"I think this looks good," Soren said, holding up a cream-colored sweater and turning it slightly so the light caught the fabric.
"No," Jamie countered immediately, barely glancing at it. "He should go for something softer. That fabric is too structured."
"It's not structured," Soren argued. "It's relaxed but clean. It suits him."
Jamie scoffed. "You say that about everything."
They had been arguing for hours.
Every time we stepped into a new shop, the same thing happened. Soren would gravitate toward calmer coloured clothes. Like brown or white.
Jamie, on the other hand, always reached for things that were bright. Lighter colours like pink, yellow and so on.
And every single time, they argued like this was a matter of life and death.
I stood between them, half-dressed in yet another outfit, watching them bicker like an audience member at a play that had gone on far too long but was still somehow entertaining.
I had never had a fashion style.
Back in the forest pack, clothes were never about expression. They were about function. About covering your body. About doing what you were told. I wore whatever was handed to me, whatever fit, whatever didn't draw attention.
And then there was Andrew.
Andrew loved dressing his mate.
Every time he went out, he came back with clothes for me. Shirts that clung too tightly. Pants that showed too much skin. Colors I hated. Fabrics that made my skin crawl. But they were his taste, and that was all that mattered.
I had been taught from the moment I presented as an omega that my wants didn't matter. That my comfort didn't matter. That if my mate wanted me to wear something, I wore it. No questions. No complaints.
So I never complained.
I remembered the way Andrew would look at me after making me change into those clothes. The hunger in his eyes. The way his gaze never felt like admiration, only possession. Like I was something he owned, something he could display.
Thinking about it now made my stomach twist.
"Are you even listening to us?" Jamie asked suddenly, snapping me out of my thoughts.
I blinked and looked at them. "Huh?"
Soren sighed. "See? We're overwhelming him."
"You're overwhelming me," Jamie shot back. "We've been in this store for forty minutes."
The worker nearby didn't even look up from folding clothes. She didn't spare them a glance as they argued, which told me everything I needed to know. They'd been here before. Many times. She'd probably seen this exact scene play out over and over again.
It was strange.
Annoying, loud and chaotic but it felt strange in a good way. I wasn't overwhelmed at all by them.
I had never gone out with people like this before. People who argued loudly in public and didn't care who heard. People who laughed in the middle of disagreements. Is this how shopping felt like?
"This is kind of scary" I muttered under my breath.
Jamie heard me and grinned. "See? He agrees with me."
"That's not what I meant," I said quickly.
Soren chuckled. "You're doing great, Holland. I can't believe you're taking his side"
"I-"
"Of course he is," Jamie said, smiling.
The worker finally spoke up. "Maybe," she said calmly, "we should ask him what he wants?"
The three of us froze.
Jamie and Soren slowly turned toward me at the same time.
"Well?" Soren asked. "What do you like, Holland?"
Jamie nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah. What do you want?"
I opened my mouth.
And then I closed it.
What did I want?
No one had ever asked me that before, at least not like this. Not seriously. Not with the intention of actually listening to my answer.
"I…" I hesitated, my fingers curling into the fabric of the shirt I was wearing. "I don't really know."
"That's okay," Soren said gently. "Take your time."
"I think what you're wearing looks good on you," he added. "But that's just my opinion."
Jamie nodded. "Same. I think the yellow shirt suits you more. But that's just my opinion too."
They were still arguing.
Just more politely now.
I laughed before I could stop myself. A real laugh, surprised and a little breathless.
"Can't I have both?" I asked, smiling.
They both answered at the same time.
"Totally."
We moved from one clothing shop to another after that, the arguments never stopping. After we're done shopping at every store Soren would tell the staff to have the clothes delivered, and every time I stared at him in disbelief.
I had never seen anything like this.
Shopping without carrying bags. Choosing things without worrying about cost.
After clothes came makeup, which surprised me even more.
"Are we… allowed to use this?" I asked, staring at the displays.
Andrew hated makeup and called it artificial. Said it was deceptive and that omegas who used it were trying too hard.
"Of course," Soren said easily. "My favorite brand is Torns. Their blushes are incredible."
"And Stella's lip tints," Jamie added dramatically, clutching his chest, "are to die for."
"Don't get me started," Soren groaned. "Stella never misses."
"What are lip tints?" I asked honestly.
Both of them turned to me slowly, eyes wide.
I shifted under their stares. "What?"
"I can't even explain this," Soren said, already grabbing my wrist. "We're fixing this immediately."
He dragged me into a store called Stella, Jamie following closely behind, practically vibrating with excitement.
The aisle was full of small bottles in every color imaginable.
"Try this one," Soren said, handing me a red bottle.
The label read Cherry Red.
I opened it and froze. "This is… really red."
"Trust us," Jamie said.
I applied it carefully, and immediately my lips looked ridiculously bright.
"This is so red," I said, panicking and trying to wipe it off.
Jamie grabbed my hands. "Don't. Just Wait."
"It dries," Soren explained. "Then you peel it off."
I waited, heart pounding, convinced I'd ruined my face.
"Okay," Jamie said finally. "Peel."
I did.
Soren gasped.
He rushed off and came back with a mirror, holding it up in front of me.
I stared.
They looked like my lips but better. Rosier.
"Oh," I whispered. "Oh wow."
"I told you," Jamie squealed. "Gorgeous."
"And the best part," Soren added, smiling, "is you don't have to apply it every day. It lasts."
I kept staring at my reflection.