Ororo took the girls shopping; she had to get out of her funk. She let the girls wander the mall alone, giving them a time to meet her at the food court. She walked around the mall glancing in the windows of different stores. Mostly, though, she thought about Shinobi. She shook her head sadly and stopped in front of a store that sold African figurines.
Her heart stopped beating when she caught his reflection in the glass. As she turned, she told herself that her mind was playing tricks on her. When she saw him standing before her, she decided that she was hallucinating. She hadn't been sleeping much lately. Didn't sleep deprivation sometime bring about hallucinations?
She knew he was very real when he walked over to her and touched her hand. His emotions were painted on his face. She could see all his sadness there. "Shinobi, what a pleasant surprise," she said, plastering a plastic smile on her face.
"Why haven't you returned my phone calls? Why won't you see me? Why have you returned all my gifts?" He barely paused between his questions before he was talking again. "Do you have any idea what this feels like? Do you even care?"
"I–"
"What do you want me to do? Beg?" he asked, dropping to his knees, hugging her around the midsection. "You're the last thought on my mind at night, and the first thought I have when I wake up. I am going out of my mind because of you. All I think about is you."
At first, she didn't know what to say. A man had never gotten on his knees for her, not like this. Sure, male worshippers fell to their knees in supplication in Africa, but this was different. She couldn't believe some of the things coming out of his mouth. It was like watching one of those Lifetime movies. This kind of stuff wasn't supposed to happen in real life.
"Shinobi, get up," she whispered, her face warming as she looked around. She couldn't believe he was on his knees, asking—no, begging—her to take him back.
"You don't know what it's like to have the woman you love scorning you." Her stomach lurched when she heard him say those words. She was going to throw up all over his expensive, Italian shoes.