27 Her scars, his scar

Le Graff Shopping Mall,

Three beautiful girls were seen walking and giggling, attracting people who bypassed them inside the mall. Since the weekend they went hiking together, Phoenix gained another female friend, Tiana Chu.

At this moment, Phoenix, Mia and Tiana were going shopping together at Le Graff Shopping Mall.

Well… Mia and Tiana were mostly shopping while Phoenix accompanied them. Phoenix was not like most girls who enjoy shopping. Okay. That might not be true. Phoenix didn't like going out to shop. She mostly did online shopping, since she didn't like to be in a crowded place and more comfortable in her own safe place.

But as usual, Mia wouldn't take no for an answer, and both Mia and Tiana had dragged her to go out shopping with them.

Walking around the mall, soon Mia's eyes lit up seeing one of the clothing stores, and she hauled Phoenix and Tiana to enter the store.

"Welcome to MQ Fashion….. Oh! Ms Qin Welcome! What brought you here?" The store supervisor's eyes sparkled seeing their boss had entered the shop.

"Hey, girls! Don't mind me. I'm just taking my friends to try on some dresses."

"Let us help you, boss," said the supervisor.

"It's okay. I got it. You can attend to other customers."

Mia proceeded to the clothing rack and picked up a dress, and nodded her head in approval.

"Phoenix, you should try this." Mia showed the dress to Phoenix.

"No." Phoenix automatically answered.

"Oh! Come on! It will look good on you."

"Yes. Phoenix. Try it," Tiana seconded Mia's suggestion.

Mia shoved the dress into Phoenix's hand and pulled her towards the changing room area.

Phoenix looked at the dress in her hand.

"I don't like to wear dresses."

"That's why you should try this. You wear too many pants," Mia said.

Mia never saw Phoenix wear a dress. Every time she met Phoenix, Phoenix was usually either in pantsuits or jeans. Phoenix was a beautiful lady and had a good figure. As a fashion designer and passionate one at it, Mia thought that Phoenix would look pretty in all sorts of clothes.

Mia pushed Phoenix to one of the empty changing rooms and closed the door to let Phoenix change.

Inside the room, Phoenix looked at the dress in her hand again and sighed.

"It's not too short, right?" she asked herself.

Phoenix changed into the dress and looked at the mirror. It was a sequined red dress with a draped neckline. The dress length reached just above her knees. She lifted the bottom of the dress and looked at the long scar on her inner thigh.

'This is why I don't like to wear dresses.'

Even though the scar was covered by the dress, it didn't make her less conscious of it. In fact, that's not the only scar that was on her body. She had a lot of it, at different parts of her body. That was why there were only a few types of clothes that she was comfortable to wear. Phoenix wasn't ashamed of her scars, she was proud of it, but it didn't mean she should parade it. Those scars reminded of her past, and even if she had moved on and discarded the painful past, it didn't mean she could totally forget about it. It was a reminder for her to thrive for her future.

Phoenix then straightened the dress and went out of the changing room to let Mia and Tiana see her in that dress.

"Wow! Look at those legs. Even I feel threatened with those legs," Tiana said, while circling Phoenix, eyeing Phoenix's legs and nodding her head in approval of what she was seeing.

Mia smiles widely, looking at Phoenix. "You look so hot! Why do you like to cover those legs so much? I know you would look pretty in a dress. Trust me, I'm a fashion designer. I have good eyes."

"This is not suitable to wear to the office." Phoenix was uncomfortable to be looked at like that by her two friends.

"Tsk. I'm not saying to wear this to work. Let's go out drinking sometime and have fun dancing." Mia was already imagining how all eyes would be on Phoenix. Not only Phoenix's figure could attract people, but her aloof beauty also was not to be trifled with.

"I don't like to drink and I don't know how to dance," Phoenix flatly said.

"You are no fun, Phoenix," Mia pouted. She did ask Phoenix a few times to go to the bar, but Phoenix gave the excuse that she didn't have anything suitable to wear. Mia, who had been in Phoenix's hotel room a few times, did know about this. The last time she went to Phoenix's room to clean herself and get change, she had taken a look at Phoenix's wardrobe to borrow her clothes, but other than pantsuits for work, she only owns jeans, a few blouses and pyjamas. It was frustrating for someone like her to look at. As a good friend and a designer, shouldn't she help to spice things up in her friend's wardrobe?

"Take this dress, Phoenix. It really looks good on you. Who knows maybe it will come handy… you know, like.. going out for a date." Tiana said with an obviously teasing smile on her face. Ethan had told her about Ashton's unusual behavior around Phoenix and his invitation for a meal.

"Woooo…. What am I missing? You got yourself a date, Phoenix?" Mia looks at Phoenix in anticipation like some gossip aunties, waiting for a good story to be revealed.

Phoenix creased her forehead, trying to understand what Tiana was talking about. Phoenix was really puzzled by Tiana's statement. 'What date? What was she talking about?'

Looking at Phoenix's puzzling face, Tiana's face twitched. 'Tch, this girl is really clueless.'

Tiana gave a mischievous smile to Phoenix and said, "Aren't you going out on a date with Ashton?"

"Woah, you going out on a date with my dear brother?!" Mia widened her eyes in surprise.

Phoenix had a sudden realization. 'It's a date? I don't remember anything about a date.'

"No, I'm not," she promptly said.

"What? Ethan told me Ashton asked you out for a meal," Tiana said.

"Yes. It's a meal. Not a date. I've troubled Mr Qin so much. I should compensate him with a meal."

"My brother is the one who asked for the meal?" Mia asked.

"Yes."

Mia looked at Tiana for confirmation while Tiana just wiggled her eyebrows to answer the silent question from Mia.

Mia squealed in delight.

"Oh, my god. Oh, my god. Let's look for some more dresses. I will help you prepare for your date."

"It's not a date. It's just a meal." Phoenix trying to correct them again.

"Okay. Okay. It's not a date. Wear it when you go for a meal with my brother. When is the da… Meal?" Mia was giggling inside, happy with the revelation.

"It was supposed to be after your brother had been discharged from the hospital," Phoenix said to Mia. 'I don't have his contact number.' "Has your brother been discharged from the hospital?" Phoenix asked.

"Yes. He has."

"I don't have his contact number. Could you—"

"No worries! I'll give you his number and you guys can chat with each other."

"….."

'Actually, I want to ask if you could pass the message to your brother. Never mind then. I should ask him myself'.

Mia excitedly gives his brother's phone number to Phoenix.

Phoenix thanked Mia and went back to the changing room to change back to her own clothes. She looked at herself in the mirror and twirls in the dress. 'I do look good in this dress.'

Outside the changing room, Mia pulled Tiana to sit on the sofa.

"Sis Tiana, what did you know? Spill it."

"Ethan told me Phoenix went to visit Ashton the other day in the hospital. Ethan was there and he saw Ashton hold a conversation with Phoenix, asking her about this and that and ask her for a meal. Ashton even forgot that Ethan was there with them. His eyes were fixed on Phoenix!"

"Oh my! Brother Ashton never asked a woman out. Do you think he's interested in Phoenix?"

"Who knows? We can only hope he is. It has been so long since…" Tiana couldn't seem to complete her sentences. Both Mia and she knew about the girl from Ashton's past and it had become a silent agreement between them not to talk about the missing person that left a scar on Ashton's heart.

They had prayed for so long that Ashton would move on one day, and it seemed that day had arrived.

Moving on didn't mean you forget about things. It just meant you have to accept what happened and continue living.