Chapter 198: Pierced

After much coaxing from the executive manager and Miss Luna, Mina finally relented and allowed the woman to pierce her ears. She was not lied to about the pain and the manager's honesty helped to relieve Mina of any reservation she was still holding onto.

In the end, Mina left the jewelry shop with two glittering dots on her sore ears. However, her mood was still sour. She had been handcuffed in the past, but it had always been for show. Today it was real, and it reminded her of how insignificant she was to others.

Mina could feel every person she passed stare at her as if she were a tool for their entertainment and it made it hard for her to forget what had transpired. She just hoped they could leave the mall quickly, but as luck would have it, the trio ran into the guard who approached her, in front of another store.

The man apologized to Mina so many times that she became even more embarrassed. It seemed that he took her lack of anger toward him, as a silent declaration of war and no matter how Mina phrased her words, it only made the man look more worried.

"Please sir, you were only doing your job. I do not blame you, but right now, you are kind of embarrassing me," Mina said. The guard looked around and indeed there were many pairs of eyes on them, but they were not loud, and he knew for a fact that they were staring because of something else.

"Miss, you are too modest. Those men are staring because of your beauty, not me," he said, and Mina blushed.

Mina's face turned so red that the security guard intuitively knew she was not like the other shoppers. Had he made a remark of that sort to one of the princesses in the mall, they would have labeled him a harasser, despite his advanced age. It was only then that he felt comfortable enough to apologize one last time and leave the girl to rejoin her friends. The guard felt he was lucky today and vowed to double check his information before acting in the future.

----

Strangely, Mina did not hate her outing with Lisa and Luna. The feeling of seeing beautiful items and being unable to afford them made her feel like she was back in her old life. She had often visited the local mall with her friends from university. Back then, both girls were well off enough to swipe their cards without checking tags.

Mina learned to live vicariously through her friends, and she found pleasure in theirs. Having Luna smile and joke around with her about everyday things really made Mina go back to those times and feel 'normal' again, but then Lisa detoured into a lingerie store.

Mina excused herself to the restroom. She was still not over the misunderstanding that took place regarding her relationship with Dom, and now the mere sight of a bra made her angry. She also had a feeling that Lisa was purchasing items to wear for her boyfriend, who Mina had been with and the guilt of that encounter was still too raw for her.

----

Mina found a nearby bench and sat down. She fiddled with her new piercings and wondered if she would regret them in the future. Mina had completely zoned out, but it did not stop someone from occupying the space beside her. Mina's daze was interrupted, and she politely smiled in the person's direction.

"Miss, you look awfully familiar. Do I know you from somewhere?" The man asked. Mina laughed. She had heard pickup lines of all kinds, and 'do I know you' made the top ten.

"It's unlikely," Mina said. "I grew up in the country."

"Oh, then do you have a sister?" He asked.

"Why?" Mina asked suspiciously.

"Sorry, it's just that you look so familiar," the man said. Mina shifted away from him a little and continued to take in her surroundings. She was looking for a Lee guard, just in case she needed help. Suddenly, the man snapped his fingers.

"I know! You sang at Faryta!" He exclaimed. Mina's face flushed. She never thought she would run into anyone from that night. "My girlfriend broke up with me because of you," he said with a chuckle. "Apparently the lyrics reminded her of her ex." Mina made a sympathetic face.

"Sorry," Mina said.

"Ah, it's alright. Some people are not meant for forever," he responded. Mina felt herself relax at the simplicity of the man's response. She found herself staring at him and analyzing his features.

"You're trying to figure out what's wrong with me, aren't you?" The man asked and Mina flashed a guilty grin.

"From the way I see things, anyone who would leave the person they are with for someone else, never really liked the person to begin with," Mina said with a shrug.

Mina did not know that Lisa and Luna were within earshot of her declaration. Both women were instantly affected by her words, as they both thought she was speaking about them. Neither woman said a word, they were eager to hear what Mina's next comment would be.

"True," said the man. A female voice shouted a man's name and the guy sitting on the bench snapped his head in the voice's direction. It was then that Mina also saw Luna and Lisa and she waved at the women. "I better go," the man said. Then he scurried up to what Mina could only imagine was his new girlfriend.

Mina watched as the woman weakly punched at the man's chest and he gripped her in a tight hug. She could tell that the woman misunderstood the situation, and the man was trying to cajole her. Mina felt her cheeks lift at the scene. She wondered what it felt like to be in a relationship.

Standing up, Mina made her way to her waiting 'companions'.

"Who was that?" Lisa asked in an annoyed tone.

"I don't know him. He said he recognized me from Faryta," Mina replied. Lisa quickly glanced over to Luna, hoping the woman would not try to narrow down the truth of that night, but Mina had already changed the subject.

"Ready to go?" Mina asked.