Chapter 12 A New World in the Shopping Mall
Chloe didn’t press the matter. She closed her fingers over the heavy black card and put it away.
Nathan’s sudden assertiveness made her feel deeply uneasy.
Over the past decade—as they transitioned from classmates to friends, then lovers, and finally spouses—she had almost always been the one taking the initiative. Nathan had always just gone along with her. He was rarely this forceful.
Still, she would accept the card for now. Once she found her parents, she would calculate every penny and pay him back.
After Chloe packed her bag, Nathan led her downstairs for breakfast.
At seven in the morning, the sky was just beginning to lighten, and the air was bitterly cold. Yet the streets were already alive. People hurried to work with their heads ducked against the wind, parents dragged tightly bundled children toward school, and elderly couples strolled side by side with grocery bags.
As Chloe walked down the pavement, watching the familiar rush of cars and pedestrians, she felt a momentary illusion that nothing had really changed.
But then she looked up. Towering skyscrapers of glass and steel pierced the sky where low brick buildings used to be, a sharp, gleaming reminder that twenty-three years had passed without her.
Nathan led her two blocks down to a small bakery.
After they sat down at a window table, he said, “This is the place you used to come to all the time. The old couple retired, but their kids took over the shop. The croissants and lattes are still good. Try them.”
“Alright.” Chloe glanced up at the menu board above the counter—and her eyes nearly popped out of her head.
“A croissant is four dollars now? A regular coffee is five? A bacon and egg sandwich is twelve?!”
Still mentally living in a world where donuts were a dollar and coffee refills were free, Chloe clutched her chest and gasped. “That is outrageous! Isn’t there a cheaper place?”
“Inflation. It’s normal,” Nathan reassured her quickly, hiding a small smile.
Chloe took several deep breaths to calm her racing heart, then pointed rigidly at the cheapest regular coffee and a plain muffin. She leaned across the table and whispered, “Did your salary go up, at least?”
“It did. Don’t worry.”
“That’s good.”
Chloe desperately wanted to ask exactly how much he was making now, but the words died in her throat. It felt completely inappropriate given their current relationship.
Thinking about how he used to proudly show her his bank statements every payday, or how they used to sit at the kitchen table planning how much of his project bonus to put into their holiday fund… it made her chest ache all over again.
She shook her head firmly to clear the memory, defiantly added a chocolate croissant to her order, and then made a point of eating every last crumb.
After breakfast, Chloe watched in utter fascination as Nathan pulled out his phone, hovered the back of it over a little black square on the counter, and waited for a soft beep.
“Done,” Nathan told the owner.
“Alright, thanks!” The busy owner didn’t even look up.
Chloe waited until they were outside before grabbing Nathan’s coat. “How did you pay? You didn’t swipe a card or pull out any cash!”
“Apple Pay.” Nathan waved the sleek glass rectangle. “Once we get you a phone, I’ll set it up for you. You won’t need to carry your wallet everywhere.”
“Okay.” Chloe nodded eagerly, her sadness temporarily overshadowed by her absolute impatience to go shopping.
There was a massive commercial center not far from the old house. Nathan decided they would walk, using the time to help her get familiar with the drastically changed neighbourhood.
Chloe looked around like a tourist the entire way, firing off questions non-stop.
“Nathan, what happened to the park with the swings? Why is it just a bunch of electric car chargers now?”
“Nathan, wasn’t this whole block old single-family homes? How did they all turn into townhouses?”
A moment later, she stopped dead in front of a real estate agency window, pointing a trembling finger at a listing. “Nathan. Is $750,000 really the price for one house? You’re joking, right? The down payment alone is over a hundred grand!”
She spun around to face him, grabbing his arm. “Oh my God, Nathan, how much is our old house worth now?”
“About one and a half million,” Nathan replied smoothly.
“One and a half million?! Wow!” Chloe clutched her chest, practically vibrating with excitement. “Oh my God! It feels like we won the lottery!”
She shook his sleeve frantically. “Why didn’t we buy two more houses back when prices were so low? Can I list it right now? One point five million dollars… I’ve never seen that much cash in my entire life!”
She couldn’t hide her brilliant, overwhelming smile. Her eyes sparkled with such pure, unadulterated joy that she seemed to glow, entirely dispelling the winter gloom around them.
Watching her, a tender smile finally broke across Nathan’s face.
His dark eyes tracked her every move—watching her laugh, watching her throw her hands up in excitement, watching her dash a few steps ahead to look at a window display before running back to him. She radiated the exact same pure, chaotic happiness as the girl he remembered, as if she wanted to shout her joy to the whole world.
She had always infected him with her emotions so easily. She had always been the sun in his cold, quiet world.
And now, the sun that had been missing for twenty-three years had finally returned.
But I can never possess her again.
Nathan watched her furiously typing on his phone’s calculator, trying to figure out exactly how many things one and a half million dollars could buy.
He lowered his head. The smile on his lips turned bitter and heavy.
“Nathan!”
Chloe suddenly shouted, startling him out of his thoughts. He hurried forward. “What is it?”
Chloe was standing frozen at the entrance of the shopping mall, her jaw hanging open. “Is this the mall you were talking about?”
It was a monstrosity. It looked like a small city wrapped in glass and steel. Was she going to get lost inside?
“Yeah, this is it. Modern malls are just a bit bigger than the old department stores,” Nathan chuckled.
“It’s not ‘just a bit bigger’—it’s massive!” Chloe exclaimed.
Were all shopping centres this insane now? Through the glass doors, she could see coffee shops, a multi-level gym, an indoor children’s playground, and right near the entrance—a Texas Smokehouse!
Chloe was utterly mesmerised.
“Nathan, after we buy the phone, can we eat there?” she asked, pointing at a towering promotional poster of smoked brisket and ribs. She looked up at him, her large eyes pleading.
“Sure,” Nathan nodded, as though spoiling her were the most natural reflex in the world.
“Yay!” Chloe practically jumped with delight, glancing back up at the barbecue poster.
The male model holding the ribs was wearing a plaid shirt and a cowboy hat, flashing a blinding, sunny smile. He was incredibly handsome.
Was he a celebrity? Were all male stars this rugged and good-looking nowadays? Back in her day, skinny boy bands with frosted tips had been all the rage.
While Chloe was busy examining the model, Nathan quietly stepped away and returned a moment later, holding out an extra-large iced Dr Pepper.
“Where do you want to start?” he asked. “Clothes, or straight to the phones?”
“Either is fine, you lead the way!” Chloe took the cup, took a huge sip, and practically melted. The sharp, familiar bite of the cherry-cola syrup washed over her tongue, bringing a rush of absolute comfort.
“Oh my God, I used to sneak sips of this from my dad all the time!” she groaned happily. “What is it?”
“Dr Pepper,” Nathan replied, his eyes crinkling at the corners.
He had known exactly what to buy. She had always adored it—sweet, violently carbonated, and completely unhealthy.
“This is amazing,” Chloe mumbled around the straw, bouncing forward through the mall doors.
“Let’s get you a phone first,” Nathan said, stepping in beside her. Tackling the most important logistical matters first had always been his habit.
“Then hurry up!” Chloe’s mind was already fixated on the steaming Texas brisket waiting for her.
Without thinking, she reached out, grabbed his sleeve, and tugged hard to pull him along faster.
Nathan froze.
He looked down at her small hand gripping his coat.
Then, very deliberately, he withdrew his arm, letting her hand fall away into empty air.