It was a rare quiet Saturday on the USC campus, and for once, neither of you had a lab, a lecture, or a study group to rush off to. The sun was warm but not overwhelming, and the air carried that perfect blend of freedom and calm — the kind of day you don’t take for granted when you’re both full-time college students. You and your girlfriend, Tatianna Areizaga, finally had a day off… and you were spending it together, exactly how she liked: shopping.

“Okay, I’m just warning you now,” Tatianna said with a smirk as she tossed her dark curls into a quick bun and grabbed her purse. “I’m going full retail therapy mode today. I’ve been dissecting frogs and memorizing cell division for two weeks straight. I earned this.”

You laughed, pulling on your hoodie. “As long as we don’t spend two hours debating between the pink sweater and the slightly pinker sweater again.”

“That was one time, babe.”

“It was three.”

She rolled her eyes in that flirty way she always did, then laced her fingers through yours as you both left your dorm room. “Come on, future CEO. Maybe you can learn how to spot a good deal.”

The shopping trip turned into a full-on adventure. You started at The Grove, where Tatianna tried on sunglasses you knew she’d never buy, just to take selfies in the mirror. You hit a couple of trendy boutiques downtown — the kind with overpriced candles and even more overpriced outfits — but she strutted through them like she owned the place.

You bought boba and sat outside under a giant umbrella, the two of you people-watching and talking about everything and nothing. Tatianna rambled about a weird dream she had involving a giant squid in a biology lab, while you shared your idea for a future business that might “kind of, possibly” involve sneakers and coffee shops.

“You’re really gonna run something big one day,” she said, sipping her matcha and leaning into you. “And I’ll be the hot biology major who reminds you to eat.”