Chapter 98: Something Normal

Chris POV

Helen had been looking at me for a while, and I had no idea what was going through her head. I looked down at the blood still covering parts of my clothes before remembering what had happened when Valentina threatened her. The moment she’d looked toward Helen and started moving in her direction, all the control I’d built over my emotions hadn’t seemed to matter anymore. The mind abilities that normally helped me keep everything clear hadn’t done anything. All I’d felt was anger.

I might actually have a problem. Or maybe it had something to do with the nightmares. They weren’t as bad as they used to be, but there were still nights when I woke up remembering things I’d rather forget. I was about to ask the Research Assistant whether something was wrong with my mind when Helen suddenly asked, “Do you want to go out?”

I froze for a second before looking at her. “What do you mean by go out?” Helen seemed amused by my reaction and answered, “I don’t know. We could buy you some clothes, watch a movie, get something to eat. Just go somewhere for a few hours instead of staying here.”

I stared at her for a moment before asking, “So you want to go on a date with me?” This time, Helen didn’t immediately avoid the question or tell me I was being ridiculous. She looked at me for a few seconds before a small smile appeared on her face. “Maybe.” For a second, I finally understood where Gwen had gotten her smile from. Actually, looking at Helen now, I understood she’d gotten a lot more than that.

I already knew I needed to go home. Sara and Emily were supposed to learn everything today, and after what had happened recently, putting that conversation off wasn’t exactly a good idea. There were also a dozen other things I should probably be doing. Unfortunately, Helen was still standing there smiling at me, and apparently that was enough to ruin all of those reasonable thoughts.

I folded almost immediately. “So where are we going?” Her smile grew slightly as she answered, “It’s a surprise.” A little while later, we reached the ground floor. I expected one of my cars to be brought around, but Helen shook her head before I could say anything. “No need to be flashy today. We’re taking mine.”

I followed her outside and found her dark Audi Q7 waiting nearby. It wasn’t exactly a cheap car, but compared to the cars I normally traveled in, it looked almost ordinary. Out of habit, I started toward the driver’s side before noticing Helen was already there. I stopped and looked at her. “You’re driving?” She smiled slightly. “It’s my surprise.” I nodded and went around to the passenger side instead.

We drove for a while before eventually reaching a part of the city I didn’t visit often. Instead of stopping in front of some massive luxury store, Helen parked near a much smaller clothing shop. The place looked nice, but it definitely wasn’t somewhere I would’ve expected her to shop.

Helen noticed my expression as we got out and said, “Your mother showed me this place.” I looked toward the shop again before asking, “Mother came here?” Almost everything I’d seen her wear came from luxury brands, private designers or companies she had some connection to.

Helen nodded as we walked toward the entrance. “Before she married your father, your mother wasn’t always shopping from luxury brands.” I looked at her. “Really?” She smiled slightly. “Really. She actually liked places like this.” I glanced back at the shop before asking, “Then why haven’t I seen her come here?” Helen thought for a moment before answering, “She still came sometimes. Just not as often. Her life got busier after marrying your father, but she never completely stopped coming here.”

That was something I hadn’t really thought about before. In my memories, Mother had always simply been wealthy. The kind of wealthy where prices weren’t something she needed to think about. Apparently, I’d never bothered thinking much about what her life had been like before that. “I didn’t know that,” I admitted. Helen gave me a look before saying, “Yes, I know.” I frowned slightly at her tone, but before I could respond, she opened the door and went inside.

The shop was quiet, with rows of suits, shirts and fabrics arranged along the walls. An older woman came from the back after hearing the door. Her hair had already started turning gray, and she wore glasses hanging from a thin chain around her neck. The moment she saw Helen, she smiled and said, “Helen. It’s been a while.”

Helen greeted her before looking toward me. The woman’s eyes followed hers, and for a moment she simply stared. Helen gave her a small nod before saying, “He’s Josephine and Mark’s son.” The woman’s eyes widened slightly as she looked at me again. “Chris? You’ve grown.”

I raised an eyebrow. “You’ve seen me before?” She laughed softly before walking closer. “Your mother brought you here when you were little. I’m Margareta. I don’t expect you to remember me.” I was about to tell her I didn’t when something suddenly clicked and an old memory came back.

I remembered Mother standing inside this same shop while I sat nearby, already annoyed because she’d brought me somewhere I didn’t want to be. Margareta had been younger, and there had been a man beside her who I now remembered was her husband. He’d tried talking to me while Mother looked around, asking whether I liked the shop. Apparently, that had been enough for younger me to answer, This place is tiny. Why would Mother buy anything from people who can’t even afford a proper store?

Yeah. Her husband hadn’t done anything wrong. He’d just tried to talk to me, and I’d decided insulting both him and his store was a reasonable response. Mother had been furious afterward. I could even remember sitting in the car while she lectured me about how I treated people. Apparently, old Chris hadn’t simply been some lonely rich kid everyone misunderstood. Sometimes he’d just been an asshole.

It was strange how memories worked. There were plenty of things I’d remembered immediately after coming into this body, while other memories stayed buried until something dragged them back out. Maybe that was normal. People probably remembered the moments where they were right much more easily than the ones where they were clearly the problem.

Margareta was still watching me, so I said, “I remember now. I also remember I wasn’t exactly polite.” That made Helen look interested while Margareta smiled and answered, “You were a child.” I shook my head slightly. “Still wasn’t polite.” She studied me for a moment before her smile became warmer. “Then at least you’ve grown.”

Helen looked pleased by that answer. Before she could say anything, Margareta gestured for me to follow her and started taking my measurements. I stood there while she measured my shoulders, chest, waist and arms, occasionally telling me to stand properly whenever I moved.

Once she finished, she disappeared into the back and returned with several options. There were six suits in total, each different enough that I assumed she wanted to see what suited me before making anything specifically for me. I looked at them for a few seconds before turning toward Helen and asking, “Which one?”

She looked between me and the suits before saying, “You don’t need the full suit.” I raised an eyebrow and reminded her, “We came to a tailor.” Helen picked up one of the shirts and replied, “And? Just wear the shirt and trousers. Maybe the coat if we go somewhere that needs it. Your face already gets enough attention without dressing like you’re going to a board meeting.”

I stared at her before asking, “Was that supposed to be a compliment?” Helen smiled and answered, “Maybe.” She was definitely doing that on purpose now. I eventually took what she’d chosen and went into the changing room. The shirt was simple and fitted properly, while the dark trousers looked much less formal than most of what I normally wore for work. When I looked at myself in the mirror, I actually looked closer to seventeen instead of someone about to walk into another meeting.

While changing, I could hear Helen speaking quietly with Margareta outside. She was arranging for the other clothes to be prepared within the next few hours. It was already close to noon, and it would take around an hour and a half to reach home later, so apparently she was keeping track of the time to make sure I still got back for Sara and Emily.

At least one of us was remembering what I was supposed to be doing today. When I stepped out of the changing room, Helen looked toward me and stopped talking. Her eyes moved over me for a few seconds before she nodded and said, “That looks good.”

I looked down at myself before asking, “Just good?” She rolled her eyes and walked toward me. “Don’t start.” Before I could say anything else, she reached up and adjusted the collar of my shirt, then moved her fingers into my hair to fix the part I’d messed up while changing.

I stayed still while she moved a few strands away from my forehead. She looked at me again when she finished, and a smile appeared on her face as she said, “Perfect.” I felt my face start to heat up and had to stop myself from looking away. Apparently, I was still capable of getting embarrassed over something this simple.