369 Date a Damien

At noontime in Harbor City, the weather was chilly—not so crazy in November at Esmea but it wasn't exactly cozy to be out on a date or whatever it was with Damien and Katherine on a Saturday. He seemed to be taking advantage of their little agreement that he pulled the 'I'm hungry—feed-me-with-the-money-you-owed-me-card' just to get her to go out with him.

It's not that Katherine wasn't aware of what he was doing in the first place but even so, she didn't say no to it. She didn't want to. For all she knew, being out with Damien was the most natural thing that she could think of—with or without Shadow on their tails. Because as of the moment, there was really nothing else they could do.

It was impossible to march inside Shadow and ambush the place—that is, if they would even find out where the new base was in the first place. It was impossible because just destroying its base wouldn't stop Shadow's operation. The incident from five years ago—when Katherine bombed Castle—already proved that to be true.

Now, she was older and wiser and not doing anything at the moment seemed to be the best option they had. Sometimes, being at war didn't mean that they should fight the battle through a blood bath. Being at war meant valuing the lives of the people they cared about. Katherine shouldn't isolate herself… After all, she was back in Harbor City as Katherine Young. 

And Katherine Young wouldn't hide.

Katherine Young would want to stand next to Damien Park with her head held high, believing that there's nothing she couldn't do with him beside her.

'So come at me, Parker… I'm not alone now,' she thought to herself.

Katherine's trance was interrupted when a large hand cupped her shoulder. She looked up and heard Damien ask, "You okay?"

"Yeah, what were you saying?" she asked as she alighted the vehicle with his help. They arrived at a shopping district and the valet took the car.

"I was asking if you're hungry. We could eat first before we buy what you need. God, your hands are freezing. Why are your hands always so cold?" He took both of her icy cold hands and wrapped them with his. He blew warm breath onto them and rubbed his hands on hers. He had always known about her having cold hands ever since but it somehow got even colder this month. 

He sighed as he eyed her outfit—the white dress that he loved on her and a pair of heels. "This won't do. We should get you some warm clothes first. I love your dress, but that isn't exactly doing you any good right now."

"Okay…" Just as Katherine answered him, her cellphone rang. She whipped it out of her purse and saw Matthew's caller ID. She glanced at Damien who saw her phone screen and she was relieved when he only rolled his eyes and reluctantly said, "Go ahead, answer it. I'll give you a minute. Don't go too far, I'll be nearby." He gently patted her head before turning around and heading to a boutique.

The saleslady kindly ushered him to the women's clothing and apparel where he quickly came up with Katherine's entire outfit effortlessly like he was her personal shopper. The saleslady didn't even have to help him choose the colors as he was confident with his choices. He had no second thoughts. He went in and grabbed the pieces that he thought would look good together on Katherine and went straight to the cashier.

The cashier was processing his purchases when he remembered something and turned to the saleslady again, "Where are your gloves?"

She led Damien to a corner where the gloves are shelved. He chose a pair that went together with the outfit he picked out earlier. However, while he was on his way back to the counter, a pair of gloves and a hat set caught his attention. He tilted his head as he looked at the items on display and his mouth curled up into a knowing smile before he grabbed the set and paid for them as well.

Katherine came inside the shop when he was about to leave. "Ah, good. Here… Change into this," he told her as he handed her one of the paper bags in his hand and turned to the saleslady, "Can you assist her to the changing room?"

"Of course, sir. This way, ma'am," said the saleslady.

Katherine exchanged looks with Damien as she didn't know that he had already bought her stuff. Typical Damien. Date a Damien and he'll turn you into a living barbie.

Without protest, she changed into the outfit that he got for her and stared into the mirror. "Not bad," she muttered to herself before going out of the changing room and faced Damien who had just finished a phone conversation. "If you weren't running a multi-billion dollar company and topping the resort industry, I would definitely see you in fashion," she joked, and the salesladies around them stifled a chuckle as well, seemingly agreeing to what she said.

Taking in her new look, there was a smile on Damien's face, evidently satisfied that she was now covered appropriately for the cool weather. On her were a cashmere square turtle neck in a light oatmeal color, a pair of blue washed jeans, and a pair of suede taupe over-the-knee boots set on a bold platform and block heel. The whole thing fit her like a glove as the sizes he picked out were perfect. Just… how?

"Please. I only know a little about clothes. What I do know... is how to spend money on quality-guaranteed items. Am I right, ladies?" he threw the question without actually looking at the salesladies as his eyes were only locked at no one else but Katherine's. "Shall we?"

The two exited the shop, leaving the salesladies gushing about the fact that a handsome man just paid a couple of thousand dollars for an outfit for his woman. They could only dream that it could also happen to them.

"Ah, hang on." Damien stopped Katherine and took out the set that he got earlier. Before she could even see the design, he quickly wore the winter cable knitted beanie on her head and then slipped on a pair of fluffy gloves on her hands. He took a step back and had to cover his mouth with his hand as he examined her. 'Fûck. She's so adorable. What do I do?'

"Really? Now I just think you're playing with me," she mumbled as she studied the gloves on her hands. They were warm and fluffy… and they were cat gloves in light grey and pink. The fingerless gloves were designed to look like cat paws—fluffy, soft, and warm. Her fingers slipped through the holes; half of them were covered and half were exposed but they kept her hands warm yet she was still able to move her hands freely if she had to use her phone or whatever.

She was just about to reach for the winter cap on her head when Damien grabbed both of her hands. "I couldn't find anything else. These were the only ones they had," he lied, not wanting her to find out that her cap also had a cat design—as in, light grey fluffy cap with pink cat ears. "Let's go and find somewhere to eat. You're paying." 

He held her hand as they walked towards where the restaurants were in the shopping district. All without realizing that from a distance, a paparazzi had been taking pictures of them nonstop since they arrived.