Chapter Text
It started with something simple—Rupert claiming we were “running low on essentials,” though by that he mostly meant tea and another bottle of red for dinner.
So we pulled on our coats and wandered out into the early evening chill, the streets already humming with people heading home.
We ended up at the corner shop just before dinner, the kind with narrow aisles and shelves stacked almost to the ceiling. Rupert steered the cart like it weighed a ton, already loaded with tea, wine, and the sort of heavy cans he insisted on carrying instead of me.
I hovered by the pasta sauces, turning two jars over in my hands.
“This one’s perfect. Tomato, basil, nice and simple.”
He reached over my shoulder, plucking the spiciest jar on the shelf.
“Or we could have this. Extra chili. Clears the sinuses, saves lives.” He held it up like he was in a commercial, turning the label toward me with that mock-serious face of his.
I shot him a look. “Saves lives? More like ruins stomachs. You’ll be coughing through the night.”
“I’m tougher than that.” He gave me a half-smile, dimples just visible. “I can take a bit of heat.”
“Sure, but I’m the one kissing you later. Think about me.”
That earned me a low laugh, and he reluctantly set his jar back.
At the register, he paid before I could even reach for my wallet, gathering the bags in both hands like it was nothing. Bottles clinked, the plastic stretched dangerously, but he carried it all easily, glancing sideways at me as we stepped into the cool evening.
“Half of that’s mine,” I said, reaching out. “Let me take one.”
He hesitated, pretending to think it over, then handed me the lighter bag with a teasing, "Fine. Don't say I never let you help."
“What?” he asked when he caught me smiling.
“Nothing,” I said. “You just… look good like that.”
“Carrying half the shop?”
“Exactly.”
He shook his head, amused, shifting the heavier bag to one side so his other hand could find mine. Our fingers entwined all the way home, warm against the evening chill, the plastic rustling and the faint clinking of bottles keeping time with our steps.
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