He was doing great so far until he blurted out Meghan. Renata had stopped eating and looked uncomfortable, which was understandable. Wilson wanted to crawl into a grave hole and never come back again. "I'm sorry. It was my grave mistake to mention her name." It would be normal if Renata asked him to go at the moment.

Out of his expectation, Renata picked up her pizza and continued eating. "James had good taste in food. Not so much with girls." She munched while nodding her head. "Let me guess; she likes to eat salad here to keep her body slim. What a sorry loser." She shook her head as she finished her pizza and picked another slice. That was her third; he wondered if her stomach would be alright.

“James said she loved the pizza with pancetta. He said the greasier, the better for her. Are you alright, Renata?” Her grimace alarmed him.

"Daggumnit!! She could stay petite, eating like that!!?? While I need to watch what I eat!!?? I even got bloated by drinking water alone!!" Though she had just said that, she wolfed down the pizza and another slice.

Another new fact. Renata ate a lot when she was angry. He spent the next 30 minutes listening to her tirade about everything wrong with her body while he still had to finish another three slices of pizza, the salad, and the almost untouched French fries. She was done.

After he had managed to clean the table, Wilson stood and was about to go to the cashier. He told Renata to wait for him at the table.

The bill was $69 before taxes and tips. When he was about to put $95 on the receipt tray, a delicate hand held his hand. "Yes?"

Renata grabbed the receipt to examine it. "I'll pay half." She pulled out $50 from her pale yellow wallet.

Wilson clasped her hand and shook his head. "Let me pay for now, and we can settle this later, OK?" He tilted his head to the side, indicating the new line behind them. With a nod, Renata left him and returned to their table.

He glanced outside as he returned to Renata. "Why don't you wait here while I get the car? It's quite crowded."

"Nah, I would rather go with you than wait. Besides, I want to buy Starbucks. I think I saw one when we were on our way here. Let's go; don't forget your bag, Wil." She linked her arm to his again as they walked out while the server gladly escorted them and said goodbye to them.

"What do you want to buy? I could use some coffee myself." He could get used to her arm hanging onto his.

"Hmm, I want a caramel frappuccino with hazelnut syrup in a venti cup."

Wilson was taken aback by her choice that he led her to the side. "You want an icy cold beverage in this snowy weather??? You could get sick, Renata. Don't you like hot chocolate?"

She shook her head vigorously. "No, I want ice frappe. I don't want any hot drink." Renata started marching down the road toward Starbucks, and Wilson quickly followed her. "Alaskan people enjoy cold drinks all year long; why can't I?"

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"First, you are not an Alaskan. Second, you had pneumonia not too long ago; what if you get sick again just because of a cup of frappe? Be reasonable, Renata." How Wilson loved to hammer some sense into this girl!

During their constant bickering, they arrived at Starbucks. Renata swiftly joined the short queue. Wilson was right behind her, still persuading her not to. When it was time for her to order, the girl behind the counter was smiling in amusement at them. "What would you like to order?" He watched her helplessly as she was adamant about getting what she wanted.

And granted. Renata slurped the ice-brick cup in her hand. With each holding their drink, they continued their way to the car wash. Renata had told him the car had been ready when they were having lunch. Her humming while drinking her frappe annoyed him. "Oh, don't be such a party popper, Wil. You should try it sometime; it's really good."

He was skeptical about how this was going to work between them. Renata could be hardheaded when she was in the mood, and Wilson had a hunch that this was a preview of their relationship, if it ever happened. He sighed in defeat—who was he kidding? He would always let Renata do what she liked.

While he was deep in his contemplation, Renata grabbed his elbow. "Still sulking?" She threw her empty cup into the trash bin they passed. She really liked cold drinks and seemed alright so far.

"I don't sulk, Renata."

“You stop talking altogether since we’re out of the Starbucks; you have this sour expression, sullen, and irritated. I think I can see a dark cloud hovering over your head; there might be some slight thunder in it too.”

OK, he probably was sulking. Wilson chuckled and pinched her cheek before he could stop himself. He was stunned by his rude behavior.

But Renata seemed just fine. "You should stop hanging out with James; you picked up a bad habit from him." She caressed her pinched cheek.

"T-that's for telling me I'm sulking with clouds and thunder. Am I cumulonimbus now?"

"Nimbus? Is that word related to Harry Potter? Oh hey, we've arrived. Let's go see Jeff." Renata dragged him to the receptionist's office. There, Jeff beamed as he saw them. He handed Wilson the car keys so he could retrieve the car.

The service here was superb; everything was cleaned, inside out. Wilson might have become a patron if he had decided to bring a car. He started driving the brandy Lexus toward the exit.

Renata waved to Jeff as she stepped into the car. "We need to change our plan. Let's go to the antique store first. It's going to close in an hour."

"I'm sure I've checked; their closing hour is in about two hours. Besides, Saks Fifth Avenue is nearer to us right now."

“No, Jeff recommended this antique store. The owner was one of Jeff’s customers, Mr. Pierre. His store is closing at four. And Saks Fifth Avenue closes at nine anyway.”

Changing plans was something he detested, especially because of impulsive thinking. "Why don't we stick to our plan? What if the store sells expensive items?"

"We also don't know if they are not only selling expensive items. Come on, Wil. The store is not that far, but the opposite way from our destinations." She gave him a paper with a hand-drawn map and an address scribbled on it. He assumed this was Jeff's doing.

Although it's upsetting, she was the one looking for the Christmas gift, not him. Wilson sighed deeply and drove to the address.

"You don't like changing plans, do you?" Renata playfully smirked at him as she enjoyed the sunset.

"No. If it's already planned, I usually follow it. People usually like surprises. I don't. I like everything in its place and predictable."

"Where is the fun then? Life is full of surprises, you know? And perhaps one day you'll like what a surprise brings you."

True. Life was full of surprises, which was why he didn't really like it. So far, he had received awful gifts from life. Only Renata could be considered a pleasant surprise. He hoped this wasn't an illusion.

Less than 20 minutes later, he pulled across a dilapidated black and white store called [Pierrot]. Renata's eyes were gleaming, while Wilson was frowning. Was this the right store?