238 Inspirational Idea

Men’s fashion is on the third floor of the mall...

Feeling lazy and too in a rush to take the escalator up, I decided to take the elevator instead. The third floor was indeed filled with men’s wear, accessories, and shoes. After walking around aimlessly for a while, I realized that I was going through a classic first-world problem of having too many options to choose from. There were just so many things available for purchase that it was hard for me to choose. That coupled with the fact that I didn’t really have anything in mind in the first place, just made it even harder for me.

“Do you need some help? Are you looking for something?” a saleswoman said when she approached me.

Her pleasant smile told me that she was all ears and that she was here to offer her sincere help. However, I wasn’t sure if my reply would give her enough to work off of.

“Well, my...umm...boyfriend’s birthday is coming up and I’m trying to pick a present out for him...” I replied a little shyly.

There was no doubt about it, referring to Ace as my boyfriend felt quite embarrassing. The saleswoman’s smile widened at my words before she nodded her head enthusiastically at me.

“Do you have anything in mind? We have very trendy clothes here for men and also more formal suits. If that doesn’t work for you, then we also have an extensive range of accessories from cufflinks to jewelry...” she suggested with a smile.

That was exactly the problem.

“I’m not sure. There are so many things to choose from and I’m not sure what I should get for him,” I replied honestly.

.....

“Well, I’m here to help you. Why don’t we look around together? Maybe we can start off with the clothing section over there,” she suggested brightly.

“Thank you...” I thanked her

I followed her to the men’s clothing section where many brands of clothing awaited us. Let’s say that I’ve narrowed down my scope to looking for some clothes for Ace. What kind of clothing should I get for him exactly?

Work suits? Formal suits? Casual shirts and jeans?

“What about one of these high-quality suit? I assume you’re boyfriend is working in an office, right?” she asked with a smile.

I followed the gesture of her hand and my eyes landed on many expensive looking suits. My lack of knowledge of men suits made me unconfident about what Ace would like. I bet he got all his suits tailored at the most expensive places. Buying him a suit off the rack probably won’t cut it.

“No? What about something more casual? There’s a trend of couples matching their casual outfits when they go out on dates. What do you think?” she asked brightly.

I let her lead me to the casual clothing section. For the life of me, I couldn’t imagine Ace agreeing to dress up in coordinating outfits with me. He might do it if I asked or begged for him to do so but I had better things to beg for than for him to wear matching outfits with me. Now that I thought about it, Ace didn’t seem to wear anything fancy for his casual looks. Comfortable white shirt and jeans seemed to be his go-to look and I had to say that the look looks amazing on him.

“I don’t think he’ll go for the coordinating outfit thing...” I said before flashing her an apologetic smile.

“No worries. Then, let’s check out the accessories section. Cufflinks and some simple jewelry cannot go wrong, trust me...” she said before leading the way.

I ended up following her around again and soon ended up at the men accessories section. Long rows of display glass cabinets filled with accessories greeted me and left me even more confused than before. Picking out a suit from the racks of suits felt hard already but picking one of these small accessories from the countless others just seemed impossible. As my eyes scanned through the small accessories on display in their glass case, I started to get a slight throbbing headache.

'

“What do people usually buy for their boyfriends?” I asked in a small voice.

“Matching jewelry such as pendants or rings. Others get usable items that their boyfriends would wear such as cufflinks...” she suggested with a smile.

My eyes followed her fingers as she pointed to the row of display cabinets with cufflinks. There were so many designs to choose from. Once again, I didn’t know what Ace would like. Although I’ve spent a lot of time with him, it wasn’t like I spent any time staring at the cufflinks that he had on.

“Matching jewelry...” I murmured as my hand unconscious went to the small pendant resting at the base of my neck.

Would it be too straightforward and lame if I got him a matching pendant or something similar that might match the pendant that he gave me?

“Umm...would you happen to have something that would match this pendant that I have on?” I asked as I dared myself to hope.

I wasn’t sure if it was a good idea, but it was the only idea that I got at that moment. Rather than spending more time browsing without any aim or inspiration, I thought that getting a matching pendant might be the right solution. The pendant was quite small so people wouldn’t realize it that we were wearing something matching or similar.

It might just work...

“Can I get a closer look at the pendant?” she inquired.

“Oh, sure...let me take it off for you...” I replied.

I carefully took off the necklace along with the pendant. The staff quickly took out a black velvet tray for me to put the necklace on it.

“This pendant is really beautiful and very detailed...” she said in awe.

“Thanks...” I replied softly.

“Did your boyfriend give you this?” she asked with her eyes on my pendant although she probably already had a good guess of the answer.

“Yes, he did...” I replied honestly before smiling a little her way.

–To be continued...