Author's note: this is from Seraphina's point of view

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The afternoon in the mall with Duke was a dream come true.

We held hands and checked out stores, the feeling of his fingers interlaced with mine gave me immense pleasure.

Duke and I decided to pick clothes for each other to try.

We separated to get garments for each other, and we were only a few racks apart when several salesgirls gathered around Duke. I glared at them as my anger swelled, but before I caused a scene, Duke shooed them away.

"Thank you, ladies, but my fiancée is here.", Duke said with a smile while gesturing toward me. "I don't want her to misunderstand."

"We were only trying to help.", one of the salesgirls said innocently and I wanted to scratch that fake mask she was wearing. She was ogling at MY Duke, and she knew it!

"I understand, but please, keep your distance. If I need help, I will ask for it." He raised his voice, to make sure I will hear him, "Don't worry, love! None of them compares to you! I would never touch any of them!"

The last traces of my anger sizzled away with ugly expressions of salesgirls who swiftly retreated.

Duke never cared about offending others. I used to think that was his carefree personality of a rebel, but now I believe the arrogance comes with the Alpha gene he is carrying.

However, no matter how rude he would be to others, that didn't apply to me. Being with Duke came with a sense of safety, like staying under an umbrella that can protect me against everything bad in the world.

I was happy that Duke obediently tried everything I gave him. He posed for me in various outfits, and I'm confident that I had hearts in my eyes because he really looks good in anything.

The cashier's eyes sparkled when Duke pulled out a black card.

He paid extra for our purchases to be sent to his apartment with instructions, "Leave them in front of the apartment door."

"What's wrong with us carrying the bags?", I asked.

He took my hand in his and kissed the back of my palm. "I want my hands free so that I can hold you."

I giggled like an idiot. Isn't he the sweetest?

I noticed that his face lit up in anticipation as we passed by Victoria's Secret, and I ignored his eye signals. I had no intention of buying sexy lingerie with him, but I took a mental note to buy some when he is not around so that I can surprise him.

There is nothing wrong with my current underwear; they are comfortable and cute with some lacy details, but I think I could go with something racier.

Three clothing stores later, Duke got us salted pretzels and we sat on a bench under the plastic palm tree and nibbled on fresh pastries while smiling at each other foolishly like an enamored teenage couple.

It was not crowded because it was a weekday, and I was pleased that no one recognized us. We are not celebrities to show up in magazines (other than the ones focused on business), and people from posh social circles don't come to malls.

Besides shopping for clothes, we went to the Lego store and spent almost an hour playing with their sample blocks. I was awkward for the first few minutes because, other than us, three kids (all under ten years old) were in that area, but Duke told me to focus on what we were doing and to ignore the weird looks of children's parents who probably saw us as weirdos. Or maybe child-kidnappers.

Duke built a castle, and I made a garden around it. Teamwork.

We also went to the music store and held one headset between our heads while listening to sample music. I found out that Duke is into hard-edged rock and punk music. I didn't know that. I'm more of a slow-paced, jazz person. Duke was always more energetic than me, and his music choices reflected that.

Duke tugged me into a photo booth and for 50p we got four instant photos.

"These summarize our relationship accurately.", I said while looking at the strip with four photos.

The first photo was normal of me sitting in Duke's lap. The second one has him smiling smugly and my eyebrows up (because he groped my butt). On the third one, he was grinning as I scolded him for doing such a thing as we took photos, and the fourth one showed me and Duke kissing.

"Yeah, I can't get my hands off you.", Duke said shamelessly.

"And I can't be angry at you for more than three seconds, no matter what mischief you are up to." It was the truth.

Duke laughed and wrapped his arm around my shoulders, pulling me closer to him. My arm moved behind him, at the waist level, and my world was perfect.

We found a store that sold drinks and snacks and there it was… my chocolate milkshake with extra whipped cream and a waffle crisp. Duke made sure it came with two straws.

This was one of my fantasies during high school, to go on such a date with Duke, and it came true, albeit a decade later.

I wanted him to know how much I appreciate everything he is doing for me. The attention, care, and the way he looks at me like I'm the only woman in the world. The only woman in HIS world.

"Thank you, Duke…", I said dreamily. "I'm really enjoying my time with you."

"All my time is yours, love." He gave my hand a squeeze and his smile reflected in his eyes.

I inched toward Duke, and he met me halfway for a long kiss that made my stomach flutter.

If I had one wish, it would be to stop the time because that moment was perfect, and I wouldn't mind staying in it forever.

There were no schemers, no secret identities, no dangers, no responsibilities… it was just me and Duke, his soft lips dancing sensually over mine as the scent of pine trees and the ocean made me lightheaded, and it was wonderful.

…

When we exited the elevator on the fifth floor of Duke's apartment building, my steps halted as I stared at the small mountain of bags and boxes that blocked the passage to door 5D.

"Did we really buy all that?", I asked in disbelief.

I was positive that will not fit in his closet.

Duke didn't see a problem. "It's fine."

"Ah, maybe I should return some of these things, or send some to my apartment."

Duke understood that I was thinking about the space. "What are you saying? Did you forget that I own this whole floor? I can remodel this space and combine several apartments into one."

"But I really like your apartment like this. It's simple and perfect. We don't need more than one bedroom." I hugged him tightly. "Actually, the smaller space is great for squeezing closer together."

Duke hummed in agreement. "We can fill up my closet with what we bought, and if anything doesn't fit, we can store it in one of the other apartments."

I liked this talk about our living arrangements. It gave me a confirmation that we are in this for the long run.

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