feeling sweet in heart & spicy on tongue

"Did you really need to buy all this?" Ali said walking while holding shopping bags in both his hands. As Liv and Shashi just ignored him and kept picking whatever their eyes stayed on for more than three seconds.

It's been two and a half hour since he's been roaming behind these girls either swiping cards again and again, or just carrying stuff from one place to another. Though it was fun watching Shashi trying on stupid stuff or to see Liv smile happily, but that didn't mean he wasn't feeling annoyed now.

He even had a doubt Liv was doing this as her revenge just to feel better in his misery.

And he was right. She was. According to her logic, didn't he like to roam around all the famous shops and shopping malls for days to weeks, everytime he wanted to give a gift to that bitch, Aarvi. Then the least she should do is just drag him for a day to make him feel a little bit annoyed.

"How about I go and wait with Em, you guys can choose and buy everything you want?" Ali said looking for a way out.

"Phief untle stay." Shashi said, grabbing onto his coat with her hand, while moving her head from behind that big bear plushie she was holding. "No, go."

"See, even she said so. And besides I already sent Emily on some chores. She's not here." Liv said with a smile, while pointing at another batch of stuff that she liked.

The shop accountant smiled at Ali as she packed all the stuff and looked at him pitifully.

Though there are bad rumors about him being a fool for love and always licking that icy president, but due to all this fancy gossip, the whole of city knew Ali by the face. While many rich heirs can live privately, Ali was as well known to the normal public as a famous movie star or celebrity.

And seeing him here with such a pretty girl and a cute little girl, many of the shop attendees were smiling from ear to ear while carefully taking pictures every now and then. Some even felt that the rumors were fake and he was already happy with his new girlfriend. While some just felt jealous considering how Ali was following every word and step for Liv.

Just now he just sat on a chair for an hour just watching as his girlfriend came and went trying new dresses every few minutes.

If they had someone who would listen to them or help them shopping like this, what more would they lack in life.

"What're you standing in silence for? Pay the bill and take the bags. We still haven't bought her any shoes yet. And Kiara just sent me a list, so we need to go there too." Liv spoke up, seeing Ali just looking around the shop trying to see if he could find Emily or anyone else familiar, and run away with some excuse.

Sadly for him, she knew him better than he did himself.

Ali looked at the two more bags in front of him and four bags in his hand, and he gave up. "That's it. Just call your manager and tell him to send all this stuff to the Arya house. My hands are starting to hurt from carrying all these things." Ali said, placing all the bags in his hands on the counter and backing away.

'Don't take guards, it's just two bags at best, 'she said.' Ali thought in his heart, while glaring at Liv for her blatant lies.

Liv looked at his 'angry' expression and smiled to herself, before dragging the little kid wearing goggles as big as her face away. "Come, we'll go get something to eat." she said to Shashi, who nodded her head and followed Liv happily.

Making Ali wonder, why was she so chill with every stranger she sees? First with him, then Emily, Kiara, and now Liv. "Doesn't she have any common sense to doubt or fear strangers or something?" He thought to himself.

Watching that while he was busy thinking, the duo of young and little girl had already entered a different shop at the end of the pathway. "At Least wait for me." Ali said when he saw Liv turning back and looking at him for a second but before turning away again.

'She really is mad in a way.' He thought and started walking. But in a rush and with lack of focus, he ended up bumping into a young man, making him fall down to the ground.

"Sorry, my bad." Ali said, as he looked down and saw a delivery boy dressed in a red T-shirt and a cap with the fast food services logo on it, looking around and trying to gather the scattered boxes of pizza's he was carrying.

Ali looked at the couple of boxes which were turned over after the fall and ruined now, and frowned. "You okay, man? If it's about those pizza's I'll _ "

The young man too turned his attention to the broken and dirty slices of pizza thrown on the floor and couldn't help but curse out loud. "Fuck, not again."

The young man looked at Ali and seeing his clothes and rich man style, his anger instead of calming down increased a little. "Can't you see where you're going. You ruined all my stuff and now I'll be late for this delivery and hear another lecture from that fat fucker."

"Damn it, just my luck." He said and started cleaning the dirt over the pizza slices and putting them back into the boxes, just like they were before.

