A Gift Without Borders

It had been about a month since they met when Mia and Logan went to ARCA’s shopping district together.

After spending a few weeks in Ubud, Mia had moved back closer to the beach. Rita was happy to see her again. The café was hosting a brand event and gave Mia an invitation. The problem was that she had nothing to wear.

She wanted something that wouldn’t look too dressed up, would photograph well, and could still be worn casually afterward. The more conditions she added, the harder it became to choose.

That day, the moment she saw Logan, Mia pulled up three outfits in front of him.

“Which one looks best?”

Logan stared at them for a long time. One was navy and the other two were black, but to him they all seemed to look about the same.

“I shouldn’t have asked.”

Mia was about to close the screen when Logan asked, “Where are you wearing it?”

After she explained, he suggested they go look in person and opened the shopping district.

Stores stretched endlessly down both sides of a bright street. Once they selected a price range and general style, matching stores appeared around them. If Mia looked at an outfit she liked, she could try it on instantly. A hand gesture could change the color or length.

She started with a bright yellow dress.

“This one?”

“Pretty.”

His answer came faster than usual.

“The dress, or me?”

Logan looked away.

“I’m trying to figure out which answer gets me in less trouble.”

“You could just say both.”

“That sounds rehearsed.”

His answers were awkward, but his eyes followed Mia every time she moved. When she changed into a white dress that cinched tightly at the waist, he immediately said it looked uncomfortable.

“How would you know? I’m not even really wearing it.”

“You’ve been touching your side the whole time.”

Only then did Mia lower her hand. She looked in the mirror again. It would probably look great in photos. She would also probably spend the entire event tugging at it.

Logan found a light blue dress on the other side of the store. It was simple without feeling too formal, and with the sleeves rolled up, it looked comfortable enough for everyday wear.

When Mia tried it on, the light fabric brushed softly against her skin as she moved. She turned sideways in front of the mirror. Somehow, even her face looked brighter.

“This is nice.”

“Better than the first three.”

“You couldn’t even tell navy from black.”

“I could. I just didn’t say anything.”

Mia didn’t believe him. Still, she liked the dress.

Then she checked the price. It was more expensive than she had expected. Too much for something she was buying just for one event. She was about to look for another option when Logan opened the payment screen.

“I’ll get it.”

“Why?”

“I picked it.”

“Is there some rule that says the person who picks it has to pay?”

“There is now.”

“You’re still supposed to ask before buying someone something.”

Even if Logan sent the order, Mia’s address wouldn’t be visible to him. The recipient confirmed the destination and delivery date, and ARCA sent the item to the lodging address registered on the account. Mia only had to approve the gift.

Her hand paused.

It felt strange to receive a real piece of clothing from someone who didn’t even know where she lived. The oceans and snowy cabins they visited together disappeared when she logged out.

This dress would still be hanging in her room after she left ARCA.

After hesitating, Mia tapped accept.

`Receive gift without revealing your address. Delivery approved.`

“You have to actually wear gifts people give you.”

Logan said it and started walking toward the next store.

Mia watched his back for a moment, then spotted a shirt that immediately caught her eye. It was neon pink, covered in giant pineapples.

Logan rejected it the second he saw it.

“Isn’t a gift up to the person giving it?”

“You just said I was supposed to ask first.”

“My rules are different.”

Laughing, Mia held the shirt up. Logan shook his head, but when she held it in front of him and laughed even harder, he finally reached for it.

“Fine. But I’m only wearing it at the cabin.”

“You said people have to wear their gifts.”

Having his own words thrown back at him, Logan let out a quiet sigh.

The blue dress arrived at Mia’s hotel two days later. The order history showed only the seller. Logan’s address was hidden. Instead of a receipt, there was a short note inside the package.

`You can actually breathe in this one.`

The color was a little darker than it had looked on-screen, and the fabric was softer. The size they had chosen left just enough room at the shoulders and waist. Unlike the white dress, she could lift her arms without feeling restricted.

On the day of the event, Mia wore the dress. She set her avatar to display what she was wearing in real life. Curious whether Logan would notice, she deliberately didn’t mention it.

The moment she entered the snowy cabin, Logan asked before even saying hello, “Did the dress arrive?”

“It was better than I expected, so I wore it.”

He looked at her for a moment, then said it suited her. It was a short compliment, but it put Mia in an unexpectedly good mood.

Now it was Logan’s turn to show his gift.

He resisted for a while, then finally changed his settings so his avatar displayed his real clothes. His black shirt disappeared, replaced by the neon pink pineapple shirt. In the quiet cabin, the shirt looked absurdly bright.

Mia held it in for a few seconds before collapsing over the table with laughter.

“If you were going to laugh that hard, why did you send it?”

“Because it looks even better than I imagined.”

“Stop lying.”

Logan covered his face. When Mia took a picture, he told her to delete it immediately.

“No. I’m keeping this forever.”

The words came out sounding more meaningful than she intended, so she quickly added, “The picture of the shirt, I mean.”

“I know.”

Logan lowered the hand covering his face. His ears looked slightly red. Mia couldn’t tell whether he was genuinely embarrassed or ARCA was simply rendering him that way.

From that day on, the blue dress Logan had chosen hung in Mia’s closet. Somewhere she couldn’t place on a map, the pineapple shirt she had sent was probably hanging in Logan’s closet too.

Now she didn’t even need to enter ARCA to think of him.

All she had to do was open her closet.