Chapter 15: Chapter:15

**Taylor's POV**

The drive to the mall was fairly quiet but it wasn't an awkward silence. It was the type of silence that you could enjoy. Not much talking is needed with Dimitri anyway.

"And we're here." His voice sounds suddenly. I turn to look at him and he is smiling slightly. "What are you thinking about?" He asks and I shake my head. "Nothing." I say and he smiles at me.

"Welp, let's go in. You have a lot of shopping to do." He tells me and I laugh with a small nod before unbuckling myself and getting out of the car.

We meet at the front of the car and he unexpectedly grabs my hand. I look at him but he just stares forwards as we walk into the mall.

*Someone likes a little PDA.

The mall is buzzing with many different people wanting to get what they need and getting out. It's fairly busy for Sunday.

"Where do you want to start?" I ask him and he looks at me and playfully scoffs. "We're not here for me, you need to choose." He says and I furrow my brows and tilt my head to the side.

"Didn't you say this was a date?" I ask folding my arms with a tiny smirk on my lips. "Yeah but it is also the first day of me spoiling you so, pick a place and we'll go there." He says placing his hands on my arms and slowly moving closer to me.

He kisses my nose and I'm confused at first before I hear the annoying giggles of a bunch of 16 year olds. Turning, I find them sitting at one of the tables, looking over at us. One has her phone up trying to look natural as she snaps pictures of us but failing miserably.

"This might also be our official public appearance as a 'couple'." He says and a tiny sting runs through my heart but I mask it quickly. "Ahh yes, smart play, Mr. Alfonso." I say and he smiles.

"Now let's get a move on and get you some clothes." He says before guiding me deeper into the mall. It takes us a while to find a store that I really want to go into but once I do, Dimitri makes me get almost half of the store's contents. I have to put stuff back multiple times due to them not being my style, ugly or too expensive.

"This top is pretty." I say holding up a white, long-sleeved corset top with strings you can tie on the chest area. I hold it against my body as I look in the mirror.

"You want to try it on?" He asks and I nod. Handing him the basket, I walk to the changing rooms and try the shirt on. It sits just right and I am in love.

"Dimitri?" I call but hear no answer. Walking out, I fix a string on the top before looking up and around for him. My eyes land on him in the spot that I left him...and he's talking to the woman. An older woman.

*They seem cozy.*

She is laughing at something and her hand is resting on his bicep causing an uneasy feeling in my stomach.

*You mean jealousy.*

Letting out a small breath, I walk over to them and he sees me before I reach there. He gives me a big smile and I smile back before he pulls me into him by my waist.

"Claudia, this is my fiance, Taylor. Baby, Claudia is the wife of one of my previous investors." He says with a tight smile letting me know that I should play along.

"Nice to meet you, Claudia. I love your shoes." I say looking at the puke-coloured monstrosities. "Oh thank you. They are not many people's style but they are limited edition so..." She says and I give my best fake smile. "I know how that goes. Just gotta have them." I say and she nods.

"I like her, Dimitri. I would like to invite you both to Zander's birthday dinner. My son is turning 27 and I still can't get over the fact that he was still in diapers just yesterday." She says and I smile looking at Dimitri.

He gives me a small nod and I smile at her. "Thank you. We'd love to be there. Is there a specific gift that he would like?" I ask and she shakes her head vigorously. "Oh no, dear. No gifts are needed. Just come as you are and be our guest." She says and I shake my head. "I insist." I say and she chuckles. "He is really into books. He especially likes Hemingway." She tells me and I nod.

"I have to get going now, James hates it when I keep him waiting." She says and Dimitri nods. "Of course." He says and she smiles before pulling me into an unexpected hug. "Oh..." I say and she giggles. "I'm sorry. I'm a big hugger." She tells me and I chuckle. "You're fine." I say and she smiles.

"I'll text Dimitrius the details to the party. It's black tie." She says as she hugs Dimitri before walking away.

"She's very... energetic." I say and Dimitri chuckles. "She's a sweet lady."

"That too." I say as I look at some clothes on the rack. "We have to get a dress made for you so you need to look for a design and we'll get you to a seamstress for your measurements." He says and I look at him with confusion written all over my face. "I could just find a dress here. They have some pretty stuff ." I tell him and he shakes his head.

"We want only the best for my *fiance*." He says with a boyish grin on his lips. "Yeah, about that. I thought we said dating for six months and then you'll propose" I ask and he grabs me by the waist. He slowly pulls me into him and I don't know what to do. My heart starts beating faster as he lowers his face towards mine.

"Why wait." Is all he says and my knees feel a little wobbly at the statement. "Okay." This is the only word I can form.

"We also have to get you a ring. We should probably go to the jewelers after we're done here." He suggests and all I can do is nod.

"Are you all done?" He asks and I look down at my basket. "Yeah."

"Okay, let's get them to ring these up so we can get you a ring. After that we can get some lunch and maybe we can still catch a movie." He says grabbing the basket and my head before leading me to the checkout counter. The guy scans my stuff and my eyes almost bulge at the total.

*$376.48.

I still have about $500 in my account so I can pay for it but I don't know why I didn't set a budget for myself.

I get my card out of my wallet and go to pay before Dimitri softly grabs my hand."What are you doing?" He asks and I furrow my brows. "Paying.." I say and he shakes his head before taking my card from me.

He gets his black card out of his wallet before handing it to the cashier. He swipes it before handing it back to Dimitri. We get the bag and walk out with him still holding my hand.

"I can pay for this myself, Dimitri." I tell him and he smirks. "We have a legally binding contract that states that I can't let you pay for anything. I would be committing a crime if I allowed you to pay." He says with a dumb smile. I playfully roll my eyes at him and he chuckles. We both know that I haven't signed the contract but I can't really do much about it if he wants to pay for my stuff. *One less expense for me.*

"What kind of ring do you want?" He asks me as we walk to the store. "I don't know. Definitely something simple. Not too flashy." I tell him and he nods.

"I see. Just so you know though, you can get any ring in the store." He says and I smile. "How about you buy out the whole store for me." I jokingly say and he chuckles.

"Anything for the princess."