Ali took a glance and realized what this man was probably thinking. "Hey look man, that's wrong you know. Just throw them away, I'll pay you."

"Who needs your money, I need to deliver these to the customers in thirty minutes." The young man said, grabbing all the boxes and putting them one over another. "Who the fuck even came up with that rule of refund after a fixed time anyway. Motherfucker was high at that time I tell you."

He muttered and stood up to leave, without looking at Ali and walked away in a hurry while muttering to himself. "And these bastard customers, they live for like 10 miles away and have to choose this shop to make my life hell."

Ali stood there in place watching as the young man rushed through the crowded mall, running over the escalator and then disappeared from his view.

"Urgh I'm never ordering pizza home again." Ali said with some disgust and walked back to the restaurant shop where Liv and Shashi entered.

"Why were you so late?" Liv asked as she finally saw him coming.

Ali looked at the waiter who wanted to ask him for his order, when Liv just raised her hand and shook her head. "I already ordered."

"Well if it's not good, I'll blame you then." Ali said, trusting her choice as according to him they both had the same favorites.

Whenever they would gather or meet they'd order separately, but after it's served Ali would always find his favorites on the table or something he enjoyed. Liv always said their tastes are similar and shrugged it off.

'Wait, don't tell me this mad girl only ever ate what I liked since childhood just to impress me.' Ali thought in realization, remembering the traits and explanations he saw in Liv's status, and couldn't help but smile, as he realized that this was probably the case.

"Waiter, make the dishes for two plates a little spicy." Ali said, raising his hand and looked at Liv, who raised her eyebrows at his sudden change, knowing he hated spicy food. But before she asked he smiled at her, and she got her answer.

'Foolish, as always.' She thought and shook her head while a rare real smile came to her lips.

.. .. ..

"Aaaaa fad phief untle. fad, phew phwoo" Shashi cursed Ali after walking out from the restaurant, her lips a little swollen and face rosy, with eyes looking red and pitiful, showing how she just cried a few moments ago.

"You're the one who wanted to eat from my plate, I clearly said you shouldn't." Ali said as he patted her back and grabbed her head to help her drink some water.

"Phewww istill fad untle macking chachi cry." Shashi, who was picked up in arms, held his neck and pinched it tightly, trying to dig her nails into his skin trying to punish him.

"Okay okay, I'm sorry." Ali said, as he grabbed her hands and pressed them together so she'd stop jumping in his arms. "How about you go with aunty Liv, she'd buy you an ice cream. While I go and get my phone back, which I forgot cause of a crybaby."

"You're trybady." Shashi said, before jumping from his arms and running towards Liv, not forgetting to punch him on the leg one last time for making her cry.

Ali walked back a little, just in time to see a fat man rushing at him with his phone in hand.

"Sir (huh phew phoooo deep breaths) your phone, _ you forgot.."

"Ahh thanks." Ali said, watching as the fat man struggled to stand straight and not fall down with how heavy and hurried his breathing was.

"You didn't have to run here, I was coming to get it anyway." Ali added while shaking his head.

"No_no, it's fine. No problem." The fat man said, wiping his sweaty forehead, finally feeling better and normal.

"The food was great, and so was the service. Good job." Ali said calmly, already aware of the hungry eyes of an opportunist he could see on this fat man.

This is where he hated the rumors against him, everyone thinks he's easy to fool, and be taken advantage of for money or connections.

The fat man hearing praise laughed to himself and wanted to introduce his business and other shops he had in the city, hoping to get some interest and investment to recover the losses of this drowning business venture, when Ali's words stopped his lecture.

"Wait, that shop _ that yours?" Ali said pointing at a small fast food corner shop nearby.

"Ah yeah, that's mine too. We have delivery services for 20 miles all around us. If you ever… " The fat man not seeing Ali's expression continued boasting whatever his mind could mutter, when Ali interrupted him again.

"I just bumped into one of your employees some time ago….. And that's what he did." Ali spoke up and explained what he witnessed earlier and turned around to leave, walking towards the sweet voice calling him.

While the fat man just stood there in place with his fists clenched, and double chin and belly trembling in anger, over his loss in image.

"Damn it, which bastard was it? Don't let me know, or I'll kick you till your next nine generations are born nulle."

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A/N - any guesses on the young man hehehe