Shopping for gear.

So from what Sarah told us, we could either get to the resort by car or leave the car with the staff and then go on a fairly long hike. Hearing that it would take like four or five hours of walking, Grace and Mila were the most hesitant. However, they were swayed by Noelle’s enthusiasm.

“Come on, Sarah says the view is great! Clear water streams, waterfalls, green forests… I want to see it!” The redhead smiled excitedly at us, bouncing in place as she tried to convince us. “We should take this opportunity to take in the fresh air, appreciate nature… We’re all in fairly good shape, aren’t we?”

“You know, I’m with her,” Alice said. “The check-in isn’t until 2:00 pm, right? We start at 8:00 am, we make some sandwiches to take a break halfway through, we take our time walking… No one’s saying we need to run, right? We can take it at our own pace.”

“The hike takes a path through the forest, but it’s close enough to the road that we could call a cab or something if anyone gets too tired,” Sarah said.

“See? See? Let’s at least give it a shot,” Noelle said. “Please?”

With that pleading look, neither Mila nor Grace could turn Noelle down. We’d be going on a hike to reach the resort. And of course, that also meant shopping, apparently.

We got together on Tuesday morning because Diana had a late shift that day. We went to the mall and checked out different shops, but the first one we went to was a large store for sporting goods. If we were hiking we’d need shoes, and while I argued I had perfectly good shoes, the girls said I should get new ones anyway.

I admit I like shopping in a place like this more than in a department store. Seeing all the equipment here was more interesting than regular clothes, at least. While the girls were trying on shoes and picking some new t-shirts, I checked out the prices of things like treadmills, stationary bikes, weights, stuff like that. After all, we wanted to have a gym at the new house.

As I was looking at an expensive stationary bike, frowning and wondering what made it cost almost five times as much as the others, one of the employees approached me.

“Hello, sir. Can I help you with anything?”

I turned to look at the woman. She looked older than me, but still young. Maybe 22 or something like that. She was… pretty damn attractive, I had to admit. Long blonde hair, blue eyes, small pointy nose and a cute roundish face. She was wearing the store’s T-shirt, dark blue and form fitting to show her slender, busty figure. Her black pants, too, fit her tightly and probably even pushed her butt up. Honestly, if not for the ID hanging from her neck I would have mistaken her for any other customer.

She smiled kindly at me, and yeah, I had to admit she was pretty much my type. And yet I couldn’t help the strange feeling coming to me. A faint headache.

It had been a while since I felt something even remotely like this. My ‘sixth sense’ as I used to call it often gave me an idea of how to act or what to do around women. If not for it, I wouldn’t have dared to do the things I did with Mila, Grace and Sarah, wouldn’t have dared to ask Noelle and Alice while already dating three girls, would’ve been intimidated by Diana’s glare instead of understanding her issues. In a way, this ‘sixth sense’ born from Frey’s powers gave me a vague idea of what to do to get closer to the girls I liked. This time, however, it felt like a warning.

Don’t get closer to this girl. You’re incompatible.

It was an off putting sensation. It made me dizzy for a moment.

“You already look like you work out. Those are nice arms…” the woman said, looking at me up and down. The look in her eye was crystal clear, the slight blush in her cheeks telling. “What are you looking for?” she asked me.

“Just… Just looking, nothing more,” I told her with a polite smile.

“Mmm. Say, haven’t I seen you somewhere before?” she asked, a smile still on her face as she put a finger on her cheek.

“I… don’t think so, no. You don’t seem familiar,” I told her.

“Really? I could swear I’ve seen you somewhere before? What gym do you go to?”

I managed to catch myself before letting it slip. I really did not know this girl, never seen her at the gym. Was she trying to get me to say where I worked out so she could go there? Man, that thought would’ve never crossed my mind if not for this odd, warning feeling.

“I… I work out at home…”

“Oh, really? Just like me, then! Ahaha!” Her laughter seemed innocent enough, and the way she talked did make her seem pretty approachable, but the feeling wasn’t going away.

I was getting really uncomfortable and wanted to get out of there quickly, so I did just that. “But… yeah, I don’t need anything. I came here with other people, so I better go find them. Thank you very much for your help.”

I turned around and walked away. Rude or not, I had to. I had trusted this sixth sense when it came to approaching girls, why not trust it when it came to avoiding them? And anyway, who flirts with customers while in the middle of work? Not me, I assure you.

Not me. Shut up.

Still, it was interesting. This was the exact opposite of when I met Diana. She had glared, scowled, kept a cold and professional tone when talking to me and overall came off as unapproachable, yet I had a strong feeling she and I would hit it off. And what do you know? We did.

…

I had a very similar feeling about Fernanda, too.

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