Laura stares at her closet for a long time.
Structured blazers.
Neutral skirts.
Tailored lines.
All chosen.
None hers.
Her phone is in her hand before she fully decides.
She types.
Deletes.
Types again.
Are you free today?
Sunny replies almost immediately.
Yes??
Laura inhales.
I was thinking… I might like to go shopping.
Three dots appear instantly.
Then vanish.
Then reappear.
Clothes?
Yes.
A pause.
Then:
With me?
Laura hesitates only half a second.
If you would like to.
There is a five-second gap.
Then:
I AM ON MY WAY.
Laura blinks at the screen.
We can meet at the mall entrance at eleven.
Yes.
There is no mention of Amelia.
There never needs to be.
Laura arrives precisely at eleven.
Sunny is already there.
So is Amelia.
Waving dramatically.
Laura stops walking.
She looks at Sunny.
Sunny gives her a sheepish smile.
"I tried," Sunny says weakly.
Amelia beams.
"You cannot go clothes shopping without me."
Laura considers this.
She should have predicted it.
Instead of objecting, she nods once.
"That seems statistically accurate."
Amelia gasps.
"Oh my god she's adapting."
They enter together.
The mall is louder than the grocery store.
Mirrors.
Music.
Movement.
Laura's shoulders stiffen slightly.
Sunny notices immediately.
"We go slow," Sunny says softly.
Amelia grabs Laura's arm.
"We go bold."
Sunny grabs Laura's other arm.
"We go breathable."
Laura allows herself to be steered.
The first store is overwhelming.
Colors.
Textures.
Patterns.
Amelia holds up something aggressively bright.
"Try this."
Laura stares at it.
"It is… vibrant."
"That's the point."
Sunny intervenes gently.
"Maybe something softer first."
Laura nods.
Yes.
Softer.
They enter a fitting room.
Amelia turns into a director immediately.
"Outfit one!"
Laura steps out.
It is… beige.
Amelia groans.
"No. That's your mother."
Sunny winces.
Laura returns inside.
Outfit two.
A little looser.
Less structured.
Sunny tilts her head.
"That's closer."
Laura studies herself in the mirror.
She doesn't know what she's supposed to feel.
"It does not restrict my shoulders," she says thoughtfully.
"That's good," Sunny replies.
Amelia pushes a dress into her hands.
"Trust me."
Laura hesitates.
Then tries it.
When she steps out—
She stands differently.
Less upright.
Less rehearsed.
Amelia freezes.
Sunny's eyes soften.
Laura looks down at herself.
"It feels… unfamiliar."
"Does it feel wrong?" Sunny asks gently.
Laura considers.
"No."
Amelia grins slowly.
"Then we keep it."
The next hour blurs.
Laura changes.
Analyzes.
Rejects.
Keeps.
She says "no" twice.
That alone feels monumental.
Sunny notices every micro-shift.
Amelia comments on everything.
At one point Laura stands in front of the mirror in something simple.
Not dramatic.
Not loud.
Just hers.
She tilts her head.
Her posture loosens slightly.
"I think," she says slowly, "I would like this."
Sunny's face lights up.
"You chose it."
Amelia claps once.
"She chose it."
Laura looks at her reflection again.
For once—
she isn't evaluating perfection.
She's evaluating preference.
And that feels new.
They sit with iced drinks afterward.
Laura holds the shopping bag carefully.
Not because it's expensive.
Because she selected it.
Sunny nudges her lightly.
"I'm proud of you."
Laura looks at her.
"You did not force me."
Sunny smiles.
"That's growth."
Amelia leans forward dramatically.
"Next time, we introduce color."
Laura almost smiles.
"We will proceed incrementally."
They laugh.
And for the first time—
shopping doesn't feel like performance.
It feels like choice.
And she made one.