By Chance

Chapter 9 - Going ring-shopping

From the moment Tessa entered the building she fell in love, multiple times actually. She had felt the excitement fill her body the instant she noticed the shop sign saying American Apparel - she just loved that store. „But Louis you don’t understand - it’s a necessity of life,” Tessa explained while gesturing to her favorite item so far - the black disco pants. „But Tessa, you said that about practically everything you found in here - you can’t just buy it all,” Louis tried to knock some sense in her head, but she kept going on about how shopping was therapeutic and that she needed some new outfits for her blog and her new job. In reality she just really needed a distraction for Harry. It had been a couple of days since they had gotten home from Holmes Chapel - and now she was more confused than ever, since they were still acting like a couple just without all the intimacy. Tessa kept telling herself they only cared for each other like friends - but when she laid in her bed alone at night she found herself missing Harry’s presence. Lately most of the time had been spent with all of the girls and guys, so they had both tried to keep some distance between them. Tessa had finally met both Eleanor Calder and Sophia Smith, and as excepted they were both lovely girls. Today Harry, Liam and Niall were all being interviewed - while Perrie was at a photoshoot with the rest of Little Mix, so Tessa had almost forced Zayn and Louis to go exploring the shopping opportunities of London.

Tessa already had several bags while the boys only had a few. „Which one?” Louis said interrupting her inspection of a black skirt. „If you start wearing bracelets the Larry rumors will explode,” Zayn laughed. „It’s for Eleanor stupid. I want to surprise her with a present when we go out for lunch,” Louis said and rolled his eyes at Zayn - although he couldn’t keep the smile off his face. „The one to the left - she will most defiantly love it, trust me,” Tessa replied pointing towards the gold bracelet with a heart pendant. Louis brightened up at the thought of his girlfriend and moved towards the counter to pay. Tessa already paid so her and Zayn went outside to wait for their friend. „I kind of need to ask you a favor, but you have to keep quiet about it,” Zayn suddenly whispered. Tessa just nodded and turned to face him. „I ehm... Well I guess since you’re one of Perrie’s dearest and oldest friends you know her extremely well - and I need you to help me choose out a ring for her,” Zayn said avoiding her gaze. Tessa just watched him puzzled. Why couldn’t he just buy a ring himself? It's the thought that counts anyway. Then a couple of seconds later it hit Tessa. It wasn’t just any kind of ring. „Oh my god!” She burst out with a huge smile on her face. „Shh keep it down - you’ll just make a scene,” Zayn whispered again - but now he felt like a burden had lifted from his shoulders. Tessa was clearly ecstatic about the idea of Zayn and Perrie being engaged - so why wouldn’t everybody else be as well? Besides the most important thing was Perrie’s answer, which hopefully would be a yes. Zayn explained how he already had planned for them to go ring-looking when Louis left for his lunch date with El.

Zayn was explaining his thoughts on the look of the ring, when he was suddenly interrupted by Louis. „Well well well, care to tell my again that nothing is going on between you and Harry?” He said and wriggled his eyebrows, luckily unaware on the topic of the conversation he just interrupted. „I already told you guys when we got back from Anne’s place - nothing is going no, why do you keep asking?” Tessa replied and rolled her eyes. Then Louis got out a magazine he had been holding behind his back. „You just look quite cozy on page nine,” he grinned and showed the article. „You guys are totally going at it - how come I haven’t noticed?” Zayn exclaimed. Louis started laughing and Tessa just stood there, feeling like panicking. She couldn’t deny how much they looked like a couple and a very happy one indeed. The pictures were all from their trip at the beach. Harry’s entire family was shown, and then there were several smaller pictures of Harry and Tessa; splashing in the water, eating ice cream and worst of all walking along the beach with their arms around each other. Holy fuck. „Nothing’s going on, I swear! The paparazzi are just twisting everything,” Tessa said while skimming the article called ‘The new it-couple; Tarry - approved by the Styles family’. „That’s a shame - you guys look happy together. Besides I’ve seen the way Harry looks at you,” Louis kept going while Zayn nodded in agreement. „He doesn’t look at me in any special way - we’re friends and that’s it. By the way I think you’re forgetting about all of Harry’s one night stands,” Tessa pointed out. „We’re not forgetting love, we’ve just noticed that he hasn’t brought anybody home since you guys got back from his mom’s place,” Zayn stated and winked at her. Tessa had no idea how to answer any of this, so she just shrugged her shoulders and started walking.

„How about this one?” Tessa asked holding a simple diamond ring. Zayn shook his head, again. Tessa had by now found more than ten different but beautiful rings - but Zayn kept explaining that they didn’t feel right. He needed a ring which almost shouted Perrie’s name, so Tessa was in on a challenge but she loved every second of it. One of her closet friends was proposing to the most amazing person on earth and she couldn’t find a better match for either of them - they were made for each other. Even though Tessa didn’t necessarily believe in true love or marriage she didn’t doubt for a second, that these people’s love was one hundred percent real. Tessa glanced at the rings behind the glass vessel, and she gasped when she caught sight of a particular ring. It was perfect. Now she hoped just that Zayn agreed - because she knew that Perrie would absolutely love it. Tessa called for the sales assistant, who found gave her the ring to try it on. „Wauw,” was all she could say. It was a silver ring with one big diamond in the middle and a small on each side of it. Tessa loved the way it sparkled in the lighting, and when Zayn turned to ask her another question his jaw dropped. „This is the one,” he simply stated and got out his wallet.