And the next day Lila didn't expect her Sunday to turn into a full-blown chaos parade. She had planned to stay in, maybe scroll a little, maybe sulk a little (okay, a lot), but her doorbell rang at 11 AM sharp.
Ding-dong.
She opened it to find Theo holding a smoothie and Kai with a suspiciously large shopping bag.
Theo smirked.
"Emergency girl mission: You're coming with us."
Kai added, "Your fashion sense needs saving."
"Hey!" she gasped. "I have excellent fashion sense."
Theo leaned in with a grin. "Your hoodie has ketchup stains."
She looked down. Darn it.
She groaned. "Fine. I'll come. But I'm not trying anything pink."
Both boys: "We'll see."
---
At the Mall...
Theo kept holding up the weirdest outfits possible.
"Lila, this one screams 'mystical mushroom fairy princess.'"
Lila stared at the dress. "It screams 'don't buy me.'"
Kai, meanwhile, was... oddly sweet.
He picked out a cute soft blue sweater.
"It matches your eyes," he said casually.
She blinked. "What?"
"Nothing." He walked away like he didn't just make her heart do a backflip.
Theo came back, holding a giant sun hat.
"Can we put this on her and pretend she's a lost celebrity?"
"I swear, Theo," Lila warned.
But she was laughing. And blushing. A little too much.
---
Food Court Chaos
They ended up sitting at the food court, Kai feeding her fries, Theo trying to steal her milkshake, and Lila — stuck between them — grinning at the madness.
"You two are impossible," she muttered.
Theo and Kai looked at each other.
"We know," they said and chuckle.
For a moment, everything felt light. No drama. No tension.
Just three friends — and maybe something more — making memories.
But across the table, Theo noticed how Kai looked at Lila.
And Kai noticed how Lila smiled when Theo joked.
And Lila?
She was still clueless.
But not for long.
---
End of chapter 16
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