After leaving the women's clothing store, they reentered the lobby. They strolled around the mall some more, heading upstairs using the escalator. Once the stepped foot on the upper floor, they continued ahead while Dante held almost all the bags. Eventually, Isabella stopped near a jewelry store. A smile appeared on her face.
"Let's go here." She waved.
The brothers followed her inside. They stepped onto the pristine marble floor which didn't feel special to them. They passed accessories of Gold and Silver; some embedded with diamonds and some that weren't.
"So, you want a new necklace or something?" Dante groaned.
Just as Dante said that, Isabella stopped and moved of the way. Dante lowered his head, gazing at rings. Isabella flailed her hands at them as if urging him to buy one.
"Not right now…" Dante sighed.
"Aw! Come on!" Isabella pouted, crossing her arms. "I wanted a new necklace anyways."
As she left, Dante glanced at the ring one again. The golden item reflected on his glasses as if it were calling for him. An uneasy feeling arose in his heart. Suddenly, a man approached.
"Are you interested in the ring, sir?" he asked in a fancy voice.
Dant paused for a moment. He looked at the man, then at Isabella and again at the ring. He stepped forward a little, careful not to alert Isabella as she was picking her necklace. He leaned forward and whispered something into the jeweler's ear. The jeweler smiled and replied in a quiet voice.
"We can definitely do that, sir. It'll be ready by evening."
Dante nodded, his posture stiffening. Missio glanced back. His brother's heart rate had spiked – a frantic, uneven rhythm that Dante tried to mask with his outward demeanor. He raised a brow and peered behind him where he saw the male jeweler making a call.
'What is going on…?'
Missio wondered. Suddenly, Dante coughed and drew their attention.
"Found anything you like yet."
"Yeah!" Isabella stated, showing him a pendant.
"No. Another one."
Isabella pouted and returned the pendant. A few minutes passed as she decided on which necklace she wanted. But eventually, she picked a simple gold necklet. Isabella wrapped it around her neck as Dante paid. The King tucked the phone in his back pocket and turned around.
"Come on, let's go."
Missio and Isabella trailed, exiting the store.
***
After a few hours…
Dusk soon came to be. The sun dipped past the horizon, drowning the sky into darkness. In a certain home in a beautiful neighborhood, Isabella prepared dinner. Her mother approached from behind, her arms behind her back.
"So~ I heard went on a shopping trip." Clarice said.
"Yeah, we got some new clothes and Dante got me this necklace." Isabella showed her.
"That's beautiful." Clarice stated, standing beside her. "But if you went to the jewelry store, didn't he buy you a ring?"
"No…" Isabella sighed.
"God. When is that boy going to propose?" Clarice shook her head.
"I hope soon. Otherwise, I gonna hold him at gunpoint." Isabella took the lid off. "Looks like dinners ready."
Isabella took two mittens and grabbed the pan. She walked over to the table and placed at there as everyone sat. After getting all the food, she sat down as well. All except Missio held hands and said grace.
"Bless us, O Lord, and these thy gifts, which we're about to receive from thy bounty, through Christ our Lord. Amen."
After, they began drilling through the food like hungry lions.
"Dante." Clarice called out. "Tell me, when are you going to propose?"
Dante flinched. "Give me some time, Ms. Clarice. I'm not ready yet."
"You can sentence our PM to life but can't propose to your girlfriend." Clarice teased.
"It's not like that!" Dante raised his hands.
"Y'know, after the sixth year, I just thought you were going for the world record of the longest relationship." Lorenzo laughed, biting.
Dante laughed awkwardly. "I had to make sure Missio was okay. Right, Missio?"
He patted him on the back. Missio raised a brow.
"Huh? Oh, Y-Yeah…"
"Have you been okay recently, Missio?" Lorenzo asked.
"Yeah… it's been relaxing to stay with your family, Mr. Lorenzo… It's feels like there is an entire world out there I haven't explored yet…"
"That's good. You should get out of your comfort zone once in a while." Lorenzo wiped his mouth. "But don't try to change the subject, Dante. Isabella's already 29! She needs to get married soon."
Dante laughed awkwardly. "Yeah… right…"
Missio stared at his brother.
'His heartrate's gone up again… It's seriously starting to hurt my ears…'
Missio hissed, taking another bite of his food. The rhythmic thudding of Dante's heart felt as if someone was beating a drum inside his skull. Suddenly, the doorbell rang.
"I'll get it." Dante jolted up.
He rushed to the door. Opening it, he conversed with the person outside before grabbing a small bag.
"What's that?" Isabell asked.
"Nothing. Just something I ordered online." Dante ran to his room.
He returned a few seconds later and continued eating. Minutes passed in a blur as the family finally finished eating. The lights in the house turned off one by one. Everyone went to their room. Missio and Dante cuddled into one bed. Missio gazed at the ceiling fan above, Dante's heartrate repeating in his ears. He turned his head and opened his mouth.
"Bro, why was your heart rate so high?"
Dante flinched, taking off his glasses. He wiped the sweat off his forehead and turned the fan on.
"Let's just say…" Dante inhaled heavily. "I have something planned tomorrow."
"Something planned? Does it involve that bag?" Missio inquired further.
"Yes… but no more spoilers. I fear Isabella might be listening from the other room."
"Uh, huh…" Missio nodded.
"But tomorrow is the day we leave and the day… your recovery begins. You will finally be Missio Augustus." Dante plopped, his fall being cushioned by the soft mattress.
"Missio Augustus…" Missio spoke his name.
He looked at the spinning face, contemplating his brother's words.
'I'm going to change… I'm going to change for you… mom…'
He turned over on his side with a darkened face. The time struck 9 as the neighborhood fell into silence as everyone slept soundly.