a slight departure from his usual clothes.
"Try these on. I think they'll look great on you," she said, pushing him gently towards the fitting room.
Reluctantly, he obliged. To his surprise, as he tried on each piece, he found that Haley's choices weren't just good; they were great.
The clothes fit well, and he looked... different. Better, even. Emerging from the fitting room, he caught Haley's reaction. Her mouth formed an 'O' of surprise, and her eyes sparkled with approval.
"Wow, Daniel, you look... amazing," she said, genuinely impressed. "Really? You don't think it's too much?" he asked, examining himself in the mirror. The reflection that stared back at him was unfamiliar but in a good way.
"See? I told you I could pick out something great for you," Haley said, with a satisfied smile on her face as she surveyed her handiwork.
"Thanks, Haley. I guess I underestimated your fashion sense," he said, offering her a grateful smile.
Haley continued to pick out more clothes and had Daniel try them out. As the day went on, Haley realized that her feelings for Daniel were growing stronger.
She enjoyed his company. Being with him felt easy, natural. She didn't know what to think around him.
She wondered if Daniel felt the same way or if he was just being his usual friendly self.
"Why don't we get something to eat?" Daniel asked, interrupting her thoughts.
"What?" she asked.
"Why don't we get something to eat? It's been a few hours since we've been here."
"Yeah, sure. What do you have in mind?" she asked.
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After a while, they found themselves at the food court in the mall, sitting across from each other, with Daniel diving into a very large burger.
"There's no way you're going to eat all that," Haley remarked.
"Watch me," Daniel challenged.
"No, thank you," Haley replied as she took a sip from her drink.
"Haley! Haley!" a voice rang out across the food court. Both Haley and Daniel turned to see Gloria walking towards them.
"Oh my god," Haley said.
"Oh, it's Gloria," Daniel said happily, giving her a wave.
Gloria reached them, her eyes immediately landing on the numerous shopping bags.
"Ay, what's this?" she asked before her gaze shifted to Daniel and back to Haley. A knowing smile spread across her face.
"Is this a date?" she inquired, her tone more playful.
"No," both Haley and Daniel answered at the same time.
Gloria gave them a confused look.
"No, no, it's not like that," Haley hurried to explain.
"Yeah, we were just hanging out," Daniel added.
Gloria raised her eyebrows, not entirely convinced but decided to play along. "Ah, just 'hanging out,' I see. With all these bags, it looks like quite the hangout," she teased.
Haley tried to clarify, "It's... uh, Daniel lost a bet, so he had to take me shopping. That's all."
"Well, as long as you two are having fun. Daniel, it's good to see you again," Gloria said.
Daniel smiled back, "Always a pleasure, Gloria. And yeah, we had a good day," he said, looking at Haley.
Gloria turned to leave but not before offering one parting comment. "Just remember, Haley, if he loses any more bets, make sure it benefits you as much as this one." With a laugh, she waved goodbye and continued on her way.
Once Gloria was out of earshot, Haley and Daniel shared an awkward silence, each lost in their thoughts.
Both Daniel and Haley were silently nursing the same question in their minds: Was this a date? They both felt the dynamic between them had changed somewhat.
Daniel picked at his food. He tried not think about it much though today has been unexpectedly fun. Date or not he would't mind going out with her again.
On the other side of the table, Haley was experiencing a similar internal debate. She found herself enjoying Daniel's company more than she had anticipated, and the day had been surprisingly fun. They were just two friends spending the day together. Yet, why did she feel this pang of disappointment at the thought of it not being a date?
As the meal came to an end, and they stood to leave, a mutual, silent agreement seemed to pass between them. Whatever this was, it was just a day out between friends. Nothing more.
As they neared the exit of the mall, preparing to part ways, they stood awkwardly for a moment.
Haley gathered her courage. "Daniel, I...," she started, but the words seemed to get stuck in her throat.
Daniel turned to her. "Yeah?"
"Nothing, just... thanks for today. It was really fun," she managed to say.
Daniel smiled. "Anytime, Haley. We should hang out more often, you know, without the whole bet thing."
Haley's eyes lit up at the suggestion.
"Yeah, that sounds great," she replied, her voice brighter than before.
With a final wave, they parted ways, each secretly hoping for more 'not-dates' in the future.
